Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam

Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
 Before we too into the Dust Descend;
   Dust into Dust, and under Dust, to lie,
 Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer and—sans End!

Myself when young did eagerly frequent
 Doctor and Saint, and heard great Argument
   About it and about: but evermore
 Came out by the same Door as in I went.

There was a Door to which I found no Key:
 There was a Veil past which I could not see:
   Some little Talk awhile of ME and THEE
 There seemed—and then no more of THEE and ME.

Excerpts from the "Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam"

The Prophet │ Kahlil Gibran

 You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the over-prudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?

An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran.

La Malagueña Salerosa │ Luis Miguel

Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (El Sol de México), is one of the greatest singers in the world.  He was born on April 19, 1970, in Puerto Rico.  Contrary to popular belief he is not Mexican, but is a Spanish citizen.  His father is the singer Luisito Rey from Cadiz, Spain, and his mother was Italian actress Marcella Basteri from Carrara, Italy.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we feature Luis Miguel singing the beautiful and haunting Huapango "La Malagueña Salerosa" accompanied by guitarist Lusito Rey.  It is a very powerful and moving performance.  Luis was twelve years old at the time of this recording.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Still, Still, Still │ Libera

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring the most beautiful song from Libera's incredible new Christmas album.  The song is called "Still, Still, Still".  If you need some instant peace to be brought into your life, just take the time to listen to "Still, Still, Still".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Christmas Canon │ An Angelic Meditation

This has to be the most beautiful setting ever for Pachelbel's "Canon in D".  Aunt Martha and I wept profusely upon hearing it for the first time.  The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, augmented by the angelic voices of a children's choir, have created a modern day holiday masterpiece with the "Christmas Canon".  Just when you thought that you had heard all the Christmas songs in the world, along comes something marvelous, and special like the "Christmas Canon".  It is from an album called "The Christmas Attic".  In this edition of Angel Watchers I invite you to experience the "Christmas Canon".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Silent Night │ Jackie Evancho

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring the angelic voice of Jackie Evancho singing the beautiful "Silent Night".  This video contains some very cool scenes of Jackie and her big brother Jake.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

O Holy Night │ Alexandru

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are starting out the Holiday Season with a bang by featuring Alexandru.  He is a new singer from Norway who is destined to have a great musical career.  Needless to say my Dear Aunt Martha and I were really touched by Alexandru's hauntingly beautiful rendition of "O Holy Night".  You can follow Alexandru on Tumblr by clicking on this link:  Alexandru's World On Tumblr  Alexandru's YouTube can be found at this link:  Alexandru On YouTube  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Beautiful Aurora

The beautiful Aurora.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Hawaii's First Action Hero │ Detective Chang Apana - The Real Charlie Chan

Detective Chang Apana and Warner Oland, as Charlie Chan, during the filming of "The Black Camel" in Honolulu in 1931.

It is not well known that Detective Chang Apana, who lived in Hawaii, was the prototype for the fictional detective Charlie Chan, created by author Earl Derr Biggers.  There a a number of items that appear in the Charlie Chan novels that can be linked directly, or indirectly with Detective Chang Apana.  In “The Black Camel” (1929), it is mentioned that Chan’s oldest daughter is named Rose. Chang Apana’s youngest daughter was named Rose.  In the “House Without A Key” (1925), the captain of detectives is named Hallet. From 1923 to 1927, a man named Kellett was the Captain of Detectives of the Honolulu Police Department.  In “The Black Camel” Charlie Chan laments “…there has been upheaval in local police department…”, as a result Chan gets promoted to the rank of inspector.  On February 20, 1928, Chang Apana is promoted to Detective First Grade, after a major police scandal.  Before becoming a policeman, Chan worked for a wealthy white family, the Jordans.  The same can be said of Apana who worked for the Wilder family as a hostler.  Both Chan and Apana were excellent cooks.  Apana was chef in charge of a big luau that was given for the Prince of Wales when he visited Honolulu.  Chan lived on Punchbowl hill, while in 1908, Apana lived on Punchbowl near Hotel Street.  Chan worked very slowly and meticulously on cases…”I have never been demon for speed…” (“The Black Camel”).  The same can be said of Apana.  In their respective modus operandi on cases, both Chan and Apana worked alone.  Chan spent most of his time running down gamblers; that was also Apana’s major job.  In “The Black Camel”, it is mentioned that Chan has 27 years of service on the job; Apana by the time of the writing of “The Black Camel”, would have served approximately the same length of time.

Chan’s method of inquiry on a case was to investigate the human heart.  Apana, too, was a keen student of the human heart and character.  Neither Chan nor Apana drank alcoholic beverages. Both Chan and Apana resisted many and all attempts of bribery; as Chan says “All those years on the force, beset with temptations, but always honest, always irreproachable,” (“Keeper Of The Keys”).

In two Chan novels there appears an Inspector Duff: For many years Apana worked under a Chief of Detectives named McDuffie.  In “The Keeper Of The Keys”, there is a Chinese servant named Ah Sing, who spoke in a high shrill voice and used broken English.  Interestingly, Apana’s given first name was “Ah Ping”, and he too spoke broken English in a high shrill voice.  In appearance, Chan was fat, but Apana was slim. The device of polarity is often used by authors to disguise the original that a character is based on (see above, Rose being Chan’s oldest daughter and in actuality Rose was Apana’s youngest daughter)

It is easy to see from the items mentioned above that the similarities between Chan and Apana are more than just cursory.

Detective Chang Apana was really Hawaii's first action hero.  He once arrested forty suspects all by himself in Chinatown, with absolutely no backup at all.  That is an accomplishment that has never been equaled in the historical records of the Honolulu Police Department.  Here are some of Detective Chang Apana's exploits as described in a soon to be released book about his life called "Charlie Chan's Hawaii":

"Fred Kramer, retired Captain of the Guards at Oahu Prison and Halawa Jail, had some interesting reminiscences about Detective Chang Apana.  Kramer actually saw Apana in action leaping from roof to roof in Chinatown, like a human fly. In appearance, Kramer recalls, 'Apana looked so frail that one slap could break him apart.' "

"Apana, though fragile in appearance, was in reality a very tough guy.  Once while Apana was attempting to raid a gambling game, he was hurled from a second story window, but like the proverbial cat, he landed miraculously, on his feet unhurt.  Another time when arresting a dangerous Filipino suspect, he was slashed across the stomach with a knife. Again he emerged unscathed as the knife landed on a broad belt that he was wearing."

"Apana had another close brush with death during the arrest of a prison escapee. He was assigned with Chief of Detectives Arthur McDuffie, and Assistant Chief John Kellett to capture a Korean, who had broken out of jail, and who was known to be a desperate character when cornered.

They finally located their quarry, hiding under a house. When he was ordered to come out the suspect replied with a fusillade of shots, one of the shots boring the palm of Kellett's hand.  More shots followed that narrowly missed hitting McDuffie and Apana.  In a lull between the shots being exchanged between the escaped felon and the officers, Apana sneaked around to the back of the house, while the other two officers held the fugitive at bay.  In the twinkling of an eye, Apana pounced on the escaped prisoner.  He was in the midst of a life and death struggle when the other two officers came to his rescue.  At the end of this ordeal, Apana was in such bad shape, that he had to be taken to the hospital for a week to recuperate."

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring two cool videos.  Please click on video widget right below this post to watch "The Legend Of Chang Apana" that was produced by Jon Brekke, for Oceanic Creative Services in Honolulu.  It is the pilot for a proposed TV series that hopefully will be in production soon.  Unfortunately, though,  they got Detective Chang Apana's badge number wrong.  It's supposed to be badge number 100, not badge number 352.  That badge number however was retired after the death of Apana.  When the series finally gets going they should have technical advisers on hand to catch mistakes of this kind.  The creators of "The Legend Of Chang Apana", have put together incredible graphics, along with a script that has a smooth contemporary feel to it, to tell the exciting story of Detective Chang Apana.  It stars Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa as Chang Apana.  This movie is hip, slick, intelligent, and very now.  My congratulations go out to the makers of "The Legend Of Chang Apana", for doing such an outstanding job.  The bottom video is a short clip from a Charlie Chan movie called"The Black Camel" that was filmed on location in Honolulu in 1931, starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan, and Bela Lugosi as Tarneverro.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

"The Legend Of Chang Apana"

 

 "The Black Camel"

Con La Misma Piedra │ David Campos

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring David Campos who comes from Bucaramanga, Columbia.  David, who was born on August 20, 1998, has been singing and playing the guitar since the age of five.  His voice is amazingly powerful for his age.  David's high notes have a wonderful richness to them, and they sound  full with warm overtones.  When I first heard David sing "Con La Misma Piedra (With The Same Stone)", which was written by well known Mexican composer Jorge Massias, I was amazed by his poise and innate musicality.  He also seemed to have had a lot of fun making the video.  By-the-way, David's cover of "Con La Misma Piedra" is excellent and it has a feel good quality to it that is completely infectious.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Razvan Dobai │ My Way

Razvan Dobai is a terrific singer from Bihor, Romania.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we feature him singing "My Way", that was made popular in America by Frank Sinatra.  Razvan does a powerful heartfelt rendition.  By-the-way, "My Way" is the most covered song in the history of recorded music.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

I'll Fly Away │ Daves Highway

Daves Highway is a terrific gospel group from Mississippi.  The members of the group are Delaney, Zachary and Erika Daves, and yes, they are siblings.  My Dear Aunt Martha recommended that I listen to Daves Highway, and I'm glad that I did.  Their music is very uplifting to the spirit, and they have such a clean and wholesome sound.  By-the-way Daves Highway has a cool website that can found at this link:  Daves Highway - Official Website  Please give it a visit and help to support them by purchasing some of their music.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

One Voice │ Jared Cardona

Jared Cardona, from South Africa, is a new singer with an amazing voice.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Jared singing "One Voice" that was made popular some years ago by Billy Gilman.  Jared actually does a great cover of that classic song, and at times he sounds exactly like Gilman.  Jared has been singing and studying music for less than a year but he has come a long away.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Angelic Prayer

Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Césaria Évora │ A Magnificent Singer

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am pleased to present the great singer Césaria Évora, from Cape Verde.  Césaria is well known internationally, but is largely unknown in America, which is a shame because she is such an awesome singer, and performer.  By-the-way, Césaria always performs with bare feet, that is why she is also known as the "barefoot diva".  The video below is an excerpt from a concert sponsored by Heineken, that she gave in the year 2000, at the Teatro Alfa in São Paulo, Brazil.  In it Césaria sings the hauntingly beautiful "Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha (Cape Verde Greets You)", that was composed by the late Manuel de Novas, the Poet Laureate of Cape Verde.  For those of you who are interested, the lyrics are a creole combination of Portuguese and Cape Verdian dialects.  Unfortunately, Césaria Évora passed away on December 17, 2011,  in São Vicente, located in her native Cape Verde.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha

Composed by Manuel de Novas

 Tcham canta, m'bem
Traze boses
Um aroma daquel pais
Cabo Verde terra querida
Qu'nos tu quere na coracon

Cabo Verde manda mantenha
Se benson nun bes d'sodade
Pa tud ses fidj' na terra longe
El d'zem pan fla boses
Ma se ragos tem quel calor
Pa tud ses fidje
Ku mesm' amor

 Cape Verde Greets You

(English Translation)

Let me sing

I have come to bring you

The aroma of this country

Of our precious Cape Verde

Loved by all

Cape Verde greets you

With a kiss of nostalgia

It sends its blessings

To all its children scattered

Throughout the world

It sends you word

That it's bosom

Offers the same warmth

And the same love

To all its children

Greyson Chance │ An American Original

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring the incredible Greyson Chance.   He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on August 16, 1997, but currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma.  It is not very often that we get to write about American singers on Angel Watchers, but we do so whenever we get the opportunity.  Unfortunately, in the United States, no value is placed on music education in the elementary and secondary school systems.  In fact, now-a-days, with educational budgets being cut, music classes are the first to feel the axe when it falls, and the first to go.  That is not to say that America does not have a lot of talent.  What we are saying is that this talent does not get the proper nurturing, and training that it should.  If you go to YouTube you will find a lot of young singers from America, but alas, most of them are so untrained, and their potentials so truncated, that it makes us very sad.  But along comes Greyson Chance who has beaten all the odds and managed to become a fantastic musician, singer, and performer.  You can log on to Greyson's cool website by clicking on this link:  Greyson Chance - Official Website  Greyson does a magnificent job of singing "Waiting Outside The Lines".  His rendition is very moving and haunting.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Frankie Darro │ A Blast From The Past

Here is, a blast from the past, a golden oldie, if you will.  Frankie Darro was the greatest child actor of the 1930s, to the 1940s.  What made him so unique though, was that he did all of his own stunts.  He came from a circus family.  His parents did a "high flying" trapeze act, so Frankie learned to be rather adept from a very young age at performing aerial acrobatics.  Most of you would probably remember him as the voice of Lampwick in Walt Disney's "Pinocchio".  In 1931 he starred in a serial called "The Vanishing Legion".  This serial is three hours and fifty-two minutes long, and Frankie is in about 95% of all the scenes.  In other words he owns this serial.  In the first chapter, notice how he does a flying leap to get on his horse.  It is quite remarkable.  You can watch the complete movie from the You-Tube video widget posted below.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

 

Horst Jankowski │ Eine Schwarzwaldfahrt

In this holiday edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring the late, great Horst Jankowski from Germany playing his mega-hit "Eine Schwarzwaldfahrt (A Walk In The Black Forest)".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Under Plum Lake │ Lionel Davidson

"Under Plum Lake" by Lionel Davidson, is a masterpiece of the Sci-Fi, Fantasy genre.  It was originally released in 1980, and until very recently, it was a hard-to-get-book that fetched high prices on Amazon.com.   "Under Plum Lake", was out-of-print for many years, but it has finally been reissued as a trade-size paperback book.  It tells the story of twelve year old Barry Gordon who accidentally finds a cave on the Cornwall coast, and discovers a highly advanced subterranean civilization called Egon.  Barry's adventures there are magical.  He meets up with a boy called Dido, and they explore Egon together.  It is actually a thinly disguised alien abduction case.  The adventures that Barry and Dido experience are a kaleidoscopic series of magical escapades that have delighted reader of all ages for more than thirty years.    Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Danilo Brito │ Bandolim Virtuoso

 

Danilo Brito

Felipe

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring bandolim (mandolin) virtuoso Danilo Brito.  He was born in São Paulo, Brazil and started playing the bandolim at the age of three.  I am impressed by his impeccable phrasing and intonation.  It is very hard to get a good tone out of the bandolim as the notes die out very quickly, but in the hands of Danilo, the notes of the bandolim seem to ring out forever.  In the video below he is joined by: Eloy - violão; Felipe - cavaquinho; and Adalton - pandeiro.  The song is called "Meu Chorinho (My Little Cry)", and it was written by the famous choro composer Jonas do Cavaco.  Danilo has a terrific website that can be found at this link:  Danilo Brito - Official Website  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Ave Maria │ Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois

The Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois (The Little Singers of the Wooden Cross), was founded in Paris in 1907.  For over a hundred years they have been thrilling audiences all over the world with their magnificent singing.  In this edition of Angel Watchers, they sing Franz Schubert's beautiful "Ave Maria", which just happens to be one of my favorite songs.  I have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the "Ave Maria" holds a very special place in my heart.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Tinikling │ The Beautiful National Dance Of The Philippines

The beautiful Tinikling dance is not, unfortunately, well known outside of the Philippines, but to those of us who were born and raised in Hawaii, it is something that we grew up with, and learned to love at a young age.  The word tinikling is a reference to birds known in the Philippines as tikling.  The term tinikling literally means "tikling-like".  The dance originated in Leyte, which is a part of the Visayan islands located in the central Philippines, as an imitation of the tikling birds dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers.  Tinikling is the most popular, and best known of the Filipino folkloric dances, and is the national dance of the Philippines.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we are honored to present the exhilarating, and hypnotic Tinikling Dance for your enjoyment.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Where Is Love? │ The Winning Olivers

 Laurance

 Gwion

 Harry

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring Laurance, Gwion, and Harry who are the three winning "Olivers" from the BBC program "I'd Do Anything", singing "Where Is Love?".  Lionel Bart's "Oliver" is my favorite musical in the whole world, and it is always a pleasure to hear new arrangements of the music from it.  You are in for a real musical treat because Laurance, Gwion, and Harry are exceptional singers who have a pure, angelic stage presence.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Ivan Kupala Day (St. John the Baptist Day) │ Vlad Krutskikh and Street Magic

Ivan Kupala Day (St. John the Baptist Day) is celebrated in Eastern European countries around July 7.  Tvorila Night, the eve of Ivan Kupala Day, is considered to be a time for good humor, mischief, and boisterous fun.   On Ivan Kupala day itself, children have water fights, and perform pranks mostly involving pouring water over someone's head.  After all, it is St. John the Baptist day.  I am a bit nostalgic about "Ivan Kupala", as it is the song that introduced me to the amazing, and entertaining, Vlad Krutskikh and Street Magic.  It is interesting to note that all the performers in this cool video are wearing Ivan Kupala (St. John The Baptist) themed costumes.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Esperança Do Natal │ Chico and Roberta

Chico and Roberta is an exciting musical duo from Puerto Seguru in Brazil.  They were inseparable from their infancy, and went to the same school, and even did their homework together.  Chico and Roberto initially received a lot of media attention with their spirited dance interpretation of the Lambada, which you can find many versions of on YouTube.  In this edition of Angel Watchers, my Dear Aunt Martha and I are presenting two remarkable video presentations of  "Esperança Do Natal (Christmas Hope)"  performed by Chico and Roberta with a large supporting cast.  These videos have really high production values, and stands out as some of the best music videos ever to come out of Brazil.  As usual, my Dear Aunt Martha and I discovered "Esperança Do Natal" quite serendipitously when we were browsing for something else.  "Esperança Do Natal" is an extremely hypnotic, haunting, infectious, exotic, intriguing, and beautiful song.  I can listen to it over, and over again with complete enjoyment.  By-the-way, the conga player has a rhythmic intensity that is very appealing.  He is fun to watch.  Without further ado, please click on the video widgets below for an incredible video treat.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Tick Tock │ Dime Que Si

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are pleased to present  a fantastic musical group from Puerto Rico called Tick Tock.  "Dime Que Si (Tell Me Yes)" by Tick Tock is a very infectious song.  It's hard to keep still while listening to it!  Rum is not the only  export from Puerto Rico, Tick Tock has supplanted it as a viable commodity.  This group was created by a former manager of Menudo, of days past.  In fact, former members of Menudo gave their blessings to this new group, when they were first introduced.  I like Tick Tock a lot.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Libera │ The Extraordinary Archangels From Great Britain

The music of Libera sustained me during a very dark period of my life.  In the year 2000 I was undergoing an intense personal crisis and quite serendipitously I discovered Libera on the Hearts Of Space radio show that is featured weekly on National Public Radio.  This particular program was called "Ascension".  One of the songs that was played was "Jubilate" by Libera.  Mind you I had not heard of Libera before, but when I heard that song, it was as if a warm beam of light came upon me and lit up my soul.  For the first time in a year, I felt like a "real" person again.  From then on I listened religiously to the Hearts of Space program hoping to hear more music from Libera.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring a triple-header, a troika, if you will, of Libera's music from their "Peace (Luxury Edition)" album.  The songs are:  "Time", "Deep Peace (Gaelic Blessing)", and "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

"Time"

"Deep Peace (Gaelic Blessing)"

"Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)"

The Child In Us │ Desiderata - You Are A Child Of the Universe

"The Child In Us" by Enigma is both beautiful and evocative.  It takes me to wonderful places, and I feel at peace listening to it.  It is no wonder that it is an international sensation.  The haunting music of "The Child In Us" brings to mind Max Erhmann's "Desiderata".

 A Paraphrase of Max Erhmann's "Desiderata" by G. M. Jr.

Go calmly amid the noise and the rush, and remember what peace there may be in silence.  Avoid loud and aggressive people, as they are very troubling to the spirit.  As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with everyone.  Speak your truth quietly and clearly.  Listen to others, including the dull and ignorant, even they have a story to tell.

Be yourself, do not fake affection and do not be cynical about love, for it is as lasting as the grass.  Take kindly to the counsel of time, and give up gracefully the things of youth. 

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.  Enjoy your achievements, as well as your plans.  Be interested in your own career, no matter how humble, it is a real treasure in the changing fortunes of time.

Be gentle with yourself.  Sometimes we search too deeply within ourselves, and allow darkness to feed our fears.  Many of these thoughts are not real, but are merely the children of fatigue and loneliness.  Keep your spirit strong, and it will protect you in times of trouble.

Be careful in your business affairs, for the world is full of cheats and fakes.  But do not let this make you blind to the goodness in others.  There are still many people who are brave, and have high ideals.  Be cheerful.  Despite all its problems and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful World.  Try to be happy.

And whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is unfolding as it should.  You are Child Of The Universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

(The "Desiderata" which means desired things, was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.  It is now in the Public Domain.)

May The Peace And Joy Of Pure Angel Light Bless And Keep You Safe And Warm.   Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.