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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

SOME THINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT AT THE END OF THE DAY and I'M NOT CRAZY

I left three 1500 character-limited messages at the Oprah show's website tonight. Here, there are:

Message #1

For me, shows like today....on girls, women, rape, the Darfur genocide...are some of few types of topics that I feel the Oprah show does the best and are the most helpful for us to make the world a better place. So, a big heartfelt "Thank You!!"

As someone who has worked as one of those "grass roots" community organizers to end the Darfur genocide - since 2004, I agree with Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, that the media and our world's free nations' leaders have failed in bringing attention and focusing on such vital human disaster stories.

If we had the Darfur story in our faces more consistently - maybe it wouldn't be so easy for our leaders to put it on the back burner of priorities. They simply won't act unless we - the people - say to them loudly, clearly and consistently that Genocide Will Stop With Us. Allowing genocide is a defining issue and I don't want to be defined by allowing the perpetrators to go on doing their crimes without accountability by us, humans who claim we have high values.

So, again “Thank You” for this vital and needed show.

S Hammel
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Uploaded by girleffect


Message #2

Besides types of shows like today’s which bring much-needed attention to worldwide discrimination of women, rape as a weapon of war, the nearly 7 year genocide on the Darfuri people, etc., I especially am grateful for shows that are positive and show human nature at its best in simply illuminating ways. I will never forget the young beautiful woman who was disfurgured, is cared for by her father, from South America, I believe and only allows herself a daily brief "feeling sorry" for herself. She is the most memorable guest for me personally. I will miss Oprah show contributions like these when the show ends. How sad for us, for women, girls and the world. BUT I am grateful for all that you have done and continue to do to make the world a better place.

"The hair show" for me was interesting, but not so important at the end of the day. I am 60, white and never colored my hair. And luckily still have my natural hair color. Red.


Okay this next one.... somewhat contradicts the thoughts above, but I had no room to explain myself in the character-limited space on Oprah's website. I wanted to add the following as a preface to this next comment that I left:

Having said that I especially like the shows that bring attention to issues that are much neglected by the media...I have a request about something not so important at the end of the day....Please, consider doing a show on Heath ....Ledger, that is.

Message #3

There are a lot (Johanna's Channel) of us around the world who mysteriously find ourselves with a bond to the late actor Heath Ledger. And for many of us, we found his work after he died January 22, 2008. We meet at youtube on our little video tributes to Heath, at director Shekhar Kapur's blog posts about Heath (Mr.Kapur directed Heath in the WONDERful, overlooked movie The Four Feathers). We become friends, share emails that are very soulful, family photos - friends from countries where we resort to google translator to be able to pour out our hearts in native languages. It is a wondefrul experience meeting "spiritual soul mates" from around the planet and share our feelings that only we can say to another "Heathen". Thus, Heath Ledger, the actor, continues to inspire by his work that is still with us. Though he is gone, he remainis the catalyst for these connections.


His final movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is opening in Europe in different countries ongoing. We may ONLY see it in the USA in NYC and LA.There is a support site where we hope to spread the word that we want to see it in our local theatres. It is our last chance to see Heath after the Joker role in The Dark Knight.


All you have to do is type in Heath Ledger at youtube and

feel the love we have. We are not crazy, just connected by what we see in Heath’s humanity. As I put on one of my latest tributes - DON'T POSTPONE JOY ~ CELEBRATING HEATH - at my youtube channel: "We never forget those who put us in touch with our own soul."


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Help us get The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus in our local theatres in the USA. It is our last chance to see Heath on screen in a new film. Don't let us be left out. Go to this link to DEMAND IT: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus


From the Support site for
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus:

Tuesday, December 01st, 2009 | Author: Administrator

There will be an important Dr. Parnassus fan brainstorming chat in our chatroom this Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 10 a.m. Los Angeles Time and 6:00 p.m. London Time. Even if Dr. Parnassus has played in your country, please, it is important that you attend this chat if you can. You can find the time in your country that the chat will take place here at the WORLD CLOCK. We have tried to choose a time that will work for as many countries as possible.

Please be there, you won’t be sorry. There’s much to be shared with you about the film and what’s what with it.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR CHAT ROOM

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By clicking on the post title, it will take you to a wonderful article about the making of King Rat - a video about saving the whales which was conceived and created by Heath.


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This was on Oprah today:

CHANGE STARTS WITH A GIRL
http://www.youtube.com/girleffect

The Girl Effect
http://www.girleffect.org

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Darfur In the News

Reuters: Millions Could Miss Sudan Elections-Observers. Millions of voters could be left out of Sudan's first elections in 24 years because of a failure of authorities to persuade more people to register for the poll, international observers said on Tuesday. The Carter Centre urged Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) to increase publicity and funding for teams signing up voters across Africa's largest country, saying current figures showed most states might miss registration targets. It said there were concerns over the turnout for registration in western Darfur territory as well as the east, south and the central Kordofan regions. Registration was due to end after a 30-day period on November 30 but was extended for one week following concerns about low turnout and public awareness. The presence of government intelligence agents at registration centres in Darfur might intimidate voters there, it said.
Reuters: U.S. Blasts Sudan Over Darfur Peacekeeper Harassment. The U.S. envoy to the United Nations sharply criticized Khartoum Monday over a U.N. report that accused the Sudanese army of harassing and threatening international peacekeepers in Darfur. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his latest report on the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, that limits on the freedom of movement of UNAMID personnel violated an agreement with Khartoum on their deployment and made it difficult to protect civilians. "The United States is particularly concerned about ... the secretary-general's report of some 42 instances in which UNAMID personnel and patrols have been denied freedom of movement and access," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters after a meeting of the Security Council on Sudan. "It impedes UNAMID's ability to protect civilians and do its vital work. It is utterly unacceptable, as are the threats by the government of Sudan against UNAMID."

Sudan Tribune
: Peace mediator calls for truce in Darfur.
The Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur peace process urged today all the parties to the six-year conflict to agree to a cessation of hostilities and to work for the improvement of security on the ground. Mr Djibrill Bassole, briefed on Monday the United Nation Security Council about the state of the "Darfur peace process and the Doha peace talks, as well as the short and medium term vision of the Mediation." The Joint African Union United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur, in his update about the peace process to the 15 members of the UN Security Council, urged the Sudanese government and rebel groups to engage a cessation of hostilities in order to build confidence between the warring parties but also to improve the security and the humanitarian situations. Bassole stressed in his remarks that the current lack of confidence between the parties "makes for slow progress in the peace talks and for an end to military hostilities."

Institute for War and Peace Reporting
: Land Rights Confusion Hinders Darfur IDP Returns.
As pressure mounts to send IDPs home, little is being said about the crucial issue of land rights. IDPs would like to leave the camps and return to their former villages, once the situation improves, but fear that they no longer have land to go back to. Nor are they confident the government will ensure they return safely or protect them once they return. The dispute over land rights in Darfur has long fanned the flames of the conflict, which broke out in 2003, and many observers are baffled by the international community's apparent reluctance to do anything to address the problem. Since land ownership is such an integral part of the conflict in Darfur, many believe that, unless steps are taken to address the problem, it will be difficult to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

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GENOCIDE IS NOT OKAY

USE YOUR VOICE
TO CALL UPON OUR LEADERS
TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS VERY WRONG

standnow.org
www.savedarfur.org
whilewewaitsudan.blogspot.com

www.henryjacksonsociety.org/stories




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Friday, November 6, 2009

IT'S MAY - ROBERT SCHUMANN'S ART SONG ~ PAUL WARREN ALLEN CONDUCTOR ~ NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CHOIR

MEMORIES WORTH REMEMBERING

Music is my Refuge
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It's May ~ Robert Schumannn's Art Song ~ Paul Warren Allen, Conductor ~ North Central College
Uploaded by me
Channel Icon
ilovemylifesblog

This text is from my Youtube sidebar:

This recording was done in the spring of 1968 in Naperville, Illinois, outside of Chicago at North Central College. Three years later the college eliminated the music department.

The women come in for the second Schumann Art Song which follows this song. The second song is Where'er My Tears Are Falling, followed with The Rose and The Lily.

I will be uploading more songs from this long playing (LP) record.

If you were a member of this choir, would you be willing to contact me? I would like to hear from you. If you have a song from the album that you would like posted here at Youtube, please let me know. You can leave a Channel Comment here:
www.youtube.com/user/ilovemylifesblog

or in the upper right corner of my individual video page, find the logo for an envelope and click on it, in order to send me a private message. It is found between "ilovemylifesblog" and "Sign In" or "Sign Out" (whichever is relevant).

Also, you may leave a comment below or email me here at my blog by clicking View My Complete Profile under the text on my sidebar of the
About Me section.

I have talked to Maestro Paul Warren Allen's daughter. I sent a letter to him in January 2010 and she called me. He is 96 years old. And later, I received a note that he heard the youtube video. I have since posted another video - The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee - which I may eventually repost to correct the size. Until then, the link.

The second upload is up.

Here is an excerpt from Naperville Chorus...
In the 1960's Dr. Paul Warren Allen of the North Central College Music Department melded the vocal talents of students, college personnel, and community members into a forerunner of the Naperville Chorus. The NCC-Community Chorus flourished and performed contemporary and traditional choral works until 1971, when financial cutbacks at the college eliminated the Music Department.

Photos, except for ten (4 of children, 4 of birds and 2 of woods' scenes), are from my yard in Rhode Island, nearby where I live on Aquidneck Island and photos of flowers I took at the National Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C (where I have lobbied four times for Darfur, in addition to several times in the US RI Senators and Representative offices in Rhode Island).

One of my blog posts regarding Darfur:

PROVIDENCE OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY ON BEHALF OF DARFUR AND SPEAKING TO CHINA:
ilovemylifebrothersandsisters.blogspot.com/2007/10

The video portion within the Youtube video is from the movie "The Four Feathers". The actors are Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson.
Other youtube videos of mine featuring The Four Feathers...
HEATH LEDGER ~ THE FOUR FEATHERS ~ TRIBUTE TO FRIENDSHIP, COURAGE AND INTEGRITY ~ BROKEN ARROW

and
HEATH LOVE ~ For the FirstTime ~ Lover's Such As I
(this one is only viewable OUTside the USA)

The picture of me included in the video on my parents' lawn is the day I graduated from college at Huntington College ~ after I transferred from North Central College mid-way through my junior (third) year. Going to Huntington College is what eventually led me to live in New England the whole of my adult life. I love it here.


I am a bit tired as the Youtube video and me were up all night...not uncommon for me, while creating youtube videos...so no sympathy needed ;-).

I just went through boxes of memorabilia I have kept over my lifetime...what a ball! I found some very interesting things. No one should have this much fun. Or maybe, everyone should.

I did find a bonanza....when I was a freshman I got mono in the spring of 1968. And many of the NCC choir members - 39 - signed a "get well" card to me before going on choir tour. And I still have it! The back of the LP album says there are 60 members and I count 61 in the picture on the back of the album (which matches the one in the 1968 yearbook/Spectrum).

I have many terrific pictures from the NCC 1967 music camp of students, Prof Allen and *Prof Izzo, also of **Prof Marian Schapp, and other music people and experiences. And I have a specially typed note to me from Paul Warren Allen asking me to sing in his Swedish Chorus in Chicago,*a personal note in a "get well" card which is precious from Bernard Izzo - a vocal NCC prof and Chicago opera singer, along with **many handwritten notes from Marian Schapp - my piano professor - from when I transferred from NCC to HC near my home in Indiana midway through my junior year.

So special and heart-warming for me.

A special picture of Conductor Paul Warren Allen by the pool at music camp before the freshman year started, standing beside a bathing-trunks-wearing svelte Professor/Chicago Opera Singer, Bernard Izzo. Do I dare post it on my blog?:-\

Hmmm, so tempting....

This student, Paul K. Ferington, conducted while at North Central College for Prof Allen.
Paul is pictured here in
this article.

Also pictured in the second picture
here. and at Buffalo News ~ Niagara County
now married to Karen

North Central College Choir 1967-68
I am the fifth person from the right in the front row.
Karen is behind me, the sixth person from the right in the second row.

Click on the picture and it will enlarge.

A click on this post's title will take you to North Central College's website and specifically the alumni page.


North Central College Choir ~ Year 1968 ~ Members


38 of 61 members' names were retrieved from a "Get Well" card to me in spring of 1968


By cross referencing my 1970 yearbook which has a list of choir members (though there are some obvious mistakes found when I cross referenced the list with the same yearbook's indexed names in the back of the book), I came up with a list for the 1968 choir as follows:


Choir member list is still incomplete, however.


Laurie Batha

Marsha Benton

Dan Berger

‘Nita Bohnsack

Pat Bruns

Bob Buckley

Cathi Bertram

Mindy Cody

Larry Cooper

Joan Crosby

Sara Ebert

Joe Enich

Paul K. Ferington

Jackson Ferch

Geof. Geither or Guiter

Sandra Kay Hammel

Dennis Huff

Jim Knol

Karen Kosloske

Virginia Marek

Linda Mootz

Al Murphy

Nancy Myers

Lois Newcomb

Verilyn Potthoff

Sandra Schaeffer

Lydia Schmidt, piano accompanist in the video above

Sue Schwen

Barb Shiffler

Bob Stevens

Oliver J. Taylor

Julie Tunison

Sue Wayo

Lois Wedell

Doug Wilkie

Marlene Yenerich

Cindy Young

Eildert Zwart


UPDATE November 6, Friday, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. USA EST


Kim, the North Central College archivist, has tracked down the 1968 Choir Christmas Program's inside and emailed it to me this evening:



and also Kim sent the 1969 Choir Personnel list:

Click on the images to enlarge.


"Big Thanks" to Kim!


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See what was happening in 1968 the year this music was recorded.

Here are some of the things that happened:

* April 4 Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupt in major American cities for several days afterward.


* April 11 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968.


* April 20 Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes Canada's 15th Prime Minister.


* April 20 English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial Rivers of Blood Speech.


* April 23 President Mobutu releases captured mercenaries in the Congo.


* April 23 Surgeons at the Hôpital de la Pitié, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant, on Clovis Roblain.


* April 23 The United Methodist Church is created by the union of the former Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches.


* April 23 Thirty Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university (see main article Columbia University protests of 1968).


* April 29 The musical Hair officially opens on Broadway.


* June 5 U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy dies from his injuries the next day.


* June 8 James Earl Ray is arrested for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr.


* July 1 The Central Intelligence Agency's Phoenix Program is officially established.


* July 1 The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty opens for signature.


* July 4 Yachtsman Alec Rose, 59, receives a hero's welcome as he sails into Portsmouth, England after his 354-day round-the-world trip.


* July 17 Saddam Hussein becomes Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq after a coup d'état.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

POETRY BY SANDRA HAMMEL ~ BEAUTY CAN BE ETERNITY IN A MOMENT

Beauty Once Known



Beauty



which stirs unknown depths



Once known is sufficient



to spend a day, night



and eternity



searching for



one more moment of such



j o y



of


one


more


eternity-in-a-moment



of Life meeting itself.



By Sandra Hammel


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Heath Ledger in The Four Feathers
A wonderful film.
Heath Ledger
Uploaded by Cliffy4479


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I can't help it. I am in this Heath Ledger groove. I just "watched" the most interesting radio interview with Heath done December 3, 2007 posted on Youtube in three parts.
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Part 1
Uploaded by springrose147

Stephen Schaefer:

Brokeback Mountain really was, you know, in some ways was a career peak, so, or in many ways. Did it really change things for you, in the way you looked at yourself, or, uh the way you felt what you were able to then go do? …as an actor, in terms of what Hollywood would offer you?


Heath:

Yeah, yeah, yes, it did. Um, I’d like to not to think of it as a peak (laughs) cause I’m only 28, I have a few years."


Schaefer: You can have many peaks.


Heath: Oh, okay, good.


Schaefer: There are peaks and they’re valleys.


Heath: That’s true, true. Okay, um,



Schaefer: One of many career peaks.


Heath: Hopefully. Um, but yeah, it um, I get, yeah it did on many levels, I think personally it did too. I, I um, I’d been looking, I always look for things that challenge me and, and duh, and dum and teach me and, and teach me and, and to be more understanding, accepting human being, an actor and, and, and dum and that was a real task, there were a lot of obstacles and um.


You know, I, uh, I don’t think it was, I don’t think you can say it’s being brave or being courageous. It’s just, you know, uh, I just think it’s being honest, understanding, accepting of myself, and of the story, of the character. It did teach me a lot about that. And about your power. To believe. And, and um. so-o, you know, I-I on a personal level got a lot out of it. And uh, um. And definitely, it, it, uh, um, uh, you know it opened some doors. You know, people are uh, somewhat utterly trusting me more now. (Laughs) Which, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, for them. But, um you know, it’s um..so

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Part 2
Uploaded by springrose147


Included in this portion is this quote by Heath at 7:06 :


"...and dum, and then I do the Terrence Malik, movie right after that, then um The Tree of Life and then I um, and then I, I'll drop to the ground dead (laughs, Schaefer joins Heath in laughter) for a year...and duh, hybenate...um, mmm".


Transcription of Heath’s answering

The following answer begins at 7:45



Heath: Yeah, I, I guess so. I-I guess you’d… you know, I don’t know whether it’s optimism or just kind of um, I..you know, it’s...


Sometimes , you just, you-you have to kind of throw away the care, like you have to not be too conscious of what will be a success and what won’t be. Uh, cause you really – that’s out of your power. And, and, like I said, look what is success? And um, uh, so I, you know I just, I- I try to look at what I feel like…the, the


Cause for me, like, what a success is – is, I mean the only time that I’m alive, and living and expressing and feeling, and, and relating is, is, is when I’m on set and that time between “action” and “cut” and so that’s the only thing that’s really important is how that experience is, and, and how that experience will affect my life and what I have to give from my life to that experience. And everything that happens after that – is just irrelevant. You know, it’s


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Part 3

At 3:33, Stephen Schaefer chooses to follow the interview with the Bob Dylan song, "and now as we rock on out, we're going to be doing Antony and the Johnsons version of

Knockin' on Heavens' Door"

~ Oh, God! ! ~

Uploaded by springrose147



Heath: is, is when I’m on set and that time between “action” and “cut” and so that’s the only thing that’s really important is how that experience is, and, and how that experience will affect my life and what I have to give from my life to that experience. And everything that happens after that – is just irrelevant. You know, it’s (transcription above repeated from Part 2 here on Part 3)


kind of um, if it’s a success, great, if it’s not, great, fine. You know, it’s um, it affects you, or it doesn’t.


But it’s, that shouldn’t in my, my mind, it shouldn’t kind dictate what your choices. Um, I, I –I just want to enjoy myself. I want to learn more. I want to work with good people. Um, creatively and as people who really just good people.


And duh, uh, so that, that, that drives me more than, then, well you know Terry had a really hard time on Brothers Grimm and you know, uh for some odd reason is finding it hard to get his next movie up and running. Oh, w-w, that’s too risky, I can’t be involved with that. No, no it’s like he’s one of the most creative, most visionary minds of, of, ever, in film history. I – I – I and a wonderful figure in my life. And had done a lot for me and cast me in The Brothers Grimm, when no one wanted to work with me at that stage of career. And, and, and uh, you know the company even once Terry brought me on board didn’t want me in the film and wanted to replace me and Terry said “No! I won’t do the movie without him for some odd reason.

Schaefer: Jesus, who knew?! Oh, God.

Heath: Yeah, you know, he, he’d given a lot to me and like if I can do anything to help him out then, then I will and dum, and so, you know, that’s the reason why.


Heath talks about the life of moving between staying home and working in films.


Schaefer: And final question.

And uh, this is something, you know, we ask actresses more often than actors. How do you find trying to have a balance then between your personal life and your professional life? With, you know, is it difficult, we see in the Dylan movie, the part you’re playing, that his personal life seems to really suffer from it. The celebrity.


Heath: Yeah, yeah it is difficult, but um, I mean, I can’t, I think my struggles are different to Robbie’s, I- I, but yeah, it is, but, it’s, it’s kind of heartbreaking in a sense – like having to-o, the inconsistency of your social life –


kind of clocking in, checking in with your friends, and getting back a routine with your family, and, and life and kind of doing the washing, doing the dishes, maintaining your household, uh, commuting, uh, and then that just being chopped off and having three weeks go to London and, and work through Christmas and act in Vancouver and work to Martin and go off to Austin, Texas, and work there for three months then you’re away from them and everything for seven months and then you then you come back and try to rekindle it again, only to have it taken away, a year later. And, and it can be really tiring, it can be really lonely.


It can be (exhales) all these things, but, but, but we still do it. Like it’s because, you know, it’s what we love, it’s something that drives us to it. Or away from it. Or you know, there’s a fascination, an addiction to the lifestyle as well, I think, um. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, I believe. Um, you know. Cause part of you wants to stay home and do nothing for the rest of your life, but as soon as you’re there, you want to get out and start working.


Schaefer laughs, then Heath joins him) You know?


Schaefer, Yeah.


Okay, this is Stephen Schaefer for WPS1 Beyond the Subtitles.
So long, farewell and “Thank You, Heath Ledger”.


Heath: Thank You, Stephen.


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This interview is precious and priceless. Heath is comfortable and relaxed in this interview. Stephen and Heath appear to be friends, here. What a pleasure to hear Heath in this 3 part interview that springrose147 has blessed us with. It is just so hard to deal with the sorrow to have him gone. Not unlike many around the world, I connected with Heath though I didn't "know" him. But Heath connected through his integrity, minus the pretense and hype. Just by being Heath.


Heath, without knowing, left many with an indelible mark. We never forget those who put us in touch with our own souls.


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