Three Cups of Tea for Global Understanding Wins Second Prize in Mountain View!

Three Cups of Tea for Global Understanding, a short film depicting the Global Understanding Institute’s origin as related to the New York Times bestselling book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, won second place in the Mountain View Reads film contest for 2008.

The film also highlights the Razumijen project as a work now enfolded into the Global Understanding Institute’s mission for social education encouraging peaceful societies.

Andrei Hasn't Got Back to Me Yet

From: petercorless@mac.com
Subject: Razumijen
Date: May 31, 2006 4:03:02 PM PDT
To: andrei@codrescu.com

Andrei,

It has been many years since I saw you here in San Jose, California. Memories of your voice, and the reading of your words, and your movie Road Scholar have always touched me with their wry humor and biting intelligence. I've always thought about the world, or about America, in a different way after hearing your views of these places.

I've thought about you a great deal of recent because of the Katrina Hurricane. I am glad to see that you are well, and that you have had published New Orleans, Mon Amor. Bon chance!

I also kept thinking about your book A Hole in the Flag.

This last work still stays with me.

Inspired by you in part, and by many others, this June I will be going to Croatia, on my own first visit for a project called Razumijen, to understand what happened in Yugoslavia c. 1991 - 2001. While I am not a Slav, and have no family ties there, I have a friend, Jana Krezo. She is from Vukovar. For her, and for the people of the Balkans, whose tale is so little understood by Americans and by many around the world, I will do what I can to create works to remember and understand what happened.

To begin with, the project Razumijen is going to be a board game about being an Interested Citizen of the World during the Yugoslav crisis. As the nation shudders, if you play your cards right (quite literally) and cooperate with your fellow players, you might alleviate some suffering of the peoples of the Balkans. If you play your cards wrong, or if you are just unlucky, you can even exacerbate the problems for the people.

If successful, this project may put perspective on the issues of the Balkans, and also perhaps give the people playing it — young men and women, and their parents and educators — ideas on how we can use different strategies to solve other world crises in more cooperative, less-violent ways.

I also have a friend from Moldova, Tatiana Scutelnic, who now hopefully wonders if I will do a project about her country, too. Perhaps when I am done with this chapter I can look at the history of Moldova and Romania as the basis of a project. Something other than about Dracula at least. For now, I just wanted to say thank you for providing your inspiring insights into the world. You have in a way, in part, without knowing it, inspired and led me to this new adventure.

My travel plans take me to Croatia 5-12 June 2006. I'll then be off to the UK for more weeks until 1 July. Hopefully when I return I will have more insight into the Balkans to share with you and others. Let me know if you'd be curious to hear how it went.

Of course, I respect you as a busy writer and media professional and can understand if you read this and say, "Who is this guy?" and hit delete.

Hope you are having a good year and enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend.

Sincerely,

-Peter Corless.
petercorless@mac.com
650-906-3134
Walking the Overnight for Suicide Prevention — Help Save Lives!

• The original link to the Overnight was here. I only raised $770. I paid the balance up to $1,000 myself.

• This year, I am walking for the same cause: the Out of the Darkness community walk this weekend. I’ve raised $270 so far. Please give!

Initial Images of Croatia

My Third Eye on Zagreb, Copyright © 2006 Peter Corless

I went to Zagreb in the spring of 2006 in order to look back on the history of the war of independence of c. 1990—1995. I had only recently gotten my “Eye of Horu” cap at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Train ride from Palo Alto up to San Francisco earlier that year. The cap symbolized a change in my life. “Under New Management,” as the saying goes. I prayed the trip would illuminate the issues in my mind and keep my mind open to new ideas and away from preconceived judgments.

Zagreb Park & Parking Copyright © 2006 Peter Corless

The hotel in Zagreb where I stayed had its back to a small green park and courtyard surrounded by various buildings of odd mixed heritages spanning from the Austro-Hungarian Imperial era (pre-World War I) through the Cold War (1950s-1960s). Vehicles crammed into the crowded parking in the back like Matchbox cars tossed in by a tempestuous child and bonked on repeatedly to force them into a spot however they would fit.

The biggest issue I had in that first twenty four hours was realizing that my power cords did not seem to work at all. My laptop was going to have problems. The “universal” power adapters and all the wiring I had gotten in the states in preparation for the trip seemed not to work. Thus, most of the trip was technically a bust. I filmed far less than I wanted. I wrote far less than I intended, and I felt more put upon by technology than sensed I was being served by it to do it’s job on the trip.

I did get photos and videos. Yet nothing was ever easy. Power and recharging became an instant and chronic problem, which detracted from the entire experience through Croatia, and later, England.

Zagreb Laundry Copyright © 2006 Peter Corless

After I woke and readied myself, I went down to the lobby to await Dorica Perak and Petra Gjuric. Both would serve as translators, interpreters, drivers, guides, and dear friends on my trip.

Progress Report

The goal for research and development is to have the initial prototype of Razumijen playtestable for an initial run-through sometime between November (Thanksgiving) to December (Christmas) of 2008.

Design Goals

• Make stopping genocide “fun”
• Focus on cooperative gameplay
• Reward doing what is right, not what will “win” you advantage over others
• Rewards based on playing the best you can given the cards dealt and events occurring

• Playable by 2-7 players within 2-3 hours
• Playable by ages 12 and up; key target ages 15 to 45.

• Board: Map of West Balkans focused on (Former) Yugoslavia
• Components: Playing pieces, markers, dice
• Card Decks: 108 cards (Leaders, Powers, Peoples, Events, Interests)
• 4 Pages of Rules

Tonight, I am working on the list of leaders for the game.

I also lined up a few people to playtest in the future. Jana Krezo and her son Mario have agreed to be the first playtesters. Since Jana was the person who spurred me to go to Croatia, to Vukovar, to see the land for myself, I believe she deserves to be the first to see the initial fruits of my labor. The game will be dedicated in part to Jana, Mario, and all the war survivors and extended members of the various ethnic diaspora in the world.

I also contacted Keith Redfield, my former colleague and boss from both ComputerWare and Cisco. I’d like to dedicate the game in part to him, his former wife Sally, and their daughter Amelia. The term ameliorate is the key theme of Razumijen: to lessen and sooth the harmful effects of war and human hatred. I have a great deal to personally thank Keith for in my life, and this game is in great measure possible only because of the opportunities Keith gave me in my professional life.

Dedication and Thanks

For Those Who Were There

Razumijen is dedicated to the people of the Balkans in hopes they may navigate this coming century in peace, stability, and prosperity. It is dedicated to those who lived through the critical years of the breakup of Yugoslavia. And also to those who lost their lives, their physical, mental or spiritual health, their friends, families, and fortunes in the terrible years. May this work help bring them closure to the events of the past, and teach others so future generations and people around the world will not have to suffer similar grief and tragedy.

It is dedicated to all the keepers of the peace and the concerned citizens of the world who helped rather than caused harm and acted effectively, diligently and tirelessly during the critical years. Those who mitigated and solved problems, and prevented or ameliorated the suffering. Doctors and nurses, religious and educational leaders who saved and shaped lives. Concerned neighbors, valiant eyewitnesses and journalists. Dedicated police officers and others in criminal justice and the press. All those who researched, reported, tracked, and prosecuted the worst offenders, and interceded so that other offenses never occurred. International peacekeepers or native soldiers who kept their ethics and morals paramount—especially during the worst of the events.

For Those Who Care About Social Justice

It is also dedicated to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to peaceful alternatives to war. My mother, Beatrice Corless, has been a longstanding member of WILPF. In December 2001, not long after the hysteria and demands for vengeance for 9/11, my mother was handing out flyers urging parents to avoid violent and warlike games.

My thanks also extend to the people at St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church in Cupertino, California. "Peace and music." Recently for Irene Kwok's conducting recital, I sang bass in the spiritual, Down by the Riverside, which has the emphatic line, "Ain't gonna study war no more." Alas, I do and shall continue to do so.

Therefore I must offer my fellow parishioners, my fellow singers, my mother and WILPF an apology. For I have been an avid military simulation player and designer nearly my entire life. When I read this article about my mother handing out flyers, it made me mindful of how closely I have been attached to the very industry my mother is protesting against.

Yet I continue to study war with a purpose. I do so to understand the psychological mechanics of war and conflict, in the hope of averting the desire for such in the future and even in the critical present. It may not always be possible. The Balkans showed how war and violence can be a very effective tool to execute policy and achieve personal ends by any means. Only by studying the mechanisms of war can we find social, intellectual and philosophical alternatives. Only by studying war can we spot the moments of its fomenting, its tipping points, and the manner to bring its swiftest resolution with the least destruction.

I'd like to thank all the military simulation game designers who taught me directly or indirectly through playing their games. I'd like to thank those who inculcate the believe that the art of simulating war and conflict can be used so that it does not have to be prosecuted and inflicted in real life.

Those Who Guided Me Down the Path

In particular, I'd like to thank Snjezana ("Jana") Krezo, a fellow student in my MBA program and former resident of Vukovar, who encouraged me to visit Croatia. She was the one that said I should go to see it myself, and so, this first trip especially is due to her prodding. I'd like to thank her and her family and friends and contacts who have been so helpful so far in this project.

I'd also like to thank Travis Petkovits, who I met at the 2006 GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas. He was the person who recommended Rebecca West's seminal study of Yugoslavia before World War II, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon.

I'd also like to thank Chris Salander, a long-time friend who helped with Celebrate History years ago, and who I still see at the Bay Area miniature and gaming conventions, and Jeff Tibbits of Pacific Rim Games for their encouragement in the early stages of the project. Chris, thank you for the copy of Marita-Merkur, and for pointing me towards Jeff.

For You

If you have come to this page, it was with a purpose of interest on the topic. Even if you ended up here by accident, consider you have stuck around and read as far as you have. For your attention and interest, for your time and care, I thank you.

Razumijen - I Understand

My name is Peter Corless. I am an author and game designer from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States of America.

I will be visiting Zagreb and Vukovar in Croatia this 5-12 June 2006 to do research on a game on the breakup of Yugoslavia, called Razumijen.

It is my hope to either formally interview, or at least informally meet with educators, former government members, and eyewitnesses of the history of Croatia, specifically the time of its modern independence from Yugoslavia c. 1990-2000.

The project I am working on is called Razumijen. This is a Bosnian word, from what I understand, which means appropriately enough, "I understand." Yet for many Americans, and many people around the world, they do not understand what occurred in the Balkans during that era.

My goal is to make a game for the world to understand the breakup of Yugoslavia and the modern dawn of independence in the Balkans. Looking at the recent headlines I see even today this process continues with the vote in Montenegro to become independent. And looking to the future, Kosovo still awaits a final resolution.

Yet the process began with Slovenia and Croatia in 1991, and this is where my research begins. I will be traveling to Croatia to see the land for myself, and to get a sense of the people and their beliefs.

If my game is successful, those of us around the world can learn more and in a new way understand what happened. Though this is a game, and thus is primarily designed to be fun, it will be a game to teach others, and to encourage them to learn more. So that we may remember what happened, and why, and how. It is a supreme challenge to make a game respectful of history and culture, dealing with very hard subjects such as genocide and civil strife, and do so in a way that is attractive to people and fun to play. Yet do we not already have horror movies and fictitious works of war and disaster? Therefore, I believe it is quite possible to do a good game on the history of Croatia, so long as it remains genuine, authentic, respectful, and knowledgeable. I wish for people to be eager to play again, and by doing so, to learn more through this sort of game. If they become engaged through play, this can lead to more research into the books and web sites on the history of the region, and more knowledgeable of win-win game theory and successful social conflict resolution.

My goal is to synthesize various available written sources and translate the story of the Balkans to a board game so that families and friends can learn together. So that children around the world can learn from what happened, and how they can become "concerned citizens of the world" so that they do not let such ethnic strife occur unchecked in the future.

Beyond the Balkans, Croatia has now participated in its own UN missions abroad. This game would, by analogy, teach us about successful local and international engagement, implicitly teaching conflict resolution useful in these other global conflicts.

The goal of the game would be to keep the Misery Index down low and keep the Prosperity Level as high as possible through the crisis of independence. This will be difficult, because natural factors of the game events will try to create crises for the players to deal with, year after year. There is much interest in the game already here in the United States amongst various game design professionals I have contacted. Apparently there are a growing list of people I will be meeting in Croatia, so there are interested parties there also now.

I would be keenly interested if you know of any other games, possibly in local languages, that cover the period of the breakup of Yugoslavia.

I am bringing video/camera equipment. Depending on the comfort level, I may make the interviews without the cameras and simply take notes. While I am mostly interested in speaking to adults for their eyewitness knowledge and expertise, I am quite interested in speaking to groups of students. After all, they have all grown up during the era of an independent Croatia!

Today is the 4th of June, 2006. I leave for Zagreb in the afternoon, around 2:00 pm, from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). I'll reach there via London Heathrow.

If you read about this project hereafter, I am quite willing establish a correspondence with interested parties remotely and would be glad to credit others for their contributions to the project.

Likewise, Croatia for me is a beginning step. Yugoslavia had six republics — Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro. It also had two provinces — Vojvodina and Kosovo. This is my first venture to the Balkans region. Whether I would return depends greatly on the interest and support required for future visits.

For now, I am humble and grateful for the support and encouragement that I have received so far.