Shaw Festival

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Play dates vary.

For info and brochure, 800-511-SHAW (7429) .

shawfest.com.

Note: you need a passport or enhanced Michigan license to cross the border to Canada. Note: you need a passport or enhanced Michigan license to cross the border to Canada.

Editors note: This is part two of two articles about the Stratford and Shaw theaters in Ontario.

In 1962, a small group of Americans and Canadians produced eight weekend performances of George Bernard Shaws Don Juan in Hell and Candida in a hall of the Court House in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

From that modest beginning was born the only theater festival in the world devoted to the plays of Shaw, his contemporaries, plays set in his lifetime and, since 2009, modern plays that reflect his values.

Early in George Bernard Shaws Saint Joan, the Archbishop of Rheims defines a miracle as an event which creates faith. Even if you know how its done, he says, if it creates faith its still a miracle. Well, we know how actors prepare, but Sara Tophams performance is still a miracle.

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In 1428-30, village girl Jeanne dArcs heavenly voices directed her to repel the English from France and elevate the bullied Dauphin to the throne (as King Charles VII). Joan defied powerful churchmen and landed gentry alike, led troops into battle, secured Charless coronation and, in 1431, was executed burned at the stake for heresy, witchcraft and sorcery.

Shaws play humanizes The Maid, as Joan was known, without stinting on the harsh realities. His play is warm, affectionate and frequently amusing, qualities realized in director Tim Carrolls excellent production. Surrounded by a cast of superb character actors, Topham inhabits Joans reverence, her youthful self-confidence at 17 (or 19, shes not sure which), her warrior persona and her maturing into the threat to the establishment. Topham delivers a Joan we cheer on even as we ache to shield her from harm.

Whether or not you are familiar with the periods church/state conflicts or with the Hundred Years War, the tale is as gripping as any youll come across. Shaw, not wanting his history of Joan to end with her execution, has her former associates and antagonists acknowledge her 1920 canonization in a ghostly epilogue, which ends with Joans emotional O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints? How long, O Lord, how long? As movingly as Topham delivers the speech, Shaw might have written it for her.

Director Carrolls approach to Shaws Androcles and the Lion is as different from his Saint Joan as the plays are from one another. Both deal with religious martyrdom, but where Joan is a serious play leavened with humor, Androcles takes a more casual, comedic approach.

On the run from Roman persecution, the Christian Androcles extracts a thorn from the paw of a distressed lion, played by an audience volunteer. Later, the same lion spares his life in the arena. Carrolls version includes the tossing of rubber balls onto the stage by pre-selected audience members (four in each act) at times of their choosing. The balls signal a cast member to sing or share a personal anecdote, or some such.

Improvisation is less a talent than a skill, one in which the Androcles cast is unschooled. One young actor related (with guttural sound effects) how he had been spat upon repeatedly by a bully in high school, which, he told us, made him a better person. Hearing about it did not do the same for me.

Ah, but the saliva soak was but a blip between Saint Joan and Me and My Girl. The 1935 musicals book was updated by committee in 1984, but every note of Noel Gays original music is blessedly intact.

Sparks fly when brash Cockney Bill Snibson (Michael Therriault) turns up as the long-lost heir to the Earldom of Hereford. Bills devotion to his Lambeth sweetie Sally Smith (Kristi Frank) conflicts with the snooty Hereford clans efforts to dump Sally in favor of a more suitable consort.

That Bill will win them over and stick with Sally is a given. How Therriault and Frank negotiate the process is a delight. Both are first-rate singers and hoofers in true Music Hall tradition, with up-to-date verve and style. If Therriaults take on the title song and Franks beautifully sung Once You Lose Your Heart dont stick in your head, youre tonally afflicted. And the rousing Lambeth Walk is a bona fide show-stopper. Director Ashlie Corcoran captures the shows joy and playfulness (her aim). She, music director Paul Sportelli, and choreographer Parker Esse are all perfectly in sync.

The performance I attended was suspended for 20 minutes during the first act for technical difficulties then played out on the interior set, which remained stuck in place. (A croquet match in the library? So what.) Audience members, none of whom left, were invited to re-visit the show during its run. If I lived in the vicinity I would have taken the offer. Spending two more buoyant hours with this Bill Snibson and his girl? Who wouldnt?

The Shaw Festival also features The Madness of King George III, Dancing at Lughnasa, an adaptation of Dracula, and others through mid-October.

If you go: Shaw Festival is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and play dates vary. For info and a comprehensive brochure call 800-511-SHAW (7429) or visit shawfest.com.

Note: you need a passport or enhanced Michigan license to cross the border to Canada.

See more here:
Joan of Arc, Cockney tap-dancers at Shaw Festival in Ontario - The Oakland Press

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)

The Shaw is one of two major Canadian theater celebrations, the other being The Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Both are professional, high quality venues.

The Shaw, as Canadians refer to it, is a tribute to George Bernard Shaw, his writing contemporaries and modern plays that share Shaw's provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Many Clevelanders take the four-hour drive up to Niagara-on-the-Lake to participate in theater, tour the "most beautiful little city in Canada," shop, and eat at the many wonderful restaurants. You can even play golf and go on a rapid ride on the Niagara River.

As I walked down the main street in a t-shirt emblazoned with, "I liked Cleveland even before it was cool," I was greeted with many "Go Cavs," "Go Tribe" and "great shirt." I was even stopped by a couple from Detroit who were going to stop in CLE on the way home and wanted a list of places and restaurants to visit. Gee, I should get a job at Destination Cleveland.

This is an especially good year to go, as I found out on my recent visit. The U.S. dollar value is high against the Canadian currency (as of early August, $1 American=$1.24 Canadian). And, this season's theatre offerings are excellent.

New Artistic Director Tim Carroll has instituted an inclusion policy. Patrons are met by eager volunteers at each venue. Before each show a member of the cast comes out and introduces himself/herself. For one show, Carroll himself was our host.

In many of the productions, members of the audience are involved in the staging through interactions with the cast beforehand or actually coming on stage to be part of the goings-on. The lion in "Androcles and the Lion" was played by a young lady who indicated she had always wanted to be on stage, but never had the chance. The children of audience members were involved in "Wilde Plays."

The involvement worked well in many shows but using it in all productions is probably not a good idea. It was a major distraction in staging of "The Madness of George III."

If you are planning on going to the prettiest little town in Canada, it's a good idea to make both theatre and lodging reservations early, especially with the B&Bs on weekends. Our home away from home is the beautiful and well-placed Wellington House (www.wellington.house@sympatico.ca), directly across the street from The Festival Theatre, within easy walking distance of all the theatres, where the breakfasts are great and the furnishings lovely. For information on other B&Bs go to http://www.niagaraonthelake.com/showbedandbreakfasts.

There are some wonderful restaurants. My in-town favorites are The Grill on King Street (905-468-7222, 233 King Street), Ginger Restaurant (905-468-3871, 390 Mary Street) and Niagara's Finest Thai (905-468-1224, 88 Picton St.).

Having just returned from the Festival, I offer these capsule judgments of some of the shows: (To read the entire review of any of these, go to http://www.royberko.info.

"Me and My Girl" -- It's impossible to sit in the audience and not be carried away with The Shaw's "Me and My Girl." It is a charming, dynamic, fun-filled must see-production. (runs through October 15)

"Saint Joan" -- "Saint Joan," under the direction of Tim Carroll, is a masterful piece of theater. The production is clear in its intent and purpose and compels the audience to be a part of history. Bravo! (runs through October 15)

"Androcles and the Lion" -- The Shaw's "Androcles and the Lion" is a total delight while leaving no doubt of the writer's negative views about organized religion and oppressive politics. The entire production is free of pretense, is audience centered, fresh, and a must see for anyone interested in experiencing inclusive theatre at is finest. Of the 2017 season's shows, this is probably my favorite! (runs through October 7)

"Wilde Tales" -- Christine Brubaker's direction is creative, the casts are excellent, and the over-all effect is fun, educational and stimulating. This is a wonderful example of children's theater for those of all ages. (runs through October 7)

"The Madness of George III" -- In spite of some questionable directorial decisions, "The Madness of George III" is a play well worth seeing. The script provides a fascinating view of a historical figure not often exposed to the public and Tom McCamus gives a tour de force performance in the lead role. (Runs through October 15)

Shows I didn't see because they were in previews or haven't opened, but are part of the season are: "Dracula" (through October 14), "1837: The Farmer's Revolt" (through October 8), "An Octoroon" (through October 14), "Middleton," (through September 10), "1979" (October 1-14).

For theater information, a brochure or tickets, call 800-511-7429 or go online to http://www.shawfest.com. Ask about packages that include lodging, meals and tickets. Also be aware that the festival offers day-of-the-show rush tickets and senior matinee prices.

Go to the Shaw Festival! Find out what lovely hosts Canadians are and see some great theater!

Don't forget your passport as it's the only form of identification that will be accepted for re-entry into the U.S.

Read more from the original source:
BWW Review: A Clevelander's View of the Shaw Festival - 2017 - Broadway World

On a GAA-related visit to Carlow recently, I stopped into a pub called, of all things, The Irishmans. Curious about the name, which seemed a bit superfluous, I learned that it derived accidentally from a previous proprietor, in the days when the business was known as The Railway Hotel.

The gaelgeoir owner, Micel Nuallin, had his name thus printed over the door. So ever afterwards, the pub was identified locally as The Irishmans, as if to confuse tourists.

Among the better-known guests to have stayed in the Railway Hotel was George Bernard Shaw, who became intimately connected with the town. This is because an uncle bequeathed substantial properties in Carlow to Shaws mother and, through her, to his six stepsisters, provided that these remained unmarried, which none did.

So the properties devolved instead to a reluctant Shaw, with whose socialist beliefs landlordism sat uneasily. Over time, he donated them all to the people of Carlow.

As well as being a socialist, Shaw was also famously a vegetarian. And in a county whose natives are nicknamed the scallion-eaters (a vestige from the 19th century when Carlow supplied Dublin and much of Leinster with onions, while presumably making do with the leftovers itself), he might have expected some sympathy for his condition.

But on his 1918 visit to the hotel, as he would later recall, the woman of the house offered him a join of Carlow pig. Shaw declined, primly, on the grounds that he did not partake of dead animals or their product. To which the woman replied: You wont last long without.

In fact, he lasted another 32 years. And theres a story that shortly before he did expire, he had been given soup containing meat products, although being 94 at the time, it could hardly be blamed for killing him.

That Mchel Nuallin was a Dubliner. And the pub he was most connected with, certainly in later years, was known as The Confession Box, for reasons including its proximity to Dublins Pro-Cathedral.

But speaking of confession boxes, one of the many things I learned at the recent Flann OBrien Conference in Salzburg was the German word for gratuity: trinkgeld. I first noticed it written on a box at my hotel reception counter. And I had just enough German to work out that it meant: drinking money.

At first I thought this a local joke, until I remembered that the French have something similar. There, a tip is a pourboire (for drinking). Other European countries have their own versions. In Hungary, the word is borraval (for wine), while the Poles say napiwek (small beer).

Im told that in Germany and Austria, trinkgeld is also used by street beggars, if there are any. Which seems admirably frank, given that in Ireland and Britain, social convention demands that even the most abject Buckfast-drinker must pretend to need the money for a cup of tea.

But then I learned that trinkgeld need not imply any planned dissipation at all. In Austro-German ears, it has long shed the smell of alcohol. It just means small change, more or less, which was even more disappointing to hear after I had dropped a tenner in the hotel box.

The word frank, by the way, comes from that part of the world, being associated with the eponymous Germanic people who ruled much of western Europe at one time. The original Franks derived their name from the Latin francus, meaning free. Since only they had full freedom in their empire, frank-with-a- small-f came to be an adjective for unguarded speech.

It was a then King of the Franks, Pepin the Younger, who promoted the career of the Irish St Fergal, aka Virgil the Geometer, Bishop of Salzburg, mentioned here yesterday. Pepin the Younger was also known as Pepin the Short: a suitably frank nickname. And that tradition continued with two of his successors: Charles the Bald and Charles the Fat.

Charles was a big name in the dynasty, which also included Charlemagne, Pepins son. Interestingly, given where this column started, Pepins other son was called Carloman. But of course the aforementioned Virgil was not a Carloman, in any sense. On the contrary, before emigrating to Salzburg, he had been an abbot in what is now Laois.

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An Irishman's Diary visits The Irishman's pub - Irish Times

Remember when the early weeks of August saw a lull on the Central Florida theater scene? Not anymore.

Six count them, six adult theater productions open this Friday, Aug. 4. Thats in addition to several shows that will continue their run. And these shows offer a wide variety of entertainment from comedy to drama to musical, from old-school to modern, from child-friendly to adults only.

Heres a sampling:

Breakthrough Theatre of Winter Park opens Good Kids. Set in a Midwestern high school, the contemporary drama explores what happens when a casual sexual encounter goes wrong, in part because of the pervasiveness of social media. Although the word kids is in the title, dont be fooled. Because of its themes, this show is not for children. Good Kids runs through Aug. 13; go to breakthroughtheatre.com or call 407-920-4034 for more information.

If youre looking for a show suitable for children, St. Lukes Theater is opening Disneys Beauty and the Beast at its brand-new performing-arts venue on Apopka-Vineland Road in southwest Orange County.

Each summer, the Methodist church offers a big musical; Beauty and the Beast will once again be directed by Steve MacKinnon. Most are familiar with Disneys version of the fairy tale and the fun Alan Menken-Howard Ashman songs, including Be Our Guest.

Beauty and the Beast runs through Aug. 13. For more information, go to st.lukes.org/beautyandthebeast.

Music is also onstage at The Abbey, in downtown Orlando, where Florida Theatrical Association is opening the new musical comedy Joyce Jacksons Guide to Dating.

Set in 1958, Guide to Dating spoofs the eras gender roles while parodying an actual dating guide published at the time. Kenny Howard directs the show, which runs through Aug. 14.

For more information, go to http://www.TicketFly.com.

Theres more comedy in Lake County, where the Melon Patch Players of Leesburg will open The 39 Steps. The show takes Patrick Barlows spy novel (turned into an Alfred Hitchcock film) and re-imagines it as fast-paced farce. A cast of just four portrays all the characters in the plots twists and turns.

The 39 Steps runs through Aug. 20. For more information, go to melonpatchplayers.org or call 352-787-3013.

Tom Hurst/courtesy

Sheryl Carbonell (from left), Stelson Telfort and Johnny Lee Davenport star in "Fences" at Mad Cow Theatre.

Sheryl Carbonell (from left), Stelson Telfort and Johnny Lee Davenport star in "Fences" at Mad Cow Theatre. (Tom Hurst/courtesy)

Two Orlando theaters have family in mind.

The Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House is opening Daddy Issues. In the new comedy, set in the 1980s, a gay man enlists a neighbor kid to pretend to be his son in a desperate effort to get along with his parents.

The production, directed by Tim Evanicki, will be the first time the show has been seen outside New York City. For more information, go to parliamenthouse.com/footlight-tickets.

Finally, Mad Cow Theatre opens August Wilsons Fences. Set in the 1950s, the story follows Troy, a garbage man who struggles to keep his family afloat while battling his disappointment over missing out on a career in professional baseball.

Tony Simotes will direct the award-winning drama, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film.

Fences runs through Aug. 27. For more information, go to madcowtheatre.org or call 407-297-8788.

Meanwhile, Winter Park Playhouses Some Enchanted Evening continues its run (click to read my review of the show).

And three other productions enter their final weekend.

The Music Man, that great musical about a lovable conman who loses his heart to a prim librarian, is onstage through Sunday at the Sonnentag Theatre at the IceHouse in Mount Dora. Go to icehousetheatre.com or call 352-383-4616.

Jeremy Seghers production of Saint Joan wraps its run on Saturday. In the play, George Bernard Shaw dramatically recounts the story of Joan of Arc, the medieval peasant girl who became commander of the French army before being burned at the stake at the age of 19.

Saint Joan is playing at the Fred Stone Theatre on the Rollins College campus in Winter Park. For more information, go to eventbrite.com.

And Playwrights Round Table closes its Summer Shorts on Sunday. The program consists of a variety of short, newly written plays. Its running at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Orlando; for more information, go to orlandoatplay.com or call 407-761-2683.

mpalm@orlandosentinel.com

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You want theater? We got theater - Orlando Sentinel

Osh (, osh) is a Buddhist priest (in charge of a temple);[1] honorific title of preceptor or high priest (esp. in Zen or Pure Land Buddhism). The same kanji are also pronounced kash as an honorific title of preceptor or high priest in Tendai or Kegon Buddhism and waj as an honorofic title of preceptor or high priest in Shingon, Hoss, Ritsu or Shin Buddhism.

Osh is the Japanese reading of the Chinese h shang (), meaning a high-ranking Buddhist monk or highly virtuous Buddhist monk. It is also a respectful designation for Buddhist monks in general and may be used with the suffix -san.

According to the Kjien Japanese dictionary and the Kanjigen dictionary of Chinese character source meanings, it is originally derived from the Sanskrit upadhyaya, meaning "master" in the sense of "teacher".

The literal meaning is "self-taught Buddhist monk/teacher"[web 1] The Chinese term "he-shang" is derived from the Sanskrit word upadhyaya or acharya:

As the new Buddhist students and scholars, who eventually became teachers and practitioners, had to give a name to themselves, they came up with a name in Khotanese dialect that supposedly translated the Sanskrit word upadhyaya which

meant 'teacher". It is also possible that it is a translation (or transliteration) of the Sanskrit word acharya, an Indian word that has a higher connotation--a teacher of religion, or the truth itself.[web 1]

The standard English translation of osh has become priest, it has a somewhat different connotation in Zen:

While priest may be associated with ceremonial functions which cause many Western Zen practitioners to balk there is another way to read the term, simply as a "technologist of the spirit." Within the Zen tradition, this would suggest a certain mastery of one or more of the Zen arts of contemplation. If we consider the word priest literally means elder, from the Latin presbyter, a Zen priest would be both a trained technologist of the spirit and an elder with the community.[web 2]

According to the Kjien, the two characters making up the word are actually pronounced osh only in the Zen and Pure Land sects. For example, they are read kash in the Tendai sect and waj in the Shingon sect.

Osh became an honorific title for Zen-masters", meaning "harmonious respect":

When the Zen masters referred to themselves, or their disciples addressed them, they would often use this word, heshang. As it originally meant simply a "self-taught Buddhist monk/teacher" Zen masters would often speak of themselves in this vein - "this old heshang is going to sleep now."--indicating a kind of self-deprication in front of their students - as if "I am just like you, not more advanced or better, just a student really." But as it is with disciples, this is hard for them to accept, the master is of course much more evolved, much higher. When a Zen disciple used this word heshang to address his master, it took on a much more reverential connotation, as if combining high respect and love simultaneously.[web 1]

An example of its use is in Rinzai's teachings:

29.a. Followers of the Way, I hold the transmission of the generations from Mayoku Osho, Tanka Osho, Doitsu Osho, Rozan Osho, Sekikyo Osho. All have gone the same way. Nobody could believe in them, all were reviled.

Doitsu Osho's actualization was pure, it was not coarse. None of his three hundred or five hundred students could make out his meaning.Rozan Osho was free and true, master of his actualization, whether adapting it or going contrary. But none of his students could fathom his vast horizon and were startled.Tanka Osho played with the pearl (of wisdom, hidden in the sea), sometimes hiding it and sometimes revealing it. He was slandered by all students who came to him.[web 3]

In St Zen, to become an osh, teacher, two more steps are to be taken after dharma transmission, namely ten-e and zuise.[web 4]

Ten-e means "to turn the robe":[web 4]

Unsui (training monks) are allowed to wear only black robes and black o-kesa [...] [T]en-e is the point in the career of a Soto monk when you are finally allowed to wear a yellow-brown robe.[web 4]

After zuise one becomes an osh, whereafter one may become the resident priest in one's own temple.[web 4] Hereby one can gain the highest rank:

After you become the head priest at your own temple and hold a practice period there for the first time (with one student acting as the shuso), you will finally reach the highest rank of dai-osho.[web 4]

To supervise the training of monks, further qualifications are necessary:

The relatively low status of dharma transmission means that in and of itself it does not qualify one to accept students or to train disciples. According to the regulations, Zen students should be supervised only by a teacher who has attained supervisory certification (i.e. sanzen dj shike status), that is, someone who in the popular literature might be called a Zen master. To attain supervisory certification requires not just high ecclesiastical grades and dharma seniority but also at least three years' experience as an assistant supervisor at a specially designated training hall (tokubetsu sd), during which time one undergoes an apprenticeship.

The term became well known in the west when Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh started to call himself Osho.

Go here to see the original:
Osh - Wikipedia

Having grown up with Rajneesh (Osho) in our student days and as a family friend, I am often asked, what his teachings were! I don't think that even Osho could have given a straight answer.

Anon-conformer, Osho was different from other spiritual or religiouspreachers. Others generally focus on their own religion or any otherbelief system they subscribe to. Theirs is the only way, theyproclaim claim! But Osho had a bewildering assortment of interestsand he seemed to appreciate and criticise whichever prophet orphilosophy he spoke on. Over 600 books have been published, which arecompilations of his lectures, subject wise. The catholicity of hisviews can be realised from his lectures from just one compilation,viz. 'Books I have loved'.

'BooksI have loved' is a series of lectures on his 168 favourite books.As a self confessed bookworm, I was suitably impressed. They rangefrom 'Alice in Wonderland', to lesser known obtuse sects. Asampling of just 20 books he lectured on is:

Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Book of Mirdad by Mikhail Naimy

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

The Parables of Chuang Tzu

The Sermon on the Mount

Bhagavad-Gita by Krishna

Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore

The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

The Book of the Sufis

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

The Book of Lieh Tzu

Dialogue on Socrates by Plato

The Notes of the Disciples of Bodhidarma

The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam

Masnavi by Jalaluddin Rumi

The Isa Upanishad

All and Everything by George Gurdjieff

In Search of the Miraculous by P. D. Ouspensky

Hisashram claims, that 'Having read more than 150,000 of theworlds greatest books on every conceivable subject, Osho shares thefragrance of some of his favourites, in these spontaneous andintimate talks. From the very first book, 'Thus Spake Zarathustra'by Friedrich Nietzsche, to the 167th entry a book by Alan Watts, hetakes us on a journey of discovery, sampling gifts from authors wehave known along with some surprises from mystics and poets neverheard of before'.

Generalisationsare odious, but if I were do so:

Hewas in tune with philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthy and encouragedothers not to get into the groove, by adopting blindly the beliefsystems and life styles, handed down to us. But to test theprinciples oneself and tread 'the road less travelled', if needbe!

Myfather had concluded an article in 'Philosophy East West' bysaying, 'More harm is done to a religion, by its followers ratherthan by its worst enemies!' Osho echoed this repeatedly. In a bookon Kabir and other mystics, he wrote:

'Iwill speak for Christ, not on Christianity. Christianity has nothingto do with Christ. In fact, Christianity is anti-Christ, just asBuddhism is anti-Buddha and Jainism anti-Mahavir. I am all forChrist, but not even a small part of me is for Christianity. If youwant Christ, you have to go beyond Christianity. If you cling toomuch to Christianity, you will not be able to understand Christ.Christ is beyond all churches. Christ is the very principle ofreligion. In Christ all the aspirations of humanity are fulfilled.That's the beauty of Christ. Buddha is beautiful, superb. Krishnais lovable!'

Theinimitable writer Kushwant Singh, after meeting Osho wrote: 'Soonafter meeting him I began to read his books. I was very impressedthat there is one teacher who is highly erudite. He could talk aboutany subjects religion, psychology etc. His range and vision wasenormous and unmatchable. The strong point is his lucidity. There isno confusion about what he said. Also he impressed me as he liberatedpeople from their preconceived notions, superstitions and beliefs. SoI got more books to read. I kept reading. I have written anintroduction to one of his books based on whatever I have read. Hewrote so much that it is difficult to say that I have readeverything. I have not. I wrote this introduction because of agenuine admiration for the man who had the courage to speak hismind'.

Herewas a man, who delivered to you a recipe, within your own faith.However, not as your religion dictated it. But as Buddha, Mahavir,Christ and other founders had directly experienced it themselves!

Igave a copy of his Hindi book on Kabir, to my mother-in-law with sometrepidation, not knowing how a deeply pious lady would react to it.To my relief, she said, that the book had helped her to understandKabir even better, though from childhood we have been reading andreciting, 'Kabirke dohe' - 'Kahat Kabir suno bhai saadho ..

'Kabirajab hum paida huay,

Jaghanse, hum roay.

Aisikarni kar chalo,

Humhanse, jag roay'!

PS

Formore on Osho:

1.http://www.merinews.com/article/osho-my-friend-/135596.shtml

2.http://www.merinews.com/article/cashless-with-osho/15922102.shtml

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Osho: A man for all seasons - Merinews

The Sky Blue Stars gaffer is still confident his side can still escape relegation this season despite going seven games without a win

Remo Stars coach Fatai Osho insists his side still have until the last day of the season to avoid relegation from the Nigerian topflight.

First half strikes from Nwagua Nyima and Sikiru Karma condemned the relegation-destined Sky Blue Stars to a 2-0defeat to Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

And the former Crown FC handler has blamed fatigue and his players' inexperience for their loss to Ibrahim Musa's men and poor run this season.

"It's another bad result for us but regardless of the situation we may have found ourselves, we will fight till the last day," Osho told media.

"It's not easy playing with these set of players in the NPFL and at this level you have recruit the players yourself and work on them.

"I am not taking anything away from those players, this is first time most of my boys are playing at this level. We had some of our U19 boys in the senior team.

"Though we flew to Kano but the stress was still there because we came into Kano like three hours to the game.

"Until we are mathematically out, we shall continue to fight. I think we played below average against Kano Pillars, the boys are far better than this but I think they looked tired.

"We had to change tactics in the second half, it was like a damage control, we left them to play and tried to contain them if not, it would have been a complete disaster."

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Osho not giving up on Remo Stars' relegation battle - Goal.com

DELRAY BEACH, FLInviting the recently fired White House chief of staff to take a load off and embrace his newfound freedom, a blissed-out, hemp-wearing former press secretary Sean Spicer reportedly assured Reince Priebus on Monday that leaving the White House was the best thing that ever happened to him. Seriously, man, that place was toxicafter I got out of there, it was like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, said the serene, baja-hoodie-clad former spokesman, offering Priebus some of his homemade kombucha and his copy of Alan Watts Become What You Are while assuring him that leaving the Trump administration would allow him to find a sense of tranquility and spiritual reconnection. I take long walks now. I read. I meditate. Remember how flustered I used to get? The other day, someone totally screwed up my lunch order, but I didnt even let it get to me. Trust me, youre going to look back on this as the day you rediscovered yourself. Welcome back, brother. At press time, Priebus was attending a silent meditation retreat in Bali, waiting for the echoes of Donald Trump shrieking at him to finally subside.

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Blissed-Out, Hemp-Wearing Sean Spicer Assures Reince Priebus This The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Him - The Onion (satire)

YouTube is monstrously huge, comparable in popularity to Google and Facebook. Often referred to as the Wild West for video content, Id say its more like an uncharted galaxy, expanding ever-outward as new material comes in. The developers behind Rheo, led by Apple and Facebook veteran Alan Cannistraro, offer a different take on video discovery.

Where YouTube can overwhelm you with choices, making it difficult to decide whats worth watching, Rheo presents videos that fit the mood youre in. It began in 2016 on AppleTV and is now available as an iOS and web app.

Once youve created an account and logged in, Rheo loads up its main video feed, which is called Rheo One. You can passively watch this feed, or you can choose a different one based on the mood youre in. Rheo counts seven moods: Laugh, Inform, Learn, Taste, Chill, Move, and Spark. Videos load automatically, and users can watch or skip each one. If you especially like a video, you can click boost (a heart icon), and push it up higher in the rotation for others to see. Boosted videos are also bookmarked, so you can easily find and watch them again. You can also share videos to Facebook or Twitter, or text videos to friends.

Use the icons at the top of the app to find videos that match your current mood.

You can also use your smartphones camera and microphone to record video responses and comments. Again, users collect their recorded responses into a reel that can be shared. You can search through other users and follow them, and they have the option to follow you back.

The first of the mood channels, Laugh (indicated by a laughing face icon), is, of course, comedy, and seems to lean toward current clips from late-night talk shows. Digging deeper, however, brings up various other shorts. After much skipping, I found some animated shorts and skits, including an Amy Schumer short from Comedy Central called Time Travel. The second channel, Inform (a radio tower), consists mainly of footage from news broadcasts (Reuters is a main source).

Third, we get Learn (a microscope), which is like it sounds: a channel full of short documentaries. Subjects explored upon first glance included gun control, cults, heaven and hell, ghosts, brain freeze, robots, Mexican drug cartels, and more. One helpful video shows how to spot a liar. A nice discovery was the profound little What If Money Didnt Matter? narrated by the late Alan Watts, sure to make viewers ruminate on their lives. (I gave it a boost.)

The fourth channel, Taste (a martini glass), popped up with a Vogue interview with Olivia Munn (73 Questions), which crashed, and moved on to a behind-the-scenes of a photo shoot at Vanity Fair. It sounded like this was going to be more of a food and drink channel, but it started heavy on fashion/lifestyle stuff. After skipping ahead a while, I did find the first foodie-friendly shorts, one about mooncake and another focused on the 90-something queen of Creole cooking. That one included some drool-inducing shots of gumbo and jambalaya.

Spark (a lightbulb), the fifth option, fit best with my personal tastes: short films. There was a preview for a beautiful-looking upcoming animated film; a touching 12-minute comedy-drama called Alls Fair, starring Thomas Middleditch; the weird, semi-controversialbut hilariousshort Baby Trashes Bar in Las Palmas; the pilot episode of Jenny Slates unsettling web series Catherine; and a short documentary on homosexuality in Mexico. As I was skipping through, one short film crashed and didnt work, but the majority did. This is the channel on which I felt like I could have spent the most time.

The 12-minute comedy-drama, Alls Fair, starring Thomas Middleditch, was one of my favorite finds on Rheo.

The sixth and seventh channels proved less interesting to me, but will certainly be interesting to others. Move (a winged shoe) offers what looks to be mostly skateboarding, surfing, skiing, and biking videos. And Chill (a record) offers a series of music videos, mostly low-key, electronic pop, and not much of it particularly chill to my ears. After much skipping, I finally found a beautiful little animated short called Light that seemed to be more meditative.

The video interface is smooth and intuitive, allowing the option to fullscreen or pause, though scrubbing back and forth is a little tricky; doing so tends to skip to the next video. Once a video gets hung up, there seems to be no way to get it to play again.

Like any social service, Rheo benefits from repeated and regular use. The service learns your tastes and will presents videos it thinks youll like in a personal feed. Theres also a setting that blocks or allows mature content (defaulting to the on position). And, of course, users can grow lists of friends and fellow users and watch each others comments. I declined to record my own video comments, but the ones I saw seemed to be troll-free, and for the most part contained kind remarks.

Youll want to use the Rheo smartphone/tablet app to get the full experience. The web app doesnt have nearly as many of the social features.

I noticed content from a handful of video services (specifically not YouTube), including Vimeo, Thrasher magazine, Vogue magazine, Vanity Fair magazine, and Reuters, and I assume that more providers will be coming. I wonder if there will be any main channels, other than Rheo One, to choose from in the future. (The app gives users the option to unfollow Rheo One, but nothing else to choose in its place.) It seems that the service could further diversify its content with more of these. (Imagine a main Rheo channel aimed at women, or kids, or... the possibilities are endless.)

Finally, the web version of Rheo is notably different from the app, and doesnt offer any of the social services. Viewers can watch, boost, and share videos, but they cant access their previously boosted videos, nor can they access any other users, or record comments.

My first time through Rheo, I found myself skipping more than watching, but I did find some worthwhile videos, and several that at least held my attention. And now that Ive tried all the subchannels, I know which ones will be my regular destinations (Laugh and Spark), and perhaps if the app learns that I want food and drink videos rather than fashion, Taste will become a favorite as well. If Rheo catches on, with more users, more boosted videos, and more sources, it could become a finely tuned video-watching machine.

More:
Rheo review: This video-streaming/sharing app surfaces videos based on your mood - TechHive

JULY 31, 2017

CON MEN IN JAPAN collectively pull in over $400 million a year. One of their most successful grifts is the Ore, Ore scam, in which the con man calls an elderly person, says, Its me, and then tells of some bind hes gotten himself into and needs money to get out of. The elderly person, duped into believing that the con man is a younger relative, sends cash through registered mail or transfers money into a bank account. The scam is so common that Japanese children, at school festivals, pass out Its not me flyers to elderly attendants, warning their grandparents about the dangers of Ore, Ore. Its even so ubiquitous that Japanese noir novelist Tomoyuki Hoshino is able to use it as the catalyst for his novel ME,which has recently been translated byCharles De Wolf.

ME begins with disaffected camera salesman Hitoshi Nagano eating lunch at a Tokyo McDonalds. A group of three salarymen stand nearby, one of whom bullies the other two. Hitoshi steals the bullys cell phone, more to be a jerk than to actually have the phone. When he gets back home, the phone rings and the screen tells Hitoshi that the call is from Mother. Hitoshi answers and pretends to be the bully, Daiki. He tells Mother hes had a car accident that led him to running up a bunch of debt. Now, hes in a tight spot. He convinces her to wire 900,000 (about $8,100) to Hitoshis bank account. She does so.

Hitoshi is immediately shaken up. Hes not a con man. He gave Mother his real bank account number. Hes set himself up to get caught. And this is when the unexpected begins to happen in the novel. Rather than charges being pressed, Mother shows up at Hitoshis apartment and starts treating him as if hes Daiki. Making matters worse, Hitoshi returns to his own parents home only to find a replacement Hitoshi living there. Hitoshis birth mother doesnt recognize her birth son and threatens to call the police. The replacement Hitoshi meets Hitoshi at the nearby McDonalds. They realize that theyre both MEs con men who have become so entangled in their own grifts that theyre losing themselves. Replacement Hitoshi has become Hitoshi. He tells the original Hitoshi, Theres nothing for you to do but become Daiki [] Youve got no alternative, have you?

The original Hitoshi is resistant, but the replacement Hitoshi explains, Its like company work there can be personnel changes, and my title may change too, but as long as operations run smoothly, life goes on. So, with seemingly no other options, Hitoshi begins to morph into Daiki. With no prompting, his co-workers at the big box store where he sells cameras begin to call him Daiki. He goes to Daikis high school reunion and visits Daikis sister. In both cases, hes accepted as Daiki. Even his memories blend together with Daikis memories. In the meantime, he meets other MEs who are going through similar transitions. As he loses his individuality and his identity disperses, he begins to become not a part of a community, exactly theres nothing communal about this group but a subculture of equally selfish, equally dispersed MEs. What follows is a Kafkaesque journey of a lonely narrator being absorbed by an impersonal system. For Kafka, these narrators engaged in futile battles against bureaucracy. For Hoshino, Hitoshi/Daiki is swept up in the mass-produced identities of consumer corporate culture.

His specific approach to identity also seems to have roots in Buddhist thought. Throughout the novel, Hitoshi/Daiki continually morphs. He takes on other names and other forms. He dies a few times, yet continues to live in ways that should be maddening but are not. The continual morphing works because theres always a ME narrating the story, and we always follow the ME through a sequence of events (the Japanese language doesnt distinguish between subject and object pronouns). The very structure of this approach to identity is tied to Zen. As Alan Watts explains in The Way of Zen, It is fundamental to every school of Buddhism that there is no ego, no enduring entity which is the constant subject of our changing experiences. Instead, we are constantly being reincarnated in the sense that the process of rebirth is from moment to moment, so that one is being reborn so long as one identifies himself with a continuing ego which reincarnates itself afresh at each moment in time. If we take this approach, it makes perfect sense that the novels narrator can start off as Hitoshi, become Daiki while still retaining aspects of Hitoshi even though there are new Hitoshis and old Daikis, and they can all become MEs who can hunt and kill each other, yet have an ego that continues in a new material form after death.

Hoshino seems to take this concept of identity for granted. ME doesnt exist to demonstrate Zen concepts of shifting identity. As Kenzabur e notes in the afterword, ME is no simplistic allegory. The weight of reality it creates, e argues, is able to surpass even Kb Abe, Japans great forerunner in the power of literary thought. es comparison of ME with Abe is not made lightly. Hoshinos concern with memory and the fluidity of memory harks back to Abes Kangaroo Notebook, which is an equally surreal tour through the dark side of urban Japan. The unnamed narrator of Kangaroo Notebook continues to lose his sense of self and his memories as he wanders through the novel. Like Hitoshi/Daiki, Abes narrator cant trust his memories. He feels them undergo a metamorphosis. Both narrators come to understand that, beyond names, our sense of identity comes from the memories we choose to cling to and the memories we choose to release. They also learn that the memories we keep and the ones we let go are likewise fluid. As Watts says, Mans identification with his idea of himself gives him a specious and precarious sense of permanence. For this idea is relatively fixed, being based upon carefully selected memories of his past, memories which have a preserved and fixed character. Watts suggests that its best to release these expectations of a static identity. Similarly, and each in different ways, the narrators in Kangaroo Notebook and ME are stripped of this sense of permanence.

Beyond the Buddhist concepts of identity and the comparisons to Abe, ME is not a particularly Japanese novel. It is set in Tokyo, but a Tokyo of box stores, meals at McDonalds or Yoshinoya Bowl, and apartments where single men in their 20s gather to drink beer and play with their smartphones. In other words, its a Tokyo thats interchangeable with any major industrialized city. It could just as well take place in Seattle or Edinburgh or Karachi. Its not cosmopolitan as much as it is multinational. For this reason, its helpful to examine Marxist concepts of identity in addition to the Buddhist ones. In particular, we can look to Louis Althussers concept of interpellation. For Althusser, power calls us a name (interpellates us), and thereby assigns us a set of behaviors. Think, for example of multinational corporations insistence on calling its customers consumers, as if customers are nothing more than giant mouths, stomachs, and anuses swallowing up goods, processing them, and leaving behind a trail of waste; as if the highest, most meaningful activity in life is to purchase, use up, and dispose of commodities. Think, further, how readily we accept this term and perform the role of a consumer. Think of how this interpellation encourages us to spend our free time shopping recreationally as if that activity is natural or fulfilling.

Althusser doesnt use the consumer example. Thats mine. Althusser keeps it more simple and general. When power interpellates in Althusser, it just hails you. It says, Hey, its you. Or, in Hoshino, Hey, its ME. When Hitoshi/Daiki first starts the Ore, Ore scam, he doesnt merely say, Its me he becomes a ME. He goes on to meet other MEs. They are similarly interpellated not only into con men, but also into selfish, isolated workers whose lives are geared toward the good of multinational corporations. They eat all their meals at McDonalds. They sell commodities. They work menial jobs for which they are undercompensated. They buy their own sales pitches. They allow themselves, their very identities, to become mass produced.

In his most honest moment, Hitoshi/Daiki sits alone in his apartment, trying to tune out the outside world. As soon as he engages with it, he thinks,

my troubles would begin in earnest. I would have to deal with parents enslaved to a program, incapable of knowing me as a flesh-and-blood human being, have chummy conversations with coworkers, and otherwise explain myself to other people. I would constantly have to be me, and that would drive me crazy. I cherished the time I had to myself, since it was only then that I could chill out and stop being me its impossible to truly switch off when other people are around.

Its interesting to note that, unlike most of us who see our real selves as the person we are when no one is around, Hitoshi/Daiki sees his real self as the performance he puts on in public. This is what makes him a ME. He has so fully embraced the mass-produced identity of consumer corporate culture that he knows no other self. This sets him up for, first, a fantasy of a world full of MEs, and, second, a journey into the nightmare of what a world full of MEs would really produce.

The novel follows this journey. Hoshino takes the story into wild, unexpected places. For as bizarre as the situations become, Hitoshi/Daikis first-person narrative keeps its hard-boiled tone. This tone is what makes ME special. Hoshino can keep the reader firmly rooted in Hitoshi/Daikis mind as he engages in horrifying situations. For example, at one point in the novel, he witnesses a group of men descend on and murder an innocent couple. Hitoshi/Daiki says, I felt the pressure to jump on the victims myself. If I participated, I might no longer be viewed as one apart, a marked man, and thus, by joining in the celebration of this event, be left alone. The reader might not agree with Hitoshi/Daikis actions, but she can at least understand his actions as consistent with the world he creates. She wont even bat an eye when Hitoshi/Daiki calls the murder a celebration. And when Hitoshi/Daiki then says, I gave in to the pressure. I took out my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, opened the blade, and gripped the handle, the reader is prepared to be swallowed into that dark, corrupt world.

Sean Carswell is the author, most recently, of The Metaphysical Ukelele. Hes a co-founder of Gorsky Press and Razorcake, and an assistant professor at CSU Channel Islands.

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Mass-Produced Identity - lareviewofbooks