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Agbenyo John Stephen's Friends
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Meeting Royalty in Canada: Will, Kate – and Tom
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 Ottawa, Canada I was tired, it was very hot outside, and soon to be my birthday … the last thing I wanted (despite my usual eagerness to travel) was an invite for a long bus ride to see the Royal Couple, Kate and Will, in Ottawa (a place I’d never been to before). I never was one to suffer much for royalty, but my daughter (far more princess-like than her mother) really, really, wanted to go! I could not possibly say no to her wish.
To my further surprise, my daughter next informed me Charles De Lint lived there, a creative writer of urban fantasy she herself introduced me to (not in person, of course). Chances were nill I’d meet him there (which proved true), but the hope was a big bonus.
After a night bus ride we arrived in a super-sun-drenched city (I had packed my entire suit case for colder Canadian weather). I was impressed with the elegantly old and wondrously English parliament buildings resembling small castles. One building has two gargoyles on top. There’s a two-spired church, steeples glistening like huge upside down icicles, along with a giant spider sculpture uncommonly beautiful. Nearby is a small waterfall where one can see Quebec across the river.
300,000 visitors filled the streets the next day, almost doubling the population. The searing sun seemed to melt everyone and everything down into one bronzed entity. Light glittered off the buildings and on the lawn where we all stood … waiting, waiting, waiting … sweating and hot. Bells kept chiming out the hours.
What we don’t do for our kids …
Feeling innovative, I gathered my scarf around my hat so it resembled a burqa-like tent flowing around me, a protection against the solar glare. I stood out in the crowd, invisible as I was, and very soon, other people (even men) had spare clothing wrapped around their heads draping down their backs and shoulders. We all were Arabian that day, with new understanding and deep appreciation for their traditional clothing.
Then came the time. Suddenly, the roar of cannon fire … again and again, while big jets zoomed low overhead (reminding me instantly of a plane that crashed right into the audience at an airshow years ago).
The sound of bagpipes floated on the still, simmering air followed by an entourage of decorated police and black, armored motor cars. Elegant troops of horses came, manes and tails bouncing, naturally royal. They proudly pulled dainty carriages. Somebody noticed snipers (dressed in apropos black) standing on nearby roofs which gave everything an eerie overcast.
All this glorious pomp and glory, though, could not possibly compete with the first memory I had of that city. I was on a jostling public bus going toward the hotel in the morning. There, on the sidewalk racing alongside the street, I thought I saw someone I knew. Except that person died fourteen months ago. Nevertheless, there he was again, for one split second:
A First Nation Indian fellow about my age had materialized within the frame of the dusty bus window. He had lovely copper skin which stood out immediately from the swirling blur of people. I’m not sure anyone else on that bus even saw him – perhaps he was invisible to everyone but me. Slender, with high cheekbones and an earring, he was roaring down the street – in a wheelchair! His long hair was flowing like blown black feathers while his strong hands turned the big wheels of his chair. Oddly, he seemed to have the stick of a candied sucker poking out the side of his lips – that’s when I thought for sure it must indeed be the man I knew, who would have done all those same things.
“Look!” I caught my daughter’s attention (this all happened in a flash). “Do you see that handsome Native in that wheelchair over there? He’s Tom Soto’s doubleganger, like his angel!”
She looked, but already he was gone. Disappeared, as if he’d easily slipped right back into heaven. My daughter shook her head, disappointed she missed the Canadian version of our beloved friend (an Aztec Indian) of thirteen years. The bus drove hastily on while the outdoor crowds changed our view like a turning of the Kaleidoscope.
“Why, I could swear it was Tom!” I told her.
Smiling, my girl wisely replied, “Well, Mom, remember this is “De Lint-ville,” it’s enchanted. Here anything is possible! Maybe he really was Tom.”
Yes, I think so - kind of - it was love, and Tom’s memory. I would never have noticed that stranger in such a crowd without my huge love for him. Tom made his reappearance that day through my memory.
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The Power of Nonviolence
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Check MPT’s Newsletter Blog!
http://michiganpeaceteamnewsletters.blogspot.com/
Just click the blogspot Link, then select the MPT 2011 Spring Newsletter. It was posted on June 30,2011- a bit late for Spring but well worth checking out!
Also, thank you so much for whatever you can do to help distribute the MPT 2011 Spring newsletter …
Your MPT Newsletter Working Group: Nancy Ayotte, Paula Marie Deubel, Barbara Nolin, Kim Redigan, Annette Thomas, Liz Walters
In this newsletter we lift up the power of nonviolence and celebrate the
growing number of nonviolent movements around the planet that are seeking social
change. At the same time we acknowledge that Earth Community is facing some of
the most serious economic, social, and political problems imaginable. As people
increasingly experience their lives being stressed by violence, unemployment,
eviction, debt, and malnutrition, our responsibility to help them understand the
power of nonviolence and the possibilities of nonviolent action becomes ever
more important.
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If King Michael is a traitor … then what is Basescu?
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Click here to view the embedded video.
Romanian President Traian Basescu called HMS King Michael of Romania a traitor…. How far can a *supposedly* democratic president go when expressing personal opinions and such in public?
ActMedia Romanian News Agency:http://www.actmedia.eu/2011/06/24/top+story/royal+house+will+not+comment+on+p…
Yahoo News:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110623/ap_on_re_eu/eu_romania_basescu_king
The Kansas City Star:http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/23/2969149/romanian-president-launches-atta…
Romania Report Blog: http://romania-rep.blogspot.com/2008/02/president-basescu-in-timisoara-i-will…
Find out more: http://www.google.ro/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=basescu+about+…
I didn’t plan to take on this subject at the beginning. But, at the same time, a so-called democratic president … sings the tunes of the Securitate & co? (Securitate was the Romanian secret police during the belle epoque – for the unitiated, before 1989, when it was a Communist dictatourship under Nicolae Ceausescu) Bashing the Royal Family was en vogue then, for obvious reasons. But what does this prove?
Going beyond the obvious insult (recited a la carte from the How to Be a Good Boy – girls are obviously left out, they are supposed to stay at home and breed a future glorious generation for the Party and for the country - handbook printed in the brains of so many people…), this is an intriguing – and terrifying – Freudian (Stalinist?) slip from a person who is supposed to promote a certain set of morals, convictions and act as the representative of the many. What is even more disturbing is the thought that, even though he has lost a whole bucket o’ points in the hearts of his *cough* subjects, Basescu still shows no sign of stopping his destructive ways. He’s like on a bloody rampage with nothing to lose!
Well, anyway, this is from the point of view of an insider who can pledge alliance to the King at any time. How does this appear from the outside? I’m really interested to see if this little slip will hurt Basescu (and Romania?)’s international image. My question is … is a president supposed to recite such offensive poems?
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Foreign language radio: link to home and learning tool for language learners
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Tune in and learn a language!
I’m in a Brazilian hiking group and new hikers always ask me how I learned Portuguese with a Portuguese accent. My response is always: KSQQ, Rádio Comercial Portuguesa 96.1FM in San Jose, CA, a Portuguese Community Radio. I listened through a lot of ads for funeral homes and Catholic masses while driving. And low and behold, I learned Portuguese.
Judy Keen of USA TODAY published an article on foreign language radio stations in the US and their problems to stay in business, Foreign-language radio stations provide connection to home . Another addition to the article should have been that those radio stations not only keep foreign nationals and immigrants in the US connected to each other and in tune with what’s going on in their home countries, but they also serve as a resource for language learners to have a constant source of information in their target language.
If it weren’t for my intermittent tuning into Portuguese radio, I probably would not speak the language as well as I do. Now my accent is mixed between a Brazilian and Portuguese one but my continental Portuguese vowels and “sh” sounds are distinctly from the Iberian peninsula and I’ve never lived there.
Keep those radio stations on and help language learners pick up a new language while in traffic.
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The Pale City
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by James Schwartz
From the pale city
Beside the pale sea
I traveled once more home
To the fields in hues of tea
I left behind abandon lovers
They did not see me go
I keep my silence still
I have nothing left to show
No goodbyes were called out
As the pale city fell behind
Only silence reigned
Of the indifferent kind.
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Evitar el Spanglish utilizando canciones y los medios
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Entrevista en el programa matutino de Univision San Francisco (KDTV) con la autora del libro, El Idioma es Música” acerca de los temas de como hablar inglés y español sin mezlcarles en Spanglish y como utilizar canciones, televisión y películas para aprender idiomas. El 13 de junio 2011. (Interview in Spanish about how to avoid speaking Spanglish and speak both English and Spanish correctly and how to use songs, TV, movies and other media to learn languages.) June 13, 2011.
1ra entrevista (1st interview)
2da entrevista (2nd interview)
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Вы хотите говорить на иностранном языке?
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Вы хотите говорить на иностранном языке?
Слушайте музыку, смотрите телевизионные программы и кинофильмы.
Сусанна Зарайская, автор книги «Язык – это музыка», считает, что каждый язык имеет свою тональность, как и музыкальное произведение.
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Tourist, Tourist Couples, and Visiting Without Seeing Anything
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Even though it may seem this post is a rant, it most certainly isn’t. These are some thoughts about travelling and tourism that have been bugging me for some time.
I don’t dislike travelling – in fact I love it and, in one way or another, I’ve been on the road all my life – but I tend to dislike tourism. What I mean by tourism? The kind of *cough* travelling done through an agency that plans everything from lodging to itineraries. That is, one’s visit is filtered through the eyes, opinions and narrow-mindedness of some travel agent who decides what you should see, where you should eat, whom you should meet. Of course, these things are also planned according to that particular city, region or country’s intentions: for example, you can’t visit – say North Korea, perhaps even China or Cuba – freely. These two coupled, you get to see what some other people – Big Brother, maybe? – want you to see. I remember that in 2007, I went to Turkey with a very good friend of mine and, as we have Balkan Flexi-Pass tickets and some days off, we decided to stroll around the country as well (We were headed towards Eskisehir, but before that, we spent a few days in Istanbul and most part of a day in Ankara). While we were still in Istanbul, we went around the town, meeting people, and talking with them, we told them about our plans to visit Ankara too and everybody told us not to go there, “better go to Izmir or some other place like that”, they said. Then we realized what they meant: there was a contrast – I’m not saying in the bad sense, but in the sense of a great difference – between the former Constantinople and the country’s capital. We still loved it, and it was an incredible experience – knowing the real soul of a country cannot be achieved by only visiting the touristic attractions and suggestions!
On the other hand, I very much dislike narrow-minded people and those with a superior attitude towards everybody else because they come from a place or another. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but these people are usually the ones that haven’t left their safe-zone bubble much or the ones that have complexes and are so insecure that they put on a high-horse mask to anybody who doesn’t know their true situation.
Travelling should be a fun experience. I’m not going to start a psychological or marriage counseling blog, but, if you are going to live with somebody, make that somebody with whom you have at least a common subject or passion! Tourist couples that sit in restaurants face to face looking at everything else – except their partners – does not only make them feel awkward and disgusted, but everybody else too! I’m not saying that, if you don’t have a wife or husband with whom you can talk at least about the weather or the latest tennis match, you shouldn’t go out and about, but at least try to make the trip pleasant for your partner, everybody else – that way, you’ll see your own time will be pleasant – and maybe even fun – too!
Getting to know a society or culture is exactly like getting to know a person: you can’t do that only by going through its public image. For example, England is not only Trafalgar Square or Buckingham Palace, France is not only the Eiffel Tower (and – if you’re more cultured, or intend to seem so – Louvre or Cannes), Romania is not only Dracula, Japan is not only geisha and samurai, China is not only The Great Wall, etc. You should at least read about the inner workings of that society: a bit about the language(s), food, history, etc. You should also see if there are special requirements (like if you go to Saudi Arabia or Iran, for example). You should always abide by the saying When in Rome, do as Romans do.
Don’t hesitate to meet people and listen to their stories. Don’t be afraid to make friends. You can risk a bit and try new streets, shops or foods (of course, not too much, as some places can be really dangerous). Ask the locals. If you can live with a family, that’s even better! Don’t be afraid to enjoy your visit!
That being said, I’m just hoping that ideas like Slow Travel or Couch Surfing get more into the mainstream and will be tried by people who – until now – never went out of the “Travel Agency – Hotel – Tourist Attractions – Travel Agency” vicious circle.
And… until the next time … Life is more than one journey, love every one of them! As an end, please listen to this Jimmy Cliff song:
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Hare Krishna: Textures
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Click here to view the embedded video.
This video is basically a collage of different pictures I’ve taken a few weeks ago during an Indian festival in Trafalgar Square, London UK. I was fascinated by the sea of colours and the blend between sari and traditional Indian textures with modern-Western materials and shapes. I have an obsession for taking pictures of feet – it’s not a fetish, it’s more like a way of cutting an image (with its story) to the slightest detail (the feet) which still holds a meaning and can tell much more than the whole picture. It also leaves room to imagination!
Enjoy … and Hare Krishna!
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Compromise and Commit
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A May 28th article on Yahoo! News really confounded me. The title says “Married couples in less than half of US households.” I guess I grew up in an environment where there is a stigma associated with not being married and having a domestic relationship with someone else. Call me old-fashioned – but I see no wrong in being that way. Marriage is a big step and before we get there, we need to create a deep relationship with our partner. A lot of times we think we know everything -the-I-know-what-I’m-doing. But listen - if you are in a relationship and one person is not on the same wavelength as you are – you are better off alone or finding someone who deserves you. Experience can only tell you how it is. I truly believe that a man will do the most honorable thing for a woman – and that is not to subject her for countless judgements.
My husband and I got married at the Commonwealth of Virginia. Getting a license was easy and the fee would have been waived if we had at least attended three days of seminar. We wanted to legalize that union but at the same time we wanted God’s blessing. According to the Catholic Church, we could not have a full Catholic Matrimonial Ceremony because my husband was not Catholic. So we had our little ceremony at a small church in Shallowater, Texas, and the priest blessed us and our rings. So I wore my white dress that my sister worked for days sewing on the white beads and sequins. It was good enough even with just family around.
Really, but what baffles me is that it becomes a trend. So talked to a lot of people and they’ve given me the following reasons:
[1] “We wanted to test the water first before we jump in.” – But don’t you spend time with your boyfriend/girlfriend almost everyday? Does it have to be a 24/7 Scientific Investigation to be able to know what annoys both of you?
[2] “We don’t have the money for the ceremony and I want to invite all my friends who invited me in their wedding.” – There are several options to invest that money than a glamorous ceremony. If you cannot afford it, then be honest with yourself. What is really important for you – the wedding ceremony or being in a secure relationship with your partner? Your REAL friends will understand that.
[3] “We had a baby so we kinda lived together.But I am not sure I want to marry him.” – Maybe you shouldn’t live together and let him stay with his mama and you’re better off staying with your mama, too. You’re both going to be called a “baby’s mama” or a “baby’s daddy” for the rest of your life. My vocabulary gets extended each day.
[4] “My mom lived with this guy who is younger than her. But he has been supporting us.” – I talked to some teenagers and if it is all right for their mom or dad to be in a domestic relationship, then it becomes “all right” for them, too. How can something be wrong with something when it becomes right from the start?
[5] “Everybody’s doing it so why not?” – That’s the point. We used to cringed at the stigma associated with dissuading from the norm. But where is the stigma? Society has made it easy for young people nowadays to have a baby and just live with their partners. There’s free day care, there’s the Food and Nutrition Program called WIC provided by each state in the US, and of course there are food stamps that can qualify low-income families.
[6] “I was in a bad relationship before and got divorced. So I don’t want that to happen again.” – Nobody’s perfect. We all make bad decisions sometime in our lives but we all would like believe in second chances. We move on. But marriage is still a commitment and you have to try to make it work. That’s why it is important to prepare for that giant leap. Have a long engagement; try being away from each other for sometime and see how you both react to situations; compromise and compromise if you have to.
Compromise and Commit. That’s it! I used to be a skeptic but life is that way – it changes your perspective, lowers your tolerance for immaturity, and makes you appreciative of the little things in life. Pray – that’s the most powerful weapon we have to create good changes in our lives.
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My Hymmnn
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by James Schwartz
Once upon a night.
Fubar fable syrup.
Blessed be false China.
February theatre.
Bed of midnight.
Exhaling.
Egg nog snow.
Blanketed breakers crash.
Seascapes.
Ripped lace.
Ragged visions.
Capsize.
Baptize.
Sonnetize.
Rave.
Unto the white sun fantastic.
Blessed be the undressed.
Caw caw caw cool.
Your Bronx grave.
Literary clubbers.
Star cold eyes.
Eyes of the Universe.
Javelin takes all.
Out of bounds.
Out of blue.
Caw caw caw come.
Sweet violence.
Night violence.
Black ink.
Black ice.
Reflection pools.
Remixed emotions.
Blessed are the poets.
Blessed are the cities’ tears.
On the rocks.
Ginsberg and tonic.
Disco nights, sleeping.
Blessed are the wild weeping.
Smooth utterings.
Tropical fruit.
Black ice symphonies.
Last call.
Sip from Stein.
See starry lines.
Blessed be floral death.
Jungle trance.
Deep freeze.
Blessed be the close of your eyes.
Thank you, sequins.
Thank you, Allen.
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NOTE: My Hymmnn is an answer to Hymmnn by Allen Ginsberg, a finalist for the Starry Rhymes: 85 Years of Allen Ginsberg chapbook anthology (edited by Claire Askew and Stephen Welsh www.onenightstanzas.com). I was both honored to be a finalist and happy to pay tribute to poet Allen Ginsberg.
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