Hi Everyone,

For those of you living in BC, imagine the population of Ladner or Tswassen or Port Moody completely vanish. In Burma, more than 22,500 people are confirmed dead by the military regime, but tens of thousands more are missing. There are estimates from other agencies of much larger numbers. I have been looking for agencies we can get in touch with that will provide emergency medical assistance, food, etc. to the victims and have lower administrative costs. If you know of any in particular, please post them in the comments.

The only thing that’s kind of annoying me (about the Burma government, not the agencies) is that so many agencies have on their websites “we are now mapping, planning, strategizing, etc. etc.” What I think that means is that the relief agencies don’t have the access they need, due to the government and army restrictions, so they can’t get to the victims as soon as they could in another situation. I hope that’s not the case.

UNITED SIKHS is an international UN-affiliated non-profit organization that is working to provide relief to the victims. You can learn more about their efforts and support them on their website.

You can also check out Direct Relief. They seem to be a very efficient relief organization:

-k.s.

There is a real humanitarian crisis happening right now in Burma. After Cyclone Nargis, the military regime has released reports of over 22,000 people dead and 41,000 missing, although a US diplomat in the country claims the death toll may actually be over 100,000 and the missing over 70,000. There are real concerns for peoples access to basic needs and prevention of diseases. If you would like to donate to relief efforts, please visit FeedTheHungryCanada.com - they will forward 100% of proceeds to the victims aid.

If you know about any other reliable relief agencies that will not misuse the funds and will only use the funds to provide direct aid to the victims, please post them in the comments.

Hi Everyone,

Tazzu is hosting its first Wordpress Camp on Wednesday, from 5:30 to 8:30pm at the Network Hub and I’m very happy to say I’ll be presenting on how to build a catalog or mashup site with WordPress. There are a variety of cool presentations including blogging, website development, typography, photo management, social media, and how to make money - all using WordPress.

I was very happy to see that so many people jumped on board and started to support the event with their sponsorships and promotions. I hope this is a first of many WordPress events.

stay in high spirits,

-k.s.

So here it is - my Hello World post.

This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve said “Hello World,” though. In fact, my first blog post was in 2004. I started when Blogger was the new, hip thing and Wordpress hadn’t yet become the mainstream. I think I left the blog at that time because it was becoming too personal and I became too busy with other things, which is a common theme with many bloggers. In any case, I’ve decided to get back into it.

So right now this is just a blog, but in the coming weeks I’ll be working to grow the site and share my crazy opinions and enlightening insights.

stay in high spirits,

-k.s.

——————

Invocation:

Salok:

The Divine Guru is my mother, the Divine Guru is my father;
the Divine Guru is my Transcendent Lord and Master.

The Divine Guru is my companion, the Destroyer of ignorance;
the Divine Guru is my relative and brother.

The Divine Guru is the Giver, the Teacher of the Lord’s Name.
The Divine Guru is the Mantra which never fails.

The Divine Guru is the Image of peace, truth and wisdom.
The Divine Guru is the Philosopher’s Stone - touching it, one is transformed.

The Divine Guru is the sacred shrine of pilgrimage, and the pool of divine ambrosia;
bathing in the Guru’s wisdom, one experiences the Infinite.

The Divine Guru is the Creator, and the Destroyer of all sins;
the Divine Guru is the Purifier of sinners.

The Divine Guru existed at the primal beginning, throughout the ages, in each and every age.
The Divine Guru is the Mantra of the Lord’s Name; chanting it, one is saved.

O God, please be merciful to me, that I may be with the Divine Guru;
I am a foolish sinner, but holding onto Him, I am carried across.

The Divine Guru is the True Guru, the Supreme Lord God, the Transcendent Lord;
Nanak bows in humble reverence to the Lord, the Divine Guru. ||1||

- Gaurree Mahalla 5 Baavan Akhree, 250, Guru Granth Sahib