United Statesian

Santa? or is it Bill Clinton in disguise? Dear Citizens of the World! Being an expat in the very Western Tel Aviv you often forget that you are in the Holy Land...Whereas Jerusalem is the front-line of the battle between religions. Personally, the stress of living on the front line would not be my choice location, but going for the day is well worth the time, and easy to do since it only takes about 45 minutes to get there from Tel Aviv. However, on this visit, we were only had time to visit the Holly Supulchre and to have lunch at a restaurant the Pope John Paul ate at. Ray of light in the Holy Supulchor Cathedral I love how the intense beam of winter sunlight shoots across the church. Women praying, deep inside Jesus's tomb. The low amount of light and the one-meter thick wall makes the shot look like a drawing... Natural light from the eye of the Pantheon-like dome of the Saint Supulchor Church Christmas decorations on sale in the Christain quarter. So, if you are in Tel Aviv a...

Dear citizens of the world! Thanksgiving is almost here, but it has already been usurped by Christmas. Last week, Pittsburgh held the "Light Up" festival to kick off the holiday shopping season. The festival was a nice mixture of live music, huge Christmas trees, ice-skating, ice-carving, and a fireworks display for the grand finale. However, the festivities held five weeks in advance of the holiday on November 19th seem ... excessive, even for United Statesians. This Friday, November 26th, "Black Friday" kicks off with its' normal lunacy. Many of the stores will be open at 5:00 am! This all happens four weeks before Christmas -- a reasonable amount of time compared to the five week advance ceremony in downtown Pittsburgh. Are you ready to shop until you drop? The United Statesian

Baby Jesus has a booboo... or in Spanish....Tiene pupa! Dear Citizens of the world, This Baby Jesus or Niño Jesús – pronounced /NEENyo HayZUS/ in Spanish – is a traditional part of Christmas decorations in Spain, but with a makeover. This photo is from a Spanish hospital that made Niño Jesús look more like the patients so that they would laugh a bit and relate better. Although, you could say that the Niño Jesús got caught up in a fight between Santa and the Three Kings ( Los Tres Reyes Magos ). In Spain, the Three “Magic” Kings are the ones that have always brought the gifts to the good little boys and girls. Since they were the ones bringing gifts to Baby Jesus it only makes sense that they give to all children. A more traditional look at the Niño Jesus . Kings Day ( Reyes ) is on January 6th, which means that kids and teachers get an extra week off over the holidays. However, it also means that children didn't get their gifts until the 6th of January... after two weeks of vaca...