Posts

A Poem for Luke Chadwick by Brian Bajari

Now breathe deeply - or perhaps it's better to laugh loudly and cheer clearly beside still waters to maybe skip easy on those green pastures near that big leafy tree dear wide-wondered Luke, the universe's courageous high holy, love only deep hugging, song-laughing open-handed friend. -Brian Bajari (after reading Luke Yen-hui's obituary) He's a beautiful man. I'm crying with you - even though I know he's "flying with the angels." Thank you Luke for your world-embracing love. Your smile that captured hearts wherever you went.

Flying With the Angels: Luke Yen-hui Chadwick

Image
Update: A Photo Essay on "A Celebration of Luke Chadwick's Life: Lean On Me" at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, Bainbridge Island on September 6, 2009 Luke at Disneyland with Cassiel Chadwick and Kent Chadwick July 2007 Update : If you have pictures of Luke that you would like to post, I will upload them here on Speed of Life as a celebration of an amazing life. Please leave a comment below and send any photos to greggchadwick@earthlink.net. Luke Yen-hui Chadwick, died August 22, 2009 from acute respiratory failure after 3-months’ hospitalization at the University of Washington Medical Center. He was 22 years-old and a 2007 graduate of Bainbridge High School. Luke was born Yu Yen-hui September 20, 1986 in Taipei, Taiwan. He came to Washington state to his adoptive parents, Cathy and Kent Chadwick, in 1988. By then he had already contracted the progressive lung disease secondary pulmonary hypertension. Growing up, Luke focused on what he could do, as opposed to what he co...
August 22, 2009

for Luke Chadwick - Buon Viaggio

Update: A Photo Essay on "A Celebration of Luke Chadwick's Life: Lean On Me" at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, Bainbridge Island on September 6, 2009

Why We Need Health Care Reform By Barack Obama (full text)

Image
Why We Need Health Care Reform By Barack Obama OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them. These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old . A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he a...

David Axelrod Counters the Lies and Rumors Attempting to Occlude Obama's Needed Healthcare Reform

Dear Friend, This is probably one of the longest emails I've ever sent, but it could be the most important. Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so well are back -- even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions. As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, "where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed." So let's start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email, you'll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now. Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that could b...

Trailer for "Inherent Vice", narrated by author Thomas Pynchon

Trailer for his new novel "Inherent Vice", narrated by author Thomas Pynchon As if Thomas Pynchon is channeling the "Dude". Wonderful, atmospheric clip hearkening back to 1970's LA. And if you want to hang with the inspiration for the real Dude join veteran documentary filmmaker Phil Cousineau, a protégé of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and movie producer Jeff Dowd, the legendary inspiration for "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski, for an exhilarating weekend at Esalen from December 11-13, 2009: Myth, Magic and Movies with Cousineau and Dowd

Against the Light - سهراب - Sohrab

Image
Gregg Chadwick 29"x69" oil on screen (detail)

The Mayor of Hiroshima Declares,"We have the power. We have the responsibility. And we are the Obamajority. Together, we can abolish nuclear weapons."

Image
Paper lanterns are released each year on the Motoyasu River in Hiroshima in remembrance of the atomic bomb attack. This year's ceremony on August 6, 2009 marked the 64th anniversary of the 1945 event. President Obama said earlier this year in Prague that “…as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act.” And “…take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons.” I agree with President Obama. I learned not long ago that one of my Japanese friend's father is a survivor of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. In Japanese these courageous people are called hibakusha . My friend and his wife will in the near future take us on a tour of the city of Hiroshima. Even though I have been to Hiroshima many times and I count the city as one of my favorite places in the world, I know that this tour given by the children of a hibakusha will change me in unforeseen ways. The mayor of Hiroshima,Tadatoshi Akiba, is also co...

Reza Aslan discusses Neda's legacy on NPR Morning Edition

Image
Reza Aslan discusses Neda's legacy on NPR Morning Edition. #iranelection @ASLANmedia Neda's legacy on NPR The Call - ندا -Neda

Happy Birthday President Obama!

Image
Gregg Chadwick American Dreams: Barack Obama oil on linen 2009

Neda's Mother Mourning at Her Grave

Image
July 31, 2009 Behest Zahra, Tehran 7pm Iran - Neda's mother mourning on her beloved daughter's grave مادر ندا در سوگ دختر بی گناهش The Call - ندا -Neda

"Neda is not dead. This government is dead!": A Day of Mourning in Iran & Around the World

Image
Behesht-e Zahra / Tehran today - July 30, 2009 / Zahra Rhanvard (Mousavi's Wife) #iranelection #neda #sohrab The Call - ندا -Neda 40 days after Neda Agha Soltan's murder, thousands of Iranians have gathered at the graves of those killed by Ahmadinejad's government. Today, at least 3,000 mourners pushed past riot squads to lay flowers on Neda's grave. A chant heard at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery today declared, "Neda is not dead. This government is dead." The Los Angeles Times reports that the security forces, after an initial flurry of arrests in and around Behest Zahra, retreated from the growing crowd. Noted Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mahnaz Mohammadi, and Rokhsare Ghaem Maghami were briefly arrested then released. Enduring America reports: Etemade Melli has an account of Mehdi Karroubi’s appearance at the memorial, including the resistance of mourners when security forces accosted him, and of his speech. The English translation, courtesy of Mani: Karro...

United for Iran Rally - Los Angeles - July 25, 2009

Image
Sussan Deyhim Originally uploaded by gregg chadwick Sussan Deyhim sings at the United for Iran Rally at UCLA on July 25, 2009. Sussan Deyhim's set was the most soul stirring moment of the evening. I could feel Rumi under the evening sky. A crescent moon hung above us giving this gathering for Iran a celestial blessing.

Due per Mio Fratello: Streets of Fire & Born in the USA - Udine - July 23, 2009

Springsteen and the E Street Band Born in the USA Udine, Italia July 23, 2009 Springsteen and the E Street Band Streets of Fire Udine, Italia July 23, 2009 Due per mio fratello! My brother Kent has an amazing piece in the Bainbridge Review: "My son Luke has been a great example to me of living right side up. Luke’s never met someone he didn’t want to greet. Over his 22 years of constant illness Luke has perfected living for today. Luke’s greatest joy is in making someone smile." "What Luke shows me is that living right side up spreads blessings all around you. He makes you feel good. So the whole community rejoiced when he had a successful double-lung transplant last year and had 12 great months of walking and feeling strong. He’s had serious setbacks this last month and is recovering slowly over at the University of Washington Medical Center. Knowing the greatness and fragility of life as it shines in Luke makes me want to share in it, right side up." - Kent Chadwi...

Charlie Chaplin's Final Speech in the "Great Dictator" subtitled in Farsi

Image
Charlie Chaplin's Final Speech in the "Great Dictator" subtitled in Farsi From the New York Times lede blog: Watching Charlie Chaplin in Tehran By ROBERT MACKEY In a brief update on Friday, the Twitter feed IranRiggedElect says that the video embedded below, of Charlie Chaplin’s final speech in the 1940 film “The Great Dictator” with Farsi subtitles, is popular on Iranian social networks at the moment. In this scene, Chaplin’s character addresses a fascist rally, while impersonating an Adolf Hitler-like leader, and denounces militarism and dictatorship: Amid signs that Iran’s military may be increasing its power, it is not hard to imagine why supporters of Iran’s opposition might be heartened by Chaplin's speech calling on soldiers to “fight for liberty.” A sidenote, Portrait of Charlie Chaplin by the French artist Fernand Léger from Léger & Murphy's Ballet Mécanique More at: Cubist Charlie Chaplin, Fernand Leger (1923-4)

Supporters of the Iranian people in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Image
Ouagadougou , originally uploaded by United4Iran .

U2 in Solidarity with Artists 4 Freedom in Iran - Sunday Bloody Sunday Live in Dublin

Image
U2 performing Sunday Bloody Sunday during their 360 degrees world tour in Dublin on July, 24th, 2009. As the song Sunday Bloody Sunday opens, U2 now scrolls the lyrics from the Rumi poem Azadi . The word Azadi itself simply means Freedom . U2 is supporting Artists 4 Freedom by using the Rumi poem which provides the lyrics to Dj Spooky and Sussan Deyhim's new track, Azadi (The New Complexity) . U2's multimedia screens mash together the lyrics to Azadi along with photos of the protestors in Iran and artworks by Shirin Neshat. Inspiring stuff. Azadi (The New Complexity) is a song based on a classic poem by Rumi, one of the poet laureates of Iran’s still vibrant poetic legacy. Here is the original poem translated into English SHOW ME YOUR FACE by Rumi i crave flowers and gardens open your lips i crave the taste of honey come out from behind the clouds i desire a sunny face your voice echoed saying “leave me alone” i wish to hear your voice again saying “leave me alone” i swear ...

United 4 Iran: We Can Be Heroes - July 25, 2009

Image
Green Scroll Unveiled in Paris - July 25, 2009 David Bowie's "Heroes" for the people of Iran. Amsterdam rallies - July 25, 2009 To the People of Iran: "We have heard your voices. We are with you!" - Archbishop Desmond Tutu Reza Aslan - "Stand Up for Iran" Shirin Ebadi - Message of Support for Iran Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin. Link Below: Artists 4 Freedom

Make Your Voice Heard

Image
Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin. Link Below: Artists 4 Freedom

United 4 Iran Presents Arts Program for Peace at UCLA

Image
United 4 Iran Presents Arts Program for Peace at UCLA Date/Time: Jul 25 2009 6:00pm - 9:00pm Price: Free to the public Where: UCLA Bruin Plaza 308 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles CA 90024 United4Iran event at UCLA Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Laureates, Iranian Poets and Artists Support July 25th Global Day of Action Protests in Iran Continue - Global Activism Increasing In Los Angeles a coalition of student organizations, United4Iran.org, Levantine Cultural Center and others are presenting an evening of music, poetry, speeches and solidarity messages on Saturday, July 25, from six to nine pm. Among the presents/performers are Sussan Deyhim, Maz Jobrani, Mamak Khadem and Naked Rhythm. A press release from United4Iran quotes several prominent leaders and others: "We deplore the violence and crackdown on peaceful protesters, the increasing restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment of a growing number of civil leaders in Iran. " —Archbishop Destmond Tutu, Nobel Peac...

Iranian Singer Maral's Haunting Song for Neda

Image
Neda Sung by Iranian Singer Maral As the protests simmer and rage in Tehran, the arts in Iran are exploding and seeking solidarity with the outside world. The response to my paintings concerning the recent events in Iran has been strong and dialogues have begun to emerge. The website Bar-Ex picked up my interview on my paintings for Iran and I was privileged to hear a broad array of new important music from Behind the Iran curtain. I am reminded of the band "The Plastic People" and the works of playwright Václav Havel in Czechoslovakia and their artistic efforts to break down their Iron Curtain. In Iran today we have the singer Maral who has created a haunting and powerful song for the memory of Neda, who was murdered last month by the Basij on the streets of Tehran. Fittingly, Maral also lends vocals to the band,"The Plastic Wave." In Maral's lyric "Neda screams through her eyes of her pain" as Maral "cries of her own pain through Neda's n...

Jimmy Carter Stands Up for Women's Rights

Image
Losing my religion for equality Jimmy Carter July 15, 2009 from The Age Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God. I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention , after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented...

U2 Features Images of Iran in Concert

Image
U2 Amsterdam July 21, 2009 , originally uploaded by u2log.com . U2 adds images of the protests in Iran to the live presentation of Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Update: U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom More shots at: U2 Log

Grünes Berlin

Image
U2 Paints Berlin green for Iran (Sunday Bloody Sunday for Iran - Live in Berlin - July 18, 2009) Update: U2 Now Scrolls Rumi Poem Azadi in Solidarity With Artists 4 Freedom Artists 4 Freedom in support of Iran: Artists 4 Freedom Text of the Rumi Poem Here: U2 Scrolls Rumi Poem During Barcelona Concert July 7, 2009 Video in Milan Can Be Found Here: U2Goes Green Again for Iran in Milan "Our private lives continuously intersect with the history of our time." -Huston Smith

An Angel Hits the Ground

U2 Performs "Faraway, So Close" Live in Berlin - July 18, 2009 (Cassiel this one is for you! Nous sommes embarque.)

Gregg Chadwick Interview With "Artists 4 Freedom"

Image
I am eager to share with you an interview I did with Artists 4 Freedom on my paintings for Iran. Artists 4 Freedom is international in scope and is located between London, Barcelona, Lisbon and Berlin, Here's the link. Please feel free to comment on the site. Artists 4 Freedom They are doing important work.