Alternate Publishing Plan

Once in a while I click into the "Times of Israel" website. This is a news site which also has a large section devoted to blogs, some of which take a light hearted approach to describing life in Israel.
Since the site is open to this type of content, I think it would be possible for me to submit my  most well received blog post about a strawberry in a land of sabras. There were a few edits that my fellow students mentioned that could improve the piece, but I think in general the content and length would be appropriate as is.
The publication makes it easy to submit; they have an easy to find link in the top navigation to "Submit Content" whether it's a story, article, or photo. I am not certain if my article would best be suited to "opinion pieces and blogs" or "culture and lifestyle" ...
http://www.timesofisrael.com/contact/submit-content/

A New Direction

So far this semester I’ve been exploring a voice that writes about perspectives gained through past travel. I’ve learned to write more concisely. I’ve also learned to think about what I want an audience to take away, and so comes a shift in the blog. The new blog will incorporate photography and the setting will be my here and now.

Washington, DC in the summer is packed with tourists snapping shots of the landmarks and attractions. My blog will reflect the DC summer-time experience of a resident and trained photographer. I think a new name and “about” is in order, though this pseudonym will be closely linked to my “true” online presence.

That presence should be more focused and reflective of both my photography and writing skills. It needs to be brought up to date, which is why I chose a current perspective.

 I had considered reshaping the blog but continuing in Israel (Inside the Bubble: One Photographers Year in Tel Aviv). But that lens is a few years old and it’s fixed.

Creating fresh photography and writing about it is a challenge I can be passionate about and which will push involvement in the community.  For example, I contacted a local free program of courses called “Knowledge Commons DC” as I saw they needed volunteers to document their classes (which range from bookmaking and documentary sound recording to experimental drawing in the zoo). Unfortunately their summer classes are only held in June, but that’s just one idea of something I could incorporate into the blog.

The challenge will be making time to make photographs that can be backed up substantially with words and as usual, to narrow focus and develop tone.

Will the writing contain more personalized descriptions or will it develop into a reporter-like blog? Will it focus on describing the process and reasoning behind a photo and add in comments on technological developments? Will some mix of the two be appropriate?

I plan to figure these things out as the blog progresses and as I think more about what I hope to accomplish through my online presence.

Wikipedia: Glover-Archbold Community Garden

Outside of my topic but, I realized the wonderful gardens near my house have no wikipedia page of their own. I did not try to publish, but here is what I've put together:

Summary

The Glover-Archbold Community Garden is an approximately 3 acre plot of land in N.W. Washington D.C. which is divided into smaller plots used by local gardeners.  The land is leased from the National Park Service (NPS) and comes under the jurisdiction of Rock Creek Park.  

History

The Glover Archbold Community Garden was created during World War II. At the time American citizens were encouraged to grow their own vegetables, in what were known as Victory gardens.  Since then, local families have used the gardens to grow their own food. [1]

Garden Specifics

The Garden is located at 42^nd St and New Mexico Ave NW in the Glover Park neighborhood. It is is surrounded on three sides by Rock Creek Park.  The land is moderately hilly and open to full sun.[2]

The 2.7 acre Garden is divided into 150 25x25’ plots, making it the second largest community garden in Washington, D.C. [3]

Individual plots are enclosed with fencing to protect crops from deer.  Gardeners share a tool shed, compost heap and seating areas.  A large variety of vegetables and flowers are grown in the Garden, all of which are required to be grown organically.

Current Organization/Membership

The garden is run by the Glover Park Community Garden Association (GPCGA) which holds leadership elections each year.  Dino Kraniotis is currently Garden Manager and President of the GPCGA. The GPCGA and the NPS set rules for gardeners, who must apply for membership. (There is currently a waiting list of about 70 people.)[4]

Recent News

In the spring of 2012, there have been reports of missing daffodils, peonies, and hydrangeas from the gardens. It is believed to be the same person that has stolen from the garden for the past four years but has not been caught.  [5]

References

[1]WETA Neighborhoods, Premiere Date 6/30/2006

[2] Christopher Jones, “Glover Park Community Webpage Added” Glover Park website, Retrieved 6/23/12

[3] Community Garden Census, Fall 2010, published by the DC Field to Fork Network, p. 14

[4] “Glover Archbold Community Garden”  Field to Fork Network website, Retrieved 6/23/12

[5] The Washington Post, published 6/12/2012, Adrian Higgins, “Beware the D.C. Garden Thief, Still at Large”

How to Make an "Israeli Salad"

It is really called that; image search the name and you will find something very specific. I’m grateful to this salad for making it ok to throw out the boring lettuce filler and just giving us the good stuff.

This refreshing salad is often eaten with breakfast (not sausage and pancakes! But soft sour cheese, fresh pita, and egg.) It can also be put inside any pita sandwich. And it goes great with a dinner of chicken schnitzel, or really, anything.

First assemble the necessary ingredients.

You will need:

·         1 ripe tomato

·         1 cucumber (or two of the great crispy small ones)

·         Half an onion, red or yellow

·         1 tablespoon chopped parsley

·         1 teaspoon olive oil

·         2 teaspoons lemon juice

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Next, dice the vegetables into small pieces. Try to make them consistent sizes. Drop them in a lidded container. (You’ll need the lid later.)

Chop the parsley and toss into the container.

Now drizzle the lemon juice, olive oil, atop the vegetables.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top of everything.

Close the lid on the container with all of your salad ingredients inside.

Give the whole thing a good shake! You want the parsley and the dressing to become interspersed with the vegetables, making your salad juicy.

Open up the container and enjoy the citrusy fresh smell and the lovely interplay of colors

Transfer to a serving dish (or not), eat and enjoy!

Once you master this (very difficult) salad, feel free to add in a few variations. Colorful bell peppers, feta cheese, chopped pickles, garlic, or mint. Your creation will still be considered an Israeli salad. 

"If you were a fruit...what would you be?"

When I was a kid in WV, my school mates and I liked to ask each other this important question of identity. My answer was always “a strawberry!”  Small and sweet, cute and bright!  I never once heard someone call themselves a “prickly pear,” which is a term often used to describe native born Israelis.  The Hebrew word is “sabra.” The sabra fruit has a sweet soft interior, if you can get past the tough and prickly hide. 

The trick is getting past it. American tourists usually gasp “Israelis are so rude!” at some point during their visit. They had to learn the hard way that standing politely in line to buy tomatos at the shuk was not going to get them anything but a looong wait. They are shocked to find that the customer is  NOT always right. They’re bewildered when asking “how are you” results in a long diatribe of misery - they have to adjust their ideas on boundaries.  And they have to deal with impatience, line-cutters, and really aggressive driving.

Then there was me, the unassuming strawberry who always picked her words carefully so as not to offend or create confrontation. More than once I assumed annoyance in the simple question, “Are we leaving now?” and responded indignantly.  I had to get used to raised voices.

Before I knew Hebrew, I couldn’t gauge the severity of an exchange by the verbiage used. I just heard  exasperation.  It happened often with Z and his mother. But soon after (or between) a shouting match, they’d be laughing or mom would be asking how much sugar to put in his tea.  For mom and son, rudeness was a form of affection.

That’s not uncommon in Mediterranean culture. Ever seen Moonstruck or My Big Fat Greek Wedding? You’ll recognize the drama that goes on in these deeply loyal families. And I think that’s where the sabra’s softness comes in.

Despite a NY cut-the-crap attitude, a sense of family unites the people in this tiny country; and they won’t hesitate to treat a stranger as family with an invitation for a meal.  Once at the table, the stranger will begin to see that for all the bluster, Israelis have a sensitive side. So many times I was asked, “So what do you think of Israel? Do you like it here? It’s beautiful, right?” in a casual tone that ached for a positive response.  But no matter what you respond, you’ll be invited back again. That’s how easy it is to make a friend for life.

For Z’s part, when he arrived in the U.S. he was caught off guard by people smiling "good morning!" on the sidewalk. After the weirdness wore off, he enjoyed the friendliness. But he missed the random friends and family that would show up uninvited on the doorstep on a Saturday and linger for hours over coffee and sunflower seeds. Three years later, he loves America but the sense of isolation remains. He has moments of longing for his “tribe.”

As for me, I still don’t know how to let it all hang out; but I realized I’d rather forgo a random hello in the street for the knowledge that someone I met yesterday would be there in an instant for me tomorrow.

I’ll never be a sabra, I'm a strawberry all the way. But these days I'm a bit more difficult to bruise.

Playing with Online Presence

Viva Green | LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/pub/viva-green/22/588/a84

Washington D.C. Metro Area - •Interactive Content Producer, National Public Radio

View Viva Green’s professional profile on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network…

Viva Green (Home)

www.vgreen.com

Photos                                   Publications                          Film

Viva’s portfolio…                  Collection of artic…             Freelance video proj…

About                                                                                     Blogs

Viva Green writes, photographs and designs…            Viva opines on…

 

West (Virginia) Meets (Middle) East

vivagreenwrites.blogspot.com/

A travel blog that explores cultural misconceptions, written by W.V. native Viva Green…

 

Visions in the Capital

A blog about Washington D.C.’s photo scene, by DC’s own writer and photographer Viva Green

M. Cherry shared this on Blogger

Escapes: Experience the arts in Shepherdstown - The ...

www.washingtonpost.com/.../escapes-experience-arts-shepherds...

Escape from Washington with WP travel columnist Viva Green as she takes you on her latest venture into the tri-state area

 

videos | dc greenworks

dcgreenworks.org/news/media

Growing livable communities using living materials. (Video Production: Viva Green)

Viva Green (@vivagreenwrites) on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/#!/V

Sign up for Twitter to follow Viva (@vivagreenwrites).  Photographer, Writer, Explorer of Interactive Media.

Viva Green | Facebook

www.facebook.com/viva.green

Vvia Green is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect withViva…

 

Viva Green (intrepidv) on Pinterest

m.pinterest.com/intrepidv/

Profile picture of Viva Green. Intent on not letting routine dull every day wonders. Facebook · Twitter · Website · 316 pins · 30 Likes

Playing Devil's Advocate

When writing about Israel, I think it’s important to show some awareness of the controversy that surrounds the country, even when the blog focus is not political (if that’s even possible when it comes to Israel.)

Various entities have sought to boycott Israel in protest of their policies toward the Palestinians. While I do not support all of Israel’s actions, and I “get” the opposition (former Al-Jazeera employee here) I developed a distaste for the boycott movements. They often seemed to be a one sided push for a cause-du-jour, without an accompanying appreciation for the full scope of the situation.  

There's a chance I'm biased due to my Israeli partner in life. All I know is that I've heard endless amounts of arguments from both sides, and each make sense in their own way. Here I shall take on the role of boycott supporter:

I am calling for a blanket boycott of Israel. By that I mean popular musical acts should not perform there, and super markets should not sell products that are manufactured in Israel. This would also include an academic boycott of Israeli universities, scholars, and cultural institutions.

Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and towards the Gaza Strip harm Palestinians, whose movements and access to the outside world are limited. Disproportionate use of force by the Israelis against their neighbors is not acceptable, nor is the continued expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land. The “Separation Wall” is offensive and racist and should be torn down.  Until Israel shows a real commitment towards respecting the Palestinians and honoring their right to an independent state, I call for this boycott.

Many young Israelis are offended when the likes of Elvis Costello and Roger Waters boycott their country. They cite Israel’s contributions to the larger world in the form of scientific and technical innovation and discovery, and their expert medical aid in areas of natural disaster. My response is that all of this educated intelligence and goodwill should first be put towards addressing the injustices perpetrated by their own government. So many rights don’t correct a big wrong.

Israelis will protest that they have been wronged, that they are continually under siege despite efforts for peace (the treaty with Egypt, returning the Gaza Strip to Palestinian control). But the fact is that they still have the upper hand and they still control the West Bank. Only when they are on equal ground (figuratively and literally!) with the Palestinians should the boycott be lifted.

This boycott will also remind Israel that they are not immune to international law. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that the Separation Wall was illegal.  Israelis defend the wall with statistics that show suicide bombings have all but disappeared in their country since it was erected. However, changes in policy that addressed the root problem could have been just as effective and much less harmful to those on the other side. 

Some say it is hypocritical to single out tiny Israel for boycotts and abuse while other governments in the region commit atrocious human rights offenses against their own citizens. Israel claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, and a bastion of Western values.

First, Israel may be tiny, but it has a tremendous effect on other countries’ foreign policy. As an American, I know that our nation has attracted the ire of many Arab countries for our one sided support of Israel. America also spends a disproportionate amount of foreign aid on little Israel. With such security and financial investments, I think we have a right to an opinion and a say in how Israel conducts itself.

The fact that Israel is a democracy only adds to the argument for a boycott. The citizens actually have a say in the policies of the government. A boycott is a non-violent way of pressuring the people to pressure their officials. As far as Western values, it is time for Israel to show a genuine commitment to those values and to lead the region by example. In the meantime, we shall boycott.