After all that he endured in the Soviet Union—the interrogations, the years in prison and the gulag, the constant surveillance—Vasyl Velychkovsky’s final years in Canada offer a deeply moving chapter: a time of fragile recovery, quiet leadership, and enduring spiritual witness. The Turning Point: Release and Exile In 1969, after suffering a heart attack in […]
Category: Brotherhood/Sisterhood
Let’s take a thoughtful turn into the life of Vasyl Velychkovsky. Vasyl Velychkovsky’s time in the Soviet gulag at Vorkuta stands as one of the most harrowing and powerful parts of his story. He had already endured interrogation, arrest, and sentencing for refusing to renounce his faith and his allegiance to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic […]
Today we look at the fascinating story of how a dissident Ukrainian Catholic priest ran a cathedral out of his small apartment in eastern Ukraine, and ended up in Winnipeg, Canada. Now considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Ukrainian priest Vasyl Velychkovsky was an amazing man. Among his accomplishments: Vasyl Velychkovsky’s life exemplifies steadfast […]
In the previous BLOTT, we reviewed Elder X’s claim that WLBOTT had a wanton disregard for reality. It should be noted that Elder X is from Canada. Because of the language barrier that exists between Canada and the United States, we’re not sure of Elder X meant wanton or wonton. First, we had to educate […]
Instead of asking, “Is AI becoming human-like?”, perhaps we should be asking “Are humans AI-like?” Let’s work with this set of assumptions: It is a deterministic universe, rigidly governed by the laws of physics. Humans are incredibly complex state machines, obeying biochemical responses. We have no free will, no consciousness, but due to the incredible […]
In the previous BLOTT, we looked at a hypothetical WLBOTT langar meal. Let’s look at some number. Ingredients Costs Here’s the daily and annual cost breakdown for serving 100,000 meals per day at the WLBOTT langar: Daily Cost: Annual Cost (365 Days): Summary: Time Period Total Cost Per Meal $2.91 Per Day (100,000 meals) $291,000 […]
We are so excited about the concept of langar – community, equality, feeding all, and the wild LARGE QUANTITIES of everything involved. We also like the subversive nature of an American langar – “good trouble” as John Lewis would say. In some areas of the US, it is a crime not only to be homeless, […]
Now let’s follow some semi-sequiturs related to The Golden Temple. A Conversation with Elder G Elder G: You’re thinking of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India—also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. It’s one of the holiest sites in Sikhism and home to the world’s largest free kitchen, called the Guru Ka Langar. Here’s a breakdown […]
WLBOTT has long been fascinated by the Sikh Golden Temple, in the Punjab region of India. We are especially fascinated by the free communal meals, called “Langar”, and the generosity and egalitarianism shown by the Sikh community. The Golden Temple (also known as the Harmandir Sāhib lit. ’House of God’, Punjabi: harimandara sāhiba pronounced [ɦəɾᵊmən̪d̪əɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ], […]
I have long loved the song Sacrifices/Sacrificios by Tish Hinojosa. Sacrifices/Sacrificiosby Tish HinojosaSacrificios, sacramentos de la vidaReligioso, el amor un tierno altarMi plegaria de rodillas será estaQue por siempre encendiera nuestro amarSacrifices, sacraments of life and livingLove’s the altar where religiously we prayWhispered softly like a prayer up to the heavensEternally our votive light will […]