the-wagnerian.com image by Lawrence Morgan

Wagner's 200th birthday - May 22, 1813

Several years ago, some friends and I started listening to operas every Saturday evening on DVDs. Before we knew it, months had passed - and I came to an appreciation of opera which I had never had before.

We spent two months listening to Wagner's operas, which were often several hours in length. I'll never forget these operas, and we have thought about doing it again soon.

So I don't want to belittle in any way Wagner's great contribution to music on his 200th birthday. But first - just for the fun of it - here is a silly video, but quite amazing, about Wagner's music and cats.

Ride of the Valkitties

Anna Russel explains the ring cycle

Anna Russel was a great classical music comic. You have to see and hear her work:

Part 2:

A little taste of Wagner

I think the longest opera is Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), which is over 4 1/2 hours in length. Since I was in Nuremberg during my time in the service, I have always had a special place for this opera.

For those of you who haven't listened to Wagner before, here are several shorter pieces.

The first is the Siegfried Idyll, with Haitink and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Next is the Tannhauser Overture, played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Klaus Tennstedt. The actual operas, of which the overtures are the first part, are quite long, but are also quite wonderful.

One of the great conductors of Wagnerian operas was Herbert von Karajan. But when he was doing his best work, for the most part video was not yet invented so that color productions of his work could be preserved. But you will surely enjoy this excerpt, also from the opera Tannhauser.

A great way to enjoy opera, and Richard Wagner, is to make yourself comfortable with friends, take breaks, and enjoy some of the best music ever known.

Singing stamps

And I can't resist putting this web site on Wagner's 200th birthday, as well. These are (almost) stamps which lead to music! It's a great idea.

http://www.the-wagnerian.com/2013/05/singing-richard-wagner-stamps.html

Wagnerian opera announcement Image by Lawrence Morgan

sf blog photograph by Lawrence Morgan

The Arts - and - the Unexpected

A major part of the art world is the unexpected. Lawrence used to have many people like this who just showed up every so often and did their thing, often wonderfully well.

This article from San Francisco makes this very point. This person, without government assistance, assembled - and it took him a long time to do this - a bicycle and player piano combination. Now he rides it four times a week along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. People love his work and they are more than willing to give tips for it.

http://blog.sfgate.com/cityexposed/2013/04/06/pedaling-his-dreams/#11119-1

This is the kind of thing which used to happen in Lawrence, especially in the past. I sometimes wonder if, as businesses become more successful they also become more conservative. We ought to encourage artists of this type, and make spaces available for them to live in.

That's one of the many pieces of the puzzle if Lawrence is to be considered as a real arts city.

Wikipedia photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Les Blank dies - he was 77 years old - and he was a wonderful film maker

The New York Times article says it all. Please read the article below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/movies/les-blank-documentary-filmmaker-dies-at-77.html?hp

Younger readers may not know much, if anything, about Les Blank. I hope that because of this blog, you will find it necessary to go deeper into his film making. He is not well known by moviegoers, but he should be.

The first video below features zydeco artist Clifton Chenier. It is incredible music and even more so because the accordion is not played much in modern music of most kinds.

Below is a a tribute to old Applachian culture with the fiddler Tommy Jarrell.

The following is part of a film called "A Well Spent Life". Mance Lipscomb is considered by many to be one of the greatest blues guitarists. He's also been a sharecropper during much of his life.

Surely the words and film making apply equally today.

A look at New Orleans from an earlier time:

You can find more of Les Blank's movies on the web site, lesblank.com

In my point of view, there should be a Les Blank film festival which would travel throughout Kansas. Why not get it started in Lawrence?

Les Blank image by Lawrence Morgan

SFAppeal photograph by Lawrence Morgan

These are two events that Lawrence can't miss next year

St. Stupid's Day Parade

St. Stupid's Day took place in San Francisco on April 1, 2013. I remember the first year I was in San Francisco. I was very poor, and I was sitting in a coffeehouse downtown, and all of a sudden St. Stupid's Parade passed the window. I couldn't believe what was passing by outside. I left my chair and went outside, and the parade was tremendous.

But when I got back inside to my chair, I found that my coat had gone, which I had just purchased the previous week - an unfortunate negative side to living in a large city.

But I've enjoyed the parade each year very much.

Can't you imagine what Lawrence could do with this parade, on April 1st of each year?

Take a look at the following pictures:

http://www.sfgate.com/local/slideshow/April-Fools-parade-59534/photo-2766394.php

On Easter Sunday, there's also the Bring your Own Big Wheel race/demolition derby

There are more than 1500 contestants, dressed in everything from the Easter Bunny to astronauts. They all sit on plastic tricycles, or some version thereof, and head down the street past thousands of spectators. In San Francisco, Vermont Street on Potrero Hill is very steep. But the event would be just as much fun without the steep street.

http://blog.sfgate.com/cwnevius/2013/04/02/big-wheel-a-perfect-snapshot-of-quirky-san-francisco/

These are two events that Lawrence absolutely needs to take part in!

sfgate photograph by Lawrence Morgan

urbanfaith.com photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Bayo Omolola is interviewed on Chinua Achebe, poet from Nigeria

Bayo Omolola is a Nigerian living in the United States. He has taught languages, communication, and literature for many years in the United States, Nigeria, and The Gambia. When I heard of Chinua Achebe’s death, I contacted Bayo regarding Chinua Achebe and his importance to Nigerians, Africans and the world. Bayo’s responses are presented below:

“I had read about Professor Chinua Achebe’s death in the Sahara Desert before I received your message asking me for a chance of an interview on the African literary giant who left for the world beyond. I think Sahara Desert was the first newspaper to publish the story. Achebe was a great African writer whose works with peculiar African worldviews and expressions have been translated into many different languages. His writings are being read by students and scholars at different levels of education in many countries and on all continents today.

“However, towards the end of his life he made a comment which many educated Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba, perceived as an attack against their ethnic nation and leader, Obafemi Awolowo. The comment suggests that Achebe was tribalistic and unfair in the evaluation of the role the Yoruba leader played in the Biafra War when the Igbo ethnic nation attempted to carve out another republic in Nigeria in 1966-1970. I would say Achebe envisaged the controversial nature his writing could ignite when in his work, Anthills of the Savannah, he says, “Writers don't give prescriptions. They give headaches!”

Perhaps he knew his writing would annoy his readers, perhaps he knew he would make a case that many of his audience would argue about, react to and get furious about. “The pestle and mortal makers have done their carving; it is now left for the critics to do their work on what has been carved,” goes a Yoruba proverb.

Biafra

Back to the Biafra story - of course, the Republic of Biafra, in a way, existed temporarily by force for three years! The Igbo’s attempt failed, and Odumegwu Ojukwu, the head of the aborted republic, fled into his exile; thus he lived in Cote D’Ivoire until the Shehu Shagari-led Federal Government granted him a pardon in the Second Republic in Nigeria.

I was very young then

“During the war, many Igbo died and the federal troops in Nigeria also lost many lives. I was very young then. My town, which was not close to the war zone, was filled with fear. We were frequently told to hide in “escape holes” dug in different locations in case the war extended to our vicinity. We were conscious of danger, close to it psychologically but far away from it physically. Only young, strong, physically healthy people were being forced to join the military. Army trucks and seized vehicles would drive into different cities, towns and villages to get the ones that could fight - the ones that could be turned into new military recruits for the federal side.

“Nigeria survived, but the monster, which perhaps contributed to starting the Biafra War, has never left the country. Perhaps this is why the country which appears to be one has too visible diversities and seems to be walking on two opposing legs. One living, slim leg moves the country forward slowly and the other -the heavy, clumsy, robust, terrible leg filled with the monsters -twists the country’s forward-moving, slim leg and makes it wobble along the country’s path to development.

“As concerned, honesty, and hardworking Nigerians struggle to free the country from the claws of satanic elements so that the country can witness beautiful days as soon as possible, unfortunately Chinua Achebe is physically no more. He was one of the few Nigerians thinking the situation should be normal.

He will not be around to see any glorious Nigeria in the future if any will come, if Nigeria will not be dismantled by the forces of darkness which seem to have towered over it. What many Nigerians now have are doubts and dreams and doubts and dreams of doubts.

Bohkoharam

“Achebe passed away when another serious monster, BOKOHARAM, which started its tough, satanic march on Northern Nigeria has claimed many lives and property and made waves in the South-South, the East, and the South-West of the country. He passed away exactly at the time when the Federal Government of Nigeria felt corruption deserved forgiveness, when more looters were made to dream of escaping from the long harm of justice. Although the situation is not normal in Nigeria now, Achebe lived there before moving to America, made positive contributions in many communities, and helped to polish the image of Nigeria at home and abroad.

Much to learn from Achebe

“He is a literary hero and a fearless writer whose African culture, Igbo culture in particular, remains the stylus which makes his literary contributions distinct. Each of his writings is filled with African philosophical sayings and words of wisdom. Oral tradition often echoes messages that Achebe wants for his audience.

For example, in Things Fall Apart, this popular quotation "Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it," expresses the common ground that a community must have to achieve cohesion and orderliness. In a way, the expression can be interpreted to mean that people should not just talk about peace; they should back up their speeches or promises with appropriate actions. Of course, it can be applied to the situation in which the government just talks but lacks appropriate actions.

Chinua Achebe will live on

“The rest of the world has so many ideas to learn from the works of Chinua Achebe. With rich African philosophical expressions and worldviews that preserve traditions and natural environment and people’s cultural ideologies. Achebe will make the peoples of America, Japan, Indian, China, Europe and other countries to learn beyond their enclaves or periscopes.

Achebe’s works deliver Africa to peoples’ and nations’ corridors. With admiration for Achebe’s works globally - especially in high schools and colleges - I hope that the big names in movie productions, in different countries, such as Hollywood in America, will take interest in converting Achebe’s novels into movies. The global village should not be limited to information via the Internet.

“Besides high schools and colleges, libraries in the United States and in other countries should have copies of Achebe’s works for researchers or curious readers. With his works, the reading public will have the opportunity to acquire cross-fertilization of ideas and be able to develop their inter-cultural and cross-cultural communication skills.

Now that the literary giant has fallen apart, his literary contributions should remain solid and remain so in many centuries ahead. “May his soul rest in peace! Adieu, Professor Chinua Achebe!”

bossip photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Wikipedia has a good article on Chinua Achebe's background;

Chinua Achebe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaWikipedia

Quotations from Achebe's work

Following are some quotes from Chinua Achebe and his work. If you don't know his work, now is the time to select a book and to start reading. If a high school or college doesn't have his work in the library, donate the money for one or more of his books of your choice.

“While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.”

― Anthills of the Savannah

“If you don't like someone's story, write your own.”

“Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am - and what I need - is something I have to find out myself.”

“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”

- Things Fall Apart

“To me, being an intellectual doesn't mean knowing about intellectual issues; it means taking pleasure in them.”

“We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. The Igbo, always practical, put it concretely in their proverb Onye ji onye n'ani ji onwe ya: "He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down.”

- The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays

“Charity . . . is the opium of the privileged.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“My weapon is literature.”

“There is no story that is not true, [...] The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.”

- Things Fall Apart

“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. ”

“When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.”

hindustan times photograph by Lawrence Morgan

“Storytellers are a threat. They threaten all champions of control, they frighten usurpers of the right-to-freedom of the human spirit -- in state, in church or mosque, in party congress, in the university or wherever.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“People create stories create people; or rather stories create people create stories.”

“Mr. Brown had thought of nothing but numbers. He should have known that the kingdom of God did not depend on large crowds. Our Lord Himself stressed the importance of fewness. Narrow is the way and few the number. To fill the Lord's holy temple with an idolatrous crowd clamoring for signs was a folly of everlasting consequence. Our Lord used the whip only once in His life - to drive the crowd away from His church.”

- Things Fall Apart

“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.”

- Things Fall Apart

“Then listen to me,' he said and cleared his throat. 'It's true that a child belongs to its father. But when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. Is it right that you, Okonkwo, should bring your mother a heavy face and refuse to be comforted? Be careful or you may displease the dead. Your duty is to comfort your wives and children and take them back to your fatherland after seven years. But if you allow sorrow to weigh you down and kill you, they will all die in exile.”

- Things Fall Apart

“...when we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustices absentmindedly.”

-The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays

“There is no story that is not true.”

- Things Fall Apart

“Oh, the most important thing about myself is that my life has been full of changes. Therefore, when I observe the world, I don’t expect to see it just like I was seeing the fellow who lives in the next room. There is this complexity which seems to me to be part of the meaning of existence and everything we value.”

“Privilege, you see, is one of the great adversaries of the imagination; it spreads a thick layer of adipose tissue over our sensitivity.”

- Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays

guardian uk photograph by Lawrence Morgan

“Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings.”

-Things Fall Apart

“When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk”

-Things Fall Apart

“Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness.

It was deeper and more intimate the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.

Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself.”

- Things Fall Apart

“Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.”

- Things Fall Apart

“It is only the story...that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind. Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather, it is the story that owns us.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”

- Things Fall Apart

“It is the storyteller who makes us what we are, who creates history. The storyteller creates the memory that the survivors must have - otherwise their surviving would have no meaning.”

“The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.”

- No Longer at Ease

“A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness”

image by Lawrence Morgan

“It is the story that owns and directs us. It is the thing that makes us different from cattle; it is the mark on the face that sets one people apart from their neighbors.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“Ogbuef Ezedudu,who was the oldest man in the village, was telling two other men when they came to visit him that the punishment for breaking the Peace of Ani had become very mild in their clan. "It has not always been so," he said. "My father told me that he had been told that in the past a man who broke the peace was dragged on the ground through the village until he died. but after a while this custom was stopped because it spoiled the peace which it was meant to preserve.”

- Things Fall Apart

“...Nothing puzzles God”

- Civil Peace

“Writing has always been a serious business for me. I felt it was a moral obligation. A major concern of the time was the absence of the African voice. Being part of that dialogue meant not only sitting at the table but effectively telling the African story from an African perspective - in full earshot of the world.”

- There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra

“The triumph of the written word is often attained when the writer achieves union and trust with the reader, who then becomes ready to be drawn into unfamiliar territory, walking in borrowed literary shoes so to speak, toward a deeper understanding of self or society, or of foreign peoples, cultures, and situations.”

-There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra

“Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk.

"I have kola," he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.

"Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it," replied Okoye passing back the disc.

"No, it is for you, I think," and they argued like this for a few moments before Unoka accepted the honor of breaking the kola. Okoye, meanwhile, took the lump of chalk, drew some lines on the floor, and then painted his big toe.”

-Things Fall Apart

“A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing”

“That we are surrounded by deep mysteries is known to all but the incurably ignorant.”

“People from different parts of the world can respond to the same story if it says something to them about their own history and their own experience.”

- There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra

“Africa is people" may seem too simple and too obvious to some of us. But I have found in the course of my travels through the world that the most simple things can still give us a lot of trouble, even the brightest among us: this is particularly so in matters concerning Africa.”

- The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays

“Those whose kernels were cracked by benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.”

thescooping photograph by Lawrence Morgan

“Procrastination is a lazy man's apology.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“What I can say is that it was clear to many of us that an indigenous African literary renaissance was overdue. A major objective was to challenge stereotypes, myths, and the image of ourselves and our continent, and to recast them through stories- prose, poetry, essays, and books for our children. That was my overall goal.”

- There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra

“...Let me say that I do think decency and civilization would insist that the writer take sides with the powerless. Clearly, there's no moral obligation to write in any particular way. But there is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless. I think an artist, in my definition of that word, would not be someone who takes sides with the emperor against his powerless subjects.”

“In the vocabulary of certain radical theorists contradictions are given the status of some deadly disease to which their opponents alone can succumb. But contradictions are the very stuff of life. If there had been a little dash of contradiction among the Gadarene swine some of them might have been saved from drowning.”

- Anthills of the Savannah

“When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. [...] But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. A man can now leave his father and his brothers. He can curse the gods of his fathers and his ancestors, like a hunter's dog that suddenly goes mad and turns on his master. I fear for you; I fear for the clan.”

“I believe in the complexity of the human story and that there’s no way you can tell that story in one way and say, This is it. Always there will be someone who can tell it differently depending on where they are standing; the same person telling the story will tell it differently. I think of that masquerade in Igbo festivals that dances in the public arena. The Igbo people say, If you want to see it well, you must not stand in one place. The masquerade is moving through this big arena. Dancing. If you’re rooted to a spot, you miss a lot of the grace. So you keep moving, and this is the way I think the world’s stories should be told—from many different perspectives.”

“Paradoxically, a saint like [Albert] Schweitzer can give one a lot more trouble than King Leopold II, villain of unmitigated guilt, because along with doing good and saving African lives Schweitzer also managed to announce that the African was indeed his brother, but only his junior brother.”

-The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays

I wish to thank you, Bayo Omolola, for this interview!

shelf-life.ew photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Official Photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Live video from Venezuela

Please view the live video from the Republic of Venezuela, in Caracas, following Chavez's death:

http://www.telesurtv.net/el-canal/senal-en-vivo

Here's the Guardian live coverage for Chavez's funeral:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2013/mar/08/hugo-ch-vez-funeral-live-coverage

And here's more insight into what Chavez did and didn't do in modern Venezuela:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/americas/for-good-or-ill-chavez-altered-how-venezuela-views-itself.html?hp

Also, if you don't understand Spanish, then it's time to learn Spanish now. The BBC has free courses. There are also excellent free courses on line from major universities around the world.

And here is a live, ongoing update from The Guardian in the United Kingdom:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/hugo-chavez-death-reaction-live

Bay Bridge photograph by Lawrence Morgan

The Bay Bridge (from San Francisco to Oakland) is now lit with 25,000 LED lights!

Here is the Bay Bridge live. The camera is turned on 24 hours a day. At 6:30 pm our time (Pacific Standard Time), the lights are turned on, and they continue until 2 am in the morning. Take a look now:

http://livestre.am/4mRoi

Eventually they will have to run the lights all night, so that people in other parts of the world - Europe and Africa, for instance, can see them and come up with new ideas for their own country.

Here are more pictures and videos from the Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/LED-display-puts-Bay-Bridge-in-new-light-4331416.php

And now ask yourself. Why couldn't a similar project be done in Lawrence! People would come from all around Kansas and neighboring states to see it. The bridge over the river to North Lawrence is not the Bay Bridge, but it has plenty of possibilities, as does downtown and other key areas of Lawrence.

And this doesn't mean just stringing up LED lights. Each project could be planned with specific effects in mind. For example, the Lawrence bridge might include words and sentences from key poems throughout the ages. Because words and sentences would be constantly changing, this would be a tremendous sight.

I also invite you to read my previous blog:

http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/kansas-150th-birthday-is-almost-over/2013/feb/26/why-doesnt-lawrence-have-a-magical-displ/

fubiz photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Bay bridge has LED lights - why not Lawrence?

If there is one thing that would bring visitors to Lawrence, it would be a magical display of lights on the Lawrence bridge. It is not the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, but the right person and software, with even a limited amount of money, could do a tremendous job with lighting this bridge for the spring, summer and fall months.

http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/02/26/watch-video-light-sculpture-to-brighten-the-bay-bridge/

People would come and they would greatly enjoy it.

This is one of a series of blogs I'm going to do about the possibilities for innovation and change in Lawrence. Other blogs include:

http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/kansas-150th-birthday-is-almost-over/2012/dec/28/today-100th-anniversary-of-streetcar-ser/

People need to enjoy themselves in downtown Lawrence, and it isn't just about buying things. It's also about magic.

The environment makes a tremendous difference!

susanfleet photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Last days for African-American month

Please take a look a the wonderful music this group makes it possible for blacks and minorities to create.

The talent is amazing.

http://www.sphinxmusic.org/

Is there a similar group in the Lawrence-Kansas City area? If not, it's time to start one.

On another subject but related in a broad sense, how much has really changed in this country in the year since Trayvon's death?

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0226/A-year-after-Trayvon-Martin-shooting-is-America-much-changed

And this article which appeared in today's New York Times points out how much and how little the culture has changed since slavery days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/nyregion/new-york-uncovers-offending-mural-for-brief-public-views.html?hp

And in case you missed it, my first blog for the start of African-American month, the birthday of Langston Hughes:

http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/kansas-150th-birthday-is-almost-over/2013/feb/3/february-1st-langston-hughes-birthday/

His brilliant writing and dedication will survive for a long time in the future.

The Journal-World did not see fit to put this on the front page, so most people never knew who Langston Hughes was or the amazing things he has written.

stampofapproval image by Lawrence Morgan

Katherine Anne Porter

Occasionally I'll include an interview with a famous writer or artist from the past.

This interview with Katherine Anne Porter has a lot to say about death - and the pain that writing sometimes entails. If you've never read one of her books, this would be a good time to do so.

And it's a look at the writers she was most impressed with, especially Henry James, whose novels and the videos made from them I recently began reading and viewing again, after a long absence away from them.

NY Times article by Lawrence Morgan

Has Lawrence forgotten that February 1st was Langston Hughes birthday?

The web site in kansapedia, the Kansas Historical Journal website, gives you a brief introduction.

http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/langston-hughes/15506

as well as the Kansas Historical Journal website for young people:

http://www.kshs.org/p/langston-hughes/13339

He was a wonderful man, and a wonderful poet.

Here are a few quotations from his work.

*soul   world*

I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in Human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Source: The Negro Speaks of Rivers, 1926

Quick, sunrise, come! Sunrise out of Africa, Quick, come!

Source: Junior Addict, 1967

*art   change   duty   force   people*

It is the duty of the younger Negro artist . . . to change through the force of his art that old whispering "I want to be white," hidden in the aspirations of his people, to "Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro - and beautiful!"

satisfaction

I got the Weary Blues And I can't be satisfied.

Source: The Weary Blues, 1926

*humor    laughter*

Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it.

Melting pot Harlem - Harlem of honey and chocolate and caramel and rum and vinegar and lemon and lime and gall . . . where the subway from the Bronx keeps right on downtown.

Source: Freedomways, Summer, 1963

*earth    humor*

Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.

kiss

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Source: April Rain Song, 1902 – 1967

*birds    death    dreams    life*

Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.

*freedom*

I am the American heartbreak- The rock on which Freedom Stumped its toe.

dreams justice

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Maybe it just sags Like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

From Gaiam.

And for those of you who don't yet know Langhston Hughes, it is time right now to become informed! Get one of his books, read them, and share them with others.

San Francisco Chronicle image by Lawrence Morgan

Money for schools when California became a state ... what about Kansas?

I just saw this article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Federal-gift-of-land-to-schools-went-awry-4245077.php

This is fascinating. But I can't find any information on where the money for Kansas schools went when Kansas became a state.

Can someone find out more information on this? I'm sure a lot of Kansans would like to know.

Facebook Photograph by Lawrence Morgan

4 Amazing Feats and a very unusual event from Australia

If you have not already seen these, you must take a look at the articles and videos below.

All of us have our strong points, but sometimes the combination of body strength and willpower is overwhelming.

Crossing a highway in Florida on a tight rope

Nik Wallenda crosses 200 feet above an oceanfront highway in Sarasota, Florida. There is no net or safety harness.

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2013/01/29/1875045/

Here is some background on what he has done.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/294716/8/Nik-Wallenda-to-walk-the-tight-rope-over-US-41

Amazing surfer breaks record

Garret McNamara broke his own record when he surfed a wave said to be100 ft. off the coast of Portugal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/29/surfer-garrett-mcnamara-100ft-wave

Point of no return

These are amazing pictures, and they have to be shared.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/death-defying-self-portraits-of-falling-slideshow/kerry-skarbakka-photo--2009348510.html

Surfer in France wearing an LED suit at night - surfing

And if that isn't already enough for one day, take a look at this surfer at night wearing an LED suit. William Hughes is on the slopes at Tignes, France.

http://www.nowness.com/day/2012/2/16/1893/jacob-suttons-led-surfer

The exceedingly rare event of sea foam in Australia

Huge swathes of foam, whipped up by high seas then thrown on land, on Australia's Sunshine Coast (eastern Australia). The sea foam emerges when powerful storms force water into the air before it is whisked on to land.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/VIDEO-Sea-foam-blankets-section-of-Maroochydore-Australia

and:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21247815

Guardian Photograph by Lawrence Morgan

2013 African World Cup Now Taking Place in South Africa

The 2013 African World Cup is now taking place in South Africa - specifically in the stadiums of Johannesburg (FNB Stadium), Durban (Moses Mabhida Stadium), Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium), Nelspruit (Mbombela Stadium) and Rustenberg (Royal Bafokeng Stadium).

This will be the 29th African Cup of Nations. Forty-seven countries entered the qualification. South Sudan was not able to enter as the qualifying competition had already started before South Sudan had their membership in the CAF (Confederation of African Football) confirmed.

The winner of the tournament qualifies for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Many of the games will be broadcast in the US by ESPN. When I learn of internet possibilites for the games, I will include them here.

Official songs, runners-up and Opening Ceremonies

The Official World cup song for 2013 follows.

Making of world cup song

The making of the above song, which is detailed below, was difficult because of the different languages involved and the different countries.

Official opening ceremony

In my point of view, the opening ceremony was very well done. It wasn't carried out with the technical expertise of the Olympics in London last year, but it was much more down to earth.

Here is the 2010 World Cup Song

The 2010 World Cup Song is below:

Other 2013 World Cup songs submitted for the competition:

Many other entries were submitted. The one below is from Morrocco. As I find other countries entries posted online, I will post them here. I think it's important to play music from the rest of the world, which is a rare experience on the airwaves in Lawrence.

The Moroccan entry:

If other Africans are following the World Cup, please don't hesitate to give your comments below, and the your name and country.

Thank you!

Winnipeg Free Press Photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Rubric photograph by Lawrence Morgan

A little more music from Orthodox Christmas 2013

World-famous Dmitri Hvorostovsky with the St Petersburg Chamber choir, singing "Let My Prayer."

This is a Serbian Orthodox Christmas song for Christmas 2013. I lived in Serbia and also Sarajevo for almost a year.

Russian Christmas Music with Russian Christmas cards, just put on the web for this Christmas.

A Russian Flash Mob on January 16, 2011 in a Mall in Moscow. If you remember, Lawrence had a Flash mob last year, I believe it was at Target.

And if you want to watch what Russian viewers watched live on television for Orthodox Christmas eve, here is the Christmas Service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Streamed live on January 6, 2013.

The reason I have completed these two blogs is because there is so little, really, on the media of Orthodox Christmas in this country. Many Americans don't even know that Christmas is celebrated on a different day in parts of the world.

Malaysian Insider Photograph by Lawrence Morgan

A woman walks past the Orthodox Svyato-Nikolsky church in Russia’s Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

The Orthodox Christmas is today, January 7

From the Jersulem Maan News Agency in the Middle East, Bethlehem prepares for the Orthodox Christmas.

http://maannews.net/ENG/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=553667

Here are pictures of Orthodox Christmas celebrations throughout the world.

http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/24817246.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20929439

And many more, from Al Jezeera:

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2013/01/20131712145036296.html

President Vladimir Putin celebrates Christmas at Holy Trinity St George Monastery in Sochi, Russia. It is an Orthodox tradition to go to church Christmas eve and celebrate the divine liturgy past midnight through the early morning hours of Christmas day.

Christmas in Ethiopia, with a fast beforehand for advent (Sibket, in Amharic).

The Christian Post explains the difference in dates:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-the-orthodox-church-celebrates-christmas-on-jan-7-66615/

Christmas ornaments in Russia are made by hand.

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20121226/178412286.html

Moscow Catholics at the Russian Christmas Midnight Mass.

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20121226/178408217.html

Russian Orthodox Christmas and Orthodox Christmas in the West Bank:

The Russian Chjristmas Eve ceremony (January 6) in Moscow. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attends the ceremony.

An Orthodox Christmas parade today, January 7, 2013, in Tbilisi, Georgia (the country, not the state):

Other views of Christmas from around the world.

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20121224/178371918.html

Russian Patriarch Krill addresses Russians on Orthodox Christmas day (January 7).

I will also post just one of many beautiful pieces on the net, Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31, "The Mercy of Peace", and I will especially dedicate this to the suffering of Syrians in the Middle East and the dreadful fighting in the Congo.

These are pictures of recent events in Russia, including Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

http://indrus.in/articles/2013/01/06/kazansky_cathedral_in_st_petersburg_21447.html

Nick Krug photograph by Lawrence Morgan

Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Country of Columbia

In the above photograph of Juan Manuel Santos, which was taken by Nick Krug, we see a remarkable man. He has every right to be Kansan of the Year. How many of these commentators have taken over a country plagued so long by civil war. He has accomplished many things since being President, including a law being passed to compensate the victims of the long-running civil conflict, and returning land to millions of displaced people.

But I want to focus on another accomplishment, less talked about, in which he has had a part and which is important for thousands (47,000) of school children: school orchestras. The school orchestra movement began in Venezula, and it has now spread to several other South American countries, including Columbia. This is one of many accomplishments, less spoken of, since he became President.

Listen to the following article:

http://playingforchange.com/journey/musicians/124/Orquesta_Sinf_nica_Juvenil_Batuta

and now enjoy the following video:

http://playingforchange.com/episodes/53/La_Tierra_del_Olvido

Some people, including many of the people in these commentaries, could care less about music. But I feel very differently. In my opinion, music is just as important as sports and computers. In music, like sports, each person learns to listen to the other, so that the whole group works as a whole.

How many such orchestras do we have in Kansas?

I'm going to include my other blogs which deal with school orchestras in different countries below. If you have not had a chance to hear them, you might enjoy them now.

http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/kansas-150th-birthday-is-almost-over/2012/dec/30/death-of-ravi-shankar-and-the-birth-in-s/

http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/kansas-150th-birthday-is-almost-over/2012/aug/23/symphony-orchestra-in-the-congo-orchestr/

There is much more to Juan Manual Santos on the internet. But he is changing Columbia, and he is instituting changes which will help thousands of children with school orchestras. I only wish the Governor of Kansas could undertake similar changes in his own state!

athaia by Lawrence Morgan

Many Journal-World readers may not know much about Africa, except for occasional stories in the news. The Journal-World is especially bad about this, because personal blogs are very difficult to find on the web page. This is not just true with geography, but also with subjects such as technology and nature. I feel this area needs to be revised, so that blogs on these areas are given just as much importance as blogs on sports and politics.

As you may know, I have correspondence with Africans who live in a variety of countries throughout Africa. I will be including their comments in the future, as I get them from my conversations on Skype. I have already started to comment on well commons about cigarette smoking in The Gambia. I will write much more about this in the future, much of it written in the African correspondent's own words. I just hope that more readers of the Journal-World somehow can find these personal blogs, so that they, too, can know more about it.

In this blog, I am going to point out some important sources for African news, especially slides and videos. The BBC is a very good source for African pictures. For example,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-20811945

Here are more pictures from Africa, from the most recent BBC web page.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20725681

and Kenya:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-19895646

as well as pictures from all over Africa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20725681

In South Africa, much is happening, including this dance for freedom in the South African township of Katiehong.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121012-dance-south-africa-katlehong-nkululeko-

France24, which features news in English, French and Arabic 24 hours a day, has a great weekly feature called THE WEEK IN AFRICA. The current edition is on problems in Ivory Coast. Each edition also carries good news, as well as bad news - there is usually something positive happening which the French report on in detail, as well.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121129-Congo-Goma-M23-rebels-ivory-coast-trial-south-africa-desiree-davids

In addition to the Congo, Mali has had tremendous problems recently. They are highlighted here. Watching this series each week will give you a great background on French Africa, especially.

http://www.france24.com/en/20121227-al-shebab-refugees-children-sorcery

Many readers of the Journal-World's web page also know very little about the animals - not only of Africa but in most parts of the world. Children as well as adults enjoy this series.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/20729124

Take a look at these programs and web features. I'll give more in the future, plus there will be first-hand knowledge direct from Africans on the continent.

Sustainable transport by Lawrence Morgan

Johannesburg

USA Today by Lawrence Morgan

The Death of Ravi Shankar

I never personally heard Ravi Shankar, but his music played an important role in my life. I found out about him from another Scholarship Hall person when I was at KU, and as soon as possible I managed to get some recordings. From that time on, until I went into the Army, I listened to him all the time.

His death was reported as follows:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20807525

It has also occurred to me that younger people might have never heard his music. Here is a wonderful documentary from U-Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Y91TqDwM4

It is very meditative. Here is a raga from 1997, from the India and Pakistan Golden Jubilee celebrations in England, with his daughter, Anoushka Shankar, who was and is very accomplished:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xB_X9BOAOU

Some of the articles upon Ravi Shankar's death are very enlightening.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20690632

Tributes have poured in from musicians and listeners throughout the world. Don't forget that Ravi Shankar taught George Harrison, of the Beatles, much about Indian music.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20691215

One of the great Indian newspapers, The Hindu, has a very fine series of articles on Ravi Shankar and what he accomplished during his long life.

http://www.thehindu.com/system/topicRoot/Pandit_Ravi_Shankar_1920-2012/

Life in Pictures

Here is his life in pictures, from the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20690681

And the New York Times article regarding Ravi Shankar's death follows.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/arts/music/ravi-shankar-indian-sitarist-dies-at-92.html?pagewanted=all

I'm wondering ... have you in your lifetime had any special experiences with Ravi Shankar's music? Please comment on them.

New Orchestras Made From Thrown-Away Junk in South America

Meanwhile, in Paraguay a new orchestra has been born, and for many it is a new life. Many of these young people have spent their whole day sorting out trash. The fact that they have been able to learn how to make musical instruments is amazing, and it is even more amazing that they are now playing.

And I am curious if anyone in the School of Music at KU has heard their music and has, in the back of their minds, some idea of serving others in the future in the same way, in any country.

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2012/12/more-heartbreak-at-the-landfill-harmonic.html

A forthcoming film will be finished next year which I can't wait to see.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20863789

So from the death of a great Indian musician, Ravi Shankar, to the birth of new orchestras using thrown-away junk, music carries on in an amazing way.

How many students in Lawrence, and Kansas, have musical instruments at their schools, or has that mostly been taken away from schools?

Hispanically Speaking News by Lawrence Morgan

KU History by Lawrence Morgan

Streetcars would completely change Lawrence - and draw visitors from many states

It is time to start the fund so that streetcars can come back to Lawrence.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the streetcars in San Francisco. Everyone gets free rides all day.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Municipal-Railway-celebrates-100-years-4150766.php#photo-3952321

It's tremendous, not only for the locals of San Francisco itself, but because of all the tourists it brings in year-round. Take a look at some of the pictures from the past:

http://www.sfmta.com/drp/

And here is a video from local news about today's events:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8934135

SF History by Lawrence Morgan

There is a resurgence of street cars throughout the United States. Cities such as Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis have already broken ground on their street cars plans.

But the real news is that Kansas City, MO has plans for street cars. The following Wall Street Journal article has more details:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444900304577579360844409848.html

This development, along with other developments in Kansas City - such as the first Google fiber in the United States - should give Lawrence much food for thought.

Streetcars in Lawrence again. Why not?

The Lawrence City Commission recently considered various projects which they would like to fund. To my mind, streetcars and internet funding come at the top of the list.

Lawrence has a strong history of street cars, dating back to April 19, 1910. There are two wonderful articles on the history of street cars in Lawrence. The first is by Douglas Harvey, Department of History, University of Kansas:

http://kuhistory.com/articles/a-streetcar-named-the-ku-loop/

There is also an excellent article in Lawrence Community Connections, a project of Lawrence West Junior High School in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, Watkins Community Museum of History, the Lawrence Journal-World and the University of Kansas.

http://history.lawrence.com/project/community/transportation/transportation.html

Also, Sarah St. John has done some excellent research in this area. This is one of several outstanding articles from the past pages of the Journal-World:

By the way, are there more pictures of streetcars in Lawrence? Please post them here.

I will consider internet funding in a later post, but streetcar funding should take a high priority. Think what the revival of streetcars in Lawrence would make possible:

Streetcars would bring in visitors from many states

Streetcars would bring in visitors from many states, including Kansas. If the streetcar line went through downtown Lawrence, then up the hill and across the university, then out to 23rd street and then Iowa, I think even locals would take it all the time.

Streetcars would completely invigorate downtown, as well as other parts of town

Streetcars would completely invigorate downtown, as well as other parts of the city. Can you imagine hopping on a streetcar and touring downtown Lawrence. These streetcars could incorporate features of the past and those of the very present, including wifi for laptops.

All transportation systems should be linked together

The bus system should be closely tied to the streetcar route. People should be able to take a bus in, and then board a streetcar for a really fun ride - whether it be shopping, getting off at the university for classes and tours, or heading out to 23rd street. and Iowa.

Small libraries throughout Lawrence instead of one large library

If the library had considered small libraries throughout Lawrence - which the library board never did - then people could board a streetcar and busses to pay their bills, and relax in small libraries throughout the city, instead of one large library. This would be especially great for kids and seniors. There is a lot to do in Lawrence, and there would be more to do if small libraries were located throughout the city.

Link streetcars in Lawrence with streetcars and busses in Kansas City

Eventually, the Lawrence streetcar line could be linked with the Kansas City streetcars. In a future column, I will consider ways to link up the streetcars with the latest modern technology. This would greatly increase the possibility of businesses in Lawrence and innovation, which Lawrence so badly needs.

Eventually, a streetcar line to Baldwin City, perhaps even Ottawa

I would also eventually propose a line to Baldwin City, to link up with Baker University, and to allow Baldwin to develop a business park. It would also be great to go to Baldwin City for a whole day, including the civil war beginnings.

Baker University has some wonderful buildings. If you haven't been there, go visit the town!

Baker University by Lawrence Morgan

Ottawa is also an old town with fine buildings on the Ottawa University campus. The long main street is wonderful. Here, in case you haven't been to Ottawa, is the Courthouse:

Ottawa history by Lawrence Morgan

All of these are fine tourist destinations, which would be well served by eventual streetcar service from Lawrence.

And...all of these ideas make sense

But the first thing to do is to start the funding for streetcars in Lawrence. This will take time and money to implement, but I think they can be done and done superbly.

The fund and the planning needs to start now, instead of so many of the ideas which the City Commission has considered up to now, which make money for developers but which don't consider everyday people in Lawrence.

There will be more ideas in blogs in the future. That's what this blog is all about - "New Ideas, New Possibilities." I think, if the streetcar idea ever gets off the ground, people will love it.

KU History by Lawrence Morgan