reviewed the material Ole had given me to read. Talked with Norman for over an hour. And tried to locate some information using the search engine of American On Line - a total waste of one hour of time on the internet - I do not know how AOL survives.

I am on my way to my squash game taking the ferry over to Nanaimo - ran into Lorna Freedman and we merely exchanged hellos. _ Maybe I was too involved with my computer to engage in the appropriate conversation.

Looking out the window of the ferry I see a huge barge with wood chips that, as my angle of perspective changes, the one barge becomes three, the sun is out, and the beautiful mountains standing majestically in the distance as several ferries move out between the islands. Feeling very out of shape for a squash game against Wolf Preslauer who was kind enough to accept my challenge. I hope I am up to give him a game.

I lost! Wolf did not show up and I still lost! How did this happen? I guess Wolf heard about my terrible reputation on the squash court from my associates at the RCNSL. (Royal Canadian National Squash League. He could have received this info from any of a number of people. So what happened? Rob Young showed up. Young , strong, plays several times a week in the "A or B" level at his club. Well I will spare you the trouble of reading through my list of excuses, but I will mention that the racket I was not used to, my shoes were not my best squash shoes, and my body was feeling the stress of thirty days of rest.

Rob beat me 3-1. The one game I won was what we call the "gentlemen’s’ game". You let your opponent win a game so he won’t feel too badly, but you don’t let him know that you are doing it. I did take him to 9-9 in the fourth game, but I was no match for his devastating overhand shots, both forehand and backhand (that killed my normal game serve). I left happy to have given him a little bit of a game, and looking forward to my next games strategy (which I played without this match).

After doing some banking I met Glen at the Spirit Wood Bookshop, and he suggested a number of places to go in town. First to the Wild Rose Café for a great Ceasar Salad (spelled the way it is on the Board) and a short conversation with the owner. Nothing to happen here unless I take up the guitar. On my way past the pawn shop I noticed two guitars in the window. - skip that experience - I did not buy - if I need one I want to ask my old business associate Jean ………. Guitar maker extra-ordinaire.

I went on to meet Lily Dawn Al Robertson and Cynthia at the Diamond Healing Centre. I introduced them to the possibilities of the www.homeplanet.org working for them, and how to get the Mayor to start promoting their Centre. How they do this will be of interest to everyone on the net. I left them with an important issue to discuss - that the editor of the paper is Buddhist - actually I just had a thought - if we do not identify which paper, then it will be a matter for everyone to discuss. I s this an important issue. I think so. SO which editors of which papers around the world are Buddhist - or maybe ask them Deganawidah’s question " Who are you really and what is your message" As I left their establishment they gave me the business card of Michael Dufrane AKA Running Water a musician First Nation person on a personal mission as well.

This leads me to pick up the paper as Terry Lynn wanted to look at some classifieds. It caused me to write the following letter. VANCOUVER SUN

Dear Editor:

I picked up the Vancouver Sun and was struck by some of the psycho-babble purveyed on the minds of an unsuspecting public by minds who may not even be aware of their actions. I trust my observations will be looked at deeply in order that the following not be perceived as that which I have accused your paper.

The absurdity of the discussions in your paper, while affecting everything in our daily life, addresses issues on such a superficial level that it is should be an embarrassment to the editors and writers for being associated with it. One of the letters to the editors by Fujiko Arden that suggested "there is real stuff happening out there. Don’t waste our trees on drivel like this" did not go far enough. It is quite obvious to this writer that your writers need lessons in thinking and thinking processes rather than writing what they are told.

I would recommend that you and they look at the website www.homeplanet.org and look under educational materials using the search engine. They will benefit from years of research into various aspects of our worlds’ systems, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dealing with economics, energy ethics and health issues as a priori considerations on an integrated basis. If they still don’t get it, I can give your team a workshop on how to use the materials.

You might find a reason to rethink each of your writers positions on issues: for example: your focus on Film Tax Credit - Is there someone out there who understands the real cost benefit of this suggestion? And how could one have an understanding if the game changes every day. We are already giving away our goods and services at a .70 cent to the real dollar. Why give more? Is there a connection here? To support the tourist industry that is suffering because the Japanese cannot buy enough of our wood? Is there a connection here? And how many jobs does Mac Blo create in the house building industry in Canada, that could be exported to the deserts in Africa where concrete homes do not work as well as wooden homes? I learned this from a Canadian who was involved in the research project on my recent travels across Canada.

So Mac Blo is going to cost cut? Also an absurd idea? Why not look how it can create new jobs in the industry. Trees are used in building houses and frames for houses and furniture and beds and cabinets and on it goes. Where are our business skills when it comes to our own industries.

There are people all around the world that could use houses. This sounds like such an obvious solution to a complex problem. I call it the potato head problem. Look at how the McCain family took the potato, repackaged it in a number of different forms and sold it to the world. Why are we not creating industries around our resources. Plan the forests more effectively to balance the needs of our country, and the world in a sustainable fashion.

Why must we buy into the intellectual discussion of "privatization" when the issue is not privatization, but more so it is the distinction between government accounting systems and regular business accounting systems, both of which are insufficient for intelligent decision making. Not to mention the very banking system we rely on. We can be assured that our banks are being responsible to the local community can’t we.

But who would know in government? The prevarication of government employees is almost as astounding as the prevarication I experience at the United Nations. So Canada is one of the worst polluters UN report says. Does this make you upset? I am asking you, the editor this question. It is your industry that has not written sustainability into its policy. I wonder if you even know what sustainability means. It certainly is not in tax breaks, and privatization.

We need to rethink the way we do business and the kind of business we engage in. We need to rethink our needs and what is important to us. I would ask you Mr. . or Ms. Editor to review our World Citizenship Challenge and find out for yourself if you are a worthy World Citizen. You may well be so in your heart, but it is time for us to come forward and take responsibility for what is in our hearts - our minds, yours and mine are not able to grasp the complexity of the results of problems, but perhaps we can understand better when we look at root cause - I would suggest to you that Nation State Consciousness is the pervading root cause of so many of our problems today that to consider anything else is a distraction.

What do you think dear reader? Look to www.homeplanet.org to get the discussion going on issues of importance. What is important to you? And lets make our thoughts known to your editor, and to the mayor of your city so we can address the important issues of our times, and not whether or not Vancouver gets enough sunshine.

On behalf of World Citizens
Mitchell L Gold C.A.
IAEWP
IPC 2000
World Citizenship Challenge