Thursday, December 31, 2009

On Another Fan of 大同 Khalil Fong: A Baha'i-brilliant star

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There are lots of Baha'i-brilliant stars in China. -gw
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Carrie Tan Pei Lee is a fan of:
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Baha'i Faith
Bahá’í Writings ~ Daily Quote
Bahaikipedia
Music
Jason Mraz
方大同 Khalil Fong
one FM
TV Shows
Bahá’í Channel
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On Old Crow Medicine: And the prophets take their places at the table when they're called



One day, while busking outside a pharmacy called Boone Drug in Boone, North Carolina, the daughter of folk-country legend Doc Watson happened by and was impressed by what she heard. Doc Watson invited the band to participate in his annual MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.[6] That break led to the act's relocation to Nashville in 2000,[4] where they were "embraced and mentored" by Marty Stuart, the president of the Grand Ole Opry, Gillian Welch and Welch's longtime songwriting partner and guitarist, David Rawlings.[6] Stuart helped them land some high profile gigs and Rawlings later produced their Big Iron World (2006).[6] They made their Grand Ole Opry debut on the Ryman Auditorium stage in 2001 to a standing ovation.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Crow_Medicine_Show

Robert of Northwest Baha'i LIbrary catches a new old country song and likes what he hears. -gw

We were visiting Carmel, California a few days ago and heard this song of hope and faith while there.
The "Old Crow Medicine Show" originally sang it. Here's a link to a recent solo version by one of that group's members, David Rawlings, who wrote it.
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I Hear Them All
I hear the cryin' of the hungry
In the deserts where they'er wondering
Hear them crying out for Heaven's own
Benevolence upon them
Hear destructive power prevailin'
I hear fools falsely hailin'
To the crooked wits of tyrants
When they call
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear the sounds of tearing pages
And the roar of burning paper
All the crimes and acquisitions
Turned to air and ash and vapor
And the rattle of the shackle
Far beyond Emancipator
And the lowliest
Who gather in their stalls
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear them all
So while you sit and whistle "Dixie"
With your money and your power
I can hear the flowers growing
In the rubble of the tower
I hear leader quit their lyin'
I hear babies quit their cryin'
I hear soldiers quit their dyin'
One and all
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear the tender words from Zion
I hear Noah's water fall
Hear the gentle lamb of Judah
Sleeping at the feet of Buddha
And the prophets from Elijah
To the old Paiute Wovoka
Take their places at the table
When they're called
I hear them all
I hear them all
I hear them all

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On Devon Gundry Is a Meat Eater: Proof

 
Devon of a much-loved EP. Devon of "Armed" ... of "Evening Lamps" ... of Soul Pancake... of Golriz fame. That Devon.
That Devon is a meat-eater. Go to this link for photographic proof. -gw 
 

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

On the Love for Family: Biological and Baha'i

Eli is a newly active Baha'i who loves her family, both biological and Baha'i. -gw
 
I alluded to my sister on Facebook that I was going to the Baha'i Center and she said she knew. She's observant in that fashion. I asked her opinion on it. I knew she wouldn't understand, but I gotta keep spirits up and have faith that God can work in me. It's crazy, I know, but I feel I have to make a point in the future with my family that the Baha'i Faith is where I belong. It's hard convincing Christians of this. I'm not going to hell and we believe in Jesus as much as they do.
 
I felt sad because I wish she could see the genuine effort I put into my Faith even though I fall alot (and I mean alot). It's not a path that anyone in my family wants, but I feel the need to keep going. Is it wrong to feel alone in my efforts? I do thank God for my Baha'i mums who are wholly supportive of my spiritual journey. I love my own biological family -- don't get me wrong. I wish they could see and understand my situation, but I don't want to be selfish.
 
 
bahaiviews "My eyes are useless if they don't see the light of God"
search for Sandy Simmons - What Shall I Be ( Baha\'i ) Sandy Simmons – What Shall I Be ( Baha'i ) | play

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On What Bestowal Could be Greater Than This: That one's art should be even as the act of worshipping the Lord

Baha'i text and images on flickr. -gw
 

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On the Flight to Dar es Salaam: a crash course in Baha'i

 
 
An airplane is a good place to learn more about the Baha'i Faith, apparently. -gw
 
On the flight back to Dar, I sat next to a Canadian woman who grew up in Zimbabwe and now lives in Lusaka. She was actually Bahai, which was an odd coincidence because I grew up 10 minutes from North America’s only Bahai Temple (located in Wilmette, IL). And yet, I didn’t know much about the Bahai faith. Here’s a crash course from what I learned/re-learned from her. It’s a “new world religion” only about 160 years old. It was founded by Baha’ullah in Persia, and it is based on the concepts of unity in religion, mankind, and god. The religion is a combination of all other world religions, as people like Buddha and Moses are all seen as divine messengers to the people of their time. Apparently, Baha’ullah once said “If religion is a source of disunity, it is better to have no religion at all” which is interesting given the state of today’s affairs.  The governing body for Bahais is called the Universal House of Justice, made up of 9 elected representatives.  The reps range from being world-renowned doctors to peasant farmers. Also, parents cannot force their children to be Bahai – they choose at age 15 whether or not they want to adopt the faith. There’s only about one temple on each continent. Oh, and of course, this woman’s husband turned out to be a die-hard member of the Lusaka Rotary Club.
 

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On a Memorial to a Faithful Believer: After 99 years, 60 years as a Baha'i.

Horn (nee Beamer), Lillian
Horn (nee Beamer), Lillian
July 05, 1910 - November 19, 2009
Mammoth, WV




Lillian B. Horn (nee Beamer), age 99, Cherished mother of Robert; Grandmother of Travis; Sister-in-law of Clementine Beamer; Aunt of William, Lola, Michael, Patricia, and Lillian Denise; Great aunt to many. Lillian retired from schoolteaching after 56 years. She was a devoted member of the Baha'i Faith for more than 60 years. Lillian will be sorely missed by all that knew her. Interment Cleveland Memorial Gardens.

http://mahermelbourne.com/obituaries/

A memorial to a faithful believer. -gw

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Monday, December 28, 2009

On Baha'is Move Online: Designing, making music, searching & blogging



Coming soon from maker of


http://www.onemusician.org/


http://www.askbahai.com/


http://www.designthefaith.com/

Baha'is move online. -gw

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On Photographs as News Items: 18 October 2009 - the trial that should have started today against seven Baha'i leaders

Meanwhile back at the Ranch by christer.bjorklund.

26 dec 2008: Dussintals demonstranter, främst kvinnor och barn, blockerade för en stund ingången till en av Frankrikes mest berömda och prestigefyllda hotell på annandagen för att kräva bättre lågprisboende.

December 26, 2008: Dozens of protesters, mainly women and children, blocked for a while, the entrance to one of France's most famous and prestigious hotels on the other day to demand better low-cost housing

Uploaded on January 20, 2009 by christer.bjorklund on flickr


An artist on Flickr has created a set of photographs each of which is intended to represent a news item. One of those pictures, uploaded today, relates to the incarceration of the seven Baha'is in Iran.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch by christer.bjorklund.
18 oktober 2009. Den rättegång som skulle ha inletts idag mot sju Baha’i-ledare, som sitter fängslade i Teheran sedan 17 månader, skjuts plötsligt upp på obestämd framtid.

18 October 2009. The trial should have started today against seven Baha'i leaders, imprisoned in Tehran for 17 months...

Uploaded on December 28, 2009 by christer.bjorklund on flickr

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On the Call of Civilization & Building Peace in Pursuit of Justice: Moojan and Wendy Momen's recent presentations now online

THE CALL OF CIVILIZATION BUILDING A NEW FUTURE Dr Moojan Momen's presentation, 7 December 2009, Auckland Baha'i Centre, New Zealand Slides link: http://tinyurl.com/yzun3q5 
 
 
I feel so grateful to those who go to the substantial effort to put on the Internet for others to be able to appreciate presentations of the quality of Moojan and Wendy Momen's recent talks in Auckland. Both the slides (http://www.slideshare.net/meadowlark88) and the video (http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadowLark88) are now up. -gw
 
 

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On Ruhi Book 3: Confirmation of the importance of the right kind of early childhood education & its importance in our work as Baha’is

 
Photographs by Chris Nolen taken of Baha'i children's class in the Pierce Pennisula WA
 
This in from Deb who knows of my admiration for the Head Start program through my work with it as a contracted mental health consultant. -gw
 
I heard this story on the radio yesterday about the lessons learned from the Perry Preschool and thought it was very interesting: 
 
 
The conclusion that it is the non-cognitive learning that leads to success in life is what was most interesting to me and relevant to our work with children’s classes.  It reminded me of what was mentioned at our Ruhi 3 Refresher about the advanced educator who referred to the Ruhi Book 3 curriculum as “cutting edge”. 
 
The post also mentions the problem with kindergarten becoming too much like regular school, (which is also happening with preschool) with no play, sitting at desks doing worksheets, etc. This has always been a big beef of mine.
 
Anyway, another confirmation of the importance of the right kind of early childhood education and its importance in our work as Baha’is. 
 
Deb

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

On For All Those Who Love Jesus: Relevant Baha'i scriptures

 
The Christmas season may be coming to a close, but Jesus Christ is still in hearts of billions. Farhad has been busy compiling and posting material of great interest to all those who love Jesus.
 
  • Continuation of God’s Guidance
  • God & His Manifestations (Prophets, Messengers)
  • The Sanctity of the Heavenly Gospel & Understandin...
  • Significance of His Crucifixion
  • His Remarks Concerning His Passing
  • The Extent of His Sufferings
  • Opposition from the Learned and Divines of His Gen...
  • Jesus Fulfilled Jewish Prophecies
  • Sufferings of Mary - the Mother of Christ
  • Signs of the His Approaching Birth
  •  
     
    Farhad has also been busy with the creation of these sites as well. He deepens our understanding of the signficance of the Baha'i Faith. -gw
     
     
     
     

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    On Baha'i Nabil Huening Is Famous in China: It's more than his blonde hair and green eyes

    On Nabil Huening is famous in China. -gw 
     
     
    The American walks down the street and is approached by star-struck teenagers chasing his autograph. The 1.9-m tall man stoops down to please his fans who are familiar with his blonde hair and green eyes from Chinese TV.
     
    Nabil Huening is a 34-year-old Chinese-speaking actor, songwriter, singer and old China hand. At 17 he left Chicago after graduating from college to further his study in Asian culture and literature at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, where he fell in love with a Korean classmate who is now the mother of his three children.
     
    Today, the multi-talented Huening has performed across China, regularly playing lead roles in CCTV dramas and sitcoms. ...
     
    His most recent project is the completion of his first music album, "The Tree of Life," a collection of 12 songs, in both English and Mandarin, which has found its way on iTunes and M-Zone and is currently being promoted across China.
     
     
    Websites:

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    On the Signficance of "Twin" for Baha'is: A meditation at Nisqually


    Greatly enhanced international endowments in Holy Land in twin cities of Acre and Haifa, now include twin Holy Shrines situated on plain of Acre and slope of Mount Carmel; twin Mansions of Bahjí and Mazra’ih, twin historic Houses inhabited by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; twin International Archives adjoining the Báb’s Sepulcher and the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf; twin Pilgrim Houses, constructed for Oriental and Occidental pilgrims; twin Gardens of Riḍván and Firdaws, associated with the memory of the Author of the Bahá’í Dispensation. -- Shoghi Effendi, 1951

    http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MBW/mbw-6.html

    There are 130 passages in which the word "twin" is used in the Baha'i Writings, starting with, of course, reference to the Twin Manifestations of God, the Bab and Baha'u'llah.

    On our walk today I was admiring twin barns that are the most distinctive man-made feature of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, the subjects of many a photograph, including my own today, and I thought of the significance of "twins" for Baha'is.

    The air was crisp, the sun was out for a while, but faint, and there was still thick frost in the shadows late in the afternoon. Bird-life was in abundance at Nisqually today, as it is a wintering over-spot for dozens of varieties of birds. -gw



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    On Music for Schools: Every school door is open

    Let's open our eyes, and open our ears,

    Or we're not gonna make it

    Through another year.

    People of all Faiths and nationalities,

    From land to land, and sea to sea...

    So let us everyone teach our

    Children of Unity.

    To love everyone with equality.

    La la la, la la la, la la la la la la,

    La la la, la la la, la la la la la la,

    La la la la la la,

    La la la la la la.

    -The Equality song

     
    There is a story here about opening doors to diverse expression. You can read the whole story on the bahai.us site. -gw
     
    Veda spent the next year gathering sheet music, making a CD of some Baha’i songs and getting permission for artists to use their music.
     
    “Every door has opened,” she said, “it’s meant to be.”
     
    All 55 schools in her district now have the book, and the Mosavi family has been sending it to any school district that requests it, including schools outside of California.
     
    Jasmine, who is now in the fifth grade, said the year-long project taught her an important lesson.
     
    “I learned that I should not feel left out,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, we’re all the same inside. We shouldn't feel separated by the way we worship. I wanted my teachers to know that I am a Baha'i and to let them know that we believe in the unity of all religions." ...
     
    Those interested in the booklet can e-mail Jasmine and her mom at: musicfortheschools "at" gmail.com. (The booklet includes sheet music and a CD compilation for "Blessed is the Spot"; "O God, Educate these children"; "Listen"; and "The Equality Song")
     

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    On 21 Days of Ruhi Study in Sikkim: Close to heaven

     
    This sounds like heavenly experience for the friends fortunate to be able to attend. -gw
     
    21 days Winter camp organized by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim began from 20th December 2009 at Baha’I School, Tadong. The camp will go till 9th January 2010. The participants are from Sumbuk (South Sikkim), Pachey (Pakyong) and Gangtok. The camp of this kind was first started at Saramsa (Ranipool) in December 2000 by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim. At that time the participants used to be from Bhutan, Darjeeling and Sikkim. But in the later years in order to make it convenient and manageable the Institute decided to decentralize  it and have it in different centers. Now for past three four years, for the people of Darjeeling it is organized in Darjeeling itself and for Sikkim in Sikkim itself.
     
    This is a kind of spiritual empowerment program. Here participants are taught to be tolerant and encourage fellowship among the people irrespective of cast, creed, colour, religion, race and nation. They get insights of the concept, God is one, man is the creation of one God and source of all religion is one. In the camp classes are conducted in a participatory method. The participants are divided in a different groups. For each group one tutor is appointed who coordinates the class and help the class to go ahead in a right track. Each group has to go through systematic sequence of courses which is from level 1 to level 7. The materials which they study are designed each with different subjects. They are as follows:
     
    Level 1: Reflection on the life of the spirit.
    Level 2 : Arising to serve.
    Level 3 : Teaching children’s classes, Grade I
    Level 4 : The twin manifestations.
    Level 5 : Teaching children classes, Grade II
    Level 6 : Teaching the Faith.
    Level 7 : Walking together on a path of service.
     
    These materials represent the experience gained by the institutions in raising up individuals capable of working for the benefit of their families and society.
     
     

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    Saturday, December 26, 2009

    On Sacred and Classical Music for Children: Thanks, KC

    How did I miss this KC Porter produced CD from 2003 of sacred and classical music for children? Available on DivineNotes.com and iTunes.
     

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    On an Ode to Hair: May the hair of my head declareth the power of Thy sovereignty and might

    The limbs of my body testify to Thy unity, and the hair of my head declareth the power of Thy sovereignty and might. —Bahá’u’lláh
     
     
    Hair has always been a big deal in our family. My son Rahmat got his hair cut yesterday.  He has had big hair for years, so that is quite a change. This is how he looked today, walking with his bike to the bus stop headed back home to his apartment.
     
     
    This photo above is of me (r) back in 1971. Hair was a big deal to me as I was coming into adulthood. Afros became the rage. The musical "Hair" was a hit back in 1968.
     
    Chris Rock's "Good Hair" has been a topic of cultural discussion.
     
    My son Taraz caught an impromptu barbershop scene in the video footage he did at Louis Gregory Institute back in 2005. We all go to great effort to have our appearance be pleasing to our peers and in the eyes of God.
     
    PICT6847 PICT6846 PICT6845 PICT6844 PICT6843 PICT6842 PICT6841 PICT6840 PICT6839 PICT6838 PICT6837 PICT6836 PICT6835 PICT6834 PICT6833 PICT6832 PICT6831 PICT6830 PICT6829 PICT6828 PICT6827 PICT6826 PICT6824 PICT6823 PICT6821 PICT6820 PICT6819
     
    All this got me to thinking about the diversity of hair styles existent in the world. So here is my ode to hair.-gw
     

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