Tedium and Delight
Opera is mostly tedium pierced my moments of delight.
Comment?
Driven to Tears
Bringing to light Cuban prisoners of conscience… “Taking our struggle out of Calle Ocho”, Jewbana.
They Dance Alone
The banner shown in the video above is the closing capstone to the BUCL.org Campaign for the Invisible Ones, which I proudly sponsored along with other bloggers and individuals who advocate for human rights for Cuba and the liberation of its people. The banner reads, “S.O.S. THEY DANCE ALONE IN CUBA TOO. BUCL.ORG.” It flew over Dolphin Stadium the evening The Police’s world tour played Miami. The ladies appearing in the video are The Ladies in White (Las Damas De Blanco), relatives of imprisoned political dissidents. In acts of civil disobedience, they protest the injustice perpetrated against their loved ones by silently demonstrating through the streets of Havana. In 2005, they were awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, sharing the prize that year with Hauwa Ibrahim and Reporters Without Borders.
Speaking Up for the Invisible Ones
Last night, I had the privilege to participate in a vigil meant to bring to light the plight of political prisoners in Cuba. The Police’s comeback tour, which might include a stop in Havana, Sting’s past advocacy on behalf of human rights in Chile and South Africa, and his silence on this matter when it comes to Cuba prompted the vigil and bucl.org campaign. We’re appealing to Sting to speak up on behalf of Cuban political prisoners, to denounce the human rights abuses that continue to this day in Cuba, just as he denounced the same type of abuse in Chile and South Africa. Playing Havana presents Sting and The Police a perfect opportunity to speak truth to power, perhaps by inviting these guys to open the show or by challenging the castro regime to tear down the prisons.
Sending out an S.O.S. for Cuban Political Prisoners
Modern Aural Regression?
The sound reproduced by the modern CD is inferior to what its predecessors achieved. That’s what Bob Dylan seems to have just said. I’m no expert audiophile, but CD’s, at face value, sound much better than LP’s, at least that’s what I remember, as I haven’t listened to vinyl since the ’80’s. And if he’s down on the CD format, I wonder what he thinks of iTunes’ AAC format. For music I really care about, I’ve been buying CD’s assuming the sound to be authentic whereas AAC offers a water-downed version of the original. And what about Hybrid SACD? Mr. Dylan, does this mean I shouldn’t go ahead and get me a copy of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan? What’s a Bob Dylan fan to do in these Modern Times?