Go right now to the Vanity Fair site and read Graydon Carter's scathing piece on the Bush administration:
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2007/09/graydon200709
The question that has been nagging me is what happened to all the people who marched against the Viet Nam war? Most of us are still alive and kicking. Why have we rolled over? Why have we let the Republican's systematically dismantle or almost dismantle everything we spent the 1960s fighting for? Have we totally forgotten JFK and Johnson's Great Society? The Civil Rights Movement? Head Start? What the heck has happened?
It's late, so I'm not going to write any more tonight, but I just didn't want to forget Mr. Carter's great bit of writing.
Peace
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Language difficulties and baseball
I was so surprised to see that someone (J95) commented on my post about the fires in Greece. I looked at his blog, but it is in Greek. I am embarrassed, once again, that I do not speak a second language fluently. Everywhere I have traveled outside of the U.S. the people speak English (and usually at least one other language besides their own). How many Americans speak anything other than English? My Italian is fine for travel, as is my French, but that's it. It is my greatest wish to actually be fluent in Italian, but I think I am probably too old to achieve true fluency, especially without living in Italy.
In my family my grandparents only spoke Italian when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. How great it would have been if they had taught us the language instead. My grandfather emigrated here in 1909 from the village of Norma, Italy. Unlike many other Italian emigrants in my hometown of Pittsburg, California, he didn't long to go back to "the old country." He became an American and that meant speaking English. He did live by "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," which meant when in America, do as the Americans do: speak English. I admire this and think it is best. I mean, when I am in another country, I do not expect everyone to speak English. However, I do wish I could sit with my grandfather today and learn Italian from him. What I can do is get started by using the Rosetta Stone language program available FREE through the Chelmsford Public Library. (How great is that? You just enter your library card number and you can access the language programs for several languages from your computer at home!)
Thinking about my Italian grandfather and his love of America, it still makes me laugh that an Italian born immigrant who never played sports and worked in the open hearth at U.S. Steel all his adult life, would sit and watch baseball, the most American sport, on television from his chair in the living room in a cloud of Italian cigar smoke. I was in high school when I discovered that he knew all the names of the San Francisco Giants and actually watched the games.
This stream of conciousness leads me back to Greece. How? Because J95's profile said he isn't interested in "softball." This isn't surprising for a Greek. Baseball (and softball) are virtually unknown in Greece. I was working on a project in Greece for the Olympics and had the opportunity to speak with many Greeks about baseball. I asked everyone I came into contact with what they knew about the game. No one could tell me anything about it. I shared a cab with a Greek translator and an official from MLB. The translator was a woman. When I asked her what she knew about the game, she said, "I know what volley ball is." The MLB guy and I knew it was downhill from there, but I then explained the basics of the game to her, much to the amusement of Mr. MLB. To his credit, he did say he was surprised I did such a good job of getting the basic game across.
There is an amateur baseball league in Greece, but I don't think any of the players were placed on the Greek Olympic team. Instead Americans of Greek descent were recruited to play on the Olympic team. Valerie Kontakos, an American film maker, made a documentary about the Greek Olympic team which I haven't seen yet. It is called WHO'S ON FIRST: "What happens when Greece, a country with no background in baseball, is suddenly required to field a team to compete in the 2004 Athens Olympics?" I thought it was a crime that the Greeks who actually play the game for their country weren't allowed to be on the team. The only way baseball will become a sport in Greece (along with softball) will be if children play the game. Hmmm...who will be the Johnny Appleseed of baseball in Greece, bringing bats and balls and gloves to kids and teaching them the game? If anyone has any idea, let me know...
In my family my grandparents only spoke Italian when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. How great it would have been if they had taught us the language instead. My grandfather emigrated here in 1909 from the village of Norma, Italy. Unlike many other Italian emigrants in my hometown of Pittsburg, California, he didn't long to go back to "the old country." He became an American and that meant speaking English. He did live by "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," which meant when in America, do as the Americans do: speak English. I admire this and think it is best. I mean, when I am in another country, I do not expect everyone to speak English. However, I do wish I could sit with my grandfather today and learn Italian from him. What I can do is get started by using the Rosetta Stone language program available FREE through the Chelmsford Public Library. (How great is that? You just enter your library card number and you can access the language programs for several languages from your computer at home!)
Thinking about my Italian grandfather and his love of America, it still makes me laugh that an Italian born immigrant who never played sports and worked in the open hearth at U.S. Steel all his adult life, would sit and watch baseball, the most American sport, on television from his chair in the living room in a cloud of Italian cigar smoke. I was in high school when I discovered that he knew all the names of the San Francisco Giants and actually watched the games.
This stream of conciousness leads me back to Greece. How? Because J95's profile said he isn't interested in "softball." This isn't surprising for a Greek. Baseball (and softball) are virtually unknown in Greece. I was working on a project in Greece for the Olympics and had the opportunity to speak with many Greeks about baseball. I asked everyone I came into contact with what they knew about the game. No one could tell me anything about it. I shared a cab with a Greek translator and an official from MLB. The translator was a woman. When I asked her what she knew about the game, she said, "I know what volley ball is." The MLB guy and I knew it was downhill from there, but I then explained the basics of the game to her, much to the amusement of Mr. MLB. To his credit, he did say he was surprised I did such a good job of getting the basic game across.
There is an amateur baseball league in Greece, but I don't think any of the players were placed on the Greek Olympic team. Instead Americans of Greek descent were recruited to play on the Olympic team. Valerie Kontakos, an American film maker, made a documentary about the Greek Olympic team which I haven't seen yet. It is called WHO'S ON FIRST: "What happens when Greece, a country with no background in baseball, is suddenly required to field a team to compete in the 2004 Athens Olympics?" I thought it was a crime that the Greeks who actually play the game for their country weren't allowed to be on the team. The only way baseball will become a sport in Greece (along with softball) will be if children play the game. Hmmm...who will be the Johnny Appleseed of baseball in Greece, bringing bats and balls and gloves to kids and teaching them the game? If anyone has any idea, let me know...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Greek Fire
I have been following the tragic news about the fires spreading across Greece. I am not a Greek American, but I have many Greek friends and I have gone there on business many times. I like the country very much. Sadly, over 60 people have died in the fires and people have been reduced to trying to beat those fires out with branches which then catch fire. Why the Prime Minister didn't IMMEDIATELY declare a state of emergency and commandeer every bull-dozer in the country to dig fire trenches and get every member of the military out fighting fires IMMEDIATELY is beyond me.
It appears that it is accepted practice for developers to intentionally set forested land ablaze. Why? Because Greek law prevents building on a great deal of forested land, but it doesn't say that once deforested by fire that it can't be built upon. A day or so ago it was announced that two people were arrested...a 77 year old woman who was cooking in her backyard and a 65 or 67 year old man who did do something rather suspicious, but is the government kidding? There were many fires, maybe 200, that were set simultaneously along a 12-14 mile stretch. An old lady cooking in her backyard?? How stupid do they think we are? Perhaps now that the story has become an international one, the Greek government will be embarrassed and get their act together. (My experience says that won't happen, but I can always hope.) Greece is a beautiful, beautiful country, but it is like a 3rd world country in many ways. The people desperately want to be part of the modern world, but they haven't been able to bring the culture as a whole into the 21st century. Here's a bit of irony: the Greeks tell the story of the burning of Smyrna by the Turks and legitimately want Turkey to acknowledge this, but now the Greeks are burning their own country down and they can't blame the Turks for this one (although there has been some talk about investigating whether the fires were started by "terrorists," but the implication is they mean non-Greeks, not greedy people who want the land to build on and don't care whether they murder people to get it.)
Nature will bring back the forests (if the land isn't paved over first) and I do truly pray that the best in human nature will bring Greece's politicians to their senses.
It appears that it is accepted practice for developers to intentionally set forested land ablaze. Why? Because Greek law prevents building on a great deal of forested land, but it doesn't say that once deforested by fire that it can't be built upon. A day or so ago it was announced that two people were arrested...a 77 year old woman who was cooking in her backyard and a 65 or 67 year old man who did do something rather suspicious, but is the government kidding? There were many fires, maybe 200, that were set simultaneously along a 12-14 mile stretch. An old lady cooking in her backyard?? How stupid do they think we are? Perhaps now that the story has become an international one, the Greek government will be embarrassed and get their act together. (My experience says that won't happen, but I can always hope.) Greece is a beautiful, beautiful country, but it is like a 3rd world country in many ways. The people desperately want to be part of the modern world, but they haven't been able to bring the culture as a whole into the 21st century. Here's a bit of irony: the Greeks tell the story of the burning of Smyrna by the Turks and legitimately want Turkey to acknowledge this, but now the Greeks are burning their own country down and they can't blame the Turks for this one (although there has been some talk about investigating whether the fires were started by "terrorists," but the implication is they mean non-Greeks, not greedy people who want the land to build on and don't care whether they murder people to get it.)
Nature will bring back the forests (if the land isn't paved over first) and I do truly pray that the best in human nature will bring Greece's politicians to their senses.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Starting Here, Starting Now
Only 11 more rehearsals before the opening of the cabaret show I'm in with two of my friends. The show is Starting Here, Starting Now by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. We are doing this as a fundraiser for Westford Chorus at The Java Room in Chelmsford. It is a real test to try to move from singing legit to making that music theatre sound. I wake up in the middle of the night with the music running through my head, so it must be starting to stick. I hate looking at this in writing, but I was the Assistant Stage Manager 30 years ago in NYC on the original show. Singing the songs brings back lots of memories to say the least. It will be interesting to see if the music is still fresh or seems dated to the audience. There are two recordings of the show. The only one worth listening to is the original cast recording with George Lee Andrews, Loni Ackerman and Margery Cohen.
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Here-Original-1977-Off-Broadway/dp/B000002W3D
(George went on to be in the original cast of Phantom of the Opera and low these many years later he is STILL in the show. How weird is it that for decades I have been meaning to go to New York and see Phantom. With my luck there will be an announcement that the show will be closing and I won't be able to get tickets...) Back to SHSN, the London cast recording is painful to listen to, but unlike the NY cast recording, it has literally all of the songs.
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Here-1993-Original-London/dp/B000005BH4
Nancy, Bill and I have been working hard on getting our version of the show together. We have a great trio backing us up. Now that tickets are on sale we realize there is no turning back. It is truly on with the show...now I'm off to rehearsal...
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Here-Original-1977-Off-Broadway/dp/B000002W3D
(George went on to be in the original cast of Phantom of the Opera and low these many years later he is STILL in the show. How weird is it that for decades I have been meaning to go to New York and see Phantom. With my luck there will be an announcement that the show will be closing and I won't be able to get tickets...) Back to SHSN, the London cast recording is painful to listen to, but unlike the NY cast recording, it has literally all of the songs.
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Here-1993-Original-London/dp/B000005BH4
Nancy, Bill and I have been working hard on getting our version of the show together. We have a great trio backing us up. Now that tickets are on sale we realize there is no turning back. It is truly on with the show...now I'm off to rehearsal...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
My first entry...August 25, 2007
I stumbled on blogspot and decided to test it out. I have read lots of other people's blogs, but never thought to try this myself.
Why did I name my blog "Mezzo Drama"? Well, I'm a mezzo and I live a dramatic life. I have been studying voice for about seven years and went from singing once in a while with friends to singing the role of Carmen with a community choral group, something I would have never thought possible. That's me on the left in the photo. Singing is what keeps me almost sane. If I keep this blog thing up, I am sure I will write more about that.
Ciao
Why did I name my blog "Mezzo Drama"? Well, I'm a mezzo and I live a dramatic life. I have been studying voice for about seven years and went from singing once in a while with friends to singing the role of Carmen with a community choral group, something I would have never thought possible. That's me on the left in the photo. Singing is what keeps me almost sane. If I keep this blog thing up, I am sure I will write more about that.
Ciao
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