Books, Music, and Film to Wake Up Your Muse and Help You Change the WorldLeave a comment

Big Men, Big Planes, and Big Dreams of Plenty

wandawaterman@themindfulbard.com

by Wanda Waterman Voice Magazine, Volume 22 Issue 43 2014-10-31 Film: Cargo Cult Director: Bastien Dubois “The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich.” – John Berger “Avarice is fear sheathed in gold.” – Paul Eldridge This animated short film is set during World War II, and touches on how a native of Papua New Guinea might view the spectacular plenty of the Americans and the Japanese as it … Continue reading Big Men, Big Planes, and Big Dreams of Plenty

Books, Music, and Film to Wake Up Your Muse and Help You Change the World, MaghrebLeave a comment

The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism

wandawaterman@themindfulbard.com

by Wanda Waterman The Voice, Volume 22 Issue 41 2014-10-17 Film: Horses of God Director: Nabil Ayouch Writer: Jamal Belmahi, based on the book by Mahi Binebine “I was very interested in violence itself because I believe violence has a source. It has a reason why; it doesn’t come from the sky. I was interested in the genesis of violence.” – Nabil Ayouch “The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” – The Tao Te Ching On the 16th of May, 2003, 12 suicide bombers set off explosions in five different locations in Casablanca, Morocco—locations chosen for … Continue reading The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism

Books, Music, and Film to Wake Up Your Muse and Help You Change the WorldLeave a comment

The Sound of a Soul Unfolding in the Chambers of Longing

wandawaterman@themindfulbard.com

by Wanda Waterman The Voice, Volume 22 Issue 41 2014-10-17 Album: Popular Problems Artist: Leonard Cohen “I saw some people starving There was murder, there was rape Their villages were burning They were trying to escape I couldn’t meet their glances I was staring at my shoes It was acid, it was tragic It was almost like the blues” – Leonard Cohen, “Almost Like the Blues” It’s refreshing to find humour in a Leonard Cohen album right from the clever title, not just because his songs have long been couched in a kind of nihilist twilight but also because, contrary … Continue reading The Sound of a Soul Unfolding in the Chambers of Longing

INTERVIEWSLeave a comment

Smiling Into A Broken World

wandawaterman@themindfulbard.com

In Conversation With Resala by Wanda Waterman The Voice, Volume 22 Issue 40 2014-10-10 “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” – the Prophet Mohamed, quoted by Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 589 The Resala Charity Organization is an Egyptian charity that recruits volunteers to serve the needy. Some of its actions include caring for the elderly, orphans, the blind, the deaf, financially strapped families, and children with special needs, as well as conducting blood drives and secondhand clothing drives, recycling, medical care, tutoring, and literacy training. Recently Abdulazeez Al-saeed, the manager of the Tanta branch of Resala, … Continue reading Smiling Into A Broken World