Expectations

Everything I thought Nepal would be was turned on it's head.

I expected a calm, serene, zen-like atmosphere, but instead was greeted with the hustle and bustle of city life and all that entails.

I expected clean, crisp, cool air, but instead it was thick, dusty, smoggy and sticky.

I expected vast, open spaces, but instead it was crowded and cramped.

When I visited India, I knew I was walking into a Slumdog Millionaire environment, and mentally I was ready for it.  As a result, I loved my time there.

For some reason, my mental pictures of Nepal were way off.

Of course, I did the prerequisite requirement of checking out things to do prior to going, but I didn't focus on the lifestyle of the land and what that might be like.

So, I was blindsided.

Don't get me wrong . . . I'm thrilled to have had the experience, and I loved the magnificent temples, but I need to remember to leave preconceived ideas on the doorstep when I leave home.

Most times I do.

Not sure why I didn't this time.

Kathmandu is a beautiful sacred city with extraordinary history.

Once I got past my initial shock, then I could see it.

Here's some of the things I saw.

This is a view of the Himalayan Mountain Range from my hotel window.
Kathmandu sits in a valley and is surrounded by these mountains on all sides.

Another view from my window.

Again, another view from my window.
Downstairs to the right of the balconies with flowers,
are birdcages, I think.
Everyday I watched a guy clean the cages and
collect something that might have been eggs. Too far to see for sure.
The small red structure with the white window
on the far left side about midway down the picture is an outhouse.

City street

THE GREAT BOUDHA STUPA - WORLD HERITAGE SITE

This is the Boudha Stupa, the holiest Tibetan Buddhist Temple outside of Tibet.
I found this picture online and it's not great, but I wanted you to get an overview of the temple.
It's huge and quite imposing when you see it see it from the street.  It is round and is surrounded by gift shops.

The temple has several levels and there are spires rising from each of these levels.
This one has Buddha Eyes on all four sides.
These eyes are prominently on display throughout the city.
These monkeys were three of many in the area.

The Boudha Stupa Temple 3

The Boudha Stupa Temple 4

These colorful flags attached to the temple have prayers written on them.

A view of the market around the temple.

Another view of the market.

Still at the market around the temple.
All of these birds caught me eye.
Some of my neighbors have pigeons that live above me,
so I'm inundated with bird poop.  My thoughts on birds nowadays is not too favorable.
These are fed by the monks and encouraged to stay!
Maybe I should take a page from their book and welcome the ones in my neighborhood.

This video is of a round cylinder wheel that is used in prayer.  There were scores of them that were built into the walls of the temple.  They are turned counterclockwise while praying.

                                          


This is a shop that has many prayer wheels on display.

Monks inside a tiny area praying.

An audio of the scene above.

More prayer wheels

One of the things I thought most interesting were the scenes
played out over and over again of people sitting and just hanging out at the temples.
This photo illustrates that.

This ornate object/oven? is used to burn incense.

A view of the market from the roof of the temple.

I stood by intrigued by these dogs.  There are six of them sleeping in the shade of  the temple.
They are oblivious to all of the people passing by.
Life is good.

A closeup of one of the pups.
It is extremely rare to see a dog in the UAE.
 Since I've been here, I've only seen one twice.

 PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE

This temple is different in that it is not one structure,
but a community of little temples that make it up.

Another view

This view gives you more of an overview of the area.  The higher up the stairs, the cooler and lighter the air.

Me with one of the ubiquitous eyes peeking out on the left.

The smoldering embers seen the right, is the burning of a body that is being cremated at the temple.

Another view of the cremation.

The orange cloth is covering a dead body that is being prepared for cremation.

 
           

I discovered this three minute video explaining the cremation process.  It's very, very interesting.

KUMAIR GHAR on DURBAR SQUARE

I believe it's this building that houses the living goddess of Kathmandu.

Work is being done on this building.
I'm always fascinated by the building process
that is so very different than we're used to in the US.
This scaffolding looks shaky at best.
More and more, I appreciate the systems in place in America
that are more likely to ensure the safety of the occupants.

This is an elaborate incense burning area.

I love this tree!

I wanted to show the intricate detail in the woodwork of the columns
holding each roof of these structures.
They're magnificent!

Birds, birds everywhere!

Although it's difficult to see,
there are people sitting at each level of the structure.

These folks have discovered the secret - the higher you are the lighter the air and cooler it is.

That's it guys.

As always, thanks for taking this ride with me.

Greetings From Nepal

Before I forget . . .

Happy Easter!

Now . . .

I arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal late Saturday afternoon under cloudy skies.  By the time I purchased a visa and got out of the airport, the weather had changed from overcast to strong winds and rain.

Back to the airport for a minute -

Getting to the landing field was colorful.  The city of Kathmandu is surrounded by the Himalayan Mountain Range.  So it looked like the pilot was descending into the mountain side, and just when you thought it was too close for comfort, the city, and the runway, came into sight.

Most people visit this area for trekking and mountain climbing.  Mount Everest is reached from here by plane.

Interestingly, you can't see Mount Everest from the city.

First impressions -

Nepal looks very much like India.  The people, the landscape, and the roads.

The driving is wild, like India.  There are no traffic lights or stop signs.  The people govern themselves.  The roads are shared by pedestrians (they're no sidewalks), cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, and critters.  Cows roam freely.

I was expecting fresh mountain air, but instead it was thick with fumes and dust.  I'm guessing it's because the air is trapped in the valley.

The consolation for the air pollution is the friendliness of the people.

I took tons of pictures, but I'm experiencing difficulty uploading them.  I'll wait til I'm home to post them.

More soon.

Here's wishing you a wonderful Easter!

Sometimes You're A Caterpillar

H/T - The Daily Upworthiest

This is NUTS!

I just watched "Going Clear:  Scientology and the Prison of Belief."

It should be required watching for every man, woman and child.

Scientology is a sick, dangerous organization that has bullied it's way into being recognized as a religion, for the sole purpose of becoming tax-exempt.

People are swept in by some innocuous, easy to swallow teachings.  Then the higher they go in the organization, the more money is required, and the more outlandish the messages.

As I was watching, I kept thinking - "How could so many people fall for this nonsense?"  The teachings are rooted in science fiction.

SCIENCE FREAKING FICTION???

REALLY???

This is CRAZY!!!

It's LOONEY!!!

But mostly, it's DANGEROUS!!!

It's dangerous because they trap you, literally blackmail you, to stay in the organization.

A big part of what they do is extensive interviews requiring you to reveal your deepest, darkest secrets and sins, and then when you try to leave, the threat of releasing this information is used to keep you from getting the hell out of Dodge.

For those brave souls who do make it out, they are completely ostracized by everyone still associated with the organization.

There is also a "bully squad" of bandits from the church whose express job is to harass and intimate these people who have escaped.

It is criminal that Scientology is allowed to exist, and so many people have been sucked into it's lair of deceit.

But . . .

You know what's even scarier?

They are not the only ones.

I believe there are many churches that operate on variations of this playbook of fear and intimidation.

It really causes you to question, and seriously examine, all organized religious groups.

I'm not saying we should throw out the baby with the bath water, but it would behoove all of us to take a real close look at the baby.

Dude! Dude! Dude!

He blew it!

The Eyes Have It

Most of the women I work with cover their faces completely, with the exception of their eyes.

I've heard it said that ladies who are covered like this sometimes look sinister, at first blush.

Maybe.

But I would argue . . .

If you take the time to look closely, you'll see a plethora of emotions expressed through their eyes.

And even more so, when you get to know them, you'll see . . .

Smiling eyes.

Subdued eyes.

Inquisitive eyes.

Anxious eyes.

Surprised eyes.

Angry eyes.

Mischievous eyes.

Loving eyes.

Longing eyes.

In fact, their eyes alone reveal so much.

When you add to this their stance, their posture, their walk, and their shoes (yes, their shoes!), then you can easily figure out who they are.

Some are serious fashionistas, very much like the Arab women depicted in the Sex and the City 2 movie.

You know that because they wear the kind of abayas that are closed from the waist up, but are open down the front, revealing what they have on underneath.

Arab women aren't the only ones who cover their faces.  Many men and women wear surgical masks in places like China, India and Vietnam to combat pollution.

So, I encourage you.

The next time you see a woman (or a man) covered up with only her (his) eyes exposed, look beyond the covering, and into her (his) eyes.

They'll tell you a lot.

White Out!

When I sleep, I'm out like a rock.

But . . .

At about 3:30 this morning, I was awaken by another violent sand storm.  The winds were ramming the side of the building with a massive force.  When I got up about a half hour later, there was a fog of sand swirling around in my apartment.

Everything was hazy.

Layers and layers of sand covered every surface.

Of course, all of the windows and doors were closed tight, but the sand would not be denied.

It seeped through all of the cracks and crevices.

I have heavy drapes covering the windows, but the sand came through those landing far and wide.

When I left for school (our last day before Spring Break), it was completely white outside.

Ok.  So it isn't white, but it's the closest description
I can think of to help you understand what I mean.
This is behind the parking lot of my building.

It was looked like a heavy, dense fog, but it was heavy sheaths of sand swirling through the air.

Thick enough to chew.

It goes without saying that the driving conditions were dangerous, and I was driving from next door.  The folks who travel an hour to an hour-and-a-half each way to get to school were told to stay put.  Visibility was reduced to a few feet, making the roads hazardous and the driving conditions precarious at best.

This area is so remote, there are no weather satellites nearby, so we can't get accurate weather forecasts or updates.  The closest weather report is for the town about an hour away, but the weather varies greatly from here to there.  We're on the water, and it's more inland.  That makes a huge difference here.

So, it looks like the storms are coming out of nowhere.

There's no warning.  One minute the wind is blowing normally, and the next it's moving with hurricane force.

I've said this before, but it's true.  I've not seen anything like this in all of my time in the UAE.

I know.

I know.

You're feeling sorry for me, right?

Don't.

In spite of this crazy, wacky weather, I love my little town.

Great Game!

Here's Jimmy Fallon leading a great game of Catchphrase.

Quote of the Day

“104″ - Tiger Woods’s new world ranking. He’s out of the top 100 for the first time since the ’90s. Elin’s doing just fine. H/T The Daily Skimm

Bad Day?

H/T The Huffington Post

Fly On!

H/T The Root

1st Black Woman to Pilot the Cool Spy Plane That Captures Intelligence for US Leaders

Merryl Tengesdal grew up in the Boogie Down Bronx and pursued her pilot dreams despite being told that human beings weren’t meant to fly.

BY: DIANA OZEMEBHOYA EROMOSELE

Posted: March 31 2015 1:14 PM

 

Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal, 9th Reconnaissance Wing inspector general and U-2 “Dragon Lady” pilot, in front of a U-2 plane Feb. 9, 2015, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.  BEALE AIR FORCE BASE

In order for Navy SEAL teams to hunt down terrorists, or for foreign policy analysts to track the movement of WMDs—or to detect whether Iran is, in fact, developing a nuclear weapons program—our leaders rely on special pilots to capture that type of intelligence through the use of spy-plane cameras.

Merryl Tengesdal (that’s Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal to you) is the only African-American female pilot to man—or, rather, woman—the U-2 spy plane, a highly complex aircraft that captures that kind of valuable imagery.

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, Tengesdal, 43, spoke with The Root from an Air Force base in California about her journey growing up in New York City’s Boogie Down Bronx, and how she climbed the ranks in both the Navy and the Air Force to become such a distinguished spy-plane pilot.

Tengesdal said she knew pretty early on that she wanted to be an astronaut, or some sort of pilot, but she got pushback from her dad, who questioned whether human beings were even meant to fly.

“My father always said that if God wanted us to fly, he would have given us wings,” Tengesdal said. “He was not a big proponent. He didn’t think it was an idea that was suitable for me,” she explained, and especially for a black woman.

But Tengesdal was adamant about her vision and excelled in math and science. After graduating from the University of New Haven in Connecticut with a degree in electrical engineering in 1994, she enrolled in flight school and found that she was learning how to fly alongside a surprising amount of other African Americans.

“It was kind of surprising to me because there were a lot of black people there,” Tengesdal said, recalling a situation that many African Americans can relate to: when black people in a predominantly white setting magically find one another and assemble in one spot just to kick it.

“It was fun. I remember, we were in the hangar, and there was a bunch of us out there,” Tengesdal said, laughing, “and we were like, ‘OK, we have to break this up now.’”

Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal undergoes a full pressure-suit maintenance check by airmen from the 9th Physiological Support Squadron Feb. 9, 2015, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.  BEALE AIR FORCE BASE

When asked how “race” has affected her training and her time in the various posts she’s held during her military career, Tengesdal explained that because she was often one of few African Americans, that always motivated her “not to mess up.”

“I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to say that I was here because I was a minority or a female,” Tengesdal said. “I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to doubt why I was there.”

Tengesdal said that it doesn’t hurt that military professionals are trained to be extremely confident and, well, a bit egotistical. Pilots and soldiers are dealing with complicated weaponry and equipment, Tengesdal said, so there is really no time for second-guessing yourself or walking around wearing your insecurities on your sleeve.

That kind of self-deprecation, she argued, can cost lives.

“That’s how our community is,” Tengesdal explained. “Typically there is a lot of ego to go around, and as a pilot, you have to be pretty confident in your abilities.” After all, in the Air Force, she and her peers are “trusted with high-volume equipment that can harm people or destroy property.”

Tengesdal said that she had little time to be concerned with how others perceived her as an African American. Rather, she was obsessed with being the best pilot she could be and with conveying her skills to her superiors and her team members, who were relying on her to complete the mission.

When people question the patriotism of blacks in the military, I think it’s kind of strange. When you look back at the Revolutionary War, black people fought for independence here. ... We’ve always been fighting for freedom.

When asked if she ever feels conflicted as an African American working in our nation’s armed forces, given the checkered relationship between black Americans and the government, Tengesdal took apart the entire premise of the question, pointing out that black Americans have been fighting for their freedoms and their rights since they were brought to these shores.

“When people question the patriotism of blacks in the military, I think it’s kind of strange,” she said. “When you look back at the Revolutionary War, black people fought for independence here. Even though we were enslaved, we still fought for what we believe in. We’ve always been fighting for freedom.”

“It’s something that I do willingly alongside other people who have those same ideals, regardless of their background,” she added.

Tengesdal went on to speak about that camaraderie among pilots after she was asked about the Germanwings disaster last week, in which a German pilot is suspected of intentionally flying a commercial airliner into the French Alps, killing everyone on board. She said the story made her extremely sad, not only because so many people lost their lives but also because of the negative light cast on pilots.

“When another pilot dies—civilian or military—it’s a sad day. [I] know the training that is required [for pilots] is extensive, it’s hard. It can be mentally, physically and emotionally hard,” Tengesdal said. “There’s a lot that goes into [being] a pilot.”

No. I'm Not Getting Paid For This . . .

But I should.

Seriously, what will they think of next?

Just Like Us

This is a four minute clip of a slice of life in Baghdad.

In it we see that the Iraqis are just like us.  Doing what they can to enjoy life.

She's On Fire!

Move over world!  This kid is destined for something big!

A Second Chance

This is huge!  

       Campus Services at RocketSpace is a program that provides job training and so much more to convicted felons who are re-entering the world.

  

       Note the sea of black and brown faces in the photo. 

 

       In our efforts to make our world safer by jailing folks and throwing away the keys, we have destroyed individuals, their families, their communities, and to a large degree, our society as a whole.

       This program is an effort to right the ship, if you will.

H/T The Huffington Post

From Life in Prison to a New Life in San Francisco Tech Scene

Chrisfino Kenyatta Leal, Manager of Campus Services at RocketSpace

I'm the manager of Campus Services at RocketSpace, a technology campus in San Francisco. Along with my team, I help manage the environment and experience for tech entrepreneurs trying to create the next big thing to hit the market.

In 1994, I was sentenced to life in prison, and up until 20 months ago, I was known as inmate H10983. In some ways, my journey from a young kid living the street life to a tax-paying citizen invested in his community is a miraculous one. In other ways, it is a path taken by countless people before me, whose footsteps I followed to find freedom. It is the path of self-reflection, hard work, and hope.

Every day, men and women are released from prisons and jails across the U.S. after taking this same journey. Most incarcerated settings do not provide programs that teach relevant job skills for reentry to society. As a result, recidivism -- the rate at which people return to incarceration -- is enormous. Society blames these individuals for their failure. Had I not been fortunate enough to be a founding member of a program called The Last Mile, I too could have ended up back in prison.

Founded in 2010 by Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, The Last Mile is a six-month business and entrepreneurship program. The goal is to provide skills needed to succeed in today's business environment and provide opportunities for paid internships within companies in their business network. They believe that having a job is the key to successful reentry and breaking the cycle of incarceration.

The program is divided into three phases: Learning about social media and the current technology and business environment; business ideas and planning; and the art of pitching a business idea. I entered the program with a great deal of excitement yet not knowing exactly what lay ahead. I had spent 17 years locked away in prison trying to understand how the world was changing around me, but The Last Mile helped bring the world to me so that I was better prepared to enter it when I got out.

In the first phase, we read books about technology, entrepreneurism, and how to utilize social media to re-create our personal brands. This was key because, at that point, had you Googled me the search results were all about the crimes I committed. TLM homework included writing posts on Quora and tweeting thoughts and ideas, all of which were uploaded by volunteers (since we didn't have Internet access). We quickly gained a huge following on social media and the world began to see the members of The Last Mile as human beings with thoughts, feelings, experiences, and perspectives. This changed everything. 

In the second phase of the program, we learned about business planning and development. We identified our passions and were taught how to use our passions to help solve a problem in the form of a business. I took everything I learned and came up with an idea for an app called Coach Potato. The other participants focused their businesses on their individual passions.

The third phase of the program focused on developing a one- and then five-minute business pitch, in which we identified potential customers, market opportunity, and a revenue plan. TLM culminates in a Demo Day, where we pitched our ideas to a live audience of VC's, entrepreneurs, media (including the likes of CNN, USA Today, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal), and our fellow incarcerated peers. After our presentations, we had a short time to speak with the audience. It was here that I was offered a job upon my release at RocketSpace, by its Founder/CEO Duncan Logan.

In 2012, California's 3-strikes law was changed by voters and I was eligible to be considered for re-sentencing and release if the judge who originally sentenced me in 1994 could be convinced that I was no longer a danger to society. In 1994, he had been certain that I deserved to be in prison for life. In his consideration of my re-sentencing, he Googled me. The search results contained my writings on Quora, blog posts, and information about The Last Mile. He was able to "hear," in my own voice, how I changed and what my thought processes were today. He mentioned in his ruling that those pieces helped to convince him that I was no longer a threat to society and if released I would not return to prison. He gave me a second chance .

I was released on July 3, 2013, and began my internship at RocketSpace on July 17th. The training in technology and business planning from TLM definitely helped me to assimilate into my job. In fact, in my position, I am responsible for providing an environment to help technology entrepreneurs thrive. TLM also taught me that if you work hard, people will recognize your value. I have been dedicating myself to the success of RocketSpace since day one and, as a result, was promoted to the Manager of Campus Services in 2014. And in my capacity as Manager, I was able to hire two other graduates of The Last Mile Program for my team, Caleb Hunter and Floyd Hall. Helping to "Pave the Road to Success" for other people coming out of incarcerated settings is one of the greatest passions of my life and with help from TLM, I hope to share my passion with the world.

This post is part of a Huffington Post What's Working series, in partnership with #cut50, co-sponsors of the recent Bipartisan Summit on Criminal Justice Reform (Washington, D.C., March 26). The Summit was part of a movement to popularize support for criminal-justice reforms while also having comprehensive discussions about the policies, replicable models and data-driven solutions needed to achieve systemic changes. The series will focus on such solutions. For more information on #cut50, read here. And to read all the posts in the series, see our What's Working coverage here.

Same Old. Same Old.

This article calls out "religious liberty" folks and reminds us that this same play book was used to foster the blatant, hood-wearing, in-your-face racism/terrorism.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/02/26/3333161/religious-liberty-racist-anti-gay/ 

Sharing the Love

Tyrese, one of the star of Fast & Furious 7, discusses his love of the UAE in this article.

http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/celebrities/furious-7-star-tyrese-gibson-on-his-second-family-in-the-uae-dune-bashing-and-a-possible-furious-8

Trevor Noah: That's Racist - Tacos

This is Jon Stewart's successor.

I love this kid!

Blind Trust Project

Check this out.  It's two minutes of truth.

What's the message to you here?

What's your takeaway?

Calling All Cooks!

I avoid cooking as much as possible, but for those of you who do, here's a handy guide for splitting recipes in half.

H/T The Huffington Post