Get Happy

Please take a few minutes out of your busy schedules to breath, watch and think about Mark Osborne’s Academy-Award Nominated short film. Let me know how it makes you feel and perhaps happiness will also garnish your thoughts.

Please watch GET HAPPY.

The Tibetan People

The Traditional Tibetan people are so devoted to their religion that many walk around their holy temples and places spinning a massive prayer wheel while yet others recite endless mantras while moving their worn fingers over countless prayer beads. The people are so unique in their approach to life that their God and religion are the center of almost everything. Even their famous butter lamps are kept burning for a millennia to send praises to the Holy Dalai Lama. The harsh environment gives almost everyone scorched cheeks and a weaning smile. They know how to endure, suffer and bear even the most challenging circumstances politically, economically, culturally, spiritually, and emotionally. These are truly exceptional people in exceptional environments. Let us one and all send our praise and adoration to these phenomenal people.

Milosevic Dies without His Reward

On March 12, 2006 Slobodan Milosevic former president of the Yugoslav Federation dies in his cell at the United Nations war Tribunal in The Hague. For millions of Croats, Bosnians, Albanians, Kosovans and Serbs, this man was both hero and murderer. Indicted on 27 May 1999 for war crimes and crimes against humanity he was the master mind behind the Serbian uprising that ultimately was a result of genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass rapes. He was the first heads of states indicted for these types of crimes and his case has been held at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

For the past few years he has been fighting not only his persecutors but his declining health conditions. Many across the world are expressing grave frustration that Justice was not done and a judgment was not yet rendered to the now diseased Milosevic. There is currently speculation that Milosevic committed suicide or even murdered which would cast huge embarrassment on the tribunal. The official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

As someone who has traveled and visited the affected areas of Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina which resulted from the mass genocide I can lend my views and feelings on the people and situation. The main place of genocide in question is the famous area of Srebrenica. There are countless video and audio clips depicting the issues involved and the turmoil surrounding the event. Seeing the mass graves and reading accounts of the people there was shocking and unreal. It was sobering to see lines after lines of graves that descended from a plea that this kind of thing never happens again to anyone anywhere. From the words of a carved stone at one of the burial sites:

“In the name of God the most merciful, the most compassionate. We pray to Almighty God, May grievance become hope! May revenge become justice! And mothers’ tears may become prayers that Srebrenica never happen again to no one anywhere!” Raisu-l-ulama, Srebrenica Prayer, Potocari, July 11, 2001

Logic screams insanity for the thick mist of sadness that permeates this place of tragedy. It seems only natural to assume that someone or group of people will be held accountable for the mass killings of men, and young boys who simply were part of a different religion than their captors. One particular grave stuck me with compassion and curiosity the flowers still fresh from some unknown guest. His name was Pitarevicn (Husejin) Adnan Peci born 1981 died 1995. At the ripe age of 13 or 14 what had this young boy done to deserve this fate? He had simply been born to the wrong parents in the wrong town, practiced the wrong religion and died a wrong death. It is utterly appalling that war (despite its necessity at times) can harness so devastating an impact as to obliterate a people as harmless and defenseless as these. So defenseless were they in fact that the Dutch Prime minister Wim Kok and his cabinet resigned after confirming reports that his Dutch army relinquished a ‘safe’ area to the Bosnian Serbs who then committed these atrocities.

For all those whose lives have been affected by this event my hope is that justice will be done. If you believe in an after life rest assured that Milosevic will receive a proper judgment that will remain with him for all time and eternity. And for all mortal time to come the voices as if crying from the graves stand as a firm testament that these acts never again take place. Humanity will win in the end!

Iran’s Prince Reza Pahlavi Speaks

Watch the video clip of his interview with Fox News. Keep in mind that only a few decades ago Iran was the most progressive modern society in the Middle East. They are the second leading producers of oil and are currently under scrutiny from the international community for their nuclear development programs. Price Reza Pahlavi the son of the former Shah is a very likely candidate (from the people of Iran) to become the next democratic leader. Much of his work continues to revolve around Washington in hopes to soon liberate the people of Iran from the current ruling regime.

The Search for Meaning

Who of you have traveled the world in search of something? Maybe you sought to find adventure, peace or mystery? Throughout all of my travels I have come to see that despite the desire to help others I was the one that benefited the most. In a way after a number of trips I felt a little selfish. Can there be an ultimate trip of voyage that can give back to what I have taken and received.

The quest is but an instant in the realm of life yet when all is said and done who will remember our reaching and stretching for betterment? What decisive and unique contribution will each of us have made to humanity? Or will we like so many others end this life with only a couple remembering our name, our smile, our warm touch, our sharing, our caring, our giving, and our love?

I found a unique film that shows the efforts of a young man and his search for something as he walks across Japan. I hope you enjoy this film entitled “Kintaro Walks Japan.”

Pictures Reveal All

Crazy, twisted, grotesque and squeamish tell the tale of the man behind the picture. How many ways can you show your face?

Who’s Your Daddy?

Can you believe all of this turmoil in the world right now? When is comes down to it we are all brothers and sisters are we not? Do we not all come from the same father and mother (spiritual speaking)? The fact of the matter is the biggest religious conflicts in the past centuries seem to be from three main religions that I would like to mention here…Judaism, Christianity and Islam. When you look at the bare roots of these religions they all pray to the same God, and come from the same father. This father I am talking about is of course the famous Abraham himself. I suppose we can just look at these religions and think ‘oh, it’s just like a couple rival siblings duking it out,’ but then there are major wars and countless deaths, unfortunately we must need take a closer look.

Abraham is basically the second most important person in all three religions, the first being Moses to Jews, Jesus to Christians, and Mohammed to Moslems. Yet of all the information we have of Abraham where are his writings? According to all these religions, prophets receive the word from on high and are then commanded to write, so we the populous can have the words of God. This is the method that God reveals his word and yet Abraham one of the most important historical figures does not have any writings…or does he? I have found the prophetic words written by Abraham that were translated in the mid 1800’s. They are profound and give huge incite to the big question of this legendary man. Now who’s your daddy?

Here is the online version of the Book of Abraham.

Here is the complete explanation of the Book of Abraham.

St. Paul’s Ruins in Macau

These ruins are clearly the center piece of this historic country. With the Portuguese landing here in the 1550’s they established a city and effective port of trade. Many years after the name evolved to Macau and it has been a point of intrigue ever since.

St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1620 and all that remain of this glorious structure is its magnificent stone façade and grand staircase. It was also the first Western college in the Far East serving astronomers and mathematicians. It is truly and place of history and peace.

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons Controversy

Every day now for the past week I can’t seem to get away from the constant onslaught of news articles relating the protest by the Muslim world over the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed from a Danish newspaper. So I did my self some digging to find out just what the different parties involved has to say.

Have a look at the twelve cartoons that were published by the Danish newspaper. Also see them in The Brussels Journal.

First of all I would like to put my self in perspective. Although I am not a Muslim I have lived in many countries, and in particular for over 6 months in a 98% African Muslim society. I wore their clothes, grew a beard, studied their religion and culture, and gained respect from the religious leaders during my stay. I have also been involved in protesting and more recently participated in the WTO protest in Hong Kong. I am all for respecting others and more notably for freedom of expression.

There is certainly a lack of understanding on all sides. There is a very concise article entitled “Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World” written by the Danish newspaper that published these cartoon the Internetavisen Jyllands-Posten where they clearly apologize for their offending anyone and in the same note categorically state that this was part of an ongoing debate of how people felt of Islam. They furthermore have issued a direct appalling statement to the extra cartoons that they did not ever publish and would not ever publish because of their ethics stance. This leads me to believe that there are people at work adding fuel to the fire and new cartoons to the list. I wonder who these people are and what their goal in doing this might be? One article has called this The Cartoon Hoax.

There are countless Muslims scholars that condemn these riots and even a Lebanese Minister that has quit his job. Not to mention the mass amounts of damage to buildings and many deaths as a result. Is all this protesting really necessary? It seems to simply show the lack of respect and control that is having drastic ramifications on those who are not in any way involved. Peaceful demonstrations certainly have great impact on showing the world true feelings. If someone took my God (and I am very religious) and defamed and offended that sacredness I would certainly like to show my feelings…however when they involved killings of innocent people I think this is gone way to far. Allah will judge these people and give them their reward…the protesters and the cartoonists.

I give Islamic community a certain respect to speak out and express their feelings as the cartoons have been reprinted in more that 30 countries. They have a right to show disapproval and demand apologies. The simple difference I see is the lack of separation between state and religion in many parts of the Islamic world. While in the west we see cartoons of Bush for example which are morally degrading yet scream freedom of speech. If someone posted morally degrading cartoons about the Ayatollah would that person fear for their life?

Has not enough damage been done to innocent people to prove a point? I initially supported the respectful protest of Muslims and yet now all I see is disaster and lack of understanding…for it has been said that “God is a God of understanding.” I pray resolution to this challenging ordeal.

Race Against Time

How many times and how many people must say, “I am tired of the UN and of the many governments lack of help towards the epidemics of the word?” I continually hear and see people reach out for aid and lend a voice towards the challenges of humanity; from wars claiming democracy, from aids spreading its wings, to genocides like Rwanda, time continues to run out for those who need basics to survive. I am impressed also of people who do as much as they can and give as much as they are able, they will surely have their reward.

Here is a picture I took of my friend Irenee Rutema in a former Bosnian minefield. We had the unique opportunity to see the aftermath of mass genocide and the lasting ramifications of war. Irenee was fortunate to leave his own country of Rwanda before their genocide, and I found it ironic standing next to him in a differnt country with a similar outcome as his own. Whether killing for race or religion it is still the same…murder.

I urge you to listen to Stephen Lewis who is the UN secretary-General’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and a commissioner of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health and director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. He is speaking as part of the CBC’s Massey Lecture series.

Click on Race Against Time to listen to Stephen Lewis. He has also written a book by the same title.

Exploitation vs. Exploration (Angkor Wat and Cambodia)

The morning came as the sweat dripped down my cheek. The mosquito net seemed to show unseen portals for the little monsters as they buzzed in my ear. A dirty old cat laid outside the net snuggled up against my feet. Beside me, my brother breathed heavily the dusty Cambodian air. The city of Siem Reap bustled with tourists and Cambodians alike. This was a place of great history. A place where a people long past built great temples reaching skyward in a plea of acceptance from their gods; a place where mystery and culture became lost. It became a place of disregard; jungle engulfed these people covering them for millenia. One of the worst genocides happened here in the mid 70's when the communistic Khamar Rouge with tyrannical leader Pol Pot forced almost everyone into a farming state, dressed everyone in black pajamas, and rationed food for the masses. Death seemed the norm from starvation and murder, and was accepted under this regime. Land mines were and still are in many areas a thing of fear and abundance. Countless beggars with one or no legs comb the streets of Siem Reap holding their hats out in hopes to progress their small business venture...Begging. This is poverty and the 3rd world with all its challenges. The tourists seem to exploit this country for its beautiful Ankorean Temples and shrines in hopes to get the best look, picture, or feeling from this historical wonder. In turn the locals raise prices in hopes to suck anything they can from these rich obsessed westerners. Cambodia is a place of challenge, history, and beauty; a place where one must visit if they are to understand and see the realities of this world.

A Time and a Place

There is a time and a place for almost everything I am convinced.

A time to be here, a time to be there, and a time to stare,

A time to give and to get and a time to forget,

A time see and to feel and a time to be real,

A time to think and to wonder and a time to make a blunder,

A time to pee and to poo and a time to just be you,

A time to find and to make and a time to break,

A time to like and to love and a time to receive from above,

A time to learn and to teach and a time to preach,

A time to cry and to yearn and a time to earn,

A time to hug and to kiss and a time to miss.

Through all of these times there comes with them certain places. They are understandably places in time, or perhaps time in places. I am a wanderer, wandering across lands and worlds, seeing, feeling, touching, and being. I am a man. I have been perplexed by the lives of many to only at some distant time find their lives in myself. How far must I need to go, how long do I need to sow. At this moment I am trivial in my thinking of life. The times and places consume and presume themselves in a thought of good fortune. As for this time I will lose myself in the reality of Asia. I embark on the journey of TIME in a PLACE of dreams.

Inspired by Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Canada Chooses a New Government

OK everyone we now have a new government a new party and a new Prime Minister. For those of you who are scared of the Harper trust issue but think that there needed to be a change all I have to say is be patient and let Mr. Harper see what he can do for the next 12 months. Realistically how long can a minority government stay in place? I think it gives a kick at the can to a party that could possible surprise some people. This is not to say I am a Conservative but this is to say that there are some things the Canadian government could do better. Even the issues that Michael Moore talks about here are quite a concern for me and yet with a minority government as a start for this new Conservative leader this I believe will be a good check and balance. As depicted in this cartoon of Harper I am ready to look, scrutinize, and reflect on the actions of our new Canadian government. Does anyone have any thing to add?

Here a Bush there a Bush everywhere a Bush Bush

The crowd shows their displeasure at the WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong.

Liberal, Conservative, NDP…We’ll Cut All Your Taxes

I get a kick out of the elections when I hear promises for tax cuts. Every politician that ever existed must have used the “tax cut” line multiple times. About a week ago The Globe and Mail summed it up perfectly: “Paul Martin and Stephen Harper were fighting Saturday over who would cut the most taxes as the Liberal leader charged the Conservatives would actually raise taxes by scrapping personal income-tax cuts that are already in effect. NDP leader Jack Layton meanwhile, vowed to fight to keep Martin's tax cuts because they help low-income earners.”

I Just like to sit there and count how many times a week I hear those precious words. Then you have the powerful rebuttal that 66 Economists deplore tax cuts. "Sixty-six economists have signed a statement warning that the tax breaks offered by the major parties will leave a huge deficit in social services and contribute to greater inequality in Canada."

Now please don't take these articles at face value for all we know those 66 economists were paid off or just saying they were real money people. As the previous post states anyone can pull something out of the air and call it truth. Do your homework and base your choices on truth rather than a swift talking politician or witty media guy.

Vote for the Man

Who wants to vote Liberal? How about Conservative? The NDP could do the job? There are three main parties yet which one will have the job. This is honestly the toughest job interview I could possibly imagine. My words today come from what we commonly call a ‘reality check’.

While Paul Martin was recently campaigning in B.C. he was speaking with Dan Muzyka the chair of the Board of trade on the economy. (see bottom of article) There were some friendly jokes and then the fired up Dan Muzyka blasted the Liberals record on crime. Quoting Statistics Canada Muzyka said “Canada had a higher violent crime rate than the United States, and asked Martin what his government would do about it.”

Instantly this sends off buzz signals in the brain…Canada more violent than the US!? I can hardly believe that for a moment so to set the record strait the official Statistics Canada quote is found Here. Now whether I support Mr. Martin or not I would certainly like to take this opportunity to sympathize with the man and all these fired up persons that pull statistics out of their butts.

A Crazy New Look After South East Asia

There are sometimes in life when you need to just let it all go. I met this crazy guy while traveling through South East Asia. Whoa...wait a second. Yes, I just realized that this was me just after returning home. It feels good to know that I have explored the world and seen and done things that I had previously only dreamt about. My important message to all is to follow your dreams and never hold back. And at least once (if not more) in your life let everything show and become the real uninhibited you.

The Peaceful Coast of Croatia

While traveling in Croatia I could not help but reflect on the tranquility and serenity of Dubrovnik. Now on the top of my goals is to be in a castle overlooking my sailboat below. Can it get any better than this?

Sharon versus the Middle East

For those of us who have been following the events in the Middle East it is no secret the feelings of many who live in that region towards Ariel Sharon. After perusing some of the Arab news sources I came across cartoons that represent the feelings of these neighboring countries towards the Israeli president. As a religions person I have closely followed the events over the years and frequently reflect on biblical impressions/blessings regarding the area and more specifically toward the Jews. The bible says that the Jews will be blessed for their obedience and punished for disobedience and whether one likes to admit it the Jews have been both blessed and cursed throughout history.

One major event quite amazing to me was the Six day war in June 1967. It is obvious that since the US under the tutelage of Harry S. Truman supported the Jews to form their own country (giving recognition on May 15). On May 14 1948 Israel became an official state and the challenges and struggles of that preordained area continue to trouble the world. The fine line that the US dances with Israel and other Middle East countries bears resemblance to a complete deck full (of course not referring to the “most wanted Iraqi" Deck of cards) of supporters and enemies. Yet despite support of Israel the US has managed to get a stronghold in the major oil reserves within anti-Israeli countries. That is except for Iran which seems to be their next special interest. And interestingly as the time keeps ticking there is more and more feelings that Iran will be the next Middle East target. I mean look at this one small oil article that pins huge economic troubles thanks to Iran and their oil. But it is their oil and it is their choice. Why not try to trouble the Microsoft of countries!? I mean it wouldn’t surprise me if someone suddenly yelled out that Iran has nuclear bombs so let’s go to war. Wait a second…I think I’m having Déjà vu…

Yale Town and Vancouver

Recently I visited Vancouver Canada (my home city) and was once again overly impressed with the great feeling and easy going atmosphere. I spent some quality time with very good friends that live in Yale Town. Here is a picture of the view from their apartment overlooking false creek and the start of a perfect website for the Yale Town lover.

I remember returning to Vancouver after living in Hong Kong for the past year and could not believe how short and small all the buildings looking in downtown Vancouver. Perception changes when you have real live comparison. Also even at rush hour the people in Vancouver were few and far between compared to a walk around the block in Hong Kong. It could be that soon the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong will make me come back to the trendy granola city of my childhood…Vancouver.