Daily Archives

Britain’s Prince Harry is in Toronto ahead of his Invictus Games for wounded veterans

The founder of the games left the Royal York hotel and arrived at a Toronto office building for a symposium about veteran issues on Friday.

Harry wore a blue blazer as he greeted and posed for photographs with athletes ahead of the symposium. His girlfriend Meghan Markle is a Toronto resident, but did not appear.

At least 550 competitors from 17 countries are slated to compete in 12 sports. U.S. first lady Melania Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with Harry on Saturday.

The opening ceremony is Saturday night and will feature a performance by Sarah McLachlan.

 
…

Kayra Martinez took calligraphy paper and pens into refugee tents in Greece last year. “That was the first time I had actually seen the children really calm,” Martinez said. “And I realized that this is something that they really love to do.”

As a flight attendant for United Airlines, Martinez is often in Greece, where she was drawn to the refugee camps and began volunteering there in 2015.

Focusing her efforts on Nea Kavala in northern Greece, she is now the first point of contact for many families in need.

“It’s very, very actually challenging to be able to leave Greece, because you have urgent needs every day,” she said. “Every day you have a family writing to you.”

The paper and pens presented a whole new opportunity. Martinez put one of the pieces of art on Facebook and instantly received offers to purchase it. Since then, Martinez has provided canvases, watercolors, pencils, markers, calligraphy paper and sketchpads to adults and children in the refugee camps.

She collects their art and takes it to cities around the U.S. and Europe, selling each piece for $25 to $150. She then uses the money to help the refugees in the camps through her new organization, Love Without Borders — for Refugees.

Many of the pieces sold are from children as young as 3.

“I’m really focused on what the children want to draw, more than telling them what they need to draw, because they have a lot of feelings, a lot of trauma that hasn’t been worked out,” Martinez said. “So, we just let them take their time and draw whatever they would like.”

Therapy and independence

Many of the pictures displayed at a recent show in a small gallery in Washington were done in black and gray. The young artists drew their homes burning, their cities being bombed, their families crying.

“There was one that was kind of a row of buildings and a bomb above it — ‘Syria,’ ” said Niyati Shah, who attended the art show. “This is what this kid sees every day. You see it in the news, but then you see children’s depiction of their reality, and it’s certainly moving.”

Other pictures were colorful and bright, showcasing the hope and resilience of the refugee artists. Each piece had an accompanying note about the artist, telling his or her story

“It’s just also nice to be somewhere where you’re not just getting the tragic images, but it’s kind of a more positive way and constructive way to look at the conflict,” said attendee Julieta Jakubowicez. “Very humanizing.”

Martinez sold 122 pieces of art in three hours, about 60 percent of the collection she brought with her from Greece. She raised $17,503, most of which will go back to the refugees.

At least one of the refugees Martinez helps was an accomplished artist before being displaced by war.

“And now he’s having his first exhibition in Greece. We’re selling his art all over the U.S.,” Martinez said. “It got back his independence. He’s empowered, he’s motivated, and also he can now create a better environment for his family when he has his own money.”

In addition to providing cash to refugees, Martinez also teaches them how to make jewelry and baby clothes to sell so they don’t have to rely on fickle government and NGO services.

“They are really tired of having to ask for everything and then be disappointed at the end by not getting it,” Martinez said.

Filling in the aid gaps

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, hundreds of thousands of refugees have arrived in Greece. Many continued to other countries in Europe, but many remain — something Greece was not prepared for.

Despite financial assistance from the European Union, Martinez said, help from large aid organizations was not getting to the refugees.  Volunteers and smaller organizations, including Love Without Borders — for Refugees, fill in the gap.

“We’re doing a lot of work that a lot of organizations cannot do, but we are very innovative. We have a lot of ideas, and we’re a little bit more independent to be able to make things happen a lot quicker,” Martinez said.

She volunteers with refugees and hosts art show fundraisers around the world, while still working as a flight attendant for United.

“I think basically I’ve given up my social life. I don’t go out with my friends anymore,” Martinez said. “I don’t; I can’t.”

She doesn’t sleep much, but she doesn’t regret anything.

“I’ve loved to learn languages, and I’ve loved to learn cultures by traveling around the world. So I get to do what I love to do in a different sort of way.”
…

This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re detonating the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Sept. 23, 2017.

Sometimes the Top Five can lull you to sleep with its slowness … and then there are weeks like this.

Number 5: Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid “1-800-273-8255”

It all starts in fifth place, where we welcome newcomer Logic, who surges four slots to fifth place with “1-800-273-8255” featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid.

What’s with that song title? 

Logic hails from Gaithersburg, Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C. The song title is the telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Logic says the inspiration for this song came on a recent tour, when he stayed in fans’ homes. Logic says some told him his music helped save their lives … which showed him his power as an artist.

Number 4: Taylor Swift “Ready for It?”

No artist is more aware of her own power than our fourth-place newcomer. Taylor Swift is back, and she came to play with “Ready For It?”

Taylor maintained a low profile for much of the past year, then last month re-emerged in a burst of activity on social media. Her sixth album “Reputation” arrives on November 10.

“Ready For It?” features songwriting and production from the solid-gold team of Max Martin and Shellback. It appeared on September 3, immediately becoming Taylor’s 13th number one single on the Billboard Digital Songs chart.

Number 3: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber “Despacito”

Ms. Swift isn’t finished with us yet, but right now let’s bring on Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber: “Despacito” backs off a notch to number three.

On September 16, Luis gave a special private performance in San Antonio, Texas. He stopped by the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute of TeleTon USA. He sang for the young patients, who battle musculoskeletal and neurological disorders.

Number 2: Cari B “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”

Cardi B gets serious this week, as “Bodak Yellow” moves into the runner-up slot.

The Bronx rapper was previously on track to drop her debut album in October, but now says she may need a bit more time to finish it.

Number 1: Taylor Swift “Look What You Made Me Do”

November 10 is the day Taylor Swift delivers her “Reputation” album, and the lead single remains atop the Hot 100. Ruling the roost for a second week: “Look What You Made Me Do.”

This marks the first time in nearly three years that two solo women control the Hot 100. It last happened in December 2014: Taylor Swift was again in the driver’s seat with “Blank Space,” while Meghan Trainor was the runner-up with “All About That Bass.”

We’re all about those hits, and we’ll have more for you next week — so join us if you can.

 
…

More than 150 pieces of art made by refugees from Greece are part of the collection at Love Without Borders – For Refugees’ art show in Washington D.C. Many of the pieces sold are from children, as young as three years old.
…

On April 13, 2015 the world watched as two homemade bombs exploded at the finish line of the iconic Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 264 others. Jeff Bauman was one of those badly hurt. Both his legs were blown off. Hours later, when he awoke from surgery, Bauman helped the FBI identify Tamerlan Tsarnaev as one of the suspects.

Now, a film titled Stronger — based on Bauman’s memoir by the same name —  recounts how that terrorist attack changed his life forever and for the better.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Bauman.

During the interview, Gyllenhaal and Bauman were completely in sync, like two people who seemed to have known each other for a long time and deeply, even exchanging chummy jabs.

​Gradually, the tone of our interview became more serious as the focus turned to Stronger, the film directed by David Gordon Green. The film follows Jeff Bauman, a Costco employee showing up at the Boston Marathon, big sign in hand, to express his support for one runner — a former girlfriend he hopes to woo back.

Within seconds, Jeff Bauman turns from an enthusiastic spectator waiting at the finish line, to a front line terror victim. As soon he opens his eyes in the hospital, both legs amputated, Jeff Bauman, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, has to relearn how to live in his own body. His relationship with girlfriend Erin Hurley, played by Tatiana Maslany, is resumed but tested. His mother Patty, played by Miranda Richardson, is portrayed as loving but erratic.

Jake Gyllenhaal told me this was the most challenging role he has ever played.

“You know the great irony of this, I’ve played people who are professional athletes and there has been nothing that’s come close to as difficult physically as this role,” he said.

“Understanding the difficulty of just taking a few steps is what we thought and we’ve always believed the movie to be about – about a man who learns how to take a few steps and the extraordinary journey that he goes through to do that, so yes, it was difficult but it was an honor!” he said emphatically.

Gyllenhaal said his journey of interpreting Bauman and his life story brought him closer to a whole community of amputees. “As painful as it was to understand what he went through, I think it was incredibly inspiring,” he said.

Asked about his advisory role to Gyllenhaal, Bauman said he showed him how he works and moves as an amputee. “I showed him how to take off the legs, how to get in and out of a car perfectly,” he said. “He watched me getting in and out of chairs.” He chuckled “When it came to acting, he did not need any coaching.”

Gyllenhaal’s gritty portrayal informs not only Bauman’s battle to stand on his prosthetic legs but his emotional struggle against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“I always think that you need a very long runway whenever you try to create any character,” he said. “But when you are trying to play a character that is actually in existence, who is living an incredible life themselves and has been through as much and is right next to you, it’s a whole other experience, like understanding what it is like to have an amputation above the knee in both legs, it’s the same thing to understand the concept of PTSD.”

“I have over the years met many different people in the process of making movies, members of the military, police officers, a number of people who have suffered from PTSD in many different forms,” he continued. “And I always feel like you kind of carry the characters you’ve played with you into other characters. But in terms of understanding Jeff and what he went through, it’s pretty much impossible. I know we talked a lot about feelings. I think [turning to Jeff], you are not shy about struggles. So, we spoke. I got to know him, his fears, and it was a slow long runway like I said.”

Bauman shared his experience and thoughts on how it feels to experience a terrorist attack.

“I felt like I was sucker punched,” he said. “You are just not ready for something like that, especially an IED attack. And then afterwards, I did research on IEDs and the person that did this to me and why they did it, what the motives were. And then you start reading about different things in history and different bombings. Since it’s personal to me, I kind of attach myself to what’s going on in Barcelona, and Syria —  anywhere, Moscow, it happens all over the world, every day. It makes my stomach tighten up. Then I also take a step back and say, Why are we doing this to each other?'”

Bauman said the movie is not about the trauma but about survival and recovery.

“I want people to see it and realize that you can get through something like this, and you can live a positive life after,” he said. “My life is nothing but positive now. But I still have trauma. I do. I live with it”

“Stronger” depicts how Jeff Bauman became “Boston’s Strong” because his recovery symbolized the recovery of the whole city and beyond. Six weeks after losing both his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings, he was wheeled onto the Fenway Park infield by Carlos Arrendondo, the man who rescued him, where he pitched the first ball at a Red Sox game.

Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a powerful performance as Jeff Bauman where the latter’s day-to-day struggle is in the details. Gyllenhaal said despite Bauman’s unfathomable experience and grueling rehabilitation, this film is about hope.

“This is a film that is not about an event. This is a film about a human being,” he said.

“And I think Jeff himself said it best the other day: ‘it doesn’t have to make headlines to be hard.’ And I think what Jeff’s story tells us is that no matter what you’re going through, be it an event like he went through, which is unfathomable, or be hurricanes that are affecting so many different cities and towns and people all over the world, whatever it might be, Jeff’s story tells us that we can get through it,” he said.

“And like he says in the movie, if he can do it, you can do it,” added Gyllenhaal. “I think that’s very important. When events are tragic as they are, we tend to focus on the event itself and the people who did the event, not the people who survive. This movie is about the people who survive, who go on to live, and who go on to live a better life than they thought they would even before and that’s why Jeff inspires me.”
…