I will fly to Nice on Friday morning, 13th, arriving 8.45 am at Cote D'Azur airport, there I hope to meet my parents, who are camping in France, and then drive back to the UK with them on the 18th August. I am going to Microsoft in Reading on the 22nd and then Biotechnology Yes competition briefing in Nottingham on the 25th and then upto Edinburgh that same day.

I have been in Jerusalem for a week now, visiting the old city and wandering around. In the seperate Jewish and Arab areas the situations are fine, but in the mixed areas, the situation is tense and not so pleasant. Itsik and Sharone took me to the dead sea, Masada hill fort and to Jaffa-Tel Aviv. I am enjoying my stay here, it feels like home. Last night I went to see Farenheit 911 at the cinema, the new michael Moore film/documentary about the war in Iraq, and Saudi/Bush business deals, it's very good.

This afternoon I am meeting Tami, who I met with Jamea and Kathy 3 years ago in China. Later I am going to visit some Palestinian road blocks in the West Bank, with Sharone's yoga teacher. She is part of an organisation that regularly checks that Palestinians are treated fairly by the army at checkpoints. The new barrier seperating the westbank from Jerusalem is horrible, and although it has reduced the number of suicide attacks in the short term, in the long term I can only see it making the situation far worse.