Again, with Taike's guidance, I am proud to fund the education of Monk Noy, in Laos. He's a delightful young man determined to make a difference in the world, and he's well on the way to making that happen.Taike and his lovely wife Nok identified this young man for me and check on him periodically. He just sent me a warm, appreciative message. It doesn't get much better than that. Taike also sponsors a 2nd Monk in his educational efforts.

The point to me is, it takes so little to make a major, life-changing difference. For the same cost as the recent new battery and tune-up on one of my motorcycles, this great young man can go to law school for a FULL YEAR....TWO SEMESTERS!

Opportunities to do good things without "breaking the bank" are everywhere!

There are mentoring programs...Habitat projects...reading for the blind radio broadcasts..."adopt a highway"...for the religious, a wide variety of programs sponsored by churches and other religious organizations. The list is endless. And, now, with the ease of developing meaningful dialogue anywhere in the world, there are even more opportunities to help and, by doing so, expand your understanding of different geographies and cultures.

And, man does it make you feel good!


Russ

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 09-08-2010).]

Amen. With the excellent progress of my hip replacement, I'm ready to tackle and overseas 'build' with HH. I have to contact my good friend Richard, who has led a number of builds, mostly in Asia. Since his wife is Korean, they usually tie it in with a family visit. I'd love to do another project with Jimmy Carter, but the applications for those are so numerous, I probably won't get the chance. I'd also be interested in sponsoring a monk if Taike found someone, or maybe just contribute a little 'walking around money' for Monk Noy. Let me know what you guys think.

And you're right; it does feel good to do something for someone with no ulterior motive. In every case, you'll get more out of it than the recipient of your kindness. That alone makes it a bargain.

BTW, Russ. How long are you going to cling to that 1/2 (as in 64 1/2 ).

chas

PS: Best regards to Taike if you get a chance to talk to him.

Hey buds,

It's always nice to hear from my two favorite Zoners.

Chas, thanks for the regards.

My thanks to you, Russ. Monk Noy's very happy and appreciates your kind gesture. Well, you heard it from himself but one can never lavish enough praise to such a benevolent individual as you are. A benevolent person has no enemies.

Chas, I'd be more than willing finding a monk or novice for you to sponsor. Yearly tuition ranks from $150 to $250. Even small donations to cover textbooks or transportation are welcome. You can get in touch with me via Russ or directly: taike1960 at hotmail dot com.

The monks and novices live in my wife's village. I've met most of them but there are always new ones.

So far the two monks that I've sponsored have rejoined civilian life. One's working in a bank and the other is a teacher. My third sponsorship has just started.

I'm not a wealthy person but I know that I have more than most can ever dream of. That alone is incentive enough to share. I am a firm believer that those that receive help will pass it on.

My wish is to do something big-scale but even a little can make a major difference. So if any Zoner wishes to sponsor a monk or novice, give me a shout.

Russ, rest assured that you'll be hearing from your grandson "Da Dude" once he is able to put this thoughts on paper. Nok sends her regards and her thanks.

Taike

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Bo pen nyang.

[This message has been edited by Taike (edited 09-08-2010).]

Sounds good, Taike. I'll be in touch with Russ when I get back from Philadelphia. That's 'real good stuff' you and Russ are doing. I'm for anything that promotes a more peaceful and tolerant world, and nothing does it better than EDUCATION.


chas

Chas, that "1/2" will be gone the 29th of this month!


Damn!


Russ

Thank you, Chas. Your contribution will mean a lot to someone. Them "purists" sure got "pure" hearts.

Maybe that 1/2 Russ keeps talking about may refer to something other than his age, Chas. We delete such email messages but can we say the same of Russ? He just sounds too darn proud of that extra 1/2.

Taike

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Bo pen nyang.

[This message has been edited by Taike (edited 09-09-2010).]

Chas, it would be GREAT for us to share in the education of Monk Noy. You could assist with incidental/supplies expenses every few months and I will continue to take care of tuition.

That way, I'd appreciate the chance to work together on a worthwhile project and we would assure that he can take care of the on-going expenses over the cost of tuition. And, I'd expect that the splitting of those two expenses would come out close to even over a year's time.


Just let me know what you want to do when you return. Taike and Nok could locate another candidate, if that's what you want to do.

It really cool, but no surprise that you would do this. And in addition to our "joined at the hip" interest and involvement in music, that's why you're at the top of my list as a friend.

Thanks so much!


Russ

Is all fine with me, Russ. Any contribution, no matter how insignificant to us, is of major significance to a monk.

Monk Noy travels back and forth between temple and school and from one school to another. If I'm not mistaken he attends three schools. No idea how he does it but he spends about every minute of his day attending classes. While public transportation is dirt cheap in Laos, any expense is a major one to a monk. In Monk Noy's case, all his commuting back and forth does add up. Since monks don't have an income any amount is a fortune to them.

Nok can seek out a candidate if you wish to fund a monk's education. No matter what you decide, it'll mean a lot to the recipient.

Russ, I hope to have some pics of Monk Noy for you. Hopefully it won't take long for he's really hard to get in touch with since he's always at school.

It doesn't come as a surprise to me that you're willing to make your personal contribution, Chas. Being best of friends with Russ says a lot about you...and vice versa. Needless to say that you're right there with Russ at the top of my list.

Taike

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Bo pen nyang.

[This message has been edited by Taike (edited 09-10-2010).]

Man, this makes me a little "misty" in the eye department!

This is GREAT!

Russ

Hankie?

Yes, it does feel GREAT, doesn't it? And it feels even BETTER sharing this unique bond with you and Chas.

Taike "Annoying Hanging Toenail" Lay

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Bo pen nyang.

[This message has been edited by Taike (edited 09-16-2010).]