"I will not die an unlived life..."

An old dear friend, Carla H, is very ill and one of the people coordinating her care sent out a thoughtful email, and ended with this:

"I will close with a poem by Dawna Markova which I shared with Carla years ago and which she liked very much. It is my aspiration to live my life as much like this as I am able. Carla has done this."

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
Of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,
To allow my living to open me,
To make me less afraid,
More accessible,
To loosen my heart
Until it becomes a wing,
A torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,
To live so that which came to me as seed
Goes to the next as blossom,
And that which came to me as blossom,
Goes on as fruit.

Dimitri Pittas as Macduff. Ah la paterna mano

A friend, and REAL opera buff Michael R, recommended this guy as the next great tenor. What do you think?
Click here to watch the video now.

Read more at Demitri's website.

Obama Plans Major Shifts in Spending

February 27, 2009
By JACKIE CALMES, The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Proclaiming a “once in a generation” opportunity, President Obama proposed a 10-year budget on Thursday that reflects his determination in the face of recession to invest trillions of dollars and his own political capital in reshaping the nation’s priorities.

Mr. Obama would overhaul health care, begin to arrest global warming, expand the federal role in education and shift more costs to some corporations and the wealthiest taxpayers.

Read More!

Blogger's Note: The print version headline read a bit differently: "Obama, breaking 'from a troubled past,' seeks a budget to reshape U.S. priorities. Tax Rise for the Wealthy -- Push on Health and Education"

Ancient Fossil Lucy Showcases Ethiopia's Remarkable Past and Promising Future

OpEdNews
By Wondimu Asamnew, Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington DC
October 23, 2008

[Blogger's Note: "Lucy" just completed her tour in Seattle but I haven't been able to find out where the exhibit goes next.]

Thousands of Americans are being introduced to Ethiopia for the first time by an unlikely Ethiopian tourist--a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton named Lucy.

Lucy, one of the world's oldest and most well-preserved adult fossils, is currently on display at Seattle's Pacific Science Center. This is Lucy's second stop on a tour of America, which began last year in Houston and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.

"We have been the custodians of Lucy,"- said Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States Samuel Assefa at the Seattle exhibit's opening ceremony. "But she belongs to the world."-

Lucy does, in fact, reveal much about the origins of our modern world. Her species name is Australopithecus, which is Latin for "southern ape,"- and her species name A. Afarensis refers to her origins in Afar, the region in Ethiopia where scientists discovered her. Lucy was among the first group of mammals that walked upright like modern man and its predecessors including Homo erectus and Neanderthals.

The discovery of Lucy and other ancient fossils in Ethiopia cements the nation's claim to being the cradle of humanity and the birthplace of mankind. It is altogether fitting that the Lucy exhibit making its way around the country also devotes great attention to the country in which she was discovered--Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is an amazing land of tolerance that sets an example for the rest of the world. For centuries, members of the world's three main Abrahamic religions--Christianity, Judaism and Islam have coexisted in mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

Ethiopia is a country which is proud of its unique and rich history, but is far from being locked in the past. Since its transition to a democracy in the early 1990s, Ethiopia has been striving to shake off the image of famine that it gained during the food crises of the 1980s and to establish itself as one of the leading countries in Africa.

Ethiopia's gains have been seen in the education of its next generation. While just 22 percent of children went to elementary school in 1991, today more than 97 percent of Ethiopian children attend. Only two universities existed in Ethiopia in 1991, but today there are more than 21 universities and 90 colleges and vocational schools providing education to more than 100,000 students a year.

Ethiopia has also made remarkable progress in providing social services and improved health care. Over the past 15 years the child mortality rate has been reduced by more than 40 percent and the number of deaths caused by malaria has been cut in half thanks in part to the distribution of 18 million insecticide treated bednets in the last three years alone.

Ethiopia has also demonstrated remarkable economic development as evidence by an average double-digit percent annual growth rate since 2003. This rate is among the fastest in the world, is double the African average and is projected to continue for at least two more decades.

As Lucy continues her journey across the United States, she will continue to serve as a goodwill ambassador from Ethiopia. Hopefully Lucy will play an important role in showcasing Ethiopia--both the ancient land that is inextricably linked to the lives of all men and women, and the modern-day country which is striving to provide a better future for its people.

Authors Bio: Wondimu Asamnew currently serves as the Head of Public Relations and Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, D.C.

‘Socialism!’ Boo, Hiss, Repeat

March 1, 2009
By MARK LEIBOVICH, The New York Times, "Week in Review"
Washington — Conservatives might be seeking a spiritual leader, organizing principle and fresh identity, but they at least seem to have settled on a favorite rhetorical ogre: socialism.

As in, Democrats are intent on forcing socialism on the “U.S.S.A” (as the bumper sticker says, under the words “Comrade Obama”).

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45 Roles, 628 Performances. Why Stop? (Placido Domingo)

March 13, 2009
Music
By ANTHONY TOMMASINI, The New York Times
Plácido Domingo cannot see himself retiring the way many opera stars do: by announcing a farewell tour and going from company to company, accepting tributes. “Rather,” he said, reflecting on his astonishingly long career during an interview in the tiny press office at the Metropolitan Opera, “I think it will be one evening, after a performance, to say, ‘That’s it.’ ”

Mr. Domingo, 68, came close to doing that in January 2007 at the Met, at the end of the premiere run of Tan Dun’s opera “The First Emperor,” commissioned by the Met expressly for him.

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Blogger's Note: We saw Domingo in Washington DC with the Three Tenors tour in 2000, and I have seen him perform on the operatic stage at the Kennedy Center in DC and with the LA Opera as well. (Ain't it great to live in "opera cities"!)

Darwin’s Wake Splashed Artists, Too

March 3, 2009
Exhibition Review | 'Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts'
By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN, The New York Times
NEW HAVEN — The artist stands in the distance, gazing up at the striated chalk cliffs on the coast of Kent, England. His family is gathering shells in the shallow tidal pools of Pegwell Bay that, with the receding waters, have a look of barren desolation. The sky is an unearthly yellow from the glowering late light of an autumn sun. Above, Donati’s Comet leaves a trail that would not be seen for another two millenniums.

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Canadian's terrorism case in Ethiopia watched closely

Said Maktal is campaigning for the release of his cousin Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian held without charge or trial for the pas two years in an Ethiopian jail, Dec. 23, 2008.Photograph by: Chris Mikula, The Ottawa Citizen
By Louisa Taylor, Ottawa Citizen, March 17, 2009

OTTAWA — Days before a Canadian businessman is to appear in an Ethiopian court to face terrorism charges, the government officials are sending "strong signals" that they are watching to see whether Bashir Makhtal has any hope of a fair trial — and if he doesn't, they'll be taking steps to bring the former Toronto businessman home.

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Charlie"s Diary: Visit to see the kids and grandson Part II

More pix from my trip to Flagstaff to see the kids, and our grandson:

Blogger's Note: in an email to an old friend I wrote: "Grandchildren are such a marvelous invention. We're looking forward to showing Kahlil our park (with the geese to feed) and the Portland Zoo."

What a great pair: Kahlil and grandmother Irene Komadina

Kahlil two weeks shy of his first birthday

Kahlil loving life.

Kahlil and new best friend at pediatrician's office.

Grandpa Charlie and Kahlil reading.

Charlie"s Diary: Visit to see the kids and grandson

I'm just back from two nights in Flagstaff to see my kids and grandson. Grandson Kahlil is happy, robust, thriving and will be one on March 29th. He's walking well but only goes around with assistance. It was great fun watching him in a waiting room with other toddlers...staring, touching, cooing at one another.

Here are pix of me, kids Andrew and caroline, grandson Kahlil, his Dad Kasey, and Kaey's Mom (and Kahlil's grandmother) Irene:

Caroline and Kahlil (close-up)

Andrew and Dad

Kahlil, Kasey and Irene

Caroline and Kahlil

Grandpa Charlie reading with Kahlil

Peace Corps Volunteer dies in West Africa

March 16, 2009
from Peace Corps Polyglot
The Blog of the National Peace Corps Association
We were saddened on late Friday to learn of the death of 24-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer Catherine "Kate" Puzey, who was found outside of her home in Benin early Thursday.

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