At Ebenezer’s Coffee House

This was our second show at Ebenezer’s, and for the second time it was standing room only.

Lara invited her sister Corey to play with her, which was heartwarming.
I debuted a pair of new songs: “Meet Me in the Middle” and “Star Field Below.”
Ali Sternburg played piano on “Dear, Silence” and “The Hard Path to Peace,” as welll as a pair of her original songs.
We played in the coffee shop — which is relatively spacious and elegant itself — but the staff asked if we would return to play the concert hall downstairs.
We hope to do so later this fall.
I would call it a successful night.
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Passing through Doha

I am in Doha, Qatar tonight on a long layover between Washington and Hanoi. Qatar is a small Middle Eastern country with wealthy citizens, many migrant workers and a large expat community. At the recommendation of friends, I pass by the Museum of Islamic Art, an exceptionally beautiful white structure by the architect I.M. Pei. It makes art from tradition, and sits across the water from Doha’s flamboyant downtown skyscrapers. Then I move along to Souq Waqif, an old market rebuilt with new money.

I think for a moment about opulence living with conservative Islam. Many, perhaps most people are dressed to cover their wrists and ankles, and in many cases their faces as well. Yet the fashion indus175try in its vulgarity is on full display in advertisements and on television sets, and conspicuous consumption seems to have the elevated position typical to wealthy urban neighborhoods. Or maybe that is for the tourists.

I stop in a Syrian restaurant for dinner and a musical performance. A man dances, whirling bright and lit cloths, with fans and a skirt that would be considered feminine in the west, yet with powerfully masculine movements. I drink tisane, a hot tea.

I am traveling alone, as I most commonly have. I am not lonely. I wonder if I have outgrown it; the years advanced such that I feel my life and friends with me even when they are distant or past.

A clay pot dish of burghul and hot tomatoes arrives at my table, and the musicians begin.

Peter Maybarduk ’02 and his amazing dueling careers | W&M Alumni Association

Maintaining a full-time position as an international public interest lawyer fighting to make medicines available to less-developed nations seems like a demanding enough job, but Peter Maybarduk ’02 juggles his other career with circus-like skills as an accomplished indie music artist. Not only does he enjoy successful careers in both fields, but he manages to give each the same dedication and passion that one man would find difficulty devoting to a single vocation. Continue reading

Banning the Vote | Alternet

 

All across the country, college students are being denied the right to vote in their adopted hometowns — effectively banning them from local politics.

Except their vote isn’t welcome in Brunswick, Maine. Or in Prairie View, Texas. Or, as a matter of fact, in Utica, New York. All of these college towns — and many others — have local statutes that limit students from establishing residency and registering to vote. Continue reading

Public Citizen’s Global Access to Medicine Program

Public Citizen's Global Access to Medicines Programworks with partners worldwide to improve health outcomes and save lives, through use of pharmaceutical cost-lowering measures including generic competition. We help civil society groups and public agencies overcome patent-based and other drug monopolies. We assess new developments in policy and law, and work with coalition partners to promote game-changing ideas that advance pharmaceutical access and innovation simultaneously. Read more.