Gio Evan – Travel

encounter

Try to travel, otherwise
you may become racist,
and you may end up believing
that your skin is the only one
to be right,
that your language
is the most romantic
and that you were the first
to be the first.

Travel,
because if you don’t travel then
your thoughts won’t be strengthened,
won’t get filled with ideas.
Your dreams will be born with fragile legs and then you end up believing in tv-shows,
and in those who invent enemies
that fit perfectly with your nightmares
to make you live in terror.

Travel,
because travel teaches
to say good morning to everyone
regardless of which sun we come from.

Travel,
because travel teaches
to say goodnight to everyone
regardless of the darkness
that we carry inside.

Travel,
because traveling teaches us to resist,
not to depend,
to accept others, not just for who they are
but also for what they can never be.
To know what we are capable of,
to feel part of a family
beyond borders,
beyond traditions and culture.
Traveling teaches us to be beyond.

Travel,
otherwise you end up believing
that you are made only for a panorama
and instead inside you
there are wonderful landscapes
still to visit.

• Gio Evan, poet and songwriter.

Random Thoughts on My Canadian Friend Don Posterski – May God Rest Him in Peace!

Don Posterski

UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 13th, at 2pm, Toronto time, my dear friend Don Posterski went to be in glory with Christ and the saints. May he rest in peace!

I met Don for the first time in early 2000, just a few months after I joined World Vision, to work in the Middle East and Eastern Europe Region (MEER), as Director for Faith & Development (F&D – the sector of which Don was in charge in WVI, earlier called Christian Impact – CI, and then Christian Commitments – CC)). Soon after that, he invited me to join him in the WVI Commission on the Church, which, due to Don’s wisdom and his ability to lead a team of very diverse and hard headed members, was the most significant initiative in which I was involved in my 20 years in WV. I wish I had a picture from any of those significant meetings, but I do not. Therefore, I will try to compensate (over)illustrating other events.

Later that year, in October, I invited Don to join my team in Sinaia, Romania, for the first regional event of our sector, called the Christian Life Conference. There, the main speaker was Jim Houston, who taught on Christian Discipleship, while Don taught on building church partnerships, Tim Dearborn taught on witness to Jesus Christ and I taught on spiritual formation. It was a great event, which participants remember fondly, almost 18 years later. Again, Don gave the measure of his unique leadership style, by keeping himself in the background and encouraging others to serve with their gifts. (Again, sadly, I lost all pictures from that event.)

Voicu Bojan – Ierusalim − un oras, trei credinte. Si niste zapada

Cândva, demult, Karen Armstrong și-a propus să-l găsească pe Dumnezeu. Pentru asta s-a călugărit. Vreme de 7 ani, l-a tot căutat între zidurile unei mănăstiri catolice. Apoi a renunțat. S-a întors printre oameni și s-a apucat de cercetare și de scris.

A urcat la catedră. A făcut emisiuni tv, cum ar fi seria despre Sfântul Apostol Pavel. A devenit expert în istorie religioasă. Azi le dă lecții rabinilor și face parte din înalta societate de studii sociale musulmane. E peste tot și deopotrivă nicăieri, așa cum îi stă bine unui true British scholar.

Când a apărut în românește cartea ei Istoria lui Dumnezeu, am privit titlul cu mirare și mi-am pus două întrebări:

1. L-o fi găsit Armstrong, în sfârșit, pe Dumnezeu?

2. Poate fi Yahve circumscris de istorie, de timp?

Cartea e povestea unei căutări, nu a unei găsiri. Mare, echidistantă, sobră și destul de greu digerabilă.

Ioan-Florin Florescu – Tari de poveste

Redau mai jos un scurt capitol din cartea Pr Ioan-Florin Florescu, Jurnal scotian, publicata de Polirom si lansata recent la Iasi. Textul se afla la paginile 80-81 in textul tiparit al cartii (pentru cei care traiesc departe de tara, este important sa stiti ca exista si o editie digitala a cartii, la care puteti avea acces instantaneu, dupa ce faceti plata online). Daca ma intrebati cum de am ales tocmai acest fragment din carte, va voi raspunde doar ca ‘prietenii stiu de ce’. 🙂

* * *

Dialog parcă din Daniil Harms, între două românce, la biserica greacă din Glasgow. Două femei, una cu un copil în braţe, cealaltă, o adolescentă cu o şapcă roşie pe cap, vorbesc între ele, fără să ştie că le înţeleg.
— Dacă nici anu’ ăsta nu-mi găsesc de lucru, zice fata cu şapcă, mă duc pe insula Mako.
— Da’ ce-i pe insula Mako? se interesează femeia cu copil.
— N-ai văzut Haşdoio, filmul cu sirenele?
— Ce-i cu sirenele? e în continuare nedumerită cealaltă.
— Păi, ele erau de pe insula Mako, răspunde fata cu şapcă.
Am râs cu faţa în pumni până la Evanghelie.
După-amiază, mă întâlnesc într-un pub din Bishopton cu un prieten drag, venit de la Iaşi să-şi vadă băiatul care locuieşte în Scoţia. Între altele, îmi povesteşte despre Abhazia, de unde s-a întors nu demult. O ţară frumoasă, străvechea Colchida, unde a predicat Simon Cananeul, ruinată în ultimii ani de războiul secesionist cu Georgia. Acum douăzeci de ani în Abhazia era o Biserică înfloritoare, îmi spune prietenul meu.

7 Must-Haves to Survive a Long Flight » Brittany from Boston

Source: 7 Must-Haves to Survive a Long Flight » Brittany from Boston

Here is some good advice on long haul air travel from seasoned traveller Brittany.

How to Pack a Carry-On Suitcase Like a Pro » Brittany from Boston

A travel blogger’s secrets to packing a carry-on like a pro! No matter how far or long you travel, you can do it all with just one carry-on suitcase!

Source: How to Pack a Carry-On Suitcase Like a Pro » Brittany from Boston

Wise advice for professional travellers.

Sunt crestin – I Am A Christian

A iesit, in sfirsit, de la tipar cartea Sunt crestin (I Am A Christian), editata de Voicu Bojan si publicata de Editura Aqua Forte din Cluj. Volumul va putea fi comandat curind pe situl editurii.

Asa cum spuneam recent si pe Facebook, cartea, care nu apare inca pe situl editurii, este o lucrare colectiva, in limba romana si engleza (desi poza primita pe facebook arata doua copertem nu stiu inca cu siguranta daca este vorba de doua versiuni separate, una in romana si una in engleza, sau de o editie bilingva), care cuprinde 15 scurte marturii personale ale unor credinciosi, mai ales romani, care incearca sa raspunda la intrebarea ‘de ce sunt crestin?’

Iata lista integrala a autorilor, in ordinea alfabetica a numelor:

Andreea Sepi, Anne Garrett, Cristian Mihut, Danut Manastireanu,
Dionis Bodiu, Don Lothrop, Dorin Axente, Dorin Muresan,
Doru Pop, George Ille, Marius David Cruceru, Mihaela Ursa,
Silvian Guranda, Teofil Stanciu si Voicu Bojan.

Redau mai jos explicatia lui Voicu Bojan despre felul straniu in care s-a nascut aceasta carte. Sper ca aceasta va va trezi interesul si ca veti dori s-o rasfoiti si, poate, s-o oferiti si altora, interesati de aceleasi intrebari existentiale care i-au framintat si pe autorii acestor pagini.

Va doresc lectura spornica si cu folos!

How To Score Cheap Flights » Brittany from Boston

I’m sharing my secrets on scoring cheap flights…you do not want to miss this!

Source: How To Score Cheap Flights » Brittany from Boston

Here is some expert advice from Britanny for finding cheaper flight tickets. Enjoy your flights!

Homesick for Chicago

This is one of my favourite cities in the US.
I am very glad to visit it again this summer.

Fernando Castilho Cintra on Romania

Note: This is absolutely hilarious.

Exactly 1 month ago I was arriving in Brazil. So here it goes: 60 things I learned by living in Romania!

PS: Pay attention to what down here is a joke and what is not.

Check it out! 🙂

1 – Dracula is a vampire outside Romania.

2 – The same dude, Vlad Tepes, is a national hero.

3 – While vampires drink blood, the real red thing I loved to drink was Visinata.

4 – Another devilish drink is Tuica, Hungarians call it palinka, but it is the same thing.

5 – Most moldavians, muntenians and others have no idea what happens with Hungarians in Ardeal.

Valeriu Nicolae – Cu dragoste, din Laos

Sînt în nordul Laosului, aproape de Myanmar. Am aterizat în Luang Prabang. Viza a mers repede: 31 de dolari. Drumurile sînt puţine şi tare-tare proaste: aproape patru ore de condus pentru 174 de kilometri. Excesul de adrenalină, dat de multiplele oportunităţi de a sfîrşi glorios pe post de afiş pentru TIR-uri, a făcut ca timpul să treacă în mod interesant.

Ţara este foarte frumoasă, măricică şi slab populată, undeva sub şapte milioane de locuitori. Cu excepţia capitalei, sînt oraşe mici – sub 50.000 de locuitori – şi multe sate, departe unul de celălalt şi locuite în medie cam de 60-80 de familii. O mare parte dintre sate nu au curent electric, iar cîştigul pe familie este sub 80 de dolari pe lună. Mai mult de jumătate din populaţia rurală trăieşte cu mai puţin de 40 de dolari pe lună. Mă simt ca şi cum m-aş fi întors în Valea Jiului din anii ’80, cu telefoane mobile şi climă tropicală. Dacă Volkswagen-ul continuă să ne ajute şi dacă-l mai avem şi pe Dragnea, ales cu o majoritate jenantă pînă şi pentru comuniştii din zonă, în cîteva zeci de ani avem şansa să ajungem ca Laosul şi Cambodgia.

Securiştii sînt peste tot. Budele sînt un lux. Primesc şi semnez rapid regulile de cazare de la comisriatul de poliţie. Aşa scrie: comisriatul. Prima regulă:

1. Turiştii trebuie către tine datorează cazarea la 24,00 (mijlocul noptni) 

Redeeming Myself By Swimming With Whale Sharks

Redeeming Myself By Swimming With Whale Sharks.

Where A Natural Disaster Is Most Likely to Strike

(Source, The Telegraph)

Sagrada Familia – 2026 – We Build Tomorrow

My son’s family is visiting Barcelona these days. This is a good opportunity for me to share with you a few video recordings about Sagrada Familia, the most extraordinary building ever erected, in my humble opinion, and about Antonio Gaudi, the genius architect that designed it and started building in, until his tragic death.

This first short clip presents what’s next in the building project, until 2026, when it will be finished.

Gomorrah, Masada, and Mount Sodom from the Air

Filmed by Amir Aloni, with his drone.

Russian Empire | Cookies and The Caucasus

Russian Empire | Cookies and The Caucasus.

Here is a great post about an amazing place – Tsminda Sameba (Holy Trinity) Church in the Kazbegi Mountains, in Georgia (the real one, not in the US). Something to do next time I visit there.

58 Reasons Living In Cambridge Ruins You For Life

58 Reasons Living In Cambridge Ruins You For Life.

Cambridge is my favourite place in England.

You will find in this article a number of stunning pictures from a dream place for academics.

Enjoy!

Calatorie la Colibita

Vedere dinspre baraj a Lacului Colibita. In fundal se vede casa ridicata pe o insulita .
Mi-ar placea si mie asa ceva, chiar daca as face ceva mult mai modest.

Lacul Colibita este unul artificial. A fost construit in perioada comunista, dar frumusetea lui a devenit cunoscuta abia in ultimii ani, dupa ce un numar de restaurante si pensiuni au fost ridicate imprejur. Lacul este inca dificil de atins, din pricina unei bretele de circa 6km de drum de piatra si praf cit cuprinde. In jurul lacului este insa o sosea relativ decenta.

Trey Ratcliff – Bejing from Above

Tray writes: ‘I wrote a full story about this video and getting detailed by the Chinese police! Check http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/06… – I also have more about how I made the video, equipment, etc etc. This music is by the great Jon Hopkins. This song is called “A Drifting Up.”‘

Timelapse Video of Singapore Airport

Since I have just been through that airport, here is an interesting perspective on it, with a time lapse video.

Air New Zealand – An Unexpected Briefing

Hilarious, isn’t it? And, if you liked it, here is another one, just the same.

Tour of Cambridge

This is my favourite place in England.There is nothing more beautiful than Cambridge in Spring, on a sunny day.

I wish I could have studied there, though London was not be at all, either.

Vlad Eftenie – La plimbare prin Paris

Parisul este pentru mine unul dintre orasele cele mai fascinante orase ale lumii, si am vazut citeva (ultima data cind am socotit erau cu ceva peste 350). Dincolo de dimensiunea istorica si culturala a orasului, ceea ce ma impresioneaza cel mai mult este estetica Parisului. Frumusetea creste parca in mod organic in acest oras. Francezii, ei insisi, par sa aiba frumosul in singe. De exemple, desi, cu destule exceptii totusi, frantuzoaicele nu sunt neaparat femei extraordinar de frumoase, mai ales, si aici dati-mi voie sa fiu subiectiv, in comparatie cu romancele, pare ca tot ce pune o frantuzoaica pe ea, in materie de haine ori de machiaj, ii sta bine. Este si normal, atunci cind de cind te nasti pina mori respiri doar frumusete.

Am fost de doua ori la Paris, acum mai mult de zece ani, de fiecare data cite o saptamina, si de atunci imi doresc sa revin. Sper sa mi se implineasca aceasta dorinta cindva, nu prea tirziu. Pina atunci ma desfatez vazind filme despre Paris si citind din cind despre acest superb oras.

Iata aici un splendid articol despre Paris, scris de Vlad Eftenie, si asezonat din belsug cu fotografii excelente, facute de acelasi autor.

Redau mai jos inceputul acestui articol, in speranta ca veti fi atrasi sa-l cititi in intregime.

Robert Hunt – A Second Letter from Jerusalem

Dear friends,

1. From Tel Aviv

Let me start with a map. The distance from the Jordan river (border of Jordan) to the Mediterranean Sea in the center of Israel is just over 40 miles. Everything is compressed. There isn’t a lot of physical space. And that space holds a lot of history.

Almost anywhere you dig, literally anywhere, you will find layer upon layer of different cultures and civilizations. And that space holds a lot of different peoples. The distinction between Arabs and Jews doesn’t begin to express it. There are many kinds of each, including not only theological divisions but essentially ethnic divisions as well.

But it isn’t just different peoples. It is different worldviews and viewpoints. And these struggle with space and for space; social, psychological, and spiritual. We have heard about the difficulty for politicians to “remain within the consensus,” meaning the current multi-party government, when a large part of the constituency wants to break out over sometimes minute ideological issues. But issues critical to their sense of community identity. We have heard of how women struggle to stay within orthodoxy because they do not want to suffer the dual punishment of facing both misogyny and exile from their community and tradition.

Billy Connoly – I Wish I Was in Glasgow

I miss Glasgow and my lads there.

Thanks to Lesley Ann  Calvert for the link.

Wild Carpathia 3

This is the last part of this trilogy dedicated to the natural beauty of my country.

I wish Romanian society would match the beauty of our nature. I will say no more.

Wild Carpathia 1 and 2

This is the second part of the documentary on the natural beauty of Romania.

Paul Wood – 25 Reasons why I Love Living in Romania

Lamp post in Caracal, Romania 🙂

Daniela Zeca Buzura, one of the best young writers in Romania, shared today on her Facebook wall this article. I loved it, though I might disagree with the author on a number of point, particularly on the charm of Bucharest, I city I hate – mostly because of the people living there, for many reasons, that I may or I may not explain some other time..

I will list here the 25 things, as a teaser, and let you then enjoy the text at length. Here is some light and charming Sunday reading.

* * *

Romanians. Clearly the people are the main reason for liking any country, though the countryside and the crumbling inner city of Bucharest come close behind…

In Romania under Communism television only broadcast for two hours a day meant until the Revolution the Romanians were spared a huge amount of idiocy and had time instead for reading, conversation, drinking wine, and the national sport, seducing one another…

Romania has so far escaped the worldwide cultural revolution – not Mao’s one, but the one that happened in the capitalist world starting in the 1960s and which is showing no signs of abating. One of the great charms of Romania is that the 1960s did not happen in here. The EU will change that, but not quite yet…

I Am Off To Armenia

Mt Ararat from the air

I am off to Armenia tomorrow for a whole week, because of my work in World Vision. Please don’t envy me! 🙂

That is why I may not be able to be prompt in approving comments. Please be patient with me.

An say a prayer, if you wish. I always helps. Thanks.

Spooky, Peek-a-boo, and Zebra Slot Canyons in Escalante, Utah

Spooky, Peek-a-boo and Zebra Slot Canyons in the Grand Staircase, Escalante National Monument, off the Hole-in-the-Rock road.
Recorded October 2011 in HD with Panasonic TM900.
Music:
Tim Story – Abridged – 01 – Still Life With Lions
Dean Evenson – Ascension – 03 – Mystic Mountain