THE UNIVERSAL LOVE

Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

2008-10-15T15:55:00.002+11:00

This year "Blog Action Day" is on Poverty. I haven't written a long story this time like last year but I do have 2 short videos with long stories in each one of them, if you would like to have a look! One of them is in Turkish and the other is in English but different stories... Let's do something to stop poverty, let's unite and find global solutions for our global problems!!

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty video:

Blog Hareket Gunu 2008 - Yoksulluk videosu:

IMPACTS OF TOURISM ACTIVITIES ON THE ENVIRONMENT

2007-10-15T08:43:00.001+11:00

My brother in law Collis worked really hard and finally today is "Blog Action Day" !!!! The day him and his wife have been planing and working on for so long. They day everybody writes something about the environment. Every blogger unites today for one cause only. Since I am studying Bachelor of Tourism, I thought I would write the impacts of tourism activities on the environment and how it contributes to the climate change mainly. My case study will be on Australia and Tasmania.

Tourism industry is dependent on the climate. Especially

Australia

is a tourist destination with its exceptional climate and environmental beauty such as different species and coral reef. Tourists usually choose their holiday destinations depending on the pleasant climate of the place. For instance, being on the southern hemisphere is an advantage for Australian tourism because of the opposite climate of the northern hemisphere. However, the issue of climate change largely affects tourism industry (Amelung, Nicholas & Viger, 2007) in every part of the world. Researchers claim

Australia

’s future as vulnerable because of the negative impacts of climate change. It is essential to know the interactions between climate change and tourism industry to be able to analayse the necessary outcomes which might affect the future of the planet. For this reason, this study explores the definition of climate change, its connection with tourism ad its impacts on tourism and also the impacts of tourism industry on climate change with a case study on

Australia

with a specific focus on Tasmania.

Climate change is the change by human activities which contribute earth’s atmosphere. This contribution is in addition to earth’s natural climate activity that has been examined over comparable time periods (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),?). Natural internal process or external forces may cause climate change but UNFCCC makes a distinction of climate change with referring to impacts of human activities on the atmosphere’s composition and “climate variability” as natural causes. Scientific researches show that some level of climate change is due to the high level of greenhouse gases. The ‘Greenhouse Effect’ is actually a natural process. Because this is caused by gases on the atmosphere, which helps to keep the temperature would be no greenhouse effect the average temperature would be -18°C. On the other hand, with human activities this natural level of greenhouse effect raised into risk level which leads to global warming. According to Agne and Viner (2001), over 0.5°C of temperature rise has been observed in global temperatures during 21^st century. The temperature rise in the 20^th century has been more rapid than any other times. This is because of the start of the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution started the release of vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, which were caused by burning of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas, into the atmosphere.

Additionally, greenhouse effect refers to the effect of the warming of the planet trough the presence of the greenhouse gases, such as water vapour (H2O), clouds and other gases (see: Table 3) that absorb the heath radiated from the earth’s surface (Taylor, 1990). Taylor (1990) furthermore explains how human activities contributed for more release of greenhouse gases and create climate change. He indicates that the natural greenhouse gases already warm the atmosphere approximately 33°C.According to Viner and Amelung (cited in Dubois & Ceron,2006), climate change entered to tourism industry’s concern list in 2003 after the conference of World Tourism Organisation (WTO) on tourism and climate change, followed by two research workshops by NATO and European Science Foundation. Dubois and Ceron (2006) claim that tourism itself has never been concerned as the main contributor - apart from transportation - to the climate change and currently the perceptions of stakeholders are influenced by this. This shows that many stakeholders are not aware of the common problems that they share and also create. The issues about tourism and climate change are complicated since tourism industry involves many other industries with in as well. However, it is possible to classify the issues into three groups that are raised by the climate change; first issue is the impact of the climate change on tourism, second issue is the impact of tourism industry on climate change and the third one is the possible impacts of greenhouse gas mitigation policies on tourism. The last issue is usually ignored although it needs to be explored as well (Dubois & Ceron, 2006).

According to Dubois and Ceron (2006), research on tourism greatly depends on the climate change and its current situation. The general state of climate change on a world scale shows that the climate is getting warmer. Predicted warming range is between 1.5 to 6 degrees by the end of this century which also means that the continents will be getting 1.5 degrees warmer than the oceans. It has been forecasting that earth can face with climatic surprises, such as the disappearance of Gulf stream (Duplessy; Duplessy & Morel; Schwartz & Randall, cited in Dubois & Ceron, 2006), which happened 15,000 years ago and resulted with 5-6 degrees of decrease in the temperature in Europe. There could also extreme climatic events occur such as El Nina and La Nina in the Pacific, which is related to the 2 or 3 degrees of temperature change. These changes in temperatures actually depend on the geographic positions (Dubois & Ceron, 2006). The lack of reliable local scenarios about climate change creates a great issue of uncertainty for forecasting about the impacts of climate change on local tourism industry.

Climate conditions and physical natural environment is very important for tourists to decide the holiday destination (Smith, cited in Agnew & Viner, 2006). According Wall and Badke (cited in Agnew & Viner, 2006), even though the research about the impacts of climate change on tourism industry has just begun; the consequences of the possible scenarios are already being taken in consideration. As Australia has taken as a case study it will be helpful to explore the impacts of climate change on Australian tourism industry. To be able to see the impact on tourism industry, the impacts on the environment need to be shown. Table 4 summarises these impacts;

Climate changes:

changing weather patterns
increased number, range and severity of cyclones
changes in rainfall and run-off changes in cloudiness;

Coastal impacts:

inundation of coastlines
coastal recession changes in coastal vegetation, eg. salt marshes
storm surge levels
increased drowning of the Great Barriers Reef
changing fishery production

Hydrology and water resources:

increased erosion due to wind and water
changes in ground water recharge and salinity
greater probability of large and damaging floods
need to redesign flood carrying structures
changes in soil moisture during the growing season
changes in available irrigation water reduction
changes in extent and duration of snow cover;

Natural biosphere:

shifts in bioclimatic zones
changes in the distribution and abundance of native flora and fauna
local and regional extinction of species
increased growth due to CO2 fertilisation
increased frequency of bushfires;

Food production:

reduced grain production capacity in southern Australia
increased year-to-year crop variability
increased growth due to CO2 fertilisation
reduced production due to increases in cloudiness
reduced yields of warm temperate crops due to less winter chilling;

Society:

relocation of industry and populations
economic impacts of the costs and response to climate change
increased energy costs
increased food costs
increased insurance costs
increase in diseases
increases in natural hazards
institutional responses to climate change national
regional and industrial action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
changing international cooperation and policies

Table 4 – Potential impacts of climate change in Australia (source: Taylor, 1990)

Australia, as being the sixth largest country with 7,682,300 km² covering area and has a coastline 36,735 km (Agnew & Viner, 2001), can be taken as an example to show the effects of climate change. According to Agnew & Viner (2001), Australia has a very variable climate such as subtropical north and significantly colder regions of south. Northern parts have tropical monsoons in summer while having dry winters. In the southern parts of Australia, winter is the wet season. In terms of tourism industry, which is one of Australia’s largest and also fast growing industries, Australia is a country conducive to outdoor holiday. The Great Barrier Reef, the blue mountains, water based recreation activities and winter sports in Australian Alps are the main attractions for tourists (Agnew & Vine, 2001) Because of these tourism activities, many jobs have been created. For instance, according to Agnew and Vine (2001), just with winter tourism industry 12,000 full time jobs have been found. Clearly, tourism is a major contributor to the local economy.

As it has shown in table 4, one of the impacts of climate change is the decrease in snow cover because of the continuing warming of atmosphere, which means the Australian Alps might be having shorter ski season. In these resorts, snow usually last minimum 4 weeks up to 4 months. The worst scenario about the average snow cover says that by 2030 snow cover could contract by 66% and therefore, there would be insufficient natural snow for viable ski operations (Whetton, cited by Agnew &Viner, 2001). According to Whetton (2001), Australian winter tourism may lose 44% of their skiers. Among these resorts Mt Buller, Mt Buffalo, Selwyn Snow Fields and Mt Baw Baw are the most vulnerable ones. This negative impact of climate change will affect the job opportunities such as resorts; if they will be receiving less snow then the business will not last long very long and may face to close down the resorts. Although artificial snow could be a resolution it would depend on the cost of the artificial snow for a resort.

This increase in the temperature also means the high risk of bush fires (i.e. the last big bush fire in Hobart in December 2006). Moreover, the temperature increase may influence the seasonal and geographical abundance of the major malarias vector species and vertebrate hosts. In sequence, this would raise the risk of mosquito borne diseases in tropical and temperate Australia (Liehne, cited by Agnew & Viner, 2001). Another health risk, which has been slowly showing itself, is to get the skin cancer. As it has mentioned in table 4, the decrease in the amount of cloud cover eventually increases the ultra violet radiation (WMO, cited by Agnew & Viner, 2001). These potential health risks will possibly affect tourists’ decision on choosing the best holiday destination.

Coral reefs are one of the most important tourist attractions and therefore an essential economical income but with raising temperatures the reefs are facing with the coral bleaching events which might end up as catastrophe for these tropical marine ecosystems (Hoegh-Guldberg, cited in Agnew & Viner, 2001). Because when the temperature is higher than normal, the reef building corals become vulnerable to damage by light and die in large numbers (Birkeland, cited in Agnew & Viner, 2001). Researches show that in the next 20 years time the Great Barrier Reef will be severely damaged by increasing sea temperatures which will cause a decrease in tourist numbers (Hoegh-Guldberg, cited in Agnew & Viner, 2001).

If needed to be more specific and narrow down the region to analyse the impacts of climate change on tourism industry, Tasmania would be a good choice to focus on. Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) (2007) has published the impacts of climate change on Tasmania on their website under the sub heading of “Projected impacts”. According to AGO website (2007), Tasmanian weather is expected to be warmer than today’s and because of this change air-condition usage may increase and cause a growth in peak summer energy demand which may also include the risk of blackouts. This is important for a tourist on choosing their holiday destination. Tourists tend to choose the destination according to their comfort levels. On the other hand, the geographical situation of the island will still be keeping the region cooler than mainland and it is known that the southern hemisphere has the least land mass comparing to the north hemisphere which is an advantage for Australia especially for Tasmania. In terms of tourism industry, this geographical advantage may help to boost tourist flow to the island.

As the disease risks, snow cover and extreme weather events that have been mentioned for Australia earlier also apply for Tasmania. The expectation for 2030 is increased rainfall with the combination of high evaporation which may lead uncertain effects on run-off into rivers. Moreover, snow cover is expected to decrease by 10 to 40 per cent by 2020, which may potentially have significant effects on alpine tourism and fragile ecosystems. Increase in extreme weather events such as strong storms may have negative impacts on the infrastructure, water, communication etc. These elements are crucial in terms of tourism industry. The negative impact on these means damage on the industry in the region.

Bushfire risk may not be changing in Hobart by 2020; however, by 2050 the risk in Launceston might change from 1.5 to 1.5 - 1.9 days and to 1.6 - 3.1 days. Although some agricultural crops seem to benefit from high CO2, protein levels seem to be decreasing. Frost-sensitive yields possibly react positive but warmer weather also means less rainfall which may reduce yields (AGO, 2007). This may have a negative impact on backpack tourism since backpackers are after cheaper holidays and prefer to work in fields to earn money to support their holiday on their holiday destination. Moreover, food sector one of the most important parts of tourism industry may need to increase their prices on meals which might affect the accommodation costs of holiday makers.

As it has mentioned earlier, the second issue about climate change interactions is the impact of tourism industry on climate change. The International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism in 2003 highlighted that tourism industry recognises its contribution to climate change (Sustainable Tourism CRC Group (STCRC), 2007). STCRC explains that visitor activities such as using energy and limited sources are creating greenhouse gas emissions and are stressing the already stressed ecosystem that they are visiting is the main issue. Travel is the biggest sub industry for tourism. Tourists have to travel to get to their destinations and the growing transport sector as a whole has been a great contributor to the greenhouse effect (Dubois & Ceron, 2006). Although road travel is a bigger contributor than the air travel, expectations are on the rise of air travel, therefore rise on the contribution to greenhouse emission. Additionally, water and energy consumption of tourists are on average due to infrastructure design and facility use. Especially the focus on some specific ecosystems of tourism industry puts more pressure on the sensitive ecosystems which affects the local flora and fauna (STCRC, 2007).

The impact of climate change on tourism industry is not just negative, there are also some effects can be taken as positive impacts. For instance, the realisation on negative impacts on travel might help tourists to shift to domestic travel, which might help to improve the domestic tourism. Also, tourist demand on environmentally friendly hotels, transportation, infrastructure etc can help for business owners and governments to adopt the necessary equipments and follow the guidelines for environmentally friendly destinations. Because of the climate change and increasing temperatures, Tasmania’s tourism industry more likely to grow. Even with warmer climate Tasmania will be cooler than mainland which will be an important point to consider for holiday makers.

According to the climate change the market demand in tourism may change. For instance, the seasonality is expected to different than today, tourist attractions might replace with the human built attractions (i.e. human made ski areas) and improvement in marketing strategies to be able to cop with expanding and diminishing markets (STCRC, 2007). Nevertheless, the communication between the stakeholders seems to be a solution to reduce the greenhouse effect as result from tourism. STCRC (2007) recommends a communication strategy to improve the awareness amongst tourism industry. This communication would include all stake holders such as transport, finance, Commonwealth and general public. Government investments in this matter are also essential for the support to climate change concerns. It is also useful to use some tools and kits to promote the training of businesses and general public etc about the climate change (STCRC, 2007).

In conclusion, this study has focused on the impacts of climate change on tourism and impacts of tourism on climate change. Tourism is heavily based on the climate conditions for great amount of tourist attractions. Therefore, any change in the climate directly affects tourism industry and the tourist behaviour on choosing their holiday destinations. Many countries are vulnerable to these climatic changes and also economically dependent on the tourism industry income. Australia is one of these countries. Because of the geographical location, Australia becomes vulnerable as an outcome of climate change. Although economy of the country is not wholly dependent on tourism industry, its proportion on the economy is quite large. However, Tasmania’s location is better than the mainland and the climate change affects are not as negative as on Australia. For some cases, Tasmania might benefit from climate change as its impact is not just negative. On the other hand, the impact of tourism on climate change is the main issue that the industry facing. Internationally tourism industry seems accepting its impact on the climate change with the contribution of transportation activities and consumption of energy and water of tourists. Finally, the interaction between climate change and tourism industry is undeniable but it is up to stakeholders in tourism industry to reduce the impacts.

-----

References

ActewAGL. 2007. The greenhouse effect: What is the greenhouse effect?. ActewAGL Education Website. http://www.actewagl.com.au/Education/Sustainability/

GreenhouseEffect/default.aspx, 9 September 2007.

Agnew, M.D. & Viner, D. 2001. Potential Impacts of climate change on international tourism. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3: 37-60.

Amelung, B., Nicholls, S. & Viner, D. 2007. Implications of global climate change for tourism flows and seasonality. Journal of Travel Research, 45: 285-296.

Australian Greenhouse Office, Department of the Environmental and Water Resources. 2007. Tasmania: Projected impacts. http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/impacts/regions/ tas.html, 9 September 2007.

Dubois, G. & Ceron, J.P. 2006. Tourism and climate change: Proposals for a research agenda. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14: 399-417.

Marc, J. 2007. What are the greenhouse gases?. http://www.manicore.com/anglais/ documentation_a/greenhouse/greenhouse_gas.html, 9 September 2007.

Sustainable Tourism CRC Group. 2007. Tourism Industry Action Plan on Climate Change: A submission to the Australian government on climate change. http://www.crctourism.com.au/media/documents/TourismIndustryActionPlanClimateChange23july07.pdf, 9 September 2007.

Taylor, J. 1990. The greenhouse effect and climate change: an Australian perspective. In T. Norton & O. Williams (Eds.), Climate change in Asutralia: environmental, socioeconomic and political considerations: 5-14. Canberra: Australian National University.

4 DAYS FOR BLOG ACTION DAY

2007-10-10T19:13:00.000+11:00

Next Monday is Blog Action Day. After almost two months of being online, this email reminder is going out to more than 7,500 bloggers with many, many, more signing up daily!

Since launch not only have thousands of bloggers pledged to post, but the initiative has also been featured in the press - including the very prestigious Wired Magazine, the call for bloggers has been translated into 20 languages, huge blogs like Lifehacker have committed to participating, some very large organisations like the United Nations Environmental Programme, the Opera Community and social portal Reddit have pledged to promote and the momentum is still building!

Although this email is mostly a reminder to post up on October 15th, here are some goodies along with a few last instructions at the bottom of the mail.
New Video Online

If you'd like to post up on your blog in the days to come about Blog Action Day we've put together a new video for you to watch and embed! The last video was viewed some thirty thousand times and counting.

Iranian government campaign against Baha'is shows new facets

2007-09-21T21:27:00.000+10:00

NEW YORK
21 September 2007 (BWNS)

The bulldozing of a Baha'i cemetery in Iran last week is the latest in a series of incidents in a government-led campaign of hatred against Baha'is.

The destruction of the cemetery by individuals using heavy equipment occurred between 9 September and 10 September near Najafabad, on the outskirts of Isfahan. What happened there is nearly identical to what happened in July in Yazd, where another Baha'i cemetery was extensively damaged by earth-moving equipment.

The list of anti-Baha'i incidents is growing, as are human rights violations against other groups in Iran.

In Najafabad, a few days before the destruction of more than 100 Baha'i graves, threatening letters were delivered to some 30 Baha'i families. In May, in Mazandaran province, the unoccupied homes of six Iranian Baha'is were set on fire. In June, in Abadeh, vandals wrote hateful graffiti on Baha'i houses and shops.

Since May, Baha'is in at least 17 towns have been detained for interrogation. Six new arrests have been reported. In Kermanshah, a 70-year-old man was sentenced to 70 lashes and a year in prison for "propagating and spreading Bahaism and the defamation of the pure Imams." In Mazandaran, a court has once again ruled against three women and a man who are charged with "propagation on behalf of an organization which is anti-Islamic."

The Baha'i cemetery in Yazd, Iran, was destroyed in July. The tracks left behind and the severity of the damage show that heavy equipment was used.

All these events are results of the Iranian government's long campaign to incite hatred against Baha'is, a spokeswoman for the Baha'i International Community said today.

"This should be a cause for concern among human rights activists everywhere," said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

She appealed to the world to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions and to help prevent the situation from deteriorating into further violence. Baha'is in Iran number about 300,000 and represent the largest religious minority in the country.

"Put in a historical context, these kinds of attacks too often have been a prelude to campaigns of oppression and violence that are far worse.
View a larger version
"Hezbollah is awake and despises the Baha'is" reads this piece of graffiti on a building in the city of Abadeh. Dozens of hateful anti-Baha'i slogans have been painted on homes, offices and cemetery buildings in various locations in Iran.

"While some of these incidents may seem to be minor, the fact that such events are increasingly commonplace and reported as occurring in virtually every region of Iran shows that the persecution of Baha'is remains official government policy, and therefore is something for which Iran must be held accountable," she said.

"The graffiti in Abadeh included slogans such as 'Death to Baha'is, the mercenaries of America and England,' 'Hezbollah despises the Baha'is,' 'Baha'is - mercenaries of Israel' and 'Baha'is are unclean' - phrases that relate directly to government propaganda that has been disseminated in Iranian news media in recent years," Ms. Ala'i said.

She noted that other groups in Iran are also suffering human-rights violations.

"In recent months, the Iranian authorities have been carrying out a widespread crackdown on civil society, targeting academics, women's rights activists, students, and journalists," said Ms. Ala'i.

Details of anti-Baha'i incidents

Among the anti-Baha'i incidents reported since late May are the following:

-- On 19 June 2007, a report was received that a 70-year-old man of limited means had been arrested in April 2007 in Kermanshah. Authorities charged him with the possession of three Baha'i CDs. He was tried on 23 April 2007 and charged with "propagating and spreading Bahaism and the defamation of the pure Imams." His lawyer was given only 10 minutes to prepare a defense. Although the verdict has not been published, the judge orally sentenced him to one year in prison, which he is currently serving, and 70 lashes. The latter part of the sentence has not yet been carried out.

-- On 18 June 2007, a 34-year-old man was arrested at a hardware store in Tabriz where he worked and taken to an unknown location. Two days later, he succeeded in phoning his family to let them know he was alive. A police security agent contacted Baha'is in Tabriz and said some of the man's neighbors who are members of the Basiji morality squads had alleged that he had insulted Islam. His family managed to visit him and reported that he had been subjected to a two-day interrogation. He remains in custody.

-- On 28 May 2007, a husband and wife in Abadeh, near Shiraz, were arrested in their home by agents of the Information Ministry. The agents seized books, family videos, photographs, CDs, telephone directories, documents, a cellular phone, a computer, and minutes of the meetings of the small group of Baha'is that coordinates the affairs of the local community on an ad hoc basis. The couple were interrogated about the activities of the Baha'is. The wife was released after eight hours; the husband was transferred to Shiraz, where he was held in prison until 29 June 2007 and released on bail. He is charged with teaching the Baha'i Faith.

-- On 8 May 2007, the provincial court of appeal of Mazandaran denied the appeal of three women and one man who were arrested in 2005 in Ghaem Shahr and charged with "propagation on behalf of an organization which is anti-Islamic." The case has been referred to the Supreme Court. All are out on bail. (Original court document in Persian; English translation.)

-- On 25 April 2007, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sari sentenced a Baha'i to a year in prison and four years of exile to the town of Bijar. The individual was charged with "teaching activities against the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the benefit of groups and various organizations opposing the system."

-- During April and May 2007, a number of Baha'is were summoned for interrogation or were questioned by telephone by officials of the Ministry of Information or the police in various localities, including in Babolsar, Bandar Abbas, Bandar Torkman, Bojourd, Gilavand, Damavand, Hamedan, Karaj, Lahijan, Shahinshar, Tehran, and Yaftabad. The questioning focused on seeking information about Baha'i activities and about the Baha'is themselves. A report has been received that a bank in central Jiruft in the province of Fars had been ordered to produce a printout of all accounts held by Baha'is.

-- The Baha'i International Community received a copy of a letter from the government agency responsible for providing veteran's benefits stating that an individual Baha'i, who suffered extensive disability following his incarceration as a prisoner of war in the Iran-Iraq conflict, was not eligible to pension benefits because he belongs "to the Bahaist sect." (Original government letter in Persian; English translation.)

-- Attacks on the Baha'i Faith continue in the mass media, including on the Internet. Newspapers in Khorasan and Mazandaran have recently published items maligning Baha'is, while anti-Baha'i pamphlets and tracts have been distributed in Shiraz and in the schools in Shahinshar, Ahvazk, and Babol Sar.

-- Reports have been received of banks refusing to grant loans and officials refusing to issue or renew business licenses solely on the grounds that the applicants were Baha'is. In Sanandaj, a bank official stated that the bank had received 14 loan applications from Baha'is, all of which will be rejected. Bank staff in Sari informed Baha'is who had applied for a loan, "It has been asked of us not to provide loans and other services to Baha'is."

-- In Hamadan, the owner of a grocery store that had been operated by his family for 48 years tried to have the business license transferred to his name after the death of his father. He was told by a government official that business licenses for grocery stores would not be issued to Baha'is. He was told: "Wherever you go, even to the United Nations, you will end up here, where you will get the same clear answer."

BLOG ACTION DAY 2007

2007-08-21T20:04:00.000+10:00

On October 15th - Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind.

In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment.

What Each Blogger Will Do

Bloggers can participate on Blog Action Day in one of two ways:

Publish a post on their blog which relates to an issue of their own choice pertaining to the environment.

For example: A blog about money might write about how to save around the home by using environmentally friendly ideas. Similarly a blog about politics might examine what weight environmental policy holds in the political arena.

Posts do not need to have any specific agenda, they simply need to relate to the larger issue in whatever way suits the blogger and readership. Our aim is not to promote one particular viewpoint, only to push the issue to the table for discussion.
Commit to donating their day’s advertising earnings to an environmental charity of their choice. There is a list of "official" Blog Action Day charities on the site, however bloggers are also free to choose an alternate environmental charity to donate to if they wish.

And that’s it.

If they choose bloggers can also promote the initiative itself. However they are also free to simply post on topic on the right day or discreetly donate to a charity without publicizing Blog Action Day.

what to do next

Blogs of every variety from huge top 100 blogs to small, niche sites are going to be participating, find out who is involved. You can also learn about who is behind the initiative and read through some frequently asked questions. Or if you are ready, find out about getting your blog involved.

Bahai's in Egypt

2007-02-05T23:04:00.000+11:00

Source: http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/bahais-in-egypt.html

MEDIA BANK Announcement - call for photos

2006-10-23T23:54:00.001+11:00

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE..." - Being a BAHA'I

2006-10-02T12:20:00.000+11:00

Text of secret Iran letter ordering "monitoring" of Baha'is made public

2006-09-06T12:44:00.000+10:00

I thought some of you may be ineterested in to see this document form Iranian government about Bahai's. This news is copied from Baha'i World News Services. For more information please refer to that website.

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NEW YORK, 24 August 2006 (BWNS) -- The text of a secret letter from Iranian military headquarters instructing commanders of various state intelligence services, police units, and the Revolutionary Guard to "identify" and "monitor" Baha'is has now been obtained and made available to the public.

The letter, dated 29 October 2005 and signed by the Chairman of Command Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, first came to public attention in March when its existence was announced by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights' Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ms. Asma Jahangir.

Ms. Jahangir, who said the letter's contents made her "highly concerned," did not release the text of the letter. However, on 24 July, Amnesty International announced they had obtained it and were making it available.

...

In March, in a statement announcing her discovery of the letter, Ms. Jahangir said, "[S]uch monitoring constitutes an impermissible and unacceptable interference with the rights of members of religious minorities." She further expressed concern that "the information gained as a result of such monitoring will be used as a basis for increased persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Baha'i Faith."

Human rights experts have noted that the list of recipients -- which also includes the paramilitary Basij Resistance Forces -- gives an especially ominous tone to the letter, since it indicates the continuation of a policy established by the government of Iran that systematically seeks to destroy the Baha'i community as a viable entity. For more on Iran's long standing policy against Baha'is, go to http://question.bahai.org/002.php

After learning of the letter, a number of governments and human rights groups expressed alarm at the threat it implied, over and above the continuing pattern of arbitrary arrests, attacks in the official news media, and other forms of harassment and persecution faced by Iranian Baha'is. International and national news media reported widely on the increased danger to the Baha'is.

A spokesman for the President of the United States, in a White House briefing on 28 March 2006, stated that the United States government shares the concerns of Ms. Jahangir.

"We call on the regime in Iran to respect the religious freedom of all its minorities, and to ensure that these minorities are free to practice their religious beliefs without discrimination or fear," said Scott McClellan, White House press secretary. "And we will continue to monitor the situation of the Baha'is -- the Baha'is in Iran -- very closely, and to speak out when their rights are denied."

In Europe, the Council of Europe expressed "deep concern" over the human rights situation in Iran in a 15 May resolution, noting restrictions on freedom of expression and religion, and specifically mentioning the situation of the Baha'is in Iran.

In France, Foreign Affairs Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in an April interview that "[w]e are deeply worried about the harassment of the Baha'i and Sufi minorities who are highly discriminated against."

The Spanish House of Representatives passed a strongly worded resolution decrying the persecution of Iran's Baha'is, expressing its concern about the order of Ayatollah Khamenei "to identify and monitor the Baha'is, as stated by the Special Rapporteur."

The House of Representatives of the Philippines likewise adopted a resolution "appealing to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to safeguard and protect the fundamental human rights of the Baha'is and other religious minorities in said country" in view of the apprehensions that had been expressed by the United Nations' Special Rapporteur.

In India, member of Parliament Karan Singh wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling attention to the Special Rapporteur's statement and urging him to "take up this matter" with Iranian authorities.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in a statement on 5 April 2006, said it "fears that the identification and monitoring of the Baha'is combined with the current hatred propaganda in the media could lead to increased discrimination in their regards and calls upon the Iranian authorities to abide by their international human rights commitments."

News organizations have also reported on the letter and its alarming nature. Agence France Presse and Reuters both carried news of Ms. Jahangir's statement when it was released. Other news organizations -- The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Toronto Star, The Indian Express, and The Times of India, among others -- followed up with other stories in the spring of 2006 on the threat facing Iranian Baha'is.

The implementation of the government's orders is evident at the local level. The Baha'i International Community, for example, recently obtained a copy of a 2 May 2006 letter to the Iranian Union of Battery Manufacturers asking it to provide to the Trades, Production and Technical Services Society of Kermanshah a list of members of "the Baha'i sect."

Trustworthiness

2006-08-23T12:34:00.000+10:00

I appologise from everyone but I had to delete my post. Apparently, I have to thank James! You are totally right about what you have written and after I posted my message I thought it is not actually that bad since we are working on unity in diversity.

However, I invite everyone to read the following quote and put into practise in their lives for better future. It is one of the vital virtue of human beings, which we usually forget how to use. Just try! :)

Ps: By the way the dog picture represents the trustworthy behaviour...

"The fourth Taraz concerneth trustworthiness. Verily it is the door of security for all that dwell on earth and a token of glory on the part of the All-Merciful. He who partaketh thereof hath indeed partaken of the treasures of wealth and prosperity. Trustworthiness is the greatest portal leading unto the tranquillity and security of the people. In truth the stability of every affair hath depended and doth depend upon it. All the domains of power, of grandeur and of wealth are illumined by its light."

Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas", p. 37

A BAHA'I VIDEO - open for votes

2006-08-20T01:12:00.000+10:00

link to the website: http://www.current.tv/watch/10992184

IS COMMERCE HEAVEN?

2006-08-16T09:31:00.000+10:00

Woow it has been a while I haven't written anything. Just to letting the ones know whoever follows my blog and interested in reading, I am studying @ University of Tasmania in Bachelor of Tourism with Business major. Well as you can imagine nowadays I have a lot of assignments to hand, so a bit busy schedule is bothering me which I am happy with indeed.

Yesterday, one of my friend from Turkey send me some quotations from Abdulbaha and Shoghi Effendi. The first one was really interesting and I bet no one would ever think in that way. Most of us on this earth are dealing with some kind of jobs or we study to get some jobs in the future, wishfully the best ones ;) My subject is related with business and trying to give my best for my study. I have been thinking to be a manager in one of the tourism sector ( well, I wish so;). You can say , "Oh everyone wants that!" Yeah I know , that is the thing, I want it cause I want to be different. I want to make some difference at least in the company where ever I will be in the future. I thought I would be good at listening, try to help out everyone and try to understand everyone's feelings. I have to admit, it is not an easy thing to do at all but no! Hang on! The quotation I received yesterday says if I do so then "Commerce is HEAVEN". WHAT!!!! Now on I will work harder to put that in action and try to make that as in the quotation. It is not utopic at all, some of you may think this is just a dream but if we think that the unity in this world is dream then we just pre-judge , cause we never know. Who would think that the countries who fought in World War 2 with eachother would come together and establish European Union and work as shoulder by shoulder. If you would say this to them at that time, they would probably think you are crazy. Ok, now I accept that I am crazy, but World Peace will definitely happen as the commerce can be heaven. LOL!! Ok the quotation you have been wondering is as follow, enjoy reading and do not hesitate to leave your comment on comment section :) PEACE EVERYONE!!!!!

"Commerce is as a heaven, whose sun is trustworthiness and whose moon is truthfulness. The most precious of all things in the estimation of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth is trustworthiness:thus hath it been recorded in the sacred Scroll of God. Entreat ye the one true God to enable all mankind to attain to this most noble and lofty station."

(From a Tablet- translated from the Persian and Arabic) The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 335

picture is from www.buildorbuy.org

My friend is now in UN as a representative of the Bahai Faith

2006-07-29T23:20:00.000+10:00

Life is wierd, I have to admit. One time you look you are here with your friends but then just a year later you see that everything has changed, you hangd and moved, your friends got married or signed under the successful works or voluntary works.

Like one of my friend! Her name is Fulya Vekiloglu. We spent our years together in the same community, served together. It was not that long ago. Then I moved then she went to Afghanistan to help women. The life was tough there as she told me once, because of the situation. Well, last time when I saw her I was about to leave my home to serve in the Baha'i World Centre which was 2 years ago. Now, I just read that she is just arrived to NewYork for her new work in UN. I heard she just visited the Holy Places in Haifa before the war. I am happy for her and for the Baha'i community. Because I know how hard she works.

Good luck Fulya! :)

New Baha'i representative at the United Nations

Fulya Vekiloglu, who joined the United Nations Office of the Baha'i International Community in New York as a representative to the United Nations in June 2006.

Bringing wide-ranging experience in women's issues, civil society organization, and international development, Fulya Vekiloglu has joined the United Nations Office of the Baha'i International Community in New York as a representative to the United Nations.
A native of Turkey, Ms. Vekiloglu arrived in New York in June 2006. She will work alongside Bani Dugal, who is the Community's principal representative to the United Nations. Ms. Vekiloglu's focus will be on issues related to the advancement of women and social development.

"We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Ms. Vekiloglu on our team at the United Nations," said Ms. Dugal. "She brings with her a wealth of experience in some of the issues that concern the Community the most, specifically in the areas of women and children, as well as in social and international development, and civil society."

Before coming to New York, Ms. Vekiloglu worked as a project manager for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan, where she managed an institutional capacity building program in the Ministry of Women's Affairs for three and a half years.

In that project, she provided direct support to the Ministry and trained more than 700 civil servants and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 10 provinces in Afghanistan on gender issues.

In 2001 and 2002, Ms. Vekiloglu worked as a consultant for the UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina on a project to survey civil society development in Eastern Bosnia. She also worked in Bosnia for an international project promoting conflict resolution and peace education.

Prior that, Ms. Vekiloglu worked extensively with civil society and women's organizations in Turkey. From 1999 to 2000, Ms. Vekiloglu served as the coordinator of a women's NGO networking project in Ankara, Turkey.

During the lead-up to and during the 1996 UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Ms. Vekiloglu was a member of the National NGO Host Committee of Turkey. In that role, she also served as a member of the national Habitat II report committee for Turkey. She was also the founder and facilitator of the Habitat Women's Caucus (1997-1999) in Ankara for the follow-up on the Habitat Agenda.

A lifelong Baha'i, Ms. Vekiloglu also has an extensive record of service to Baha'i institutions. She served in the Baha'i community of Turkey's external affairs office from 1992 to 1995, and also directed the Habitat II Baha'i Office from 1995-1998.

Ms. Vekiloglu, 40, has a Master of Science degree in Gender and Women's Studies from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Product Design from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul.

"Although I have had many incredible experiences working in the field, this new position at the Baha'i International Community is really exciting because it offers an opportunity to work on issues at the global level, directly at the United Nations," said Ms. Vekiloglu.

"I have lived in different communities with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds and have seen up close the lives, dimensions and experiences of women at the grassroots level," Ms. Vekiloglu added.

"Yet I have seen that they all speak with the same voice and thirst for a common equality, endeavoring as women and mothers to create better lives for their children and their communities.

"So often, people are pessimistic about the progress that is being made around the world," said Ms. Vekiloglu. "My hope is to be able to bring a positive outlook, based on these experiences, to our work at the United Nations and with other civil society organizations."

http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=462

Some Links to NEWS about Baha'i Faith

2006-07-29T23:15:00.000+10:00

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/07202006/mainenews-ph-por-bahai.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi f=/c/a/2006/07/18/MNGN3K0VNG1.DTL&hw=Bahai&sn=001&sc=1000(in one part the news mentions that one rocket hit the Holy Gardens of Bahai Temple in Acre _ well we know there is no damage)

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/features/?id=17032 ( same news as in yahoo news but middle east version with different photo o fthe Shrine)

http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/13/lol.02.html (news on july 13, Just in area Description gives the name Baha'i shrine- on the second half of the news)

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2107033&page
\u003d2 (ABC News about the BAhai\'s in Egypt, july 28)

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid\u003d1153291961938&pagename\u003dJPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull (this is very interesting- Bahais property has shown as the target of Hezbullah and there is an interview with \nMR.Lincoln Jerusalem Post- july 21)

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2006/07/18/underground_city_endures_barrage/

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-motro24_106jul24,0,5418872.story?coll\u003dorl-opinion-headlines (ABC News about the BAhai's in Egypt, july 28)

Bahai faithful unshaken by rockets in Israel

2006-07-28T10:30:00.000+10:00

by Michaela Cancela-Kieffer
Thu Jul 20, 11:14 AM ET

HAIFA, Israel (AFP) - The Bahai believe that Moses, Christ, and Mohammed are all messengers of God and unlike their holy city of Haifa their faith in coming world peace is unshaken by Hezbollah's rockets.

Dozens of Hezbollah rockets have exploded in this port city, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Lebanese border, since the militia last week captured two Israeli soldiers and
Israel' responded with a massive bombardment.

Streets may be deserted, but the rockets, which killed eight railway workers in Haifa on Sunday, matter little to 100 pilgrims from the Bahai faith who arrived on Monday for a nine-day visit.

The Bahai, who believe in "the fundamental unity of all the great religions", was founded in
Iran' in the 19th century by their prophet, Bahaullah.

Haifa is home to the Bahais' governing body, the sparkling white Universal House of Justice, as well as the shrine of the Bab, he who announced the coming of Bahaullah.

His remains are housed in a splendid hillside mausoleum overlooking Haifa bay, amid spectacular and well-manicured terraced gardens, which the movement says was visited by half a million people in 2005.

British couple Gillian and Anthony Henderson have come on pilgrimage from their home in Vancouver, Canada.

Anthony is easy to spot in the near-deserted city, wearing a Scottish kilt, indicative of the diversity of the varied Bahai cultures -- spanning 75 nationalities and several million followers -- so says the movement.

"We decided we would come because we waited many, many years," says Anthony. "You have to apply (to come here on pilgrimage) most of the time you wait for five or six years."
"It's hard to put it into words, it is the most holy place in the world for us," says Gillian. "To be able to visit is the biggest blessing. We have to do it at least once in our life."

The Bahai, banned and persecuted in Iran, are not involved in politics, but have great affection for the United Nations' Their founder banned proselytizing in Israel, the Jewish state.

Albert Lincoln, the Bahais' "secretary general" as the movement has no clergy, will not comment on the current conflict but explains his community has "a message of peace and unity for the human race."

Gillian says all the pilgrims prayed together on Monday.
"It was very emotional considering the situation, we prayed very much for mankind and peace and we hoped for a peaceful resolution for all people." The British couple, who have left six children at home, have not been in a conflict zone before and have had to adapt to a life of air raid sirens and rocket blasts.

Some 700 volunteers and 150 employees work in the luxurious complex, built with donations from the faithful, all white marble and Persian carpets.

Followers believe in the coming unification of humanity even if the world must first go through difficult times, such as those that started with the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on July 12.

"The world is getting darker and darker, but we have a more long-term vision," says French architect Daniel Caillaud who has lived in Haifa since 1988. During a visit to the pristine gardens "whose beauty shows the optimism of the Bahais" according to Indian follower Elisa Rasiwala, 53, the air raid siren shrieks once more, heralding the next rocket attack on Haifa.
"Our holy places are currently in the middle of the world in every sense. This is the eye of the storm," says the 59-year-old. "There's no doubt. The future is promising."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060720/lf_afp/mideastconflictisrael_060720151404

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE eventhough rockets hit our home town

2006-07-20T15:13:00.002+10:00

I have come accross this in one of my friends' blog and wanted to add on mine as well since i found it really interesting. Well, they are in the middle of war and they live in Haifa. They thought love is more important than anything in the world and whatever happens they wanted to get marry. Breave ones! Congs! I am totally speechless, hopefully they will be happily married forever.

For the ones who don't know about Haifa, I feel like giving some information about marriage there. First of all in the picture the couple is standing right in front of the Baha'i property and you can see the Shrine of the Bab and the first half of our terraces. Nice view as it has always been, therefore, most of the couples who wants to get marry come and take their wedding pictures in Baha'i gardens because of the beautiful view. Like this example... May Bab and Baha'u'llah bless you !

Here is the news from Reuters:

"HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - Imad Mousa and his fiancee Anita Mishal smiled sweetly as their wedding photos were taken in Haifa on Tuesday -- just moments after the booms of Hizbollah rockets echoed across the northern Israeli city.
"I am a bridegroom under fire," Mousa said. "The noise bothers us, but what is more important than getting married?"
Dressed in their full wedding regalia, the couple posed for pictures overlooking Haifa's crystal bay.
They plan to get married on Friday in Mousa's village of Kfar Yasif in the northern Galilee, which has also come under attack from the Lebanese guerrillas. Mishal comes from Haifa and wanted wedding pictures from her home town.
Hizbollah rocket salvoes have killed 13 Israeli civilians since the crisis erupted a week ago. Israeli air strikes on Lebanon have killed 235 people, the vast majority civilians.
The couple, Arab citizens of Israel, bemoaned the bloodshed.
"War is bad for everyone," said Mousa."

The Middle East War

2006-07-14T12:52:00.000+10:00

For the last few days, we have been watching the terrible news on TV about the war in the Middle East. I don't think a real human being , the creation of God, would like to see or want this war happen in this world. I think it is terrible and so sad to see we kill eachother. In this day of God only thing I can help with is to pray for the PEACE! I think we should all do so no matter what we believe in.

We are all His servants and He does not want us to have war. The purpose of the religion is to know God not to fight because of the different religions. All the religions in this world is from the same God, we shall admit this and be respectfull for everyone's belief. We should be all united and lovefull and reflect all the attributes that God has given each of us. If we want to reflect these attributes then we should clean the dust on the mirror. How? First thing we have to do is pray. Therefore, I would like to share this Baha'i Prayer with everyone for wishing the Peace in this world.

PRAYER for PEACE

"O my God! O my God! Verily, I invoke Thee and supplicate before Thy threshold, asking Thee that all Thy mercies may descend upon these souls. Specialize them for Thy favor and Thy truth.

O Lord! Unite and bind together the hearts, join in accord all the souls, and exhilarate the spirits through the signs of Thy sanctity and oneness. O Lord! Make these faces radiant through the light of Thy oneness. Strenghten the loins of Thy servants in the service of Thy kingdom.

O Lord, Thou possessor of infinite mercy! O Lord of forgiveness and pardon! Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, and cause us to turn to the kingdom of Thy clemency, invoking the kingdom of might and power, humble at Thy shrine and submissive before the glory of Thine evidences.

O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life.

Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator. "

- `Abdu'l-Bahá

Sir Isaac Newton, Return of Christ and the BAB

2006-07-11T00:29:00.000+10:00

The ideas under this topic shouldn't be considered as Baha'i Faith's origin, this is ONLY my personal research and combination of other thoughts.

Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist who is known world wide. When I was in primary school I remember our teacher was telling about him. You know when you are a child you can find everything funny, well I was obviously in that age :) and it was so funny to learn that Newton found the gravity with the falling of the apple on his head under the tree. Unfortunately, now I think he was such an unbelivable person with a lot of great understandings and ideas.

Few days ago I heard one of his research activity on the return of Christ. It was a shock to me to see how he actually attached to his belief and did actually work on that. To be honest, I didn't read about his work that much out of my school times.Well, when I heard about this research i decided to read more. I won't go through the details of his research but shortly will explain and come to the conclusion.

Newton had a simple calculation for the date of the return of the Christ as shown in the following:

Daniel 8:14

"And he said unto me,Until two thousand and three hundred days;then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. "

Therefore, let's do the calculation as it says in the quotation;

2300 Dan 8:14

-457 B.C.

___________

1843 A.D.

So the result shows the year of 1843, but Newton says the actual year is 1844 and the explanation is;

actually there are varies of explanations exist about this part of the calculation... one of them says there is no Zero year. The other ones mentions the differences between the linear and the solar calendars, thus, 1843 actually ends in 1844. Another reason is given as the begining of the year which is taken as the 21st of March-the Spring Equinox.

Result: The return of Christ or the Expectation Day is in 1844.

One of the amazing event is the interest on this return was not just related with Protestants. The templars from Germany and the Carmelite nuns went to Israel near to the date of big day - the return of the Christ in 1844.

So what happened at the end? Did He return or not? Well, according to my research most of the Christians were dissappointed with the result. They couldn't witness to the incident as they believed. Is that really so?

I have mentioned on my earlier post that i have been in Israel and lived there for 18 months. I was in Haifa, I saw most of the Holy Places of Christans like the Elijah's cave, Taberias, Armegeddon and so on. The templers who were moved for the Expectation Day settled on the place that they would expect where Christ would come to. Now this settlement area called Ben-Gurion Street. When you walk on this street you can still see the writings on the old buildings, were belong to the templers, saying 'He will return' or something about God. As my German is not enough to understand that much i cannot excatly write what actually says on the buildings.

Now, when I used to walk up from this street whilst looking left and right seeing those writings and facing to the mount Carmel, I could see this amazing area where the Shrine of Bab stands - which can seen in the picture, was taken from Ben-Gurion street - with all its beauty surronded with beautiful gardens and with other Administrative Buildings of the Baha'i World Centre where I served not long ago. Hmm I am thinking loudly, does that show something? or Does this mean anything? Let's see...

I am not going to give this huge information about the Baha'i Faith, if you would like to learn more you can push the link on the right hand side under links section, where you can find all sorts of information about the Faith. Anyway, just to clearify the connection between return of Christ and the Bab I would like to explain some small details about the Bab.

"On May 23, 1844, in Shiraz, Persia, a young man known as the Báb announced the imminent appearance of the Messenger of God awaited by all the peoples of the world. The title Báb means "the Gate." Although Himself the bearer of an independent revelation from God, the Báb declared that His purpose was to prepare mankind for this advent.

Swift and savage persecution at the hands of the dominant Muslim clergy followed this announcement. The Báb was arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and finally on July 9, 1850. ...Today, the majestic building with the golden dome, overlooking the Bay of Haifa, Israel, and set amidst beautiful gardens, is the Shrine where the Báb's earthly remains are entombed. "

www.bahai.org

In my opinion, this can't be a big coincidence. Just in case if you don't know much about Muslim Faith and Quran, short information about them as well. From the Holy Quran, with the calculation, called 'Abjad', you can reach the same year - 1844. Should we think about this more? Well, I think this is amazing, I am absolutaley speechless with what I read so far.

Anyway everyone...hope you enjoyed reading this, i enjoyed writing :)

PEACE!

Martyrdom of the BAB

2006-07-09T15:51:00.000+10:00

Today is one of the holydays of the Baha'is. We get together today to remember the day of Bab's martyrdom.

I remember last year, I was in Haifa still serving, but on this day i was really sick and couldn't go to the Holyday program, but I could hear the readings from my room. I opened my window and started looking at the Shrine, it was dark and Shrine was sparkling like a beautiful lady with all its elegance. I was sad not to be with friends at that time but felt really lucky to be able to see that wonderful view from my room. My friends were always jealous with me, cause it was the best room in BWC with its view. If anyone knows the Baha'i flats in there, it was the one in Bracha abbas 14 (security flat).

Today my sister and my niece came from Sydney, we picked them up from the airport and went to the holyday gathering. They had already started, we quietly snicked in and started listening the program. They were reading how the incident happened. It is sad to hear how the creatures of God treated His Messenger. So unbelievable! Every single Messenger in this world had the similar kind of treatment from mankind.

I was trying to imagine that day. Whenever I hear how Anis was detached from everything but attached to the Bab, I get so emotional. I always wish to have same kind of spirituality.He is gifted because of his love to the Faith and he chose to go to the Abha Kingdom with his Glory. Now when we go to the Shrine of the Bab, we also visit him. Anis had to be placed with the Bab, because after the marthydom his body was sticked together with the Bab and was impossible to seperate them. Such a great blessing he had...

*Tabris square, where the Bab was martyred

Have you ever realised the trees around the Shrine of the Bab? If you haven't next time of your visit, or if youhaven't visited the Holy Land yet try to see the trees that i am going to talk about now. And remember the story above. When you come out of the Shrine of the Bab that part of garden has these beatiful trees around and especially in May they have these beautiful flowers on them with every colour. But the two of those trees are special, because there is a story i have heard from one of the gardeners about those trees. Gardener told me that it is usually impossible for trees to live together and these 2 trees they are huging eachother , one has dark pink colour and the other one has leilac colour flowers on them. What the knowledge of the gardener about these type of trees was that they usualy kill eachother to live and usually one stands and other one dies or they both die. But they are alive and every year give their beautiful flower and they always hug eahcother. Well they actually represent The Bab and Anis, yes this is true and they are right next to the Shrine. When i first saw them, and heard the story I was like 'Yes this is it!'.

Hmmm may be I am a bit emotional when it comes to the Faith and to the stories like this. But it was standing right infront of me and eventhough it is just a coincidence i love the way those trees stand next to the Shrine.

How I love Thee and thank Thee for everything! May my life be sacrifised for Thee! May my soul be offered up for Thy sake!

After Baha'i World Centre

2006-07-08T13:17:00.000+10:00

I realised lately that i won't be able to forget my times in Haifa. It is so amazing to see how those Holy Places leave affect on you that you cannot put aside and live your worldly life again. It is really hard to come home and try to adjust to your previous life again after Baha'i World Centre wih the new vision of life. I see people around and they remind me of the people i served with or i walk from somwhere and i see a tree, i am like "This tree is like the one at 301 G1" and it goes on and on like this.

I talk with other friends like Ali. He says these things happen to him as well, when i hear this i feel better. At least i know most of the friends who served in BWC feel the same way as i do. This feeling may be hard to understand for some of you. It is also hard to describe for me.

Additionally, the friendships i gained in Baha'i World Centre are uniqe. There are 700 friends are serving in the Holy Land and of course it is really hard to get to know everyone. You know all the faces, but you can just have some close friends that you hang around always. My close friends are all over the world, this is such a nice thing actually. On the other hand to think the fact of seeing eachother again and having the same close times.....hmmm ....seems hard to happen. I know few of them will be the ones i will be seeing regularly, cause we created this special bond in between us which is so valuable. Such a nice feeling. I also feel sad in a sense that i couldn't spent much time with some other friends although i wanted to but now we talk through internet a lot. So now even i have more friends.

The Universal LOVE! I think Baha'i World Centre is the model for that. I hope i can go and serve there again sometime in the future. (ps: I am in that photo ;)

Prayer for UNITY

2006-07-07T23:09:00.000+10:00

O my God! O my God!
Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy
great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law.

Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee.
O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love.

Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.

(Bahá'u'lláh: Bahá'í Prayers)

THE MATRIX

2006-07-01T04:09:00.000+10:00

"In the beginning of his human life man was embryonic in the world of the matrix. There he received capacity and endowment for the reality of human existence. The forces and powers necessary for this world were bestowed upon him in that limited condition. In this world he needed eyes; he received them potentially in the other. He needed ears; he obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new existence. The powers requisite in this world were conferred upon him in the world of the matrix so that when he entered this realm of real existence he not only possessed all necessary functions and powers but found provision for his material sustenance awaiting him.
Therefore, in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this sphere of existence, so, likewise, the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world.
What is he in need of in the Kingdom which transcends the life and limitation of this mortal sphere? That world beyond is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore, it is necessary that in this world he should acquire these divine attributes. In that world there is need of spirituality, faith, assurance, the knowledge and love of God. These he must attain in this world so that after his ascension from the earthly to the heavenly Kingdom he shall find all that is needful in that eternal life ready for him.
That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore, man has need of illumination here. That is a world of love; the love of God is essential. It is a world of perfections; virtues, or perfections, must be acquired. That world is vivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit; in this world we must seek them. That is the Kingdom of everlasting life; it must be attained during this vanishing existence.
By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain these merciful gifts and powers? First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements, he will surely be deprived of the life that is eternal. But if he possesses the knowledge of God, becomes ignited through the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and mighty signs of the Kingdom, becomes the cause of love among mankind and lives in the utmost state of sanctity and holiness, he shall surely attain to second birth, be baptized by the Holy Spirit and enjoy everlasting existence. "

'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 225-26.

http://www.bahai.org