Window Views : Watching the Passing Scene

FOCAL POINT : The Toronto Baha'i Chorale, "O My Servant!"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:10:00 +0530

Indian sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar wrote the music of "O Aalok Putra Agyani" for the 1986 opening of the Baháʼí House of Worship in New Delhi, India. This was one of 10 Hindi songs the maestro wrote for the dedication. Years later, choral arranger Tom Price adapted the music to the sacred words of Bahá'u'lláh and The Báb. The result is the glistening "O My Servant!", performed on this video mashup by The Toronto Baháʼí Chorale.

To commemorate Naw-Rúz, I created the video mashup using "O My Servant!" with time-lapse videos of a spring garden's blossoming. It is meant to evoke the celebration of Naw-Rúz as the advent of humanity's spiritual springtime.

SONG: "O My Servant!"
ARTIST: The Toronto Bahá'í Chorale
WORDS & MUSIC: Bahá'u'lláh, The Báb, Ravi Shankar
ALBUM: Songs of the Ancient Beauty (1992)
CONDUCTOR: Tom Price

Happy Naw-Rúz!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 23:43:00 +0530

The New Year of Baháʼís and Persians is upon us. Millions worldwide celebrated Naw-Rúz on 20 March, the day of the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Literally translated as "New Day", Naw-Rúz is a time of joy and celebration, with winter's cold and dark ending and spring's warmth and light beginning. To all my friends, Happy Naw-Rúz, with all the change and hope it brings!

To commemorate Naw-Rúz, I created a video mashup of Demi Lovato's rendition of "Lovely Day" along with images from the feature film Light to the World and snippets of traditional dances from around the globe. Ms. Lovato performed her song at the 2021 Biden-Harris Inaugural Celebration. The Baháʼí International Community produced Light to the World for the 2017 bicentenary anniversary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh.

Saint Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:45:00 +0530

He came from a Romano-British imperial family, but he was abducted and enslaved as a herdsman in the Irish hills. He escaped Ireland but returned as a missionary, planning to convert the Irish people to Christianity. Thirty years later, in 461 AD, Patrick died and became Ireland's patron saint. That day, March 17, has since become Saint Patrick's Day, a day of wild celebration all over the world.

One of the most prominent Saint Patrick's Day symbols is the three-leaved shamrock, which ties back to the holiday's religious roots. Legend tells us that when Patrick arrived in Ireland, he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. The metaphor worked well for pagan Ireland, since they worshipped many triple deities. This story is probably fabricated, but over time, the shamrock became Ireland's national symbol.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

For our sins

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:09:00 +0530

The nineteen-day Baháʼí fast is currently being observed. It involves complete abstention from food and drinks from sunrise till sunset. It is a spiritual reinvigoration period through meditation and prayer when Baháʼís detach from the material world's selfish desires.

It is with this material detachment that the concept of "sin" comes forward. Oxford Dictionary defines sin as "an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law." The Baha'i teachings define it differently: the "attachment of spirit and self to the material world" ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions). Sin comes from our lower nature, the ego, the insistent self:

God has created all in His image and likeness. Shall we manifest hatred for His creatures and servants? This would be contrary to the will of God and according to the will of Satan, by which we mean the natural inclinations of the lower nature. This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan—the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside.
– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace

In the 13th century, Saint Thomas Aquinas elaborated the "Seven Deadly Sins," or seven vices that spur other sins:

vainglory, or pride
greed, or covetousness
lust, or excessive or illicit sexual desire
envy
gluttony, which is usually understood to include drunkenness
wrath, or anger
sloth.

Each of these can be overcome with the seven corresponding virtues of

humility
charity
chastity
gratitude
temperance
patience
diligence.

The deadly sins were a popular theme in the art, literature, and theater of the Middle Ages.

The Baháʼí writings teach us that humans are spiritual beings clothed in a material world. We all struggle to fulfill our spiritual nature and overcome our animal traits. Yes, we can all sin—but because our inner beings are filled with light, its rays will permanently envelop and warm the coldest heart.

Festival of Ayyám-i-Há

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:38:00 +0530

The Bahá’í World is celebrating the Festival of Ayyám-i-Há, a period dedicated to compassion, hospitality, generosity, friendship, and preparation for the nineteen-day fast. The festival spans the extra days that fall outside of the 19 months of the Bahá'í calendar. Bahá'ís observe it between the seventeenth and nineteenth (the time of fasting) months of the year. This year, it began on 24 February and ends today.

Ayyám-i-Há means days of Há. Há is the fifth letter in the Arabic alphabet. In the Bahá'í sacred writings, this letter is symbolic of the divine essence of God.

My siblings and I celebrated Ayyám-i-Há at our regular Saturday online gathering. After the devotional program, we played a hilarious Family Face-Off game involving ten questions on lesser-known facts about our extended family. "Where did our family originally immigrate from?" "How many rooms were there on the second floor of he old ancestral house of Papa?" It was riotous watching the siblings debate their wild guesses and then pass them off as authoritative (but wrong) answers. The Orange Team, comprising the two oldest siblings, won the game. Considering the nature of the questions (that only the older ones can answer), it came as no surprise.

Bahá'u'lláh has written in His Book of Laws, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas:

We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months.

I wish everyone the good cheer and joy of these four exultant days of Ayyám-i-Há!

What is love?

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 22:04:00 +0530

IN THIS season of love and affection, nothing defines love more affectingly than a unified family. Here are my siblings and their families offering answers to one of the most immensurable questions in life: "What is love?"

The video highlights our family activities since 2018, the last time we all got together in Manila. When the pandemic began, we used technology to bring us together, and we've remained connected on virtual space since then. My oldest brother Lex came up with the idea of a "reunion video" using the song "Nandito Pa Rin Tayo" by The Company. We agreed to show it after our weekly devotional gathering on 13 February, which was themed on love. I thought that the words and music were tailor-made for the project. I used videos and images in alternation—for example, the first stanza carried pictures, and the next stanza, videos. This was done, not only to create excitement, but to "humanize" the flow of images since this video is about love.

I've been creating videos as a hobby for many years now. But this one's different: it involves universal participation. A few hours before our devotional program, I was still chasing some of my siblings for last-minute videos since the flow of the story just wasn't going right. (They all willingly obliged.) This particular project wouldn't have happened without the avid contributions of the family. The satisfaction is a mixture of poignancy, humor, and affirmation. I think it shows on the final product.

Julie Ancheta's definition of love sums it all up. She quoted from 'Abdu'l-Bahá''s 14 January 1913 address to the Bahá'ís of London.

What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers.

Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful.

In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice 180 all—even his life. In the Gospel it is said God is love.

That is love.

SONG: "Nandito Pa Rin Tayo" (We're Still Here)
ARTIST: The Company
WORDS & MUSIC: Moy Ortiz
ORCHESTRA: FILharmoniKA
CONDUCTOR: Gerard Salonga

The Bernie Sanders memes

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 17:26:00 +0530

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS ignited the internet for an inauguration image that showed him seated in thick mittens, a parka, and a totally chilled out mood. Memes broke out in hundreds and flooded social networks. The images became a hilarious sideshow to the Biden inauguration, and punctuated the global community's sense of joy at the start of a new presidency.

Here are mine, using covers from Barbra Streisand's albums and scenes from her movies.

The Biden inauguration ends with a bang

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 16:40:00 +0530

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S inauguration this week was like no other in American history. It went through heightened security measures and COVID-19 precautions in the nation's capital. It also became the first inauguration snubbed by the outgoing president since 1869.

The historic day closed with fireworks and messages of hope, healing, and unity. This is one of the most electrifying fireworks shows that I have ever seen on screen. As Katy Perry performed a dramatically-rearranged "Firework," pyrotechnics burst gleefully around the Washington Monument behind her. That's 35,000 bombs fired from two locations and dancing to Ms. Perry's animated singing. The president, vice-president, and their families watched the entire extravaganza from the White House balcony—a fitting metaphor for the changes that the new administration is about to fire into and light up the skies in the next four years.

The Biden inaugural address

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 21:30:00 +0530

HERE ARE excerpts from President Joe Biden's inaugural address, which I received on email this morning from the Biden Inaugural Committee. President Biden wrote the 21-minute speech with the assistance of speechwriter Vinay Reddy, senior advisor Mike Donilon, incoming Secretary of State Tony Blinken, and chief of staff Ron Klain. The address was described by the New York Times as "a return to the ordinary discord of democracy, with a reminder that politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path."

This is democracy's day, a day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew. And America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We've learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

“ Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation ”

So today I stood on hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I've taken the sacred oath each of those patriots before me has taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people, who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we've come so far, but we still have far to go.

We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now.

A once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It's taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses closed, a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear, and now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy. Unity. In another January, on New Year's Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, "if my name ever goes down into history, it'll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it."

"My whole soul is in it." Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face, anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasked of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, and devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts.

May God bless America and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

President Joe Biden

The Biden Inauguration

The Biden inauguration

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 23:51:00 +0530

AMERICA HAS a new president, and a new day has begun. Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. takes office as the 46th president of the United States at the crossroads of historical moments. On the one hand, Kamala Harris is sworn in as the country's first female vice president. On the other, America is experiencing deep economic losses, socio-political divisions, and health crises like never before. President Biden delivered a 21-minute speech filled with compassion and commitment. It left me teary-eyed.

This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day, a day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve through a crucible for the ages. America has been tested anew, and America has risen to the challenge. . . Here we stand, looking out on the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change.

The ceremony had a sense of austerity around it, befitting the literal state of the nation. Even the musical honors were scaled back, with Lady Gaga's impressive rendition of the American anthem a definitive high point.

It's a new day of hope and unity for America and the world. My warmest hugs to my friends and family in America. May the paths ahead of you be filled with God's mercy and grace.

COVID-19 : India begins the vaccination

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 23:59:00 +0530

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi has launched one of the world's biggest inoculation drives—targeting India's 10.5 million infections (against a population of 1.4 billion). The country anticipated this inoculation drive highly, as its many lockdowns have not impacted virus control. The first phase of the vaccination rollout targets 30 million healthcare and frontline workers. By July, the government plans to inoculate 300 million people.

There has been growing doubt about the vaccine. Experts have questioned the lack of disclosure over the fast-tracked approval of Covaxin, one of the two vaccines in the country. I have faith in the Indian government, knowing that it will clear the process that allows the vaccine to move forward without contentiousness. With the new virus variants now causing alarm around the world, I welcome the vaccine with relief.

The Bahá'í life in a year like no other

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 13:48:00 +0530

THE BAHÁ'Í World News Service has released a video compendium of the most compelling stories of the global Bahá’í community in 2020. The video illustrates what Bahá’ís do: collectively serving humanity and refining their lives according to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The year needed the greatest need for togetherness, and Baháʼís have shown how hope, effort, and unity helped alleviate human suffering in societies worldwide.

This video proves an inevitable fact: no matter what part of the earth, the human family is one.

Storming the hill

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Thu, 7 Jan 2021 22:15:00 +0530

SOURCE: The New York Times

THE VIOLENCE at the US Capitol wasn't just a defacement of America's image as the exemplar of democracy. It was a threat to the idea that peace is inevitable. If such disruptive forces could happen at the very core of America's leadership, then it could happen everywhere.

In these turbulent times, we seek guidance from 'Abdu'l-Bahá's words, from his book The Secret of Divine Revelation.

What an extraordinary situation now obtains, when no one, hearing a claim advanced, asks himself what the speaker’s real motive might be, and what selfish purpose he might not have hidden behind the mask of words. You find, for example, that an 104 individual seeking to further his own petty and personal concerns, will block the advancement of an entire people. To turn his own water mill, he will let the farms and fields of all the others parch and wither. To maintain his own leadership, he will everlastingly direct the masses toward that prejudice and fanaticism which subvert the very base of civilization.

O People of Persia! Open your eyes! Pay heed! Release yourselves from this blind following of the bigots, this senseless imitation which is the principal reason why men fall away into paths of ignorance and degradation. See the true state of things. Rise up; seize hold of such means as will bring you life and happiness and greatness and glory among all the nations of the world.

The winds of the true springtide are passing over you; adorn yourselves with blossoms like trees in the scented garden. Spring clouds are streaming; then turn you fresh and verdant like the sweet eternal fields. The dawn star is shining, set your feet on the true path. The sea of might is swelling, hasten to the shores of high resolve and fortune. The pure water of life is welling up, why wear away your days in a desert of thirst? Aim high, choose noble ends; how long this lethargy, how long this negligence! Despair, both here and hereafter, is all you will gain from self-indulgence; abomination and misery are all you will harvest from fanaticism, from believing the foolish and the mindless. The confirmations of God are supporting you, the succor of God is at hand: why do you not cry out and exult with all your heart, and strive with all your soul!

May America—and the rest of the world—emerge with a fortitude from this tribulation.

As 2021 rolls in

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 3 Jan 2021 22:43:00 +0530

MAY CALM fill your daily life,
that you may hear the chords of violins
and not the discords of violence.

May you hear again the music of the stage,
see the starry lights of the concert hall,
taste the magic of the cinema.
feel the heart of the art.

May you find a piece of art in anything you do.
May the work you do help those around you,
that they may help others in return.

And may the earth heal.
May the skies continue to clear,
and the waters remain blue.
May the air you breathe
fill your lungs and your vaccinated veins
with the cleansing power
of a new-found purity.

If your birthday comes in quarantine,
may you celebrate the day
with virtual pomp and splendor.
May the splendor spill over the next day,
and the next day,
and the next.
May your birthday fill your soul with love.

May your love of family and ties of fellowship
continue to grow in harmony and peace.
May you have a chance
to hug them in the streets,
to hold each others' hands,
to smile beyond the masks,
to dance again, together.

And when grief arrives and leaves a heartache,
may the memory of joy swiftly heal the pain.

May you rise above it all,
ever hopeful,
trusting in God.

May you have
a healthful,
blissful,
prayerful
2021.

The night before Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:38:00 +0530

LIKE ANY other social activity this year, Christmas meant new ways of connecting and celebrating. Our Zoom gathering last night was gripping for a big reason: this was the first time we all gathered together on Christmas since the mid-1990s. It might also have been the least expensive gathering ever! My nephews and nieces showed up to surprise us; two of them even sang and played the guitar. We exchanged our usual jokes that never got stale. It was a day (or night in my case) that was incredibly merry and bright.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Happy birthday, Mr. Beethoven!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 23:27:00 +0530

LUWIG VAN Beethoven was born on or around this day 250 years ago in Bonn. As we end the year, we remember the Ode to Joy—a paean to the humanity's triumph against war and desperation—from his Ninth Symphony as a fitting deliverance from this ravaging year.

Hundreds of virtual performances and musical products have been released this year to mark the master's anniversary. One of the last commemorative projects is Google Arts & Culture's Global Ode to Joy, a compilation of videos created by people from all over the world. Conductor Marin Alsop, the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, and the Stay At Home Choir provides the accompaniment, using a new English-language adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s original Ode to Joy poem.

O friend, my heart has tired
Of such darkness.
Now it vies for joy.

Joy, bright God-spark born of Ever
Daughter of fresh paradise—
Where you walked once now walk rancor,
Greed, suspicion, anger, fright.
Joy, the breeze off all that’s holy,
Pure with terror, wild as flame.
Make us brothers, give us comfort,
Bid us past such fear and hate.

If you’ve loved another’s beauty
If you’ve craved the warmth of flesh,
If your spirit is invested
In another’s sense of worth,
Lift your voice to touch my voice now,
Let our song bring joy to earth.
Lift your voice to touch my voice now,
Let our song bring joy to earth.

Joy like water, milk of mothers.
Kind and wicked all deserve
Joy’s compassion freely given,
Joy which can’t be sold or earned.
In the depths of blackest soil
In the lightless atmosphere
In the atom and the ether,
Animating all that is.

Let us feel it, let us heed it,
Let us seek its deepest kiss.
Let us live our brief lives mining
That which joy alone can give.

Battered planet, home of billions,
Our long shadow stalks your face.
All we’ve fractured, all we’ve stolen,
All we’ve sought blind to your grace.

Earth, forgive us, claim us, let us
Live in humble thanks and joy.
Let our hearts wake from our stupor,
Let us praise you in one voice.

Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 23:41:00 +0530

THIS MONTH, Bahá'ís around the world commemorate two Holy Days associated with ‘Abdu'l-Bahá: The Day of the Covenant (26 November) and The Day of His Ascension (28 November). On these two occasions, we remember and celebrate the presence of the oldest son of the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith among us. In their 26 November 2018 message to the global Bahá’ís, the Universal House of Justice wrote:

In this season . . . every Bahá’í heart is stirred by remembrance of Him Who is the Mystery of God, the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s impregnable Covenant, the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the embodiment of every Bahá’í ideal, the Most Mighty Branch of God whereunder all can find shelter.

'Abdu’l-Bahá, occupies a unique position in religious history. His father, Bahá'u'lláh, conferred upon Him three distinctions that had never before been conferred upon anyone by God's appointed Messenger:

'Abdu’l-Bahá was Bahá'u'lláh's appointed successor
He was the authorized interpreter of His Father's Writings.
He was the perfect exemplar of His Father's teachings.

Such is 'Abdu’l-Bahá’s distinction that, although not a Prophet in His own right, His Writings form an important part of the Bahá'í Holy Writings. Such is the reverence in which He is held that Bahá'ís refer to Him as "the Master." He held Himself to be His Father's servant

That, indeed, is what 'Abdu’l-Bahá" means: "the Servant of Glory." He wrote:

My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My qualification is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My reality is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My praise is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. . . No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except 'Abdu’l-Bahá. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.

1,000 YouTube subscribers!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 01:30:00 +0530

MY YOUTUBE channel, Paul Ancheta, has just hit the 1,000-subscriber mark! I can't thank each one of them enough.

YouTube subscribers are a precious commodity. It's the Holy Grail for millions of YouTube users who make either extra income or a full career from their channel revenues. Having 1,000 subscribers is a tiny dot in this galaxy of enterprising video managers. But it amplifies the joy of seeing people love what you do for them.

I joined YouTube in March 2006, shortly after moving to India. Four years later, I posted my first video—a commemoration of our family reunion—to make it accessible to my siblings. The channel then became the repository of my burgeoning interest in doing Barbra Streisand mashups, which I would then post on Facebook fan pages. And that's when the channel's followers began to grow.

My YouTube channel is my contribution to fans of Barbra Streisand, lovers of dance music, and followers of the Baháʼí Faith. I'd like to think that it makes their lives a little better.

I've not been actively posting new videos, but I have to work on that now. Having a following requires consistency. I owe it to them.

FOCAL POINT : Wayne Roberts, "The Professor"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 23:42:00 +0530

THE PROFESSOR starts off well: a dying upper-middle-class English professor decides to be nonconforming in the few months he realizes he has left in his life. Unfortunately, the movie's suspense dies ahead of its main character. What could have been an emotional roller coaster turns out to be a meandering train of many promising twists and turns, none of which leads anywhere.

It is easy to see why Johnny Depp is chosen to portray the stage-four cancer victim, as he is able to bring his usual inebriated and drugged-out affectations to the role. Unfortunately, there are no other textures to his performance. This is possibly Mr. Depp's weakest acting in many years.

Honoring mothers : a birthday salute

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 10:26:00 +0530

THIS VIDEO, backed up by JJ Heller's "A Mother Like You", honors two of the finest mothers in the world: my sister Carla and sister-in-law Tara. Both were born one year apart many Novembers ago. Happy birthday, sisters.

The mother is the first teacher of the child. For children, at the beginning of life, are fresh and tender as a young twig, and can be trained in any fashion you desire. If you rear the child to be straight, he will grow straight, in perfect symmetry. It is clear that the mother is the first teacher and that it is she who establisheth the character and conduct of the child."
—'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Song: "A Mother Like You"
Artist: JJ Heller
Words and Music: Brandon Heath, David Heller, and Jennifer J. Heller

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, "Prayer for America"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 7 Nov 2020 23:30:00 +0530

EARLIER TONIGHT, my siblings and I got together and offered a prayer for America. It is one of two that ʻAbdu'l-Bahá revealed a hundred years ago for this country, a nation so worthy of divine bestowals and mercy.

O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees, even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

The devotion is performed by Remembrance Ensemble.

Hi Joe Bye Don

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 7 Nov 2020 22:30:00 +0530

"KAMALA" IS Sanskrit for "lotus". May the new POTUS and "LOTUS" at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue help bring in the fragrance of healing and unifying these disunited states of America.

Honoring mothers : a family memorial

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 11:26:00 +0530

AS CATHOLICS commemorate saints and souls in this solemn weekend , I remember departed members of my family and honor their selflessness and nobility. They include the parents-in-law of my siblings: because of them, stronger love and blessedness exist in our family.

FOCAL POINT : Seth Grahame-Smith, "The Last American Vampire"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 23:25:00 +0530

FACT AND fiction collide in Seth Grahame-Smith's otherworldy novel, causing hilarious sparks of adventure and horrifying flashes of gore. The collision is delicious and so difficult to avoid. The Last American Vampire (along with Mr. Grahame-Smith's first book, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) will entrance those who love Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. This is not at all for fans of vampire romance and other supernatural light fare.

The book closes with its best part: an incredibly gory climax that is the bloodiest I've read since Anne Rice in the 1990s. Listing his acknowledgements, Mr. Grahame-Smith gives a shoutout to his readers, making this the first time I've ever been honored by an author).

And then those footnotes. Do read them. They're half of the force that makes this novel such a sensational collision.

Moschino's marionettes in Milan

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Ancheta) — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 22:05:00 +0530

JUST WHEN the pandemic is changing everything we do, here's Moschino presenting a new opportunity: a more sophisticated use of couture and craftsmanship. At the ongoing Milan Fashion Week, the brand presented its Spring-Summer 2021 collection with no guests . . . and no models.

Instead, Moschino's creative director Jeremy Scott collaborated with Jim Henson's Creature Shop to create a short film presenting the fashion show with—get this—marionettes. Garments and accessories were ingenuously shrunk to fit the puppets. The "audience" included New York Times critic Vanessa Friedman and Vogue editors Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, and Hamish Bowles. Scott himself was featured as a marionette in the film, with a crown and Moschino T-shirt.

Fashion shows have always been magical and whimsical. Moschino's delightful SS21 presentation will always be remembered for taking the magic and the whimsy to a different level of enchantment.