Champasack Province

Champasack Province

I have been busy of late. There was this international meeting that i had to attend and followed by a field visit to the south. We actually went to the Bolaven Plateau, the coffee heaven of laos, to see, well, coffee of course and how they are actually harvested by the farmers on a cooperative scale with assistance of the donor countries. The area is more than 1000 metres above sea level with day temperature in the 20s. It is the most beautiful part of south Laos and I was fortunate enough to make the visit. Being a coffee addict myself, i couldnt resist every coffee they had to offer from arabica to robusta. It so happened that the itenary included a visit to a coffee chateau owned and run by a friend, monsieur alex, who is a french lao. Its a 50 hectare coffee plantation with chalets that you can rent. There is a small stream with a waterfall closeby that actually runs just underneath the main chalet and I must say, the sound of the cascading almost pure transparent white spring water with cool surrounding temperature has to be the most therapeutic feeling i ever encountered. I promise I will post some of the pics that I took.

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@joma

Missing my family :-(

Becoming a Novice Monk

I caught this photo on my way for my usual caffeine shot before work. This is actually a common sight here, novice monks packed in a converted pick up truck that they call jumbo on their way presumably to a temple.
In buddhism, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, as part of the monastic code and in preparation for a full ordination. The name for this level of ordination varies from one tradition to another. In Pali, the word is samanera, which means 'small monk' or 'boy monk'.
For many, becoming a novice monk is a matter of choice but most men here would probably have spent some time as a novice monk. For some, becoming a novice monk is like making a certain promise or covenant to oneself, in what we normally call in our language as "benazar". In Buddhist's belief, such act would help fulfill their prayers, for instance in helping their loved ones who have just passed away to go to heaven in the after life. Becoming a novice monk can be a tough experience. For a start, novice monks like their older brethren cannot eat after midday. They have to stay in a kuti, the temple like any other monks and get up early at about 4.30 a.m. every day to do a morning chant then at about 5.30 a.m. they have to go out barefoot to get some food. Its actually quiet a sight when you see a group of young monks walking in a line in their saffron robes chanting their prayers. You will see by the road side, ladies young and old, sitting on the floor with their legs folded together, like we do when we perform our prayers (betimpuh) offering food to the monks. Strangely enough I have yet to see men making such food offerings. In Buddhism they believe that giving food to monks is a way to make merit as the monks will stand and chant some prayers soon after the food offerings are made. This is actually a daily sight here but if you wish to catch a glimpse of this daily ritual, you really need to wake up early in the morning.

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Genuine answers for GCSE papers from 16 year olds

Genuine answers for GCSE papers from 16 year olds

The following questions were set in last year's GCSE examination in Swindon, Wiltshire ( U.K. )
These are genuine answers from 16 year olds

Q. Name the four seasons?
A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar

Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink?
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists

Q. How is dew formed?
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire

Q. What causes the tides in the oceans?
A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight

Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on?
A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed

Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections?
A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election

Q. What are steroids?
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs (Shoot yourself now , there is little hope)

Q. What happens to your body as you age?
A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery (So true)

Q. How can you delay milk turning sour?
A. Keep it in the cow (Simple, but brilliant)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen)?
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U (What the *!!*???)

Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie

Q. What does 'varicose' mean?
A. Nearby (This should be what it means!!!)

Q. What is the most common form of birth control?
A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing=condominium (That would work)

Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section'
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome

Q. What is a terminal illness
A. When you are sick at the airport. (Irrefutable)

Q. Give an example of a fungus. What is a characteristic feature?
A. Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and they look like umbrellas

Q. Use the word 'judicious' in a sentence to show you understand its meaning
A. Hands that judicious can be soft as your face. (OMG)

Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight

Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head

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The Wrong Way to Deal with Beijing - By John D. Watkins Jr., and Christian Murck | Foreign Policy

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/09/27/the_wrong_way_to_deal_with_beijing

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