Walk for Peace

 You can read all about The Walk for Peace at their Facebook page.

Today, the Walk for Peace Crosses into Washington, DC

Today marks Day 108 of the Walk for Peace - a meaningful moment as the monks leave Virginia and cross into Washington, DC, the final destination of this 2,300-mile journey.

After walking barefoot through many states, the path now reaches the nation’s capital. This crossing is not just geographic - it carries deep symbolic weight, reminding us that peace belongs in the heart of public life, dialogue, and unity.

Day 108 Schedule Highlights:

• 7:00 AM — Walk begins

• 9:30–10:45 AM — Public event at Bender Arena

• Lunch stop — National United Methodist Church (invitees only)

• 1:00–2:30 PM — Interfaith ceremony at Washington National Cathedral

• 2:30 PM — Unity Walk on Embassy Row

• Evening — Night stop at George Washington University (private event)

Everyone is warmly welcome to witness and support this sacred day. Presence, even in silence, is a form of participation.

Sachin Gautam

 

 

Behind the Walk for Peace stands not a single figure, but a small community of Buddhist monks, each carrying their own history, discipline, and quiet dedication to the path of compassion.

I would like to gently introduce 12 monks who are walking for peace, to share who they are, where they come from, and the teachings they embody through their presence and steps.

Venerable Monk: Bhikkhu Paññākāra

The #WalkForPeace is guided by Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, the head monk and spiritual leader of this journey. With quiet determination and deep humility, he leads not through speeches or commands, but through example.

Venerable Monk: Sư Chánh Đạo (Samma Maggo)

From: France

Age: 68

Venerable Monk:  Natthapol.

From: Watnonswang (Udon Thani, Thailand).

Age: 32

Venerable Monk: .Vilasak Chaleunsoouk

From: Wat Lao Salt Lake Buddharam (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Age: 31

Venerable Monk: Douangphaneth Mingsisouphanh (Suvanno)

From: Wat Lao Salt Lake Buddharam, Salt Lake City, Utah

Age: 55

Venerable Monk:  Pongsawat Laohasakulwong

From: Wat Prasatbunyawat, Bangkok, Thailand

Age: 66

Venerable Monk: Tuey Chaieua

From: Wat Phouthasamakhy Lao (Houston, Texas, USA)

Age: 42

Venerable Monk: Ratanasak Chaoyod

From: Watpa Samakhi Nonkud (Udonthani, Thailand) 

Age: 43

Venerable Monk: Phiyathammoo

From: Wat Than Thong (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand)

Age: 40

Venerable Monk: Thirasak

From: Wat Dongkaokalayaram (Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand)

Age: 52

Venerable Monk: Oneta Mingsisouphanh

From: Wat Lao Buddhavong (Catlett, VA, USA)

Age: 48

Aloka - the Peace Dog.

Photo credit: Kevin Blackwell

#WalkForPeace #PeaceWalk #BuddhistMonks

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Lyin' and Spinnin'

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Tuesday Treasures

 

Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Crossing from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick

It is also the longest bridge over ice covered water in the world.

The Confederation Bridge was built between 1993 and 1997 to provide a more reliable and high-capacity means of transit between Prince Edward Island and mainland Canada. 

When Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1873, the Government of Canada committed to providing continuous communication to the island. This role was originally filled by the Cape Jourimain iceboat service, and later the Cape Tormentine ferry, which transported mail and passengers across the Northumberland Strait. 

Map of P.E.I. showing various routes across Northumberland Strait over time

Early proposals for a fixed-link crossing included an underwater tunnel and a rock-filled causeway. In the 1960s, a roadbed was built to the edge of Jourimain Island with the intent of building a fixed-link, but the project was never completed.

In the late 1980s, new-found enthusiasm revived the project and construction began in 1993. The 12.9 kilometre box girder bridge opened to the public in 1997, ending the service of the Cape Tormentine ferry and the Cape Jourimain lighthouse. 

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Morning Reflections

 

Peter Mandelson

 Peter Mandelson VIDEO

Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, (born 21 October 1953) is a British former Labour Party politician, lobbyist and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004 and served in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's cabinets as Minister without portfolio, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Business Secretary and First Secretary of State. He was the British Ambassador to the United States in 2025 under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In September 2025 a scandal emerged concerning Mandelson's association with the convicted child sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, which had been revealed in 2019. Following reports that Mandelson had continued his friendship with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, he was dismissed as ambassador by Starmer. In February 2026, there were further reports that Mandelson and his husband had received payments from Epstein, and that in 2009 and 2010, Mandelson allegedly passed sensitive government information to Epstein. Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party and from the House of Lords, and the Metropolitan Police began a criminal investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office.

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