faulker020

There are some days when I want to write an essay about the things going on around us, and other days when I want to write a poem to express my feelings about life. Then there are those days when I think that our time would be much better spent listening to Jon Meacham. Here is an excellent interview in which Jon Meacham talks with Willie Geist about his book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels . Thoughtful, articulate, and intelligent discussion on our history as well as the times we are living in. -

"Journeys of a Dreamer" from Davy Spillane's 1990 album, 'Shadow Hunter.' One of Ireland's most noted Uilleann pipe players. -

a six year old child scooping tadpoles from the pond pure, messy delight ____________________________ Image: Frog and Tadpoles Artist: Ohara Koson Medium: Japanese Woodblock Print -

Last summer, I read Susan Cain's book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I found it to be quite helpful and encouraging. Here is her TED Talk on The Power of Introverts. You can find her website at https://www.quietrev.com/author/susan-cain/ . -

  Mourners carry the coffin of a child at the funeral procession for those killed in an airstrike on a bus in Yemen. Photograph: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images (Photo from The Guardian ) Buy American With the constant barrage of news stories regarding presidential tweets, cyber attacks, and market trends, we can easily forget that we are still a nation involved in wartime maneuvers. Last week, it turns out, a U.S. made bomb killed 40 children on a Yemen school bus . In that same attack, eleven adults were also killed and 79 injured. According to an article in The Guardian , the weapon in question was “a laser-guided bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of many thousands sold to Saudi Arabia as part of billions of dollars of weapons exports.” Our American Empire ha s troops stationed across the globe, and war seems to be one of our biggest exports. Democrats and Republicans alike are all too ready to make weapons of war our abiding legacy. The Guardian article goes on to say, The Oba...

Those of you in the Birmingham, Alabama area, please take note of this documentary that will be showing at the AMC Theater in Hoover at Patton Creek Mall.  Angels Within is a documentary about Muslim doctors serving rural communities in America Ashfaq Taufique, retired mechanical engineer president of the Birmingham Islamic Society since 1989 writes: In today’s world of negativity and divisiveness, seldom do we see good things get the attention it deserves. Muslim Physicians by choice have decided to serve the rural communities and reject the notion of making big bucks in the urban communities. It is my pleasure to invite you and your family to a free 90-minute film: "Angels Within" Where: Patton Creek Mall AMC Theatre #6 4450 Creekside Ave., Birmingham, AL 35244 When: August 25, 2018, at 6:00 pm The movie will be preceded by a small welcome ceremony and refreshments which will be served before the movie starts sharply at 7:00 pm. Thwarting harmful stereotyping, ANGELS WITHI...

We lost a memorable talent this week with the passing of Aretha Franklin. Much has been said of her abiding influence on the music industry. She has been dubbed "The Queen of Soul." Here is her soul rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." You can also hear one of her gospel numbers over at Music of the Spheres . -

moon upon the sea clears the mind, gladdens the heart teatime shared with you ______________________________ Image: "Teahouse in the Moonlight"  c.1930's Artist: Takahashi Shotei (1871-1945) Medium: Japanese woodblock print  -

In this interview, shortly after Graceland has been released to rave reviews and great success, Paul Simon talks about what he sees as important in the work of music and talks some about the process of writing. He then sings "The Boxer" including the new verse added when S & G did the Concert in Central Park:                   Now the years are rolling by me                   They are rocking easily                   I am older than I once was                   And younger than I’ll be                   But that’s not unusual.                   No, it isn’t strange                   After changes upon changes                   W...

An interesting interview with Paul Simon on David Letterman's Late Night. It is pre Graceland , and post Concert in Central Park .  There is a human quality that is almost as good as the early days of low budget PBS programming. Among other things, Simon talks about the Concert in Central Park and the events that resulted in his writing "The Late Great Johnny Ace." He also sings a few lines of "Citizen of the Planet," which he says is "half written" (it became a song several years later and was sung at the Simon & Garfunkel "Old Friends Reunion Tour" in 2003). -

"Prayers offered in times of peace are silent conversations, Appeals for love or loves release, in private invocations. But all that is changed now, Gone like a memory from the day before the fires. People hungry for the voice of God Hear lunatics and liars..." -

sometimes a walkway requires a measured effort   glad feet will follow ___________________ Photo by Charles Kinnaird -

"Bob Dylan and Van Morrison Sing Together in Athens, on Historic Hill Overlooking the Acropolis" Comments from Open Culture about the following video: On a summer day in 1989, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan met up in Greece and brought their acoustic guitars to the place in Athens where the ancients believed the muses lived. Philopappos Hill, traditionally known as the Hill of the Muses, rises high above the Athens Basin and has a commanding view of the Acropolis. It was June 29. Dylan had just wrapped up a European tour the night before at Panathinaiko Stadium, and Morrison was traveling with a BBC crew for an Arena documentary that would be broadcast in 1991 as One Irish Rover: Van Morrison in Performances. Here then are the two legends, back in 1989. -

I was happy to find this footage of Bob Dylan at the Concert for Bangladesh singing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit." Then he is joined by George Harrison with "If not for You." Great quality video, and great fun looking back to those days. -

the still mountain lake and pristine alpine forest cool the summer air _______________________ Photo (Courtesy of  Wikipedia ): Saint Mary Lake and Wild Goose Island at Glacier National Park in Montana _

ASCA Gallery at the RSA Tower in Montgomery The Alabama State Council on the Arts announced last week its closing reception “showcasing the work of our six 2018 Fellowship Artists. Sunday, July 29th 2:00-4:00 p.m. Gallery Talk: 3:00-4:00.” The six artists honored were Scott Fisk, Elaine Farley Kinnaird, Miriam O’Mura, Charity Ponter, Jared Ragland, and Kami Watson.  For those who missed the reception in Montgomery at the RSA Tower , I am showcasing the works of my daughter, Elaine Farley Kinnaird, here today. As a fiber artist, Ms. Kinnaird works with various media to produce her art. Examples of her work can be seen at her website .  "Pond" As a recipient of a grant from the Alabama Council on the Arts, her work in Montgomery used fabric as the medium and resembled quilting. Each piece was made of pieces of fabric cut into different shapes and sewn together.  "Broken Sea I"  She stated in her talk that the shapes that came about in her installation were based upon...