Queen Elizabeth Park and Jambo Grill are worth a visit.

What is BRIC?

Greetings from Vancouver, Canada!

After a brief week in Toronto, catching up with family, having conversations with prominent personalities, and commemorating the death anniversary of our beloved 4th Imam Zainul Abidin (as), I was off to Vancouver.

Before I left, I had the pleasure of listening to the Jumu’ah Khutba by Syed Mohammed Rizvi who sharply focused on the due diligence and responsibility of management on issues of invitation to speakers.

City of Vancouver, I have not really seen the city during my last couple of visits some 25 years ago for a NASIMCO conference and fundraising for the Al Ahad Islamic Center.

So, I am eager to put on my tourist hat and see some novel places, the crown jewel of Vancouver parks, and enjoy the food. I love to explore my taste buds and my tummy. The riches ways of experiencing a destination are the food, and the community.

On my first day in Vancouver, my son-in-law Ali Meghji Ladak, and my daughter Zahra took us to Queen Elizabeth Park and Jambo Grill.

Queen E Park in Vancouver is a horticultural jewel and is a major draw for floral displays and as a popular backdrop for wedding photos.

At 125 meters above sea level, it is the highest point in Vancouver and makes for spectacular views of the park, city, and mountains on the North Shore.

The 52-hectare park is home to the stunning Bloedel Conservatory, quarry garden, gorgeous collection of flowers, exotic and native redwood trees. There is plenty to see, enjoy and walk in nature.

The Quarry Garden, once a massive excavation, is now home to spectacular flowers and trees, a stream and cascading waterfall which adds coolness and comfort during hot summers.

I noticed that the grass was burnt due to the scorching summer. Climate change and drought have had a devastating effect on Queen E Park.

Make sure to visit a bronze figurative sculpture of a man photographing three people, fountain, and plaza located at Bloedel Observatory. At the painter’s corner, an artist will draw your portrait.

The park is also the perfect setting for fine dining or a picnic. I saw a few Sardhaji (Singh) families having picnics with their BBQ grills and gas tanks.

Visit Jambo Grill; every bite takes you back home.

“Between faithful friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough…Earth is the queen of beds…Wind does not break the tree that bends… The food which is prepared has no master…Rain does not fall on one roof alone… Be a mountain or lean on one.” An African Proverb

Jambo Grill presents you with the taste of three continents: Middle East, Africa, and Indo/Pak. It has a wide variety and unique selection of East African and Indian fusion appetizers and entrees like Masai ribs.

Do not forget to taste the Pan and Masala chai. I was completely exhausted on my first day in Vancouver.

BRICS:

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are the five emerging economies which have established a financial & economic alliance by an acronym BRICS. BRICS modus aims is to promote cooperation between its member states on issues like development projects, peace, and security.

South Africa will host the twenty fifth BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention in Johannesburg, from Aug 22 to Aug 24th to combat weaponization by US and the Europeans in the form of sanctions and trade wars.

BRICS has emerged as a powerful institution, posing a great threat to the US dollar and current world order. BRICS is seeking to curb US dominance in the decision-making process of Bretton Woods institution: namely the IMF & World Bank.

BRICS poses no threat to democracy; on the contrary it is a force to democratize the world order. The primary target of BRICS as seen by US are the IMF and World Bank who exploit undeveloped countries of their resources and further their economies into debt.

The recent rise of BRICS, with the fall of the dollar has caused acute fear in Washington and many economists, policymakers and Wall Street analysts view this as a threat to USA. BRICS is no threat but looking to get away from the “dependency theory” of economics and move towards self–sufficiency.

However, the USA, apart from its bid to control by divide and rule, has with impunity violated international laws by invading countries, initiated regime change, assassinations, and drone attacks.

Suffice to say, in 2003, the Bush administration invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Panama. Alongside the use of force, the USA has often resorted to sanctions as a foreign policy tool to destroy its rivals and adversaries including Iran, Korea, Venezuela, Iraq, and Libya.

One can also see the fate of leaders like Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, Soekarno, Salvador Allende, Muammar Qaddafi, and a host of others—who dared to chalk out independent policies for their countries and were overthrown through coups. All of them were killed; Qaddafi was publicly lynched.

Meanwhile, rising interest rates and the recent debt-ceiling crisis in the U.S. have raised concerns among other countries about their dollar-denominated debt and the demise of the dollar should the world’s leading economy ever default.

Several countries are seeking independence from the Zionist financial system. At World Economic Forum in Davos, Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan announced that the country was open to trading in other currencies.

This has not happened in 50 years. The signal of de-dollarization is emerging as the US dollar diminishes, central banks are dumping their dollar reserves.

It is speculated that the BRICS currency will be backed by gold – this would be a historic return of the gold standard and bring stability to the new currency.

Indeed, many central banks are already stockpiling gold reserves. According to the IMF World Gold Council, the year-to-date purchases of gold from Singapore (51.4 tons), Türkiye (45.5 tonnes), China (39.8 tons), Russia (31.1 tonnes) and India (2.8 tons).

It seems clear that BRICS countries are accumulating gold in preparation for their new currency and return of gold standard.

For decades, the United States has been considered the global hegemony. However, BRICS nations now account for more than 40 per cent of the world’s population and have an aggregated global GDP of 31.5%.

It is plausible to see BRICS nations entirely self-sufficient, trading between themselves without any reliance on the United States. This may well be China’s plan.

One opportunity arises from the fact that approximately nineteen countries in the Global South, including Argentina, Cuba, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, have expressed an interest in joining the BRICS. It is expected that the BRICS will consider the issue of membership at their upcoming summit.

BRICS members have been vocal supporters of de-dollarization and there is an opportunity in having an alternative currency to the US dollar as the basis for the international financial system.

However, given the complex economic and political relations between the US and Europeans, a new global currency will depend on the India and Brazil.

The concentration of economic power—in the hands of US and the Zionist nations leaves too many nations at the mercy of too few. The rise and fall of empires and reserve currencies are apparent throughout history.

Starting from the Dutch Empire, moving to the British Empire and the pound sterling, and now the US Empire and the dollar. There will inevitably be a shift in the world order, and it may well be the BRICS’ time.

The membership to BRICS will provide privileged access to China as well as option of trading in their own currency rather than the dollar. The question is willing the new global currency threaten the dollar? The short answer is yes. The dollar dominance may be ending.

To Be Continued! Visit to Grandville Island & Steventon Waterfront, and part # 2 of BRIC.