Treasures of Wonderment
An online magazine promoting positive change through creative living: stories, featured artists and a writer's corner.
Updated: 13 hours 50 min ago
Lasse Thoresen
Lasse Thoresen (born in Oslo on 18 October 1949) is a professor of composition at the Norwegian State Academy of Music where he has taught composition, electro-acoustic music, and sonology since 1975. He received a graduate degree in composition in 1972 from the Oslo Music Conservatory, where he studied under Finn Mortensen, after which he studied electro acoustic music and composition under Werner Kaegi at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, the Netherlands. From 1978 to 1981 he conducted a post graduate research project in sonology with support from the Norwegian ‘Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities’. From 1988 to 2000 Mr. Thoresen occupied the principal chair of composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo where he is still teaching composition.
A World of Soccer Balls
PeaceXPeace - “Ferishta, a young mother who returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban with nothing, tells a story that is remarkable and also typical.” In the week of the Kabul Conference, I know Afghanistan’s future depends on its women. In June 2009, I visited Mazar-e Sharif to better understand the status of women. I interviewed women of all ages and heard stories of oppression, violence, and resilience. Every woman I met had hope for the future of Afghanistan, as well as for the lives of women across the country. This is an aspect that is often not mentioned in today’s media coverage of the war in Afghanistan. Ferishta, a young mother who returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban with nothing, tells a story that is remarkable and also typical. She gives a new meaning to the term soccer mom.
Get it? Capiche? Comprendo? Compris?
Those that love
are the ransom for those that do not
Mankind needs its heroes
Though their plight may be very worn and hard to bear
Their trials and tests and ever more difficult
The chosen one are not chosen for nothing.
Their strengths are given so that they may
carry the world in their pockets..
while we write poetry in their honor.
Kristin Barnes
Kristin Barnes, singer, songwriter and vocal coach was born in Los Angeles, CA. As the daughter of legendary musician and producer John Barnes who worked with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Herb Alpert, Paulino Da Costa, Manhattan Transfer and Celine Dion, and singer/songwriter Sharon Barnes who wrote for Patti LaBelle and Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kristin Barnes was exposed to music from birth. Her early childhood often found her sleeping in recording studios and hanging out in jam sessions soaking up the creative energy of a professional music environment.
Are we praying hard enough?
Are our prayers taking Mankind on a journey
leading them closer to the hearts?
We who are sheltered and secure
maybe we need to pray just a little harder
for those who are not and have not.
Yes, there are feelings in our prayers
It is giving them strength
O Heroes of our Age
Maria ChouchtariO Friends, O Heroes of our Age
Your eyes glow like flowers in the Sunshine
Your love is not in prison behind bars
Only your bodies are like birds in cages
But your wings of Faith and Courage
Are ever ready for flight
We hear melodies here tonight
That we hope will traverse the sounds and vibrations
and reach the ears and the hearts
and uplift your spirits
Ava
Driven by her passion for music and her strong faith, Ává has never lost sight of her dreams to bring her unique style of music to the world stage. She has traveled extensively through Europe, countries of the former Soviet Union, and Australasia, performing in distinguished venues such as Carnegie and Tchaikovsky Halls in New York and Moscow.
The Tree People
See the Tree people
Clinging to the Sadrat’ul-muntahá
While the intertwining of
Faces, arms, hands, bodies
Like branches make for
Feeling protected.
No wind can shake them off when united.
No power can loosen their hold,
For they hold on to the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Eternity,
Beyond which there is no passing.
La femme Burkinabe
La femme Burkinabé travail toujours.
Matin, midi, soir sans relâche.
Elle coupe le bois, elle cherche de l’eau
Elle prépare le TO, un plat traditionnel
Les enfants, elle les nourri au sein
Au chantier elle cultive le mais et le petit mil
Qu’elle pile pour en faire par la suite la farine pour le bouilli !
Secrets of Mediterranean Food
Dan Fields is sharing Health Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet with us. It’s not just the olive oil that makes this eating plan so good for you. Scientists have known for decades that people who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet have lower rates of heart disease, and more-recent research has shown that such a diet can help protect against everything from cancer, diabetes, and obesity to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Olive oil may be the best-known Mediterranean ingredient, but the diet also emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fish.
Darrell Rodgers
I’m a Songwriter, a singer, a guitar player, and a “humorist”. And I’m a Baha’i. I’m originally from Virginia but moved to California in the winter of 1995. In 2000, I settled in Imperial Beach. It’s the “most southwesterly city in the continental US”- right in the corner next to Tijuana, Mexico. I liked to say I was as close as you can get to Hawaii by car.
I’ve been writing and performing my own songs for about 30 years. A few years ago I recorded a live show I did for my birthday party. I called it the “11th anniversay of my 39th birthday”. That’s humor. The difference between comedy and humor is important. A comedian says funny stuff to make you laugh. A humorist makes you laugh at stuff that ain’t funny. I consider myself a humorist, but Deb occaisionally reminds me that’s only true if everyone laughs.
Malcolm Dedman
Born in London in 1948, Malcolm Dedman was initially self-taught, having started to compose when he was 12. He had formal composition lessons with Patric Standford at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1974-75, but did not receive a formal qualification in music until 2005, when he passed his Masters Degree in Composing Concert Music at Thames Valley University with distinction.
Major performances of his music include piano and chamber music as well as a Christmas Cantata. He has also gained several composition awards, incluwww.classical-composers.org/comp/dedmanding the Stroud Festival and the Recontres Internationales de Chant Choral.
TW Newsletter Number 16 - June 2010
Welcome to the June 2010 Treasures of Wonderment Newsletter, an online magazine promoting positive change through creative living.
In this issue:
NEWS FOLLOW UP
New York, 14 June 2010 – The trial of seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned for more than two years in Iran seems to have come to a conclusion after three days of successive court hearings. "It seems from what we have heard that the trial itself has now concluded. But we have no further information at this time," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. Read more...
THE RED CARPET WELCOME
Jen Starr
A lifelong musician and formally trained vocalist, Jen has been wowing audiences with her smooth, versatile soprano for years up and down the East Coast, both as a solo performer and as a supporting musician.
A gifted interpreter, she can imbue her delivery with the power of Sarah Vaughn, the swing of Ella, or the sensitivity of Billie Holiday, drawing from her intimate knowledge of the masters to chart her own unique course through the universe of jazz.
The Red Carpet Welcome
Voices of Bahá Touring in India - This international choir is comprised entirely by wonderful and dedicated volunteer musicians and singers and has performed in more than thirty countries over the past sixteen years, involving over one thousand singers and musicians from every part of the world. The Voices of Bahá directed by Tom Price came together 420 strong from every corner of the globe to celebrate the 1992 Baha'i World Congress in New York City and they are still going strong celebrating the love of unity for mankind.
Foad Manshadi
I was born and raised in Iran. My unique experiences in life have formed my perspective on my lyrics and music. Growing up in the minority Baha’i faith in Iran meant that from a very early age, I have been under discrimination and prejudice. When I was two years old, the Islamic government of Iran confiscated our properties for believing in the Baha’i faith. It was devastating to realize my dream of having a successful life would never come true in my oppressive situation. I had to find within myself how to solve hardships at a young age. I overcame my life’s hardships with audacity and boldness, and also was fortunate to have supportive family and friends around me. Music is power. World unity is in my blood and HipHop is the heart that pumps it. I work hard and do my best to keep distractions out of my life. I use my college grants to fund my music, and I’m working toward getting my Master Degree in Electrical Engineering in three years.
Bitter Memories
Music has had a great significance in human culture, whether used in religious ceremonies, for educational purposes or for entertainment. But for young Foad, an Iranian Baha’i who was forced to flee the country after the intense persecution his family was subjected to, it’s a medium to voice anger at the violation of human rights, and raise awareness on the importance of taking action. We would like to share his interview with Esra'a Al Shafei for The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights.
I Came To Tell You
"I came from across the ocean to tell you stories from behind closed doors.
I came to tell you about the ugly face of our world and of humans.
I came to tell you about women’s lives, their light, their hope, their fears and death.
I came from the world where blind law and power denies truth and smiles.
It is time that our stories shock the conscience of humanity."
Logic Likes Dialogue
AUSTRALIA, 16th May 2010 (SBS Dateline) - There are precious few Iranians who dare to publicly criticise the dreaded Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime in Tehran especially when these days their comments are bound to be reported around the world. However one Iranian, the living legend of Iranian traditional music Mohammadreza Reza Shajarian has never hesitated to speak his mind – he is far too popular to incur the wroth of the mullas. "Lay down your guns! I am tired of this gruesome needless shedding of blood. Whether the gun is in your hand or another’s – it is the language of fire and mayhem." (Read the transcript of the interview with Mohammadreza Shajarian, below - Watch video of his tour in Australia)
Constructive Change is Needed
NEW YORK — Professor Tim Jackson, a member of the Sustainable Development Commission of the United Kingdom, made his comments at a panel discussion held this week in conjunction with the current session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
