Almost everything about this picture looks depressing to me: the starkness of the separation wall, the wet pavement and the skinny santa with a droopy bag. On the bright side, the children are probably experiencing a nice moment in a tumultuous part of the world. I heard Jimmy Carter on the radio the other day as I was on my way to work talking about his new book on the region, and I think it might be an interesting read. Has anyone read it? Apparently the separation wall, which is the subject of many pictures we see, is a big topic of discussion in it.