October 09, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
One more day to go. As the sun sets tomorrow night, Jews the world over will usher in Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur is the most austere day in the Jewish calendar, a day when, according to tradition, our individual fate for the coming year is sealed by God in the Book of Life. Yom Kippur is also the culmination of the ten days of awe, the ten day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we seek forgiveness for the wrongs we have done and recommit ourselves to do better.
I have had a unique Rosh Hashanah and ten days of awe.
Continue reading "My Ten Days of Awe and Thoughts as Yom Kippur Approaches" »
October 07, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
24 hours and
counting! Tomorrow, Sunday the 14th, I leave for Cambodia via Kuala
Lumpur. Can't wait! After a one day stopover in KL to rest I will be
heading to Phnom Penh for four days and then up to Siem Reap and Angkor
Wat for ten days. A great deal of my time in Siem Reap will be spent
with my friend Savuth and his family. We'll be talking about how he can further grow his tuk tuk business (see Angkortuktuk.net),
touring some of the sights I didn't get to see last year and spending
time with his lovely family. In addition I hope to check out many of
the non-temple activities, especially visiting many of the great community projects going on. I look forward to sharing my experiences here on the weblog and on Angkor Tuk Tuk The Weblog.
September 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
I don't know about you, but sometimes with everything I constantly see on the news I can often make good use of an unusual kind of feel-good moment.
Well, here's one thanks to my dear friend Simonne who tipped me to this story. It's only two and a half minutes long but the good feeling it gives you will last much longer.
This is the story of Christian the lion
July 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
I want to introduce you to Mr. Pit Savuth. Savuth was my tuk tuk (motorbike pulled carriage) driver for six days when I visited Angkor Wat, Cambodia, in October of 2007.
He recently asked if I could help him get a web presence going to see if he could generate more business and I was more than happy to help. Not only because he was a great driver - honest, friendly, knowledgeable and open - but particularly because during that week Savuth and his family became friends.
We have put together a few things
Continue reading "Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and one great tuk tuk driver" »
July 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Two years and four days ago, on July 12, 2006, war began between Hezbollah and Israel. This afternoon I am watching live as the war comes to a close. Samir Kuntar, the most powerfully symbolic of the released prisoners, has just arrived at Beirut's airport for the second and most significant of many large-scale festive and quite clearly victorious receptions. He is working his way through the crowd, being welcomed by Lebanese politicians of every political hue and orientation, Hezbollah supporters and opponents alike. Earlier in the day, were the somber images of two black coffins, grieving families and a sad nation as the two captured Israeli soldiers were returned home.
The war in 2006 was initiated by two events. On July 12, Hezbollah conducted a cross-border raid with the goal of capturing Israeli soldiers that could then be used in forcing a prisoner exchange for four specific Lebanese prisoners being held by Israel. On July 13,
Continue reading "Now That It's Over, Does Anyone Know Who Won?" »
July 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Vincent van Gogh, the famous Duth painter, once stated a simple but profound truth: "Conscience is a man's compass." It is that inner voice of our conscience that like a compass guides us on our moral and ethical path through life. Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish novelist and poet, being quite the wordsmith, said it with more literary imagery: "A rusty nail, placed near a faithful compass, will sway it from the truth, and wreck the argosy."
Last week's bulldozer attack in Jerusalem is first and foremost a terrible personal tragedy for the families of those who were killed and wounded. Our thoughts, our prayers and when possible our aid, always need to go out to those who suffer senseless and inscrutable violence.
But the aftermath of this admittedly shocking act has shown in a very disturbing fashion what
July 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
(Reprinted from Angkor News Blog - part of my new website helping to promote a friend's business in Cambodia.)
Will Cambodia's approaching oil and natural gas boom end up being a blessing or a curse for the Cambodian people? That is the subject of a recent article in
Australia's The Age. Initial exploration, primarily by Chevron so far, has
shown that there are substantial off-shore deposits of oil and natural
gas.
Although the exact size of the deposits are still not known, previous World Bank estimates placed them at 2 billion barrels of oil. If that were true, the United Nations Development Program had said it could see a doubling of Cambodia's GDP.
That's
a major amount of money and a major amount of temptation. That money
could be used to create a significant transformation in the lives of
the Cambodian people allowing for massive investment in infrastructure,
health care and education. On the other hand, it could also lead to a
new silver lining for the pockets of corrupt government and business
officials.
A very good example of the former phenomenon is Malaysia who used it's oil and gas
discoveries to transform the country over a 20 year period from a third
world agricultural economy into a modern developing nation with massive
investments in industry, education, infrastructure and health care
systems.
Continue reading "Will Cambodia be the next Nigeria or Malaysia?" »
July 06, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
(Reprinted from Angkor News Blog - part of my new website helping to promote a friend's business in Cambodia.)
I have been to poor countries as have many of my friends but I have never seen or heard of one from my friends' experiences that evokes as much desire to give something back as Cambodia (see my previous article - "Give and You Shall Receive"). I think it has something to do with the unbelievably friendly and indomitable spirit of the Cambodian people especially in light of the unimaginable horrors of the Pol Pot period.
In a recent article I came across, a couple from Philadelphia,
July 06, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
On June 8, four masked Israeli settlers attacked several members of the Nawaj’ah family from Khirbet Susiya as they were tending their sheep on Palestinian property near the West Bank settlement of Susiya. The land the Palestinian family was grazing on is owned by a Palestinian resident of nearbly Samu’ Village and has been closed by court order to Israelis since 2006.
Because the Nawaj'ah family has been the victim of repeated harassment by area settlers, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem had provided them with a video camera as part of B'Tselem's "Shooting Back" advocacy and information program. This allowed the entire attack to be filmed by the family and was used for the first time by Israeli police in their investigation.
With the aid of the footage police have arrested two alleged suspects. Police believe however that the Palestinians themselves may have provoked the attack due to their faux couture:
"... police say they are investigating whether the Palestinian shepherds may have provoked the attack by not wearing traditional Arab dress, thereby arousing the suspicion of neighboring Israeli settlers. "This is something that doesn't normally happen," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said. "The way they were dressed could also possibly have been something which was provocative and this might have been something which led to the actual incident itself.""
Continue reading "West Bank Settler Fashionista Police Reprimand Faux Couture Palestinians" »
June 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
As I have tried to show in this mini-series, there are many positive and hopeful things happening in the Middle East and in relations between the West and the Muslim world. We can't judge what we don't know and we can't develop informed opinions based on insufficient, skewed or deliberately distorted information. Has it become a dangerous liability that the citizens of the world's most powerful nation, one which has such an outspoken desire and track record of imposing its vision on other parts of the world, primarily see the rest of their world through the narrow tunnel of the American mainstream media?
June 09, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of RFK's assassination. I have taken some time this weekend to watch and read some of the historical material about his run for the presidency in 1968, the events of his turbulent times and many of his speeches.
It was also this week that Barack Obama became the prospective Democratic nominee for the presidency. I can't escape the feeling that in many ways Obama's candidacy could be the fulfillment of the promise that RFK fought, and died, for in 1968. Although the things tearing America apart were in many ways very different in 1968, the country remains divided, often bitterly, along the fault lines of ideology, economics, lifestyle, race, gender and opportunity. RFK's message of hope and unity resounds as loudly today as it did forty years ago.
Of all RFK's speeches,
June 07, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
"A new 21st century understanding of Track II diplomacy, initiated through theological diplomacy, must go hand-in-hand with the formal diplomatic search for the peace that has always been at the centre of the Holy Books of both Christianity and Islam."He believes
June 01, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
May 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
To my Mom and to Moms everywhere. Have a great day! Anita Renfroe says it best...
May 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
We can celebrate many things on this 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern day State of Israel. There is much to be thankful for. There is much that we have achieved. Israel has been the source of many innovations in the areas of water management and agriculture, science, medicine and technology. The country enjoys its own form of democracy and for many of its citizens it has created economic prosperity with an open and dynamic economy.
(NOTE: This article is somewhat longer than what I usually present here. For those who find it more convenient to read hard copy, you can download and print a copy at the end of the article.)
The fact that the state of Israel even exists, after thousands of years of Jewish statelessness,
May 08, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Am I the only one who thinks this presidential primary season is turning more and more into silly time at the happy farm? The gas tax holiday debate now raging between the candidates is nothing more than the idiocy du jour.
McCain got the ball rolling by proposing a summer recess from the 18-cent a gallon federal tax on gasoline. As he put it:
"I'd like to see families in America have a relief from ever-increasing costs of gasoline so maybe at the end of the summer, after this tax holiday, they could buy school supplies for their children."
Quite a sweet thought but since everyone agrees that the savings for the average American family would be around $30, McCain should have said ‘a bit of the school supplies for one of their children, maybe.’
Continue reading "Woops, Sorry. This Gas Tax Holiday Debate is Giving Me Gas" »
May 02, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
It was another fun Queen's Day today. Here are a few impressions of how 500,000 people celebrated in Amsterdam: canal fun, street artists, flea market sidewalk sales, folks in orange.
(You can click the images for full size)
Continue reading "Impressions of Queen's Day 2008 in Amsterdam" »
April 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday the 30th of April we celebrate the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Although Queen Beatrix's real birthday is January 31, when she ascended to the throne in 1980 she decreed that her mother's birthday, April 30, would become Koninginnedag - Queen's Day - as a tribute to the much loved Queen Mother Juliana.
April 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
On Saturday, May 10 at 18.00 GMT you can be part of a unique event bringing the world together through film:
"The Pangea Day Mission & Purpose
Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.
Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.
The Pangea Day Event
Starting at 18:00 GMT on May 10, 2008, locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program will be broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.
The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes.
The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part."
April 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The US Supreme Court delivered a 7 - 2 decision this afternoon finding that Kentucky's application of lethal injection does not qualify as 'cruel and unusual' punishment. Several states wasted no time in welcoming the decision and announcing they would be gearing up their murder mills now that the decision is in.
Kentucky along with 34 other states and the federal government use a three-drug procedure. The first drug administered is
April 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Amnesty International released its annual report today on the use of the death penalty worldwide. As in previous years, the United States remains one of the world’s most enthusiastic practitioners of the death penalty.
According to Amnesty’s report
April 15, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Thank you Geert Wilders? Yes, thank you Geert Wilders. Fitna and Geert Wilders’ performance during the parliamentary debate that followed the video's release have indeed shown us that we stand on the precipice of a monumental decision. Unfortunately for Geert, it’s not quite the decision he was hoping for.
Wilders’ Youtube video Fitna (to call it a film would give it way too much credit) has stirred a lot of debate and controversy both in the Netherlands and abroad. The reactions to the video can be grouped into four broad areas:
April 07, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Yesterday I read about a new weapons system Israel is deploying on the border with Gaza. Although I find any weapons system repugnant, this one made me especially stop and think about what happens when war becomes like a game.
According to Ynetnews, an Israeli news website from Yedioth:
"IDF deploys new anti-terror system around Gaza
"Army upgrades its capabilities in the Gaza region: New system combines camera, machine gun and enables IDF troops stationed in operations room to identify and fire at terrorists without risking themselves...
"The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system will soon be officially declared "operational."
"We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians," another military official said."
There's just something about this new weapons system
March 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
For me today, the only appropriate way to pause on the fifth anniversary, this fifth memorial for the war in Iraq is to have my thoughts with all those who have lost and given their lives in this war. So many lives and so many futures lost; it is a heavy burden we bear.
As I look at all the events around us today: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other trouble spots where war is waging, the elections in the USA, I think about our individual responsibility as citizens of democracies. Especially the responsibility we create when we send boys and girls, men and women, off to die and to kill.
Death of darkness, death of night,
Let me feel the warmth of your blinding light.
Heroes one, Heroes all.
They felt the haunting of Gabriel’s call.You couldn't have died for sins unknown.
Perhaps for a sin I must call my own?
Why did we send you, did we do what’s right?
Whose war was this you left to fight?Forgive me my brother, my mother, my father,
Forgive me my lover, my sister, my daughter and son,
Forgive me my silence, the love that I squandered,
I hold onto your pain, for I’ve let you down.~ Thru Other Eyes
March 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Over the last weeks we have been treated to the spectacle of a President who is increasingly out of touch with reality and for whatever reason is less and less inhibited about showing it.
First we had George as the dancing bear outside the Oval Office as he waited to endorse John McCain.
Last Friday, we had the President telling the Economic Club of New York, "I'm coming to you as an optimistic fellow," exactly at the time that Bear Stearns' stock price was nose-diving and behind the scenes efforts were underway for JP Morgan to buy the once venerable bank for 7 cents on the dollar in an effort to stave off further bank collapses. Not since the 1930's had such a government guaranteed deal been necessary; but George was optimistic.
The most insightful and revolting look into Bush's emotional and intellectual state came on Thursday in a videoconference the President held with American military reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.
March 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
When I saw the web video of Geraldine Ferraro's performance last night on NBC I couldn't believe her indignation at the turn of events stemming from her Obama comments. Was it feigned or was it truly felt? Who knows. What ticked me off the most was her misleading and self-serving explanation of the comments' background and context.
If you have ten minutes to spare and are interested in a complete picture of her comments, their background and context then you should really check out this commentary from Keith Olbermann.
March 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Today marks the start of Iraq Veterans Against the War's 'Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan' event in Washington, D.C. You can follow the proceedings via the Web.
Inspired by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War's original Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971, Iraq Veterans Against the War are holding a similar event this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Regardless of how one feels about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it is fundamentally important to respect those who have chosen in good conscious to serve their country in this way. Too many have paid the ultimate price with their lives and too many have come home as physically and psychologically shattered men and women.
The very least we can do is to listen to these courageous men and women who are bravely stepping forward to bear witness to the true horrors of the wars we have sent them to fight in.
From IVAW's website:
Continue reading "Our Brave Vets Speak Out - We Should Listen" »
March 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I had to check out the dictionary just to make sure. I didn’t want to give anyone a bad rap they don’t deserve. Sadly enough disingenuous, calculating and deceitful do define Hillary even at her best.
Should we judge a politician by relative politician standards? “Oh, he or she is not so bad; many are far worse.” “Hey, that’s part and parcel of being in politics.” “What do you expect? He or she is only a politician.”
Or should we judge a politician
Continue reading "Hillary, why do you make it so hard to love you?" »
March 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Take a look at life over the cuckoo's nest and you too will get the feeling that the patients are running the asylum.....
~ Albert Einstein
March 05, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
In 1949, the author George Orwell introduced the word ‘doublethink’ into the English language. As they say, ‘you’ve come a long way baby’ since then. After almost sixty years of refinement and further development, doublethink has become a fascinating phenomenon in social, psychological and political thought and action.
George Orwell introduced the word and concept of doublethink into the English vocabulary in his seminal 1949 classic entitled 1984. Doublethink, as described by one of the characters in the book is: “To know and not to know… to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them.”
Pre-schoolers and young children
March 03, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
For weeks the candidates, the pundits and the media have been all a’ chatter about the Democratic superdelegates. Endless speculation about what could happen IF the Democratic nominating contest has to be decided by the superdelegates. Well, we’re way past that point because the superdelegates are going to have the final word in this historic contest.
Fears of a potential super ugly superdelegate mess? Did I say potential? Forget that. The future is here and so is the superdelegate mess.
Given the current delegate count (see visual) there is practically no way that either candidate can reach the magic nominating number of 2,025 without the superdelegates. As you can see, Obama needs to win 78% of the remaining delegates while Hillary needs almost a total sweep of 89% of the regular delegates left to win the nomination.
Given that Democratic delegates are awarded along a more or less proportional fashion it is for all intents and purposes a foregone conclusion. Neither candidate is going to reach 2,025
February 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
I earlier wrote that this could be America’s next potential great moment in time. The kind of moment that doesn’t come along very often. A moment of potentially transformational importance. As we look at the last three standing in America’s primaries, we can see what makes this moment so unique and so challenging.
Imagine the times we are in: The country’s confidence in its President is at one of its lowest points ever. And even more significantly, barely 1 in 5 Americans, only 22%,
puts much stock in the Congress. And the rest of the world is waiting
with bated breath for an America renewed. Against that background, look
at the three presidential candidates left standing: a woman, the son of
a black Kenyan immigrant and an old white guy who is one of America’s
last true warrior heroes in national public service.
February 09, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The recent California Democratic debate was on the surface not very spectacular. However, if one were to look at it thru other eyes, it is possible to imagine the contours of a 16 to 20 year period of transformational change with a gigantic capital C. Part II – A Six Point Plan for Political Transformation.
Every once in a while, a moment or period comes along in a society’s evolution that embodies the potential for meaningful transformation. Such a moment generally arises out of a conflux of fortuitous circumstances: the broad realization of the moment’s importance, a mix of challenges with historical and lasting significance, people’s willingness and readiness to rise to the occasion and finally leaders who are prepared to ignite the fire, carry the torch and bear the burden of responsibility and risk.
Over the past hundred years,
Continue reading "A Six Point Plan for Political Transformation" »
February 03, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
The recent California Democratic debate was on the surface not very spectacular. However, if one were to look at it thru other eyes, it is possible to imagine the contours of a 16 to 20 year period of transformational change with a gigantic capital C. Part I – The Choice No One Should Be Asked To Make
As I nestled into the couch to watch this debate, I had low expectations. Given the tenor of the recent campaign I feared a ‘he-said-she-said-no-I-didn’t’ kind of debate. Sort of what the Republicans had offered the previous night. Instead we were treated to a show that was to a surprising degree ‘I’m okay-you’re-okay-it’s-the republicans-we-are-after.’
On the key issues of this primary season these two are practically within millimeters of each other. When it comes to the complex issues of
Continue reading "The Choice No One Should Asked Be To Make" »
February 02, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Obama’s landslide victory last night in South Carolina has provided crystal clear answers to several fundamental and burning questions about this year’s campaign. And none of those answers bode well for Hillary, Bill or the Clinton legacy. But maybe, just maybe, the answers bode well for America.
Boy oh boy! What an exciting primary season. Last night I stayed up for the first time to watch the results come in live and to follow the discussions on CNN, the BBC, English language Al Jazeera and on the Internet.
With Obama’s overwhelming victory
January 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It’s a damn shame. This should have been one the most significant and inspiring presidential election seasons since the first time Americans went to the polls in 1789.
Perhaps I was expecting too much or I am naïve or as some would say even pollyannish. But I couldn’t help myself.
Continue reading "The Arkansas Rumblers Tag Team Strikes Again" »
January 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Monday, January 21, is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. I dedicated some time over the weekend to read and watch some of his speeches and to see a wonderful CNN special appropriately entitled MLK: Words That Changed a Nation.
Dr. King did indeed change a nation and it was primarily through his words that he catalyzed and led that change. The purity and incontrovertible truth of what he wanted to share with us, the absolute passion and humility with which he spoke and the magic oratory style he was a master of brought his concepts to life in a way that could not be ignored. And as I read and watched this weekend, I realized that those of us who care deeply about or are in whatever way involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestine need to hear his words as if for the first time. We need to understand as never before what Dr. King lived and died for.
Most people know his “I Have a Dream” and “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speeches. Fewer people may be familiar with one of his lesser known sermons from 1957, a Sunday church sermon that enunciated so clearly and so beautifully
Continue reading "Listen… Listen Close Enough to Hear… His Words Resonate As Loud As Ever" »
January 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It was appropriate and perhaps even significant that the Democratic candidates for president buried the race hatchet during Tuesday's debate which of course coincidentally fell on Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.
It was however equally inappropriate and perhaps significantly cowardly that all three leading candidates used the moment to pat each other on the back and with such niceties take race and gender off the table:
"I know that John and Hillary have always been committed to racial equality," said Obama.
"I'm proud of the fact that we have a woman and an African American who are very, very serious candidates for the presidency," said Edwards.
"Neither race nor gender should be a part of this campaign," said Clinton.
Don’t get me wrong.
January 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It's almost time. 2007 is drawing to a close and it's that moment when we tend
to look back at what the year was all about. You may look back at what made the news headlines in 2007 or what the year in sport looked like. For the more voyeuristic among us you could check out Hollywood's most notable breakups and hook-ups or perhaps your interest is more melodious in nature and then you may be interested in the year in music.
New Year's is also a moment to look forward. And what better way to do that then to aim the spotlight on some normal, non-celebrity and non-famous extraordinary young people who made the news in 2007 for noteworthy achievements that go way beyond their chronological ages. If these youngsters
December 31, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
The service that issues my email updates has in error issued an email as if an old article was newly (re)published. My excuses for the inconvenience as I do not want you to feel that I am 'spamming' your email address with old articles. I have asked the supplier to look into this problem as it has occurred a few times in the past. Thank you for your understanding. Lennybruce
December 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
My condolences to the family of Ms. Bhutto, to the families of those killed and injured in both attacks today and to all of Pakistan. This can herald in nothing good in a country already struggling for its soul.
As I watch the news right now I get a very uneasy feeling of apprehension in the pit of my stomach. Pakistan was already on the verge of imploding. We have never adequately realized how important it was to embrace and encourage true democratic forces in Pakistan.
If the so-called 'war on terror' has anything to do with an ideological struggle between the ideals of democracy versus the insanity of extremist terror then Pakistan is ground zero when it comes to the competition between those two forces within Muslim society.
It is impossible to predict what types of forces and dynamics her assassination could unleash. I pray for cool heads and may leaders everywhere be granted the wisdom to deal with this tragic situation.
December 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
This is the season isn’t it? For a short time every year a great deal of the world shops till it drops, overburdens national postal systems with greeting cards and one thought prevails above many others: “Peace on earth, good will to men.” The Christmas spirit is so ubiquitous that there is no escaping it. Even though we of course don’t celebrate the holiday as such (we are getting together with some friends for a Judeo-Muslim turkey dinner with all the trimmings on the evening of the 24th) I wouldn’t mind if every day was imbued with a bit of the Christmas spirit, and then I am particularly referring to that prevailing thought – “Peace on earth, good will to men.”
It’s an interesting thought that could use a slight realignment
Continue reading "Good Will To Men, Every Day of the Year" »
December 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I know its kind of a cliche when it comes to political candidates. But I still find it a really effective and lightning quick litmus test in gaging how I feel about a candidate. Of course, it's only helpful if you believe that integrity and trustworthiness are important characteristics in a politician. And I am not talking about that minimum threshold of wiggling and spinning that is sadly part and parcel of being a politician today.
When I ask that question of the current crop of Democratic candidates vying for their party's nomination for President I come up one short. Although of course I have my favorites in the field,
December 10, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
There has of course been an incredible amount said and written about Annapolis and the upcoming peace process. But everyone makes it so complex. It is actually quite a simple equation. If both parties truly want to see a peace deal then the terms of the deal are known. Everyone knows it in their heart but no one is brave enough yet to give up the song and dance and just get on with it.
For peace to be achieved, for peace to be successful and lasting, for peace to lead to regional stability and development, these are pretty much the only terms possible on the core issues, give or take:
Continue reading "Shall we continue to dance or shall we sit down and eat?" »
December 06, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Israel’s objection to America’s proposed UN resolution supporting the efforts to strive towards concluding a peace agreement in 2008, and its subsequent quick withdrawal, provides an interesting window into Israel’s emotional angst regarding the peace process. This angst was further underlined today when Prime Minister’s Olmert played down the chances and expectations of achieving a peace deal in 2008.
Like many over-testosteroned youngsters, Israel has a fear of intimacy and therefore commitment, not to some college sweetheart but rather to the peace process itself. This fear of commitment tells us several interesting things about the nation's mindset at this crucial juncture in Middle East history.
The first thing it lays bare
December 02, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
When I first decided to visit Cambodia it was to fulfill a long-standing wish to experience the Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat. I imagined the wonder and bewonderment of seeing such ancient and exotic temples. I imagined the magic of the jungle setting, especially of those temples that are still half overgrown by majestic trees. I imagined a near-spiritual experience and not just a run-of-the-mill week of travel to a new destination. What I didn’t know is I hadn’t imagined the half of it.
As I was searching the internet for accommodations I came across the Shinta Mani hotel. Although I would end up not staying there, this hotel was going to give my visit to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat quite an unexpected focus. The hotel appeared to be a very nice boutique hotel with spa but as I continued to read I discovered that Shinta Mani was quite a bit more than that.
Shinta Mani is Sanscript for
October 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
I left Cambodia four days ago and the flood of impressions I had and emotions I experienced are just beginning to settle. And of course, it is not so easy to find enough time to get things on paper as our busy vacation is continuing in Malaysia. Here are my first impressions of Cambodia and general introduction. (All images can be clicked to view full size).
Although Cambodia has begun to experience growth in tourism, primarily in Siem Reap, the tourist base for the famous Angkor Wat temples, and also in Phnom Penh, the country is still largely rural and extremely poor. Siem Reap
with all its restaurants, day spas, guest houses and hotels, many of them very nice, is still very much a chaotic, dusty and in many ways 3rd world place. The development of the tourism infrastructure and tourism based economy has begun to plant the seeds for a modest middle class but has not yet spread much beyond the city limits. It is only now beginning to reach into the indigenous urban population.
In the Siem Reap tourism sector
October 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)