A Traveller’s Eye, A Thinker’s Heart
I like to tell stories. I like to take photos.
And I like to share them. Enjoy.
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MURDER IN FJÄLLBACKA
I love a good murder mystery and am always on the lookout for new authors. So when my Norwegian friend, Inger, told me about a series of crime novels based near her Swedish holiday home, I was keen to read on. For a couple of years, I immersed myself in the Swedish coastal town of…
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SAFER, STRONGER AND MORE PROSPEROUS
I don’t know where to start to comment about this insanity. I’ll just share my personal perspective. I’ve always been proud about two things as an American: the Peace Corps and USAID. To me, they are symbols of an altruistic country who deeply cares about humanity. Both are the legacy of an inspirational national leader,…
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BIOPHILIA
I learned a new word today: biophilia. I was standing at our beach at low tide as the sun was rising to my back and I wondered why I found the scene was so calming, so serene. So just for fun I pulled out my phone and asked my mate ChatGPT, not expecting to get…
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MAKE EARTH GREAT AGAIN (MEGA)
I remember when we believed we could change the world with a poster and a chant. That belief never really left me—just got bruised along the way. But I’m still marching, still stubborn, and still hoping we can learn to love this planet like it’s the only home we’ve got.
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UNDERSTANDING MERCY
During my travels, I have learned about the world’s religions and have met and have befriended people of many faiths. I struggle with the parts of their faiths which deal with creation stories and pantheons of gods, but I do accept a common thread: acts of mercy. In one way or another all religions encourage…
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A VOTE FOR COMPASSION
In November 1976 I got my first chance to vote in a US presidential election. I was a newly minted 18-year-old and eager to help shape the course of the nation. I voted for Jimmy Carter. And I’ve never regretted how I cast my first vote. Historians rate President Carter as being in the ‘middle-of-the-pack’…
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BETTER CHICKPEAS FOR KOT SARANG
Blight decimated the chickpea crop in the Punjab village of Kot Sarang a decade or so ago. Farmers were reluctant to plant it again. But breeders from Pakistan’s National Agricultural Research Center found types of chickpea in the National Genebank of Pakistan that had some resistance to the blight. The breeders planted those chickpeas in…
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THE CITY OF ISLAM
‘Islamabad’ means “City of Islam” or “City of Peace” in Urdu. So, I thought it would remiss of me if I didn’t visit the Faisal Mosque while visiting the City of Islam. The Faisal Mosque was built in 1988 and named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia who inaugurated it. It was designed by a…
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ISLAMABAD’S SUNDAY BAZAAR
You can get pretty much anything at the Sunday (AKA Margalla) Bazaar, even on a Friday. Open three days a week, the bazaar is the place to go in Islamabad to purchase essential items at competitive prices. It sprawls across 25 acres with 2,760 stalls. Carpets, clothes, fresh food, techie stuff and even soccer balls.…
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