Floating houses on the Bangladesh Delta

Related stories

• Oxfam charged for the corrugated iron

  In brief: As a new monk Ajahn Brahm read about Oxfam's earthquake relief in Guatemala: instead of giving corrugated iron free, they charged about 5%…

  Read full story▾▴

  an example of that which I I read when I was first a monk was uh a case of an organization which you may know, it's one of the biggest NGO aid organizations, Oxfam, who went into this the country of Guatemala uh during uh after some earthquakes which devastated uh many areas in Guatemala. And the notable uh exception to their relief effort was that they charged the people who received corrugated iron to to build their new houses. They charged them a small fee to buy the corrugated iron. And many people criticized them. "You're an aid organization. You should be giving these things out for free." But the fellow in charge of this group in Guatemala said, "No, listen." And they were charging maybe 5% of the the cost price you know, of the corrugated iron, so they could build shelters for themselves in the devastated areas. They're charging 5%, which was just a a token for what the thing really cost. But the man in charge said, "We don't just want to build them houses. We want to rebuild their self-esteem as well. So the people who rebuild their houses with a tiny bit of money, which doesn't know come nowhere near to covering even 5% of the costs, is so that when they've built their house, they can feel they have actually contributed

  Open story page·Watch this telling

• The monk who built a women's prison

  In brief: A famous Thai monk, already housed, spent surplus donations on schools and hospitals — and, after visiting Bangkok's inhumane women's…

  Read full story▾▴

  There's only one person I know who was actually a monk, a very famous monk in Thailand. He got lots of donations. Instead of losing them to build his monastery, yeah, he had a monastery, had enough rooms there. So any extra donations, he used to build schools or hospitals in Thailand. One amazing thing I was told he did, that with the donations he received, you know, he wanted to help society, so he built a women's prison in Bangkok. Now that is aid. And I thought, "What are you doing?" I can understand collecting money to build a hospital or a school or an orphanage, but a prison? And when actually I investigated it, what happened, he'd visited someone in a women's prison in Bangkok. Saw how inhumane it was. Just how harsh conditions there were for women who'd broken some law and been sentenced to jail. He thought, "There's no way I'm going to convince the government to increase or improve the facilities. So, I'm going to improve the facilities myself." Collecting some money to design and build a humane hospital a humane prison for women in Thailand. Knowing that they will get sentenced. If they're going to get sentenced, I need to give them a good jail, a humane jail. Where they can have decent facilities. And maybe a little bit of compassion to the prisoners will mean that they realize they are cared for somewhere along the line. There is some monk somewhere in Thailand who's responsible to have had them having a clean toilet and a bed to sleep on. And I thought, "What innovative aid that was?" Someone thinking outside the box. When I heard that, I thought, "Wow, what a great way." So, maybe we can have a little fundraiser to raise funds for a women's prison here in Perth. Maybe later later on we can do things like that.

  Open story page·Watch this telling

• Professor Blair and the zero-sum universe

  In brief: At a UWA event with physicist David Blair he asks where the universe's mass-energy came from if it cannot be created. From silence he…

  Read full story▾▴

  I was doing a presentation with with uh David Blair you know he's still the professor of physics at uwa still a good friend and I remember this little um interchange we had you know at an event there and when I said you know about where does the universe come from you know because there's a basic law of science I'm sure everybody knows this one that you cannot create mass energy you cannot destroy it energy Mass it just changes from one to the other but energy cannot be created nor destroyed I'm sure you've heard that so the question comes where did this energy called you know the universe come from where did the planets the dark energy everything where did it all come from because it cannot be created cannot be destroyed was a beginning of this universe a just a time when the laws of physics just didn't hold or is the laws of physics which is basically logic reason was it always there so in that uh little part of the discussion just you know just thinking from Silence I said well look I know from the physics which I remember there is a physical quantity called negative energy now to explain that to you that is like if you remember your high school physics science what they called potential energy that if something is in a gravitational field this clock to take this free from the Earth's gravitational field it takes up a lot of energy that's why they have to have these huge Rockets basically putting an explosion you know up the astronauts bump I think that was uh who said that one of the great astronauts he said that's like going off into outer space you know fortunately got lots of metal between you and the explosion but that's basically what it is a big bomb under your ass T to propel you up into space and please excuse me for using the language which you use so anyway that's what it's like that's the energy you need just to free this from a gravitational field so being in a gravitational field is a form of negative energy that's one and there's many others so just thinking outside the box you know because you know how to be silent so what would it be like Professor Blair if the total amount the sum total of negative energy negative mass energy in this universe equaled the amount of positive mass energy in this universe that's a a valid concept so if all the the planet solar systems everything and the energy Fields all came together they totally balance so mass energy vanishes you cannot create mass energy we don't need to because the sum total is zero so go back that's where it came from if you add everything together it's zero sum universe is a zero sum game and when I said that he looked at me and I still remember the expression on his face actually bro I never realized you are so up toate Omega equals 1 I don't know what omega mean but it was a ratio to negative and positive energy said wow where did you get that from Easy from silence and that's in the world the wisdom born of Silence

  Open story page·Watch this telling

• The governor who ended witchcraft accusations

  In brief: A woman accused of witchcraft faces burning; a smart colonial governor (Pennsylvania framing as recalled) handles the fear so well that…

  Read full story▾▴

  this lady was accused of being a witch and remember this was you know that time that meant being burn at the steak and you know terrible stuff and so he just asked her well let let's get down to the hub of these things you know are you a witch he saides I am do you fly around on broomsticks he saides I do' she's admitting guilt and so this William pen said well I can't say anything wrong with that cas's dismissed you know as long you don't crash into Steeples and stuff you can fly around on the broomstick as much as you like and that was it she was dismissed and there was no more problem with witchcraft

  Open story page·Watch this telling