Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Elders are in the Middle East

I received this message from a Facebook group this morning and felt it worth passing on...

"The Elders are in the Middle East - Follow their blogs, watch videos and add a message of peace.

Hi,

This week a delegation of The Elders is in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Theyre meeting a wide range of people from all walks of Israeli and Palestinian life and were pretty sure theyll have lots to talk about.

So, we thought the best way for them to share their thoughts and experiences would be for them to blog about their trip on our website. The site will be updated every day with photo stories, videos and blogs from both the Elders and some of the people they meet along the way.

Were also going to be hosting a live webcast. Some of you may have tuned into our website in July to watch our live Q&A with Desmond Tutu. Well be trying something similar live from Jerusalem but this time on a bigger scale.

The six Elders participating in the trip will be joined by young Israelis and Palestinians to talk about some of the issues that both sides face in efforts to reach peace in the Middle East.

Theyll be joined live via satellite by participants from Ramallah and Tel Aviv too. We hope that by hosting this conversation, the Elders can help to connect people virtually who rarely have the opportunity to meet in person.

We also want you to join our efforts by sending us your message for peace in the Middle East. After all, this unresolved conflict it affects us all. The Elders and many of their friends have already uploaded their message and a photo, why not add yours?

The Elders team"

later man, jan

Monday, August 24, 2009

Could you help Wells Fargo donate $25000 to Kiva?

Wells Fargo is willing to donate $25,000 to Kiva

For every person who answers 9 short questions Wells Fargo will donate $1 to Kiva! By answering you can get a quick estimate of your retirement eligibility without giving any of your personal data to Wells Fargo or use them for any services. So far only $1331 have been raised and there are only 4 days to go.

I did it - it's a snap - and it looks like I can only keep eating for 2.8 years if I let John retire - lol :)

later man, jan

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Our Haven in BC needs rain...


BC needs rain. The forecast is good for our place - supposed to rain all next week. I really hope so because BC has hundreds of fires all throughout the province. This link takes you to see the two fires on either side of our cabin.

If you click to enlarge the Galena Bay fire (fire 280)(SE corner of BC) you can see where our place at Beaton has another fire (fire 313) just to the north of us. Forestry has this fire marked as in Modified Response. Fire management specialists continue to observe the fire, and have built a machine guard on the south flank of the fire to prevent growth in that direction. They have it estimated 178 hectares with 1 piece of large equipment assigned. The large Galena fire has now 40% containment but they say there is still a lot of smoke on highways 23 and 31.



This is a view taken from our friend Don's place looking across the bay at our beach and the fire on Commaplix Mountain behind it. This was taken 10 days ago and the fire was still burning when we left and had moved to the right and also lower down in the valley which is where I am assuming they have built their "machine guard".

The smoke in the valleys certainly makes for interesting views from our beach front...



and also lovely sunsets from our front porch.



later man, jan

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Rodriga Escabarte, a cook, businesswoman, and CEV client

what a lovely smile...
later man, jan

Hear Me Now - The Green Children

Wonderful new single video you can download for free at Green Children .org. 50% of their iTunes single sales go to a new lending project for the poor of India.
Hear Me Now Lyrics...

A scarf uncovers a smiling face
That tells the story of a changing place
She knows no greater wonder than what she's seen
She bears a heart of secrets from where she's been, she says

Hear me now
Hear me now
Hear me out, she cries
See me now
See me now
See in me and I'll rise

She's worked hard and achieved
A new life's been received
So much pride in her eyes
She's thrown out her disguise
She's got a chance to make it on her own
Just one man gave hope to his home, he says

Hear me now
Hear me now
Hear me out, he cries
See her now
See her now
See in her and she'll rise

She speaks unfamiliar words
But so easily understood
It's like a tone in her voice
Reveals the power of choice
She's so wonderful
The way she holds herself
She finally broke the spell
You can tell

Hear me now
Hear me now
Hear me out, she cries
See me now
See me now
See in me and I'll rise

Hear me now
Hear me now
Hear me out, he cries
See her now
See her now
See in her and she'll rise

A scarf uncovers a smiling face
That tells the story of a changing place

later man, jan