Face to face with David Ben-Gurion

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Today I was down at the Midrasha and Kibbutz Sde Boker, where David Ben-Gurion lived.
I'm glad I immigrated to Israel in time to hear one of his last lectures before he died in 1973.

While standing near the big stone I was surprised to find the tempered glass sign ringed with little portraits of Ben-Gurion.
While looking now at the photo on my computer, I'm surprised to find my reflection.
Just in time for James' Weekend Reflections.
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(Linking to signs, signs meme.)
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Manure biowaste management & reuse

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A biowaste digester!
Yes.  And it stands in the lobby of a beautiful building. 

It's in the ZIWR, the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research,  which is part of the  Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Sede Boqer Campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

To learn more about what they research, see their website or this 5-minute video.
The video has impressive aerial views of the nice building and of the surrounding wilderness.
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A SWISS institute for DRYLAND research??

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 If you liked the architecture of the building in my previous post, you will love today's.
It too is on Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research was dedicated in May 2013.

At the ceremony  Prof. Daniel Guggenheim, President of the Bona Terra Foundation, said 

There is a parallel between Switzerland and Israel. Both had to face difficult land conditions. Both made a success of these existential conditions. Let us hope that other countries will be able to overcome their challenges through the Swiss Institute.

 

You can see a short video about it.

SIDEER's webpages are here.

Or you can read a pdf brochure about the exciting research going on there.
Wish them luck for good discoveries!
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday and  Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Animals, wait outside

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Midreshet Sde Boker or Midreshet Ben-Gurion is a wonderful place down south in the Negev desert.
There is a high school, desert research institutes, a campus of Ben-Gurion University, and lots more.
I get the impression it is a pretty laid-back place.
People come there to live or teach or study or do research because they care about nature and ecology, animals and people.

And that's why I smiled when I saw this sign on a campus classroom building --  I guess people there  have to be reminded not to come in with their pets.
Actually, the Hebrew version says "No entry to animals."
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(Linking to Camera Critters,  even though there is no critter in the photo.)
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Sitting in the light of Merav

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A sitting corner at the Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

A local stone is embedded right in the table.
The metal sign says "In memory of Merav Ziv, our student in the Desert Ecology Department."

She died in 1999 in the field,* on a research trip, after falling from her bike.

Her family funds a Merav Ziv Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Ecology and there is an annual symposium on her name.
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* UPDATE DEC. 2017:  Not exactly, apparently.  Please see the comment below from Avi about the date and sad real cause of Merav's death.  May her memory be for a blessing.
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Drylands, Deserts & Desertification conference today

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Today I got to go to the last day of the 5th International DDD Conference -- Drylands, Deserts & Desertification.
This year's theme was Healthy Lands  Healthy People.

You can see the many interesting topics that were covered in the brochure.

The venue was the beautiful Sde Boker campus of Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
Right after the closing session, foreign attendees went straight to free buses to Ben Gurion Airport or to Jerusalem.
I took this one northward to Beer Sheva.

But first everyone grabbed one of the delightfully crumpled paper bags filled with a sandwich, citrus fruit, and water.
"Sandwiches on the go"  it was called.
Indeed, the bus soon smelled of tuna and clementines.
It was a good day and a warm day, 27 degrees C.
I learned a lot about the great projects going on in Israel and in the dry parts of the planet.
Idealist people with vision trying to improve the earth and the world. 
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UPDATE: The Franciscans just put up a little video report on the conference.
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(Linking to signs, signs and to  Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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