The Incredible Lightness of Being Tabu Ley Rochereau and Osho on Vegetarianism
Curated by Rene Volpi

Tabu Ley Rochereau is more than just one of the greatest singers and composers in African popular music. He's also the master politician of the Congolese dance-band nation, which has splintered, fractured, revolted, imploded and rebuilt itself more or less continuously over the course of three generations while producing some of the world's most beautiful and sophisticated music along the way.


Born Pascal Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabou in 1940 in Banningville, a port town in the Banandu region of the Belgian Congo, Tabu Ley was raised in Léopoldville. He acquired the nickname "Rochereau" as a schoolboy. Teenage Tabu Ley was a prodigy, and the Lingala, French and pidgin-Spanish songs he submitted to Joseph "Le Grand Kalle" Kabasele eventually earned him a gig with Kabasele's African Jazz, the city's top band. Rochereau enjoyed his first hit in 1958 with "Kelya," the dulcet rumba that appropriately kicks off The Voice of Lightness, a marvelous Sterns anthology of Tabu Ley sides released between 1961 and 1977 — with volume two carrying us to 1993.


The first in a long series of professional splits occurred in 1963, when most of Kabasele's band — including Rochereau and seminal Congolese guitarist "Dr. Nico" Kasanda — split in a financial huff and started their own band, African Fiesta, the best of whose increasingly exploratory Latin-tinged sounds can be heard on African Fiesta Volume I (1962-63) and Rochereau et l'African Fiesta 1968/69. Inspired first by traditional likembe thumb piano music, Dr. Nico took on a woozy Hawaiian steel guitar sound you can hear in "N'daya Paradis." The guitarist left African Fiesta in '65, but Tabu Ley had no problem finding suitable replacements, and went on to record much great music with suave lead guitarist Guvanu Vangu. Rochereau picked up some James Brown dance moves, began extending, hired Congolese music's first traps drummer (Seskain Molenda), and enhanced the spectacle with his dancing Rocherettes.

WORLD BLOGS

20 Awesome Expat Blogs

    30 Comments   Popular   Curated by Stillmind Written by Anne Merritt 

Expat blog How Lao Brown Cow

Some expat blogs are simple; some are ranting, and some are way too personal. Luckily, there’s another class of blogs from those living overseas.

These are the truly great blogs; the ones you can visit over and over. For sharp writing, quality photography, or wry humour, these blogs stand out from the pack.

[Editor's note: Blogs are not listed in any particular order; the list is not meant to be a ranking but rather a varied collection of blogs from around the world.]

1. How Lao Brown Cow

Leslie Engle’s blog about her life and work in Laos is hilarious. Her photos are bright and simple, and she writes thoughtful posts like Mama You’ve been On my Mind, about family in Laos. Leslie works for Pencils of Promise, and writes with energy the grassroots changes that are happening with Laotian education. One post I particularly liked, about the frustrations of learning a language more slowly than you’d like, weaves wit into exasperation. Funny, funny stuff.

2. The Mija Chronicles

Mexican-American freelance writer Lesley Téllez takes delicious photos. You could say her site is a food blog, with great, witty recipe narratives like this Chile Mora Salsa. I’d call it a sensory site for Mexico City; bright photos, simple fresh food, and, in one post, the sounds from the street.

3. Danny Choo

UK-born Danny Choo works in software in Tokyo and takes bonkers photographs too. Choo’sJapan is electric, eclectic, and frantic in the best possible way. His Tokyo photo walk series is a balance of sparsity and density on the city’s neon streets. He also snaps a series of anime characters that is, funny, creepy, or sexy, depending on your cup of tea.

Celeste Brash is a travel writer who, until one month ago, lived in Tahiti for 17 years. She writes about traditional dance classes, Tahiti’s vineyards, and a great series on traveling French Polynesia by supply ship; road-trip style narratives about confused schedules and dolphin-spottings. A standout photo isJam Session at the Tahiti Immigration Office, a quick but potent look at French Polynesian character.4. Coconut Radio

5. O’Sullivans Abroad

This blog is by couple from Oregon who live and teach in Taiwan. I love the crowded photos of bright markets and moody cafes. Mostly, I love the fact that this blog is put together with zero pretentiousness. No backpacker bragging, no expat smugness: just pert, honest writing.

They cover the basics of an international teacher‘s everyday life; from oddly-flavored candies to the items they wish they had packed. If I were planning a move to Taiwan, I would comb this blog for tips. A favorite post: the simple photo of a tutu’d Taiwanese girlcelebrating her birthday.

6. How to Learn Swedish in 1000 Difficult Lessons

I adore the format of Francis Strand’s blog. Each untitled entry tells a daily anecdote in the American expat’s life in Sweden; a strange phone call at work; observing two young men making eyes on the bus, a new landscaping project.

Each post concludes with a Swedish word of the day, an often wry one-word summary of the piece. My favorite post is the story of getting stuck in the ice during a Baltic boat ride. The word of the day? En förbannelse. It means a curse.

7. Karolinka In & Around Bulgaria

I love stories like American Carolyn Emigh’s, when a student moves to a new country to study for a semester or two, and ends up staying for years. For Emigh, studying has turned to teaching ESL. During her third year in Sofia, she explores the countryside and small towns with all the zeal of a backpacking undergrad. The enthusiasm and pretty photos from Rhodopes in Autumn can be triggers of wanderlust.

8. I Eat My Pigeon

Liv is one funny writer. She spent three years teaching ESL in Japan and writing. Now, she’s living in her ancestral Italy, blogging with quick candor about stick shift driving lessons and noisy neighbors. One of my favorite posts is about cleaning out a wallet and unearthing travel mementos. Heartfelt but still witty.

Also, Liv’s Mini Japanese Culture Lessons are hilarious and helpful. I love her description of the Japanese “eeehh?”

9. Touching up my Roots

This blog tracks an American family’s sabbatical in Croatia, where they trace their family roots. Each family member has their own page, giving the site a range of voices. Husband Jim narrates the food adventures. The kids blog about homeschooling and skiing for the first time. Wife Jennifer writes simple, vivid notes on everyday Croatian life, like in Starting Each Day with the Strike of a Match.

10. Here is Havana

Conner Gorry is an American journalist based in Cuba, whose writing is sharp and self-aware. A sample: “If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to kiss on the Malecón, go to the doctor for free, smoke tasty 5 cent cigars,  or forgoe toilet paper for months [...], welcome to Havana.”

Her vignettes on relating to the neighbors and battling bugs are honest and beautifully written. I loved Keeping in Line, Cuban Style, a post about queuing for food rations in the aftermath of a hurricane. Her account of the hungry crowd is compassionate and dignified.

Continue reading on the next page or click “View All” for 10 more expat blogs.

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Tagged under: blogging, expat blogs, expat life, Living Abroad

About the Author

Matador ID: anne137

Anne Merritt has lived in Canada, Europe, and Asia, where she teaches English and writes in her spare time. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, GoOverseas.com, and The Compass online. She is a regular contributor to the Southeast Asian travel site www.khaosanroad.com.

2 Great Posts: Obscene Debate on The Internet and Sound and Images; story of a-NYC- taxi-driver.

The Most Obscene Debate On the Internet
and  Story of a New York cabby:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#/andrew_baum

Curated by René Volpi 

Written by Leigh Shulman

Photo by Denise Finzer /
Feature photo by Kendra Wivell

Emma Kwasnica, childbirth educator and breastfeeding advocate, logged onto Facebook new year’s day, 2009 to find her account had been deleted.

Why? Because Facebook “does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use.

What was the photo? It was Emma breastfeeding her two children a mere six hours after the birth of her second. Now look at all the other photos shown in this essay. They too have been banned by Facebook.

Photo by Emma Kwasnica

Each represents an incredibly private moment between mother and child, yes. But do they represent content that is“hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.”

Facebook says yes.

A Brief History of the Debate

Kelli Roman founded the Facebook fan group Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding Is Not Obscene after a photo of hers was deleted from her profile. Soon after, the group’s supporters hosted an online nurse-in to protest. Heather Farley, whose photo can also be found in this essay, organized the physical nurse in at Facebook, Inc. headquarters in Palo Alto, California.

Now it looks that there may be a class action lawsuit against Facebook. Those potentially leading the suit charge that while Facebook allows plenty of breast photos, it seems that breastfeeding ones have been specifically targeted for removal.

Hmmm, maybe that’s be the reason Facebook failed to return my repeated calls?

What Does Facebook Have To Say?

20 Things I've Learned From Traveling Around the World for Three Years - StumbleUpon

19) We view other nations by a different set of criteria than we view ourselves.

(see all 20 by clicking the link

20 Things I've Learned From Traveling Around the World for Three Years - StumbleUpon

7 Really Weird Religions You Haven’t Heard Of

7 Really Weird Religions You Haven’t Heard Of

11/13/10 by Alex Andrei and curated by Stillmind

The imagination knows no limits. People will search for meaning in very odd places (not to say mainstream religions aren’t odd in their own ways).

Now I’m not expressingany real value judgment as to the merits of these “religions” (I guess the quotes aren’t a good start). I’m simply highlighting some of the more unusual (often hilarious) belief systems out there… but again… I make no judgment.

1. Jediism – The Jedi Religion

Little did George Lucas realize what he was starting. With his Star Wars movies, he set in motion a religious movement that has inspired generations of fake-light-saber waving, nylon-cloak-wearing warrior-nerds.

Adherents, or “real world” Jedis believe the Force actually exists.

According to the Star Warsmythology, the Force is the energy that holds the Universe together and flows through every material thing (obviously borrowing some concepts from Eastern religions).

Jedis are monks/knights capable of controlling and using the Force, and bound by a code of morality and justice.

So you can see the appeal to every mathlete hoping to use a light saber to bore a hole in to the forehead of an evil bully.

Jediism has been referred to as a blend of Taoism and Buddhism that also incorporates elements of medieval chivalry. While there’s no formal central doctrine, all this is loosely referred to as the “Jedi Code”.

Though I haven’t confirmed it, there’s a rumor that the Jedi elders force anyone wanting to join to sit in a dark room and watch the original trilogy 16 times in a row (the first trilogy ONLY, as the newer films are widely considered an abomination).

2. The Church of Ed Wood

Ed Wood is famously known in Hollywood as one of the worst (if not the worst) directors of all time (hear that Paul Verhoeven? You and your classic Showgirls are off the hook.)

Since his death he’s gained quite the cult status, and his off-camera exploits were brought to life by Johnny Depp in the 1994 film Ed Wood (directed by Tim Burton).

Ed Wood’s most celebrated picture is Plan 9 from Outer Space, which was in fact the last film of Bela Lugosi (a bit of a trainwreck himself).

So the Church of Ed Wood (or “Woodism”) labels itself a pop-culture religion that hopes to bring spirituality to those people who don’t find it in more mainstream religions. A “punk-libertarian religion” if you will. They look upon Ed Wood as a savior (but as the church notes, not the savior.)

Tenets include upholding the morals and ideals of Edward D. Wood and preaching Ed’s message of total understanding and acceptance, regardless of what modern society may say.

Wood was also a transvestite in 1950s America… probably not a fun time to have a sexual identity crisis.

The church claims there are over 3000 legal “Woodites” worldwide.

3. Aetherius Society

What do you do if you’re stuck as a cab driver, but also have a passion for Yoga? The answer is obvious… you start your own religion.

On an uneventful day in 1954, George King was sitting alone in his London apartment when suddenly, out of the blue, Alf (well not really Alf… but “Aetherius”) shouted:

“Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament.”

So he did just that.

King started the Aetherius Society which hopes to combine alien wisdom of the “Cosmic Masters” and Yoga into something useful that will bring balance to humanity.

They believe Jesus, Buddha and Krishna are in fact aliens (yes… plausible), and one of their claims to fame is that the aliens alerted them to the imminent Chernobyl disaster a good 4 hours before it melted down. Well… I’m convinced. Why lie?

They claim about 650 adherents.

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7 Really Weird Religions You Haven’t Heard Of

Photo Essay: The Sacred Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

Curated by Stillmind
Photographer Davidlohr Bueso sheds a different light on the ancient temples of Angkor.

The beauty of Angkor’s temples has brought tourists to Cambodia for years, and stacks of photos have come out of the visits. But as with any wonder, whether man-made or natural, there is always possibility for a different view – one that sets the object, and the people of the place, in a new light.

The photos below seem to capture the essence of the energy and spirit contained within the carvings, and people, of Angkor.

http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/2010/06/04/photo-essay-the-temples-of-angkor-cambodia/