a bit of a muddled post....the last one...as i was trying to work it out...digging for the images...trying to get an overview of what israel/palestine aka THE HOLY LANDS are all about....because let's face it - PALESTINE is as 'holy' in its way, as ISRAEL is...ABRAHAMIC religions all agree that the prophet MOSES did not enter 'israel'....he died before he could set foot in israel and so the land around 'where he was supposed to have died' will be sacred and as far as i know - that was in palestine...wasn't it?

...and having remembered being in a very smoky, large old catholic church 'somewhere in south america' with amadeus...once out again, into the sunshine and walking through the marketplace...well amadeus had recognised the fuel for those lamps and incense burners...it was a dull coloured cannister...with red stripes on it....hidden behind one of the pillars....he was then to remind me of the saudi oil from under that stretch of land between the old city and the mount of olives....yes they had refined the oil...some of it was sold at great expense to the vatican for 'annointing' - and the rest of it...less refined oil...was to be used in catholic churches for a variety of means....such as the lamps and incense burners....holy oil fetches a premium on the catholic market....

i then remembered something else...and this takes me back to dartington again...tomlinson had made the art department....the whole lot of them...take a trip to that GLASTONBURY festival...i have no idea why...all i can remember is sharing a tent with JADE....and her 'smartie tube' full of drugs....she had pretended to take a certain 'smartie' and then skipped around the entire encampment and stalls...pretending to be 'off her head'...she then advised me to do the same....so i told tomlinson that i had also taken that particular 'smartie'...he laughed and then something like 'oh so you'll be off your head too then'....and took me over to a particular stall - which two taschmann-types were running...he greeted them as 'old friends' telling them 'she'll never remember who you are' because he had figured that i was tripping....

their stall had a load of 'small rocks' upon it...no joke....they were selling ROCKS....a homemade sign declared that they were from the HOLY LAND....the 'ROCK SHOW' as amadeus was to term it, later on...laughing....

what was the pricing? well there was a list of prices on the back of the tent....but basically they charged you whatever they figured that they could get out of you....

i decided to act the part and declared that they were 'rocking horse people' etc etc....and then asked about the rocks....surely they looked very similar to the broken rocks in the forest nearby, that jade and i had had a look at, earlier on....how could i be sure that they were from the HOLY LAND....one of the taschmann-types picked up a rucksack and declared that he had brought them all the way back from the holy land, in that rucksack....it sounded a bit 'military' to me...surely army training is something around 'backpacks filled with rocks'...i had heard that one, somewhere....

anyway, i 'knew' that i had to buy a rock...so selected one...and got out my wallet - i only had £5 and they nicked it out of my wallet immediately....i said GIVE IT BACK!...they laughed...i asked tomlinson to get it back for me...he replied that they were untouchable, he couldn't make them do anything....AMADEUS was 'watching the lot' through my eyes...he then told me to make a certain signal, hand gesture....'on the cross'...the taschmann-types tranced out...i then told tomlinson to take all of the money off them...which amounted to just over £80....yes they had made £80 that morning...selling 'holy land rocks'...i then told him to give me half...i put the notes in my shoe and then made off, to find jade....to tell her that we had no time to spare...leave the tent and let's run for it...we found a taxi in a field...amadeus had arranged it all...he wanted us 'out of there' now....we got to the railway station and bought tickets....just over £20 as far as i can recall...one-way...we had to go back via london...and then to totnes....

so what was the above about? it is an odd one...

firstly it is about a premium put upon goods from the HOLY LAND....if it is petroleum/oil...then you can jack the price up immensely....but what if it is OLIVE OIL?

That is now the question in my mind....

when most people talk about the palestinian economy...well, what is the main trade? it appears to be OLIVE TREES....

remember that hideous 'guardian reader group' who turned up at the mi imperial hotel? the ones with the 'right on palestinians -kill the joos' slogans - but who refused to support their chosen cause....by buying palestinian olive oil because they were offended by the pricing....far too expensive....'what a rip-off'....they wouldn't even donate to palestinian causes....despite making as much trouble as they could - in a sort of taschmann 'socialist workers revolutionary party' style....really nasty, worthless people....

well, i wonder now about PALESTINIAN OLIVE OIL....it will be 'at a premium' as holy land olive oil - won't it?

so why don't any UK supermarkets - market it as such? we only have greek and italian olive oil - as far as i know....

and yet there will be something 'superior' let us say...to the middle-eastern olive oil....i can remember the hummus that i used to buy in jerusalem...the packaging was in hebrew/arabic...the taste was far better than any hummus that i have ever eaten in the UK or anywhere else, for that matter....

sesame seeds....olive oil....chickpeas....

i began to wonder what this was all about...

'open sesame'


this morning, i was to meet donna and she was to tell me about her precious stones and jewellry collection again....a golden seahorse on her wrist....and also a large EMERALD GREEN stone that she had seen, in a shop in colchester....she wanted to buy it...she figured it would look nice 'set in gold'...

i warned her about safety precautions....you and your 'aladdin's cave'...meaning the jewellry collection in her flat...she laughed and replied that everything was so carefully hidden, you wouldn't believe it...really? a safe in the ceiling, perhaps?

anyway, it got me thinking about OLIVE OIL, PRECIOUS STONES and GOLD....

no matter what the goods are - if they come from the HOLY LANDS then the price will be 'at a premium' in relation to abrahamic faiths....

so what is going on with the palestinian economy and trade sanctions then? why can't they sell their olive oil - within the UK?

i wondered if it were a bit like south america...my students in oxford had told me that the US was screwing the whole of south america with trade sanctions...basically they had to sell all of their produce to the US at a cut-price...the US then sold it on with a massive mark-up to Europe and the world in general....

was the same thing happening in relation to 'holy land' olive oil?