John's Memorial Fund in Action!

Per this earlier post, I just got back from the 7th World Movement for Democracy Global Assembly in Lima, Peru where, among other things, I got to observe John's memorial fund in action. The purpose of the latest iteration of this fund was to pay for a number of democracy assistance activists from around the world to come to Lima and share their special expertise in the use of technology to support the spread of the universal human value of self-determination. It is also went to support the furnishing of these training sessions with the appropriate technological devices and the setting up of an Internet "cafe" so the attendees could remain in contact with individuals and organizations back in their home country.

As you can see below, John's fund's contribution was recognized in the Assembly's program and on banners throughout the meeting space.

In term of its overall objective of supporting youth and technology, I can report that John's fund was a tremendous success.  

The first session was devoted to how to make Internet radio an effective communication tool.  Two excellent and extremely knowledgeable individuals presented this well-attended session; Ahmed Samih from Horytna Radio Egypt and Christina Karchevskaya from European Radio for Belarus.  Photos from the session are below (as you can note, simultaneous translation was provided for the session):

The second session was on how to design an effective web site.  It was provided by Matias Federicio Bianchi of Argentina and Eduardo Vergara of Chile. Both are from Asuntos del Sur.  Unfortunately, I only got to see a few minutes of this workshop (picture below) in that I was handling visa issues for many of the attendees and I had to make frequent trips to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry offices downtown.

The third session was on effective video sharing for activists and it was presented by Premesh Chandran of Malaysiakini in Malaysia.  

The fourth and final session was regarding how to protect your information online.  Unfortunately, the individuals scheduled to present it had visa issues and got stranded on the way from Azerbaijan; so instead, an individual from Turkmenistan provided the very informative session.  What was particularly noteworthy was that it was given in Russian (with translation).

Monday night there was a cultural evening and reception for the assembly attendees hosted by the mayor of Lima.  It was held in the in the Parque de la Reserva which contains the largest interactive fountain complex in the world.  It included the Peruvian jazz group in the video below.

From Oct 18, 2012

Additional photos from the Assembly can be see by clicking the album below.

7th WMD Global Assembly

Thanks again to all who have generously donated to John's Memorial Fund.  It has proven to be an extraordinarily effective way of continuing John's spirit in this world.  He's still making a difference!

Return of John's Spirit to Peru

Next week (14-17 Oct), the Seventh Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy will be held in Lima, Peru. As described in this post, John's Memorial Fund will be supporting this important gathering.  Due to the kindness of family members such as John's Aunt Ticia and Uncle Ken and Aunt Susie and Uncle John as well as his brother Mike, and a host of other individuals, almost $25,000 has been donated in John's memory to this important gathering of over 500 democracy activists from all around the world.  To get an idea as to the good this fund will be achieving next week, click on the below picture.

 



The objective of John's fund has always been two-fold: to support youth and technology.  As can be seen from the above flyer, this is exactly the use to which John's fund is being placed.  The generous gifts are paying for a number of democracy assistance activists from around the world to come to Lima and share their special expertise in the use of technology to support the spread of the universal human value of self-determination.  It is also going to support the furnishing of these training sessions with the appropriate technological devices.

In addition to the support of youth and technology, the use of this fund is especially poignant in view of the fact that one of JW's life altering experiences was to visit Peru less than a year before he died as described in this post.  JW's spirit will be alive and well next week in so many ways that are so very appropriate to the manner in which he lived his life.

I leave for Lima today in order, in part, to see firsthand the impact that JW's memorial fund has on this important gathering.  Check back in a little over a week in order to read all about it.

A Rambling Post

Faithful readers of this blog know what it is all about.  It is best summed up in a quote from an article I read shortly after JW died.  The article was about the troubled life of Mother Theresa and included the following quote:  There are two responses to trauma: to hold on to it in all its vividness and remain its captive, or without necessarily 'conquering' it, to gradually incorporate it into the day-by-day.

This post is intended to capture the essence of the above thought, however imperfectly it may have been fulfilled to date.  Switching between JW's blog and that of his niece and nephew as maintained by John's sister-in-law, Gina, one cannot help but be struck by the notion of the circle of life.

While the above notion is perhaps trite, another essential element of this blog is the soothing balm that music can provide to the pains of life, especially grief.  Thus, reflecting upon the events of the past couple of months -- reflecting upon the circle of life and the role of music has led to some memories.

The first deals with Harry Chapin, a musical favorite of John's mom's and dad's even predating JW's birth.  The first Harry Chapin concert we went to was in a high school gym in Huntington, Long Island.  Other concerts included two at the St. John's University campus on Staten Island, NY; the first of which was so sparsely attended, Harry invited the entire audience to join him up on the stage.

A staple of Harry's concerts was to close with the song "All My Life's a Circle."  Click on the YouTube link below to see a 1977 version of that song, and note the hair and clothing style from the era of JW's birth.



Harry died tragically young, in 1981 as a result of an auto accident on the Long Island Expressway not too far from where I grew up.  He was on his way to give a free concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island.

Throughout his career, Harry focused on his social activism, including raising money to combat hunger in the United States.  In 1987, Harry was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.  At the ceremony, Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to Harry by playing a rendition of Harry's song "Remember When the Music."

Ironically, Harry had written this song as a tribute to a man both he and I looked up to, Allard Lowenstein, a one-term Congressman from Long Island who was murdered in 1980.  I first met Lowenstein when I was in high school and he was an inspiration for my interest in politics and public policy.  Lowenstein was instrumental in the "dump Johnson" movement in 1968.

You can view Bruce's tribute to Harry by clicking on the below YouTube link.



Another theme of this blog, to honor the spirit of JW -- "do something!"

Finally, even the movie the Big Lebowski as recounted in the below post has something to say on this topic in the closing scene between the Dude and the Stranger (Sam Elliott) -- the Dude abides -- as can be seen in the below YouTube link complete with one of my favorite musicians, Townes Van Zandt (who also died tragically young), singing the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" in the background.  "Strikes and gutters," such is life.



Just like the Stranger, I'm just rambling here and, as always, thinking of you, JW.

Belgian Dude

The other day I was watching one of my favorite movies, The Big Lebowski, a Coen brothers classic, and it brought back a classic memory of JW from Belgium.  Jeff Bridges plays a character who regards himself as follows: "Look, let me explain something to you. I'm not Mr. Lebowski. You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. That, or His Dudeness … Duder … or El Duderino, if, you know, you're not into the whole brevity thing."

Although this movie dates back to 1998, 6 years after we left Belgium, its use of the "Dude" moniker in the film is intentionally anachronistic to capture the essence of a grown man who has yet to grow up.  The use of the term "Dude" was especially pronounced in the 1980's due, among other things, to the popularity of the 1989 movie "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", and thus was embedded in the vernacular of JW and his friends.

Thus, JW always got a kick out of passing a restaurant on the road between where I worked and where we lived, the D'oude Pastorie in Kraainem, Belgium.  In Flemish, it translates to "Old Rectory" but for JW it was always "party on Dude!"  Click on the picture below to zoom in on the view we passed almost daily.

Click on the "YouTube" link below to see the essence of "the Dude" explained.