beware of the man whose god is in the skies

ramallah, west bank: palestinians carry a huge flag during a rally to mark the death of george habash, the founder of the popular front for the liberation of palestine

photograph: muhammed muheisen/ap

achilles vs hector

'an error' is blowin' in the wind

the wife (centre) of amer al-yaziji cries during the funeral of her son, her husband and her brother-in-law; all killed while driving their car in gaza city during an israeli air attack. the army said it had been targeting militants but had killed civilians "in error"

yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

before they're forever banned?

the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

the answer is blowin' in the wind.

yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

that too many people have died?

the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

the answer is blowin' in the wind.

yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

pretending he just doesn't see?

the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

the answer is blowin' in the wind

another brick in a long story's wall

zahar: 'we will defend ourselves by all means'

palestinian relatives of a hamas militant mourn after he was killed by israeli troops during a raid in gaza. photograph: mohammed salem/reuters

platos cave effect

golan heights: israel's defense minister amir peretz, right, looks through binoculars without realising the plastic lens-caps were left on during a military drill, february 21 2007

photograph: effi sharir/ap

last tango in prison..

ramallah, west bank: former palestinian prisoners kiss the ground under the watchful eye of israeli security guards as they arrive at the bitunya checkpoint following their release from the israeli prison in ketziot.

photograph: gali tibbon/afp

it takes two to tango..

we did it again

west bank: a palestinian schoolboy runs through a sewage drain to pass under Israel's separation barrier. photograph: david silverman/getty images

if you want to catch something..

..running after it isn't always the best way Lois McMaster Bujold, "Borders of Infinity", 1989 .

(a palestinian student walks through a flooded water pipe underneath a section of israel's separation barrier between jerusalem and a-ram, a west bank suburb of the city)

les coulisses

now, you know the way to get out..

prayers

prayer must never be answered: if it is, it ceases to be prayer and becomes correspondence. ~ oscar wilde

the difference

the difference between school and life? in school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. in life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson

keep your eyes on the beloved

prowling, kabul

nablus, west bank

samaritans pray on top of mount gerizim during the holiday of sukkoth (the tabernacles feast)

photograph: menahem kahana

weimar, germany: the study centre of the duchess anna amalia library.

Photograph: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Tokyo, Japan: cosmos flowers at Showa Kinen park

London, UK: Anti-war protesters in Parliament Square

first anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s death

Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko

Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya (Russian: Анна Степановна Политковская; 30 August 1958 – 7 October 2006) was a Russian journalist and human rights activist well known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and Russian president Putin. [1][2]
Politkovskaya made her name reporting from lawless Chechnya, where many journalists and humanitarian workers have been kidnapped or killed. She was arrested and subjected to mock execution by Russian military forces there, and she was poisoned on the way to Beslan, but survived and continued her reporting. She authored several books about Chechen wars and Putin's Russia and received numerous prestigious international awards for her work.
She was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building on October 7, 2006, the birthday of Vladimir Putin, who was publicly accused by Alexander Litvinenko of ordering her murder. Litvinenko subsequently died from poisoning by radioactive polonium.
According to President Vladimir Putin and Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika the murder could have been organized by certain figures outside Russia (apparently meaning Putin's opponent Boris Berezovsky) who wished to undermine the Russian state.
By now over 10 people have been arrested within the scope of the official investigation; however, no organiser's name has yet been officially