Bethlehem means House of Meat in Arabic and House of Bread in Hebrew. The Hebrew Bible identifies it as the city David was from and the location where he was crowned the king of Israel. The New Testament identifies it as the birthplace of Jesus.
Population is 25,000 and rapidly shrinking due to bad economic conditions. Unemployment stands at 75% with tourism being its main industry. The Church of the Nativity is the main tourist attraction amongst Christian pilgrims.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the influx of refugees transformed the city's Christian majority into a Muslim one. In 1947, Christians made up 75% of the population, today it is about 20%. More Christians than Muslims are emigrating because of a minority situation.
The mayor and the deputy mayor are required by municipal law to be Christians. However the 15-member Municipal Council, including the mayor and deputy mayor, are dominated by factions from the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) and Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement).
Bethlehem, West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel (Saturday 27 November 2010 @ 3:59pm).
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The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The shrine was constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Temple that was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This shrine was erected between 689 and 691 AD when Jerusalem was ruled by muslims. The very form of a rotunda, although foreign to Islam, was an attempt to rival the many Christian domes of its time. The sacred rock over which the shrine was built is believed to be the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem.
Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (Saturday 27 November 2010)
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Frida Kahlo cusion from LaLaLand.
Sydney
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Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Ba-a-a-and
Celebrating 50 years of Sgt. Pepper's.
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6am sunrise at Warriewood Beach (a small beach south of Mona Vale Beach).
Puffy clouds, showers and 3m waves. To me, nothing could be worse than having a clear sky. The APEC rain just would not stop. Rising sun was barely visible if not for the orange hue. Red sand in the foreground added a rich ochre colour to an otherwise pale picture.
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