A Day in the Life of a Peacekeeper
The UN wasn’t created to take mankind into paradise, but rather to save humanity from hell ~ Dag Hammarskjold Recently I gave a presentation to the Lansing, Michigan chapter of the United Nations Association as part of a popular series called Java Café: a presentation on a topic of interest followed by questions and lively…
Read MoreWhy Refugees and Immigrants Can Be An Asset
Standing Tall Man Behold a stern, sober-looking man who is engaged in unsolicited acts of humanitarianism. I met him in northwest Kenya while visiting the Kakuma refugee area recently. Among the incredible things UNHCR staff members showed us was a project between locals and refugees. Local residents, who have survived for centuries as traditional herders…
Read MoreThis is How America Can Learn Humanity and Civility from Africa
Humanity And Civility in Action Last March I spent several days in Kakuma, a large sprawling refugee camp in northwest Kenya. In that population of some 200,000 refugees from all over Central Africa- Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, and the Congo — there is every type of broken, mistreated and beleaguered family unit. But nowhere did I meet…
Read MoreCan a Travel Blog Be More Than Travel?
These photos were taken during a visit to a Buddhist Temple in Central Java. After visiting the temple, I went to a nearby restaurant which did not cater to tourists – it just served good, everyday Indonesian food. Travel: The Food After getting a large scoop of steamed rice you select from the platters and…
Read MoreCandi Ijo Temple near Yogyakarta, Indonesia
This photo was taken at an ancient temple near Yogyakarta. A city of more than 400,000 inhabitants on the island of Java in Indonesia, Yogya, as the local say, served as the capital of the nation from 1945-49 during the Indonesian National Revolution. Today it is a clean and orderly city with some fine examples…
Read MoreOutside Solo, Indonesia
I spent several weeks this past winter visiting friends and travelling in Indonesia, an amazing place with so much to see I need to go back. I was in Bali a few years ago after finishing an assignment with the United Nations in East Timor. So many more tourists now than the first time I…
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