NorthStarNerd.Org

In Remembrance: June 4th

A little over 20 years ago (1989) some very brave students stood up for freedom in China. A good friend of mine was one of those students. He was walking back to the Square to continue the demonstration for freedom when the Chinese tanks attacked his friends.

Freedom has a price.

Rebuilding Disun's School!

I'm thrilled to announce due to a generous grant from the Hegardt Foundation, for the third time in as many years the Northstar Nerd is teaming up with the China Tomorrow Education Foundation (CTEF) to make the world a slightly better place by building another school! It seems appropriate that only eleven days before Christmas, I can announce the funding of this new school. Please take 60 seconds and watch my short slideshow (see below). Most of the world's problems can be solved by providing access to better education.

Details: Disun (the bamboo school) is up in the mountains of southern China near the Vietnamese border. While it does not get cold like Minnesota in Disun, Winter temperatures fall to the low 40's and sleet is not unknown. When you see the present school, you'll know why I am trying to help these kids.

If you would like to help out with school suppliers for the new school, email me your pledge. Any donation to to CTEF is tax deductible in the USA. I'll get back to you with details. Live the Christmas spirit!

As always, Molly and I contribute both financially and with many volunteer hours to all our projects, but given we're not wealthy ... we rely upon your generosity to help with our work. You may wish to read a project report from the rebuilding of our first school in JiaYou, China.

 Slideshow of New School Effort, Disun, China

 

Rebuilding Disun's School on PhotoPeach

The Fall of the Wall ... A Cold War Kid's Perspective

How the world has changed ... for the better! 20 years ago the Berlin Wall came down. My personal travels have taken me many times for both business and pleasure to the Czech Republic (Pavla's wedding) and China (trip to JiaYou: Link #1, Link #2, Link #3). Both of these countries were on America's "persona non gratis" list when I was younger. Here are some of my Memories from an earlier age:

• Listening via short-wave radio the night the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia
• Watching President Kennedy on black and white TV saying "Ich bin ein Berliner" when he visited West Berlin
• Seeing all the US Air Force B-52's in the skies over Duluth, Minnesota, During the Cuban Missile Crisis these bombers were shifted north to be out of range of the Soviet missiles.

Now through work I lead collaboration projects for a large Fortune 100 company which involves working almost daily with friends / co-workers from China and the Czech Republic. Pavla, whose wedding photo is displayed below is my "Czech daughter", and via Skype and Penny Talk I am in constant communication with her. Her "real" father died young due to his opposition to communist rule in Czechoslovakia, but that's another story ...

My son is now studying in Europe for his master's degree through Johns Hopkins University. Like his Dad, he blogs ... and has an interesting perspective on the historical significance of today (see his blog post). He comments upon a world he never knew ... thankfully.

Click to expand either image ... from our travels to the Czech Republic and China.

The Old Testament (He Qi's Traditional Chinese Folk Art)

It's not often in life you get the opportunity to combine your major beliefs and ability. With that brief introduction, I am pleased to present this musical web mashup of the Bible's Old Testament, traditional Chinese folk art and music (Amazing Grace). All the art was created by my friend, Chinese artist He Qi.

We may be friends, but He Qi's life and mine could not be more different ...

While I was growing up in Minnesota during the 1960's, and worrying about the fortunes of my favorite Minnesota Twins baseball players, He Qi was being "re-educated" by the Chinese. He Qi was considered an "undesirable" due to his Christian faith, and was sent into the Chinese country side to learn proper thought. The local authorities learned of his artistic ability, and he was given the task of painting portraits of Chairman Mao. By night, he painted the Madonna. (Learn more about He Qi via Christianity Today)

I own two of He Qi's large silk prints including the Nativity and Finding Moses. Both works of art hang in places of honor in my home and appear in the video (more on He Qi's Silk Print Style |detail). Here is the link to He Qi's online gallery.

As a reminder, my wife Molly and I have been privileged to learn a little bit about China through our work and trips that built both an elementary school and a dorm in rural China. Our travels took us up in the mountains near the Vietnamese border. I hope you enjoy this web mashup. You may wish to maximize the video to get a better view of the Chinese Folk Art:

Old Testament (China) on PhotoPeach (video link)

The "Square"

Personal note to Dj ... 20 years later ... keep up the good work!

Boston for Beds!

It's April 4th ... and Spring should be in the air. Instead, newly fallen snow blankets Minnesota ... and Molly is slipping over the pavement on a final training run for the Boston Marathon which is two weeks hence. However, as Molly (my wife) moves towards Patriot's Day and her 26.2 mile jaunt, running the final yards will be just a tiny bit easier for her than for most competitors.

You may ask why? The answer is simple ... what began with a trip to China, Loppets for Lingyun, continued with Rich's Birkebeiner K's for Kids, will finish via Molly's Boston for Beds. The end result will be a new school dorm up in the mountains of Southern China near the Vietnamese border.

Take three minutes and watch our video ... then donate. Contributions to the China Tomorrow Education Foundation are tax deductible in the USA (full report).

Donate via PayPal ... even a $25 donation helps!

Boston for Beds Video (3 minutes in duration)

Note: Click on the screen icon to view full sized (bottom right corner)

One Armed Skier Builds Dorm in China!

My first of three "Kilometers for Kids" cross-country ski races start this Sunday with the City of the Lakes Loppet. Due to a recent ski injury that saw me break my thumb and tear a ligament, I will compete minus one ski pole (i.e. I can't hold anything with my left hand). Although this will slow me down significantly, and cause me problems going uphill ... I can't let the kids down. Contributions to the China Tomorrow Education Foundation are tax deductible in the USA (full report).

Donate via PayPal ... even a $10 donation helps!

Here are two photos of me ... cast and all. In addition, you may wish to watch this YouTube Video Report of last year's Loppet. After all ... have you ever seen skijouring (dogs pulling cross-country skiers ... another much shorter event)
.

A Nerd's Dorm Rises in China

Two days ago I was feeling sorry for myself. A New Year's Eve day cross-country ski injury had left me with a broken bone in my thumb and a torn ligament. I had planned to ski three long distance ski races this Winter (25 to 52 kilometers) to finish raising the money for a dorm my wife Molly and I are trying to build in the mountains of southern China near Vietnam (LingYun).

Instead I was taught a lesson in humility when by chance yesterday photographs of the dorm's construction process arrived . I thought ... who cares how fast I ski ... one armed cross-country skiing will still get me to the finish line. Thus, broken bones, torn ligaments and all ... please sponsor me in my Kilometers for Kids Project. Help me and the dorm reach the finish line! The races will take place in February ... and hopefully we can achieve our fund raising goal by March 1st!

Take two minutes and watch the video I created ... then donate. Contributions to the China Tomorrow Education Foundation are tax deductible in the USA (full report).

• Report Date: February 25, 2009
• Money Raised: $6,067
• Goal - $7,500

Donate via PayPal ... even a $10 donation helps!

LingYun Video (2 minutes in duration)

Merry Christmas from the Northstar Nerd

Today I post my blog holiday card, and use the artwork of a friend, He Qi. Two years ago I said this about He Qi: (more about The Artist)

While I was growing up in Minnesota during the 1960's, and worrying about the fortunes of my favorite Minnesota Twins baseball players, He Qi was being "re-educated" by the Chinese. He Qi was considered an "undesirable" due to his Christian faith, and was sent into the Chinese country side to learn proper thought. The local authorities learned of his artistic ability, and he was given the task of painting portraits of Chairman Mao. By night, he painted the Madonna.

I own two different large silk prints including the Nativity shown below, which hangs in a place of honor in my home. My other print is Finding Moses (more on the Silk Print Style |detail). I like how He Qi combines Chinese folk art and bible stories.

Thus, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays. Please pause to reflect about what is truly important this Christmas season. My little attempt to try and make the world better is in southern China.

Birke Bashin For China's Kids!

It's 90 degrees outside today ... and humid. While it may seem hard to think about Winter during this kind of weather, earlier this week I signed up for three long distance cross-country races. The longest is the American Birkebeiner at 52 kilometers or 32 miles. Although I was not planning upon doing another round of ski races this Winter, the devastation wrought by the Sichuan Earthquake in China has changed everything. Once again, under the auspices of the China Tomorrow Education Foundation (CTEF) I intend to help rebuild schools in Sichuan.

• Read the full project report and donate via PayPal

CTEF asked me to create a copy of my keynote talk delivered at this year's annual dinner earlier this year in Seattle. Thus ... via YouTube (click to watch in high quality) ... the journey continues:

• Birke Bashin for China's Kids - YouTube Link
  ... View all my CTEF volunteer posts

Or if you prefer, watch a short video of my wife Molly taken while she was dancing with the children from one CTEF funded school which we visited last Fall.

• Molly Dances at LingYun School - YouTube Link
  ... More YouTube CTEF Links

(click on either image to view full sized)