‘Don’t be afraid of the forest, my son. Ask your God Krishna to go with you. He will hear your prayer.’

The boy followed his mother’s suggestion, and Krishna duly appeared and from then on accompanied him to school every day.

When it was his teacher’s birthday, the boy asked his mother for some money in order to buy him a present.

‘We haven’t any money, son. Ask your brother Krishna to get you a present.’

The following day, the boy explained his problem to Krishna, who gave him a jug of milk.

The boy proudly handed the milk to the teacher, but the other boys’ presents were far superior and the teacher didn’t even notice his.

‘Where did you get that jug?’

‘Krishna, the God of the forest, gave it to me.’

The teacher, the students and the assistant all burst out laughing.

‘There are no gods in the forest, that’s pure superstition,’ said the teacher. ‘If he exists, let’s all go and see him.’

The whole group set off. The boy started calling for Krishna, but he did not appear.

The boy made one last desperate appeal.

‘Brother Krishna, my teacher wants to see you. Please show yourself!’

At that moment, a voice emerged from the forest and echoed through the city and was heard by everyone.

‘I can’t! He doesn’t even believe I exist!’

Posted by Paulo Coelho on his blog.

Do you have a band? Are you an aspiring movie producer? A comedian? A cartoon artist?

They will replace the front page logo with a link to your work.

As soon as I learned about it, I decided to participate. Several of my books are there, and as I said in a previous post, My thoughts on SOPA, the physical sales of my books are growing since my readers post them in P2P sites.

Welcome to download my books for free and, if you enjoy them, buy a hard copy – the way we have to tell to the industry that greed leads to nowhere.

Love
The Pirate Coelho

Posted by Paulo Coelho on his blog.

We have seen many independent bookshops close. They have not closed because of piracy, or because people no longer read or love books.

- A quarter of independent bookshops lost in last five years

They have closed because of greed.

They have closed because the publishing industry is following the lead of Hollywood and the music industry. They no longer nurture talent. They look for the latest blockbuster, which is then offered to supermarkets and bookshop chains at massive discounts with which the independents cannot compete.

When Hollywood and the music industry start bleating about starving artists, we know they are lying.

Sopa, which appears to have been killed stone dead, was about control of the internet. If there are those who are making big bucks out of piracy, then go after the money, but do not criminalise ordinary folk who wish to share.

Writers, artists, muscians want to create, they wish to share what they create.

- The cultural industry
- Documented@Davos: SOPA Panel
- Thoughts of Paulo Coelho on Sopa

– Canon Andrew White

The Fatwa

THE IRAQI SOCIETY OF ISLAMIC SCIENTISTS FATWA

In the name of God the Merciful

Under the conditions experienced by Iraqis and many Middle Eastern people at the present time and in the light of the increase in the level of Iraqi sectarian violence and the volatile situation, we believe that the deteriorating political condition calls upon us as Sunni religious scholars to together as a group to issue a Fatwa.

We wish to declare the sanctity of all Iraqi blood wether Shia, Sunni or Christian. We call for a mechanism to educate the Iraqi Society in order to renounce all sectarian violence and instead create an environment of cooperation with civil society organizations and institutions of civil jurisdiction so not to allow our people in Iraq to divide into sectarian conflicts. We must work towards national unity amongst all Muslims (Sunni and Shia) and Christians; we all have the duty and right to live together in unity in our country Iraq.

Dr Sheikh Khaled Abdul-Wahab Mullah, Leader, Sunni Cleric Baghdad + Basrah
Shekh Saadi Mehdi Qutaiba Alindaoui Sunni Leader Al Anbar
Sheikh Maher Al Jubori Sunni Cleric Fullujah
Dr Sheikh Kubaisi Jalal Sunni Cleric Rammadi
Sheikh Marwan Al Araji Sunni Cleric Baghdad
Sheikh Hasham Al Dulami Sunni Cleric Fullujah

I was talking with my friend Margaret this evening who works in Triangle (Christian tea shop cum bookshop) and we both agreed that if anyone was going to have an impact on the sectarian violence in Iraq it was Canon Andrew White.

Over the last few days he has been talking to Sunni religious leaders, the outcome a fatwa against the sectarian violence.

Now we need a similar fatwa from the Shia clerics.

Canon Andrew White is author of Faith Under Fire, President of FRRME, the Anglican priest of St George’s in Baghdad and a Middle East Peacemaker.

He has recently been awarded the highly prestigious First Freedom Award.

A three-day International Peace Conference on Iraq, Light in Darkness, is to be held in Brighton, Thursday 6 September to Saturday 8 September at the City Coast Church. It is hoped to bring young people from Iraq but this will depend upon how generous are donors. Speaker will include Canon Andrew White. For more information and for donations, please contact FRRME.

Faith Under Fire has been shortlisted as the Christian Book of 2012. It is open to vote on-line for your favourite book, but somewhat dumb you have to vote for a childrens book too even though you may have no views. Also badly designed website, link does not go direct to voting form.

- God moves in mysterious ways
- The Truth as Iraq descends into Hell
- Sorry Sir my dear Jesus , we came to you with, black gown
- House of Lords debates the plight of Christians in the Middle East

Steep Hill

The River Witham, High Bridge, The Stonebow, a couple of old churches, Sincil Street the only area of character left around the old market area, and that is about it, little else of interest in the city centre of Lincoln. The same trash High Street stores as in every other town across the country. Clone town writ large!

For more interesting part of town, walk through The Stonebow to the top of the High Street.

At the top of the Hight Street, The Strait, which leads into Steep Hill. Both have buildings of character, quirky buildings, quirky independent shops, even a lampost leaning over.

On the left as you walk up The Strait, two Norman House, one of which houses an excellent restaurant.

As you climb up Steep Hill and it earns its name, your are following the main Roman Street that ran through the Roman city of Lindum Colonia, up from the River Witham to the top of the hill.

More Norman houses as you walk up Steep Hill.

A tea shop, selling teas not cups of tea, though you will find those too, dress shops, a chocolate shop, a flower shop, art galleries, second-hand bookshops, little bars and restaurants, a pie shop, a clock shop (though rarely open). Even a Russian doll shop!

On the way up, occasional glimpses of Lincoln Cathedral. As you pause for breath, look back and you will see across the valley to South Common on the opposite escarpment.

Once the top is reached, and take all day as there is much to tarry for and no need to hurry, you will find yourself in Castle Square. To the left Lincoln Castle and to the right Lincoln Cathedral.

Carry on and you are in Bailgate. As you enter Bailgate, a little church on the right, worth gaining entry to, though rarely open.

In Bailgate a small butcher. If not the best in Lincoln, maybe even the County.

Walk through Bailgate to Newport Arch. The Roman archway to Lindum Colonia,

Walk around the castle to The Lawn, which Lincoln City Council in an act of crass stupidity has put up for sale. The Lawn, a former pioneering Victorian Mental Hospital houses the Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory.

Sir Joseph Banks was the Chief Scientific Officer on the Endeavour.

I have a knack of being in the right place at the right time. I had been in The Collection far longer than I wished due to it raining. It finally stopped, giving me time to walk up Steep Hill and back down, but little more. Looking down Steep Hill the winter midday sun caught the buildings and the wet street. A week later and half an hour later, the sun did not catch the buildings or shine down the street. Half an hour made all the difference.

At the top of Steep Hill is a little bronze plaque saying it was awarded Britain’s Best Place by the Academy of Urbanism.

Steep Hill must have the rare accolade of a street being reviewed on Trip Advisor!

It is a rare experience to be able to walk the length of a street in England and not encounter a single High Street chain store. This is how our towns used to be until destroyed by greedy developers and corrupt planners.

Top Story The Digital Mission Daily (Monday 30 January 2012).

Documented@Davos: Paulo Coehlo, Author from Michelle Laird on Vimeo.

Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho discussing the cultural industry at World Economic Forum at Davos.

The printing press revolutionised the way we handle information. The Bible was made available to the many, not the few.

Social media, the internet, is the second information revolution. The publishing industry has yet to catch up.

Social media, the internet, has given power to the people. We saw that in Iran, we saw it with the Arab Spring, we saw it with Occupy Wall Street. We the people are in power. Governments labour under the illusion they are in power.

Aleph, a journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, No1 in all countries bar one, the UK. Not No1 or at least not well known in the UK due to the failure of bookshop chain Waterstone’s for whatever perverse reason known only to themselves to put Aleph on display.

- What a year!
- Paulo Coelho in Waterstone’s and the author the publisher forgot

Writers, artists, muscians want to create, they wish to share what they create

- Documented@Davos: SOPA Panel
- Thoughts of Paulo Coelho on Sopa
- Desmond Tutu and Paulo Coelho at Davos
- Paulo Coelho on writing I
- Paulo Coelho on Desert Island Discs
- The Journey of Paulo Coelho

Documented@Davos: SOPA Panel from Michelle Laird on Vimeo.

Excellent panel discussion at Davos on why Sopa is bad and possible ways forward.

We created Wikipedia, we made it all up ourselves. Much of the content on the net is provided by us. It is the human condition to create, to want to share.

Hollywood wants, Hollywood does not get.

Money no longer buys votes. We can mobilise via social media. we can Occupy!

Hollywood acted on behalf of Hollywood. Greed! Internet companies acted on behalf of the internet. Empowerment!

Sopa has opened an amazing can of worms. Internet companies are now demanding openness, transparency, lack of secrecy, good governance!

If Hollywood and the music industry stopped being so greedy, stopped criminalsing their customers, they would not have a problem.

Creative people wnat to share what they produce. It is the greed of Big Business that gets in the way.

Amazing. An intelligent American politician who actually talks sense, who knows what he is talking about.

We have Open Source Software. How about the same for legislation? Publish on the net. People invited not only to make comment, but to propose and draft amendments (cf Wikipedia). This reduces the worth of lobbyists to zero over night. It would also improve the political intake as they would be there to serve, to make a difference, not to get their snouts in the trough, as there would no longer be the money sloshing around.

Sopa would have been still born if instead of cooked up in secret between Hollywood and politicians for sale it had bene available to open public scrutiny.

Open Government? Participatory democracy?

- The cultural industry
- Defend our freedom to share (or why SOPA is a bad idea)
- Thoughts of Paulo Coelho on Sopa
- Stop SOPA
- We are in charge now
- A sense of the masses – a manifesto for the new revolution

Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho on the fabled island talking about his life and choosing eight discs to take with him.

Do not skip to the records, listen to the programme and then each one is heard in context.

Sue Lawley has done her homework!

This is one of the best Desert Island Discs programmes I have heard. Paulo Coelho comes across as totally unpretentious.

Desert Island Discs celebrates seventy years this year!

- Castaway: 70 Years of Desert Island Discs
- The Journey of Paulo Coelho
- Paulo Coelho talks to Big Issue
- Desmond Tutu and Paulo Coelho at Davos

Desmond Tutu and Paulo Coelho at Davos

We can no longer ignore this growing distance between rich and poor. It is time to close the gap. It is time to talk about making real changes so that the world becomes a more equitable place. — Desmond Tutu

No matter how powerful we are, if we are morally hollow, our world will collapse. — Desmond Tutu

I believe every human being is made for goodness – yes, even bankers! — Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu and Paulo Coelho at World Economic Forum in Davos.

Together with Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one of the founding members of The Elders.

Author of Aleph, Paulo Coelho is a UN Messenger of Peace.

The rich, powerful and influential meet once a year at the World Economic Forum in Davos to agree how the world will be run for the next year.

The World Social Forum is a parallel forum where the people of the world meet to put forward ideas for a better world.

- Paulo Coelho on writing I
- Paulo Coelho talks to Big Issue
- Tutu: The Authorised Portrait
- Time to close the gap

Lina, Andrew, vice president and daughter

Synchronicity is the coming together of inner and outer events in a way that cannot be explained by cause and effect and that is meaningful to the observer. — Carl Jung

Anything that occurs once can never occur again. But, should it happen twice, it will surely happen a third time. — Paulo Coelho

Well today has been an incredible day spent in the Holy Shia Shrine of Najaf. We had with us the serious Sunni leaders as we attempted to deal with the present sectarian crisis. More on this later.

You will be aware of our present crisis with the need for green zone badges. We need to get into the Green Zone not least for the US Embassy services. Everything we have tried has failed. Yesterday we did a deal with an Ambassador’s Assistant to get us in and out tomorrow. It will take several hours of his time on his day off that will cost us but it is worth it.

Last night I had an email from somebody doing their PhD on Sunni/Shia Reconciliation in Iraq at University in Canada. She desperately wanted to see me as she had read my work and been told about me by her lecturers. I sent her my phone number and she called. She said that she and her father really wanted to see me tomorrow. She said she lived in the Green Zone. I asked her who her father was? It turns out it is the good vice president who has promised to get all our badges for us. What a strange way G-d answers prayer but He always does!!!!!!!!!!!!!

– Canon Andrew White

Since the Americans left leaving as claimed by Barack Obama Iraq as a stable country (must have been his idea of a sick joke), over 200 killed. Yesterday another suicide car bomb.

Passes to to the Green Zone, issued by the Americans, no matter how high the security clearance, became overnight worthless. Hence the problems experienced by Canon Andrew White and others moving freely to and from the Green Zone.

What Canon Andrew White has described is a lovely example of synchronicity!

A theme running throughout the work of Paulo Coelho, is that of coincidence, or what I would call synchronicity.

Omens are another theme, understanding how to understand and follow them, how to achieve your destiny.

Synchronicity is that of meaningful coincidences, coincidences that are so improbable that they cannot be explained by chance alone.

The concept of synchronicity was developed by Carl Jung. Deepak Chopra takes it a stage further and calls synchronicity communication across the transition zone (see How to Know God). In the language of Paulo Coelho, it would be communication with the Soul of the World. Canon Andrew White would see it as a sign from G-d!

I was introduced to Paulo Coelho due to a chance meeting with a lovely Lithuanian girl. We were both sitting outside a pub in Guildford, relaxing by the river. I asked her what she was reading. The Zahir she said, which she recommended I try. A couple of weeks later I was in Brighton. I had a similar conversation, only now the roles were reversed. History repeating itself, a sense of déja vu? [see Synchronicity and Paulo Coelho]

Canon Andrew White is author of Faith Under Fire, President of FRRME, the Anglican priest of St George’s in Baghdad and a Middle East Peacemaker.

He has recently been awarded the highly prestigious First Freedom Award.

A three-day International Peace Conference on Iraq, Light in Darkness, is to be held in Brighton, Thursday 6 September to Saturday 8 September at the City Coast Church. It is hoped to bring young people from Iraq but this will depend upon how generous are donors. Speaker will include Canon Andrew White. For more information and for donations, please contact FRRME.

The conference was due to be held in Bracknell end of July. It coincided with the London 2012 Olympics and extortionate hotel prices. At short notice it has had to be moved to Brighton in September. A much pleasanter place to be and early September is a good time to be in Brighton.

God moves in mysterious ways!

Faith Under Fire has been shortlisted as the Christian Book of 2012. It is open to vote on-line for your favourite book, but somewhat dumb you have to vote for a childrens book too even though you may have no views. Also badly designed website, link does not go direct to voting form.

- Interview with Canon Andrew White in Canada
- The Truth as Iraq descends into Hell
- Sorry Sir my dear Jesus , we came to you with, black gown
- House of Lords debates the plight of Christians in the Middle East

The almost £1 million bonus to head of Royal Bank of Scotland is obscene and offensive. We should not be relying on him to refuse the bonus, these people have no shame.

Prime Minister David Cameron on behalf of UK taxpayers who are the majority shareholders should block the bonus.

Cameron says shareholders in public companies should block excessive executive pay rises. He should therefore act, set an example.

It is rumoured the board will resign if the bonus is blocked. Call their bluff, let them resign. Where will they go? They would not even have a job if we had not bailed them out.

It is offensive and obscene when the FTSE 100 executives see 49% increase, when many people are seeing a decrease in salary or are losing their jobs.

These people do not take risks. They are salaried employees. The only risks they take is with other people’s money.

RBS customers should complain.

RBS finance dodgy projects, eg tar sands.

- Raising a Ruckus
- Climate Camp vs RBS – We’ve arrived

Why has RBS spent millions lobbying in Washington?

It may now be owned by the taxpayer but RBS has not cleaned up its act. It is still the same grubby company, the same greed-driven mindset. A comparison with the revolution in Tahrir Square, the players have changed but nothing has changed.

An on-line poll in the Telegraph, and note Telegraph not Sun or Mirror or Daily Mail, the overwheling majority said the bonus should not be paid.

Time for UK Uncut to occupy RBS?

Please sign the on-line petition calling for Stephen Hester, chief of Royal Bank of Scotland, to forego his bonus.

- Bailed-out RBS spends millions on Washington lobbyists
- Boris Johnson brands RBS chief’s bonus ‘absolutely bewildering’
- RBS chief Stephen Hester’s £963,000 bonus criticised
- Treasury feared Hester and board would quit