A Day in the Life of a Peacekeeper

A Day in the Life of a Peacekeeper by @RonRisdonAuthor #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…

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Why Refugees and Immigrants Can Be An Asset

Why Refugees and Immigrants Can Be An Asset by @RonRisdonAuthor #refugees

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…

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Can a Travel Blog Be More Than Travel?

Can a Travel Blog Be More Than Travel? by @RonRisdonAuthor, #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…

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Candi 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…

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Outside 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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