I was looking at this picture earlier tonight and it just shows how far back North Korea really is.

That’s a comparison of North and South Korea and how the two countries look at night-time from the sky.

So there was finally some snow accumulation today… not that it lasted very long. Oh well, On to December we go with little to snow at all — pretty mild winter so far. Can’t believe it is December already.

This is from about noon today:

This is from about 2-3 hours after the above picture was taken (huge glare too):

Being in a different country, away from family and close friends, for the little things doesn’t bother me as much any more as when I first moved but for the bigger things in life, they still get to you.

After hearing some terribly sad news from a very close friend of the passing away of his mother, I wanted to write something but simple words just don’t do it justice.

She was a wonderful person from the few times I had gotten the chance to meet and talk to her. She was funny, caring, and always wanted to see how you were doing.

It is painful how we are reminded just how fragile really life is and that we all have to go at one point or another.

If you are a resident of the United States of America, you should be aware that it is literally illegal to boycott Israel. I have never been in favour of or against a boycott against said country but it is definitely interesting to note that it is not even legal to do it. I had no idea that such a law even existed and has been here for several decades. I wonder when was the last time this was actually used and/or how often it is enforced.

According to the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Antiboycott Compliance law:

The Bureau is charged with administering and enforcing the Antiboycott Laws under the Export Administration Act. Those laws discourage, and in some circumstances, prohibit U.S. companies from furthering or supporting the boycott of Israel sponsored by the Arab League, and certain Moslem countries, including complying with certain requests for information designed to verify compliance with the boycott.

The objective of the law may seem reasonable enough that:

The antiboycott laws were adopted to encourage, and in specified cases, require U.S. firms to refuse to participate in foreign boycotts that the United States does not sanction. They have the effect of preventing U.S. firms from being used to implement foreign policies of other nations which run counter to U.S. policy.

So who is required to follow this law?

The antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) apply to the activities of U.S. persons in the interstate or foreign commerce of the United States. The term “U.S. person” includes all individuals, corporations and unincorporated associations resident in the United States, including the permanent domestic affiliates of foreign concerns.

So what happens to you if actually do decide to boycott?

The penalties imposed for each “knowing” violation can be a fine of up to $50,000 or five times the value of the exports involved, whichever is greater, and imprisonment of up to five years.

Always around this time of the year when people ask about my lunch plans and I tell them I won’t be eating because I am fasting during the month of Ramadan, they become defensive and apologize for bringing the subject up. I don’t think discussing the topic of eating or drinking has bothered me for as long as I can remember. If anything, it reaffirms my belief and the reasons behind why I fast. Again this year, it has given me the opportunity to tell some people about Ramadan and why Muslims fast – a discussion I will gladly have with anyone who is genuinely curious. It is still pretty amazing to see the looks of people’s faces when they hear the fact that we are not allowed to drink any liquids as well during the course of the day. I suppose the western culture here have adapted the fasting to exclude water should one become thirsty.

Aside from the spiritual benefits, a few clear cut physical and material benefits are pretty easy to see. When you limit the amount of times you can, it has a direct and positive effect on the amount of money you are spending on breakfast or lunch while during the work week. To kill off some time during my lunch hour, I usually head out for a walk around downtown Toronto going to places like Nathan Phillips Square, CBC Tower or just underground to wherever the random paths will take me. That’s a decent amount of walking during the middle of day to change things up although the lack of energy towards the evening does take away from my will to properly exercise or go for a run.

Throughout all this, we are all susceptible to mistakes and can be found complaining, waiting for the sun to go down before we can break our fasts. I am no different on that as some of the people I regularly talk to can attest but most of us have it pretty easy here in the west – especially for the fasts during the summer months. Most of our days we spend in a fully air conditioned work building or at home, staying away from the outside heat as much as possible while those in less fortunate countries in less than reasonable conditions.

I’ll finish with you don’t have to be a Muslim to fast on a regular basis, and you certainly don’t have to do it for a month but why not give it a shot. It not only has personal health and financial benefits but it also serves a greater purpose in opening your eyes and seeing how the other half lives – if only for a day.