Pedal power

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“Full Gas in Neutral”
"An interactive installation comprised of 30 interactive and colorful bicycles. 
Each bicycle is attached to a flag pole, at the end of which is a surprising element activated by pedaling. 
The installation, which was placed at Safra Square in August 2013, was created by the artist Anat Berman and the architect Ilan Berman." 

More about it here.
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)

Jerusalem's Archimedes screw

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The Archimedes screw is now turning!
I was at Safra Square in Jerusalem on Sunday, and it was my first time after all these years to see it in motion.
During the long recent past when Israel had a water shortage, the water in many of the city's beautiful fountains was turned off.

See more pictures, including a real Archimedes screw once used in agriculture, in my post A Fountain That Screwed Up.
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Not for jumping on

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Walk across Safra Square, the Jerusalem Municipality complex, and be surprised!

The pillow sign said "Touch me"  so right away I touched it, only to discover, rather sheepishly,  that it was hard as rock.
Only then did I see the rest of it:
Concrete cushion installation  -- Smadar Carmeli

Around the corner there were more.
A whole plaza of deceptive cushions!

Here is a little video of the installation being set up and enjoyed.
Even Mayor Barkat tries out a cushion.
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Jerusalem Municipality

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The sky was a deep blue this morning over City Hall in Safra Square.
Not a cloud in the sky all day today.
But all that is about to change starting Saturday, as a new weather system heads our way.
Meteorologists predict  extremely strong winds, cold days of  maybe only 3 degrees C, and lots of rain and even hail for the next week.
Winter is finally coming!
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Glenn Beck's Restoring Courage rally

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The two men had to try at least twice to swing the heavy battery of lights up and into position.
I saw them setting up the stage and chairs yesterday in the plaza of the Jerusalem Municipality, Safra Square.

This venue was for the overflow crowd that couldn't get tickets for the sold-out Davidson archaeological park event near the Western Wall this afternoon.
Glenn Beck was giving a talk to over a thousand supporters, mostly Evangelical Christians who came from America for his "Restoring Courage" rally.
The video is up on YouTube.

I don't know this commentator but apparently a lot of Americans do. He has radio and TV stations.
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There were protests, both from Peace Now and the Left and from some of the Jewish religious establishment.
City Hall was criticized for providing top venues, holy places.
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So is Glenn Beck good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? See the CNN article.
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Many Israelis welcome the love and support of Christian Zionists.
But many Jews have a kind of (involuntary, perhaps) flinch reaction when they see so many smiling Evangelicals, especially so close to the Western Wall like tonight.
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From the Israeli press about Glenn Beck:
A funny recap in Haaretz
Jerusalem Post
Ynet
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UPDATE: A fellow local blogger was there at Safra Square the night of Beck's rally. See her pictures and comments at the excellent The Real Streets of Jerusalem blog.
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Fenced-in falling facade

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This was the Russian hospital in its better days, in the 1920s.

The historic photo is by the American Colony photographers, whose wonderful collection is now available online through the Library of Congress.
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The Russian hospital was built in 1863, making it the first such institution outside the walls of the Old City.

I walked through Russian Compound today and was dismayed to find the old building's facade draped with chicken wire.
And a protective roof had been put up over the entrance.

"Fenced-in facade" I thought, as I took a picture for ABC Wednesday F-day.
It's no fun, though, because it must mean that chunks of masonry are starting to fall off.

I think that today some offices of the Israel Police use this building.

But the gable is still topped by the symbol of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society which was founded in 1882 in St. Petersburg for the purpose of studying Eretz Israel and the holy places, aiding Russian pilgrims, and establishing institutions in the Holy Land.

Encircling the khi rho (XP) cross and the alpha and omega is the first verse of Isaiah 62, written in old Cyrillic script:
"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still."
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Israelis trying to ice skate

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A few weeks ago I showed you a huge tent being set up next to the Jerusalem City Hall.
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Now the ice rink is open for skating (until it disappears on April 14).
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Only the Russian-speaking immigrants and Americans knew how to skate gracefully.

Most of the Israelis were falling down again and again.
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No big Zamboni here. All the ice cleaning was done with shovels.
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Most people went along the edge, holding on to the rail.
Some wore T shirts and even shorts.
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Outside in the warm sun the hoses of the cooling system were encased in white ice.
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Ice skating in a tent in Jerusalem!

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There, next to the date palm trees--can you guess what the blue machinery will be for?
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I walked by Safra Square (Jerusalem Municipality) last Thursday and saw lots of activity.

They are building an ice rink in a tent!

And apparently the hoses will create air cold enough to freeze water.

A crane set down a container
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and the men started transporting equipment into the long tent.

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There are already two cages full of ice skates! In Jerusalem!

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The rink will be open from tomorrow, March 10, until April 14.

Adults pay 40 shekels (about $11), kids up to age 16 pay 30 shekels (~ $8) for half an hour, skate rental included.
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I read here that "The opening will feature a skating display and Israel’s Ice Hockey League is planning a night hockey tournament on 4 nights during the short season."

More info about the Snow Festival at a Hebrew website.

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Just in time for opening day, real snow is predicted for Jerusalem tomorrow, something quite rare!

Let's hope it happens!

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UPDATE: No snow.
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Reflected in a bumpy surface

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A weird reflection of my camera and me in a not-smooth metal sign.

Here is the building that the plaque describes.

Now it is part of the complex of old and new buildings around the Jerusalem City Hall, Safra Square.

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The distorted reflection is contributed to James' Weekend Reflections.

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A fountain that screwed up

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The water has been turned off in many beautiful fountains in drought-stricken Israel.
But for this fountain in Jerusalem's Safra Square, it's especially sad because the Archimedes' screw is, after all, a way to raise water from one level to another.

Here is an old Archimedes' screw that was actually used in agriculture years ago.
The now-rusty handle was once turned by hand.
It's on display with other old tools in Sergei Courtyard in the Russian Compound.
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This post is for both the weekly meme That's My World and the monthly City Daily Photo Theme Day.  The Februay 1 theme is fountains. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
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