Monthly Archives: December 2016

World Events in 2016

Posted on by

By some mechanism I no longer remember, I became a subscriber to the Gates Notes mailing list a year or so ago, and on December 20th I received an e-newsletter from Bill Gates titled A Year to Remember.  He begins, “Looking back over 2016, I had some incredible experiences” and goes on to highlight amazing people he met and books he read.  “Seriously, Bill?” I thought to myself, “2016 was a year I’ll be happy to forget.”  Then I relented.  After all, I’m not the center of the universe (surprise!), and 2016 featured a number of earth-shaking events.  If Bill can play the long game, I thought, I can do that too.

In fact, when I reached an age milestone not so long ago (I won’t mention which), I started writing my autobiography in the form of a timeline.  Year by year and month by month, I listed my own life events, but I also picked out world events which I thought were important enough that I ought to recognize I lived through them.  I haven’t updated my autobiography recently, so today I decided to review the past year’s world historical events and then incorporate these into the impersonal part of my life in 2016 (and no, I’m not going to list any personal milestones this year).  For past years, I limited myself to one or two events per month; that’s what you see below.

  • Jan:  WHO confirms outbreak of Zika virus.
  • Feb: Pope Francis meets with Patriarch Kirill.  LIGO discovers gravitational waves.
  • Mar: AlphaGo wins match against human Go master.  ISIL carries out terrorist bombings in Brussels.
  • Apr: ICIJ leaks the Panama Papers from Mossack Fonseca.
  • May: Iraqi Army battles ISIS for control of Fallujah.  State of emergency declared in Venezuela.
  • Jun: Britain votes to leave the European Union.  Gun and bomb attack at Istanbul Airport produces many casualties.
  • Jul: Solar Impulse completes circumnavigation of the globe.  Coup in Turkey fails.
  • Aug: Brazil hosts successful Olympic games.  Earthquake measuring 6.2 damages central Italy.
  • Sep: US and China ratify the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Oct: Peace deal with FARC rejected in Colombian referendum.
  • Nov: Donald Trump elected 45th president of the US.  India demonetizes 500 and 1000 bank notes.
  • Dec: Syrian government forces retake Aleppo.  Italian Prime Minister Renzi resigns.

Good-bye, 2016.  Have a safe and festive New Year’s Eve, and ring in 2017!

 

Acadian-Cajun Celebration of the Winter Solstice

Posted on by

I so thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Revels last December that I decided I must attend again this year.  Although I prefer not to be out after dark, I couldn’t manage to attend a matinée due to personal scheduling constraints, so I chose today’s 7:30 performance, a day after the actual solstice.  I arrived at the Square a bit early, so I window-shopped in the Coop and other stores for a while, then headed to Sanders Theatre just before curtain time.  This year I chose a very good seat, in the mezzanine level, and almost in the very center, behind the lighting system.

In his introduction to the program, Artistic Director Paddy Swanson paid tribute to the spirit and courage of this displaced French-Canadian community:  forced from their homes by political forces beyond their control, they continued to sing and dance and keep their traditions alive.  With 65 million refugees fleeing hardship and persecution today, the story of how the Acadians survived and adapted speaks to the power of music to heal and bind a community.

Led by Music Director Megan Henderson, this year’s production included traditional dances, instrumental pieces, carols, games, and drama. The cast this evening included Master of Ceremonies David Coffin, singers Josée Vachon and Lisa Ornstein, fiddler David Greely, professional players Steven Barkimer, Noni Lewis, Ross MacDonald, and Lola May Williamson, in addition to Les Voix d’Acadie Chorus, Les Petits Voyageurs Children, the Grand Pré Traveling Band, Le Grand Dérangement Dancers, the Middlesex 4H Fife & Drum, the Pinewoods Morris Men, and the Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble.  The striking set, featuring an enormous tree, was designed by Jeremy Barnett; lighting design was by Jeff Adelberg; costumes were by Heidi Hermiller.

Part 1 of the program included traditional French melodies, songs popular among the Québécois and Acadians, dances, poetry, the mournful Le Départ du Canada, carols, and hymns. Audience participation is a feature of Revels; we sang verses of Angels We Have Heard on High, the drinking song Vive La Compani’, and Lord of the Dance.  After a short intermission, Part 2 included more carols, dances, folk songs, a play, a Mardi Gras song, and a recital of the poem The Shortest Day.  We in the audience, together with the cast, again sang three numbers: the round Dona Nobis Pacem, the hymn Ave Maris Stella, and the Sussex Mummers’ Carol.

As was the case last year, I would be hard-pressed to pick any favorites.  I did enjoy the dancing (and I didn’t realize that the French-Canadians also do step-dances).  The longsword dance, choreographed this year by Gillian Stewart, was mesmerizing.  The most unexpected piece was the chicken fling (!), and the most entertaining the battle between the alligator and King Rex.  I can’t pick a favorite song this year, though I did enjoy Vive La Compagnie — I remember the song from my childhood but I don’t know where or when I learned it.