Happy Halloween

Vanuatu is in the news again... - Bede's Beat

There was a major earthquake 35km NE of Port-Olry on 20 October. Fortunately no casualties and minimal damage was reported.

Flag of Vanatu

But the news that is really grabbing Australasia and Oceania's attention is that -- after being convicted by the Vanuatu Republic's Supreme Court on corruption charges along with 13 other legislators on October 9 -- Vanuatu's Parliamentary Speaker Marcellino Pipite immediately invoked one of his powers as "acting president", since President Baldwin Lonsdale happened to be abroad on the 9th, to pardon himself and the other 13 MPs. Immediately upon his return, President Lonsdale overturned the pardons. On October 21st, the Supreme Court ruled the pardons unconstitutional.

Coat of Arms of Vanuatu 

We hear of or read about places such as Vanuatu, but what about the people who actually live there?

Vanuatu is home to the "Jeux d'eau" or "Water Games" -- the highlight of which are Water Percussion competitions and demonstrations.
The following clip contains footage from the Jeux d'eau 2007, shot by videographers from the Museum of Music in Paris.

The following clip contains a demonstration of water percussion filmed at Banks Island, Vanuatu.

It is raw footage filmed by AJ Hickling as part of a self-funded hour-and-a-half film exploring Vanuatuan culture through percussion and rhythms, "Evolving Rhythms - Island Adventures"

The film contains some amazing performances, but the filmmaker's attention span is less than I prefer when i drum with someone, as much of the music is presented in tantalizingly (and maddeningly) short clips of local performers, whose performances are often used as samples rather than featured in full and explained and explored... Perhaps AJ should have done more listening and less smoking during his trip...

Here is an example of a Vanuatuan "stomp dance", filmed at a Chiefmaking ceremony in Bethel Village, Vanuatu. The percussion is provided by slit drums.

The final clip is footage of a ceremonial dance, of a type known as a "kastom dance", performed by the Smol Nambas people of Vanuatu. It was recorded on Maskelynes, one of the very small Vanuatuan islands, located off the coast of the larger island of Peskarus. The percussion instrument being played is a slit gong drum. The dance they are performing is called the "raft dance" and tells of how the Smol Nambas came to live on Maskelynes. 

The videographer notes that -- while the ceremonies captured in this video are very sacred and performed at very specific times -- "The men were keen for me to film them and put the footage on the internet for the world to see but I was forbidden to show footage to any villager."

Naked Bunch

I need to get out more. I love my funky city. I had no idea we had an annual Naked Bike Ride in Center City. The 12 mile ride through the city is part of the World Naked Bike Ride movement. 

The World Naked Bike Ride  is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport (the vast majority on bicycles, but some on skateboards and inline skates), to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world."

Photo by NYC Pixelista

Remembrance of a Beloved Man

Dear friend,

Would you please consider making the obituary I wrote for Nick included at the bottom of this page available on your blog for his countless friends and followers to read who still may not yet know of his passing. Not a day goes by where I don't encounter at least one of his loyal readers who hasn't. Another, even just yesterday while posting on Raw Story.

Nick and I met at the Philadelphia Inquirer where we both worked during our early 20's while fresh out of college circa 1980. In addition to our other duties we composed literally thousands of obituaries although I never imagined I'd one day be writing his.

Anyone who personally knew Nick would surely agree he deserves and has duly earned all respects including final remembrance.

Gratefully, Mike Adams

adams6abc@windstream.net
  

VANOCUR, Nicholas (1957-2015) age 58 of Nashville TN passed away Sun August 23, 2015.

Beloved son of Sander Vanocur (born 1928, ret) and Edith C. Pick (1923-1975). The eldest of two children, Nick is survived by his dear father Sander Vanocur of Santa Barbara CA and loving brother Christopher Vanocur of Columbus OH (born 1959).

While an official CoD hasn't yet been determined nor released by Davidson County officials (Nashville TN) it's believed Nick passed peacefully while asleep sometime during Sunday August 23rd due to kidney failure or related complications.

Nick was a lifelong writer, editor, journalist and political humorist enjoying a loyal daily readership and following of national proportion. He attended Sidwell Friends School in Wash DC (class of 1975), UCSD and Temple University.

Nick was a professional staff member of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Phila), Temple News (Phila), The Tennessean (Nashville) and Planet Weekly (Tuscaloosa) newspapers.

He also worked for Sam-Eric Theaters and Universal Studios while a student in California. He was chosen for and served two prestigious internships during his earliest years. One as a US Senate page during 1969 and another with IBM during 1970.

Over his career Nick received two “Best of Gannett” Headline Awards and was mentioned in a book by Joe Calloway entitled “Becoming a Category of One" for his outstanding ability to quickly glean the most strategic facts involved with a story and produce a provocative headline of award-winning caliber.

Nick's professional abilities included Journalist, News Production Editor, News Copywriter, News Story Editor, Press Release Agent, News Blogger and Political Humorist.

Interment and memorial services will be announced by the Vanocur family at a later date as soon as they've been arranged and become known.