EMILY'S PROMISE

On Monday, March 15th, my niece, Emily Wilkes, one of my original Red Pants Girls, walked on, leaving behind many family and friends who will miss her spirit.

STAY HERE- REMEMBER ME
A Poem for Emily

Stay Here
I looked and could not see you,
Slowly fading into the mist of days.

But to the end we fought to keep you here,
And make you stay.

You lent us your gentle spirit,
But I felt your need to break away.
In the end, your spirit knew best
How to soar free, not to stay.

Remember Me
For your love of things struggling in the world,
We remember you.
For your light step and lighter laughter,
We remember you.
For what we can make of our lives from yours,
We remember you.

God speed, Emily
Fly free and
Watch over us all

Emily's Promise - Do something good for the world in Emily's name

I'VE BEEN HYBERNATING - BUT I'M BACK!

I've taken the past two months off to just 'be', consider my next 30 years and what my real commitments are.  Red Pants will always continue and I am getting ready to send Nafisa another piece of cash from donations over the holidays to continue purchasing books and other materials for her rural village in Afghanistan.

I've been reading "Stones For Schools" by Greg Mortenson and "Half the Sky" by Kristof and Wudunn - both gifts for Christmas from my daughter, Rudi, and her partner, Melissa. I recommend them both as real glimpses at the lives of some girls and women on our planet.

Remember to visit www.cafepress.RedPants

Judi

Another HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010!

Nafi on the roof

Here we are again - a few hundred dollars more going to Nafissa in Afghanistan and a quiet period for now. I should be back up with more activity around Red Pants in the next few months, planning on following up with two new groups here in the US. My $500 loan to Kiva.org has been 50% paid off so more money will be freed up to send to Nafi and having had a discussion with a friend in Michigan, I'd love to see a Red Pants group going there. We'll see how the new year goes.

Red Pants at Silk Road Festival

We had a great musical event - the 17th Annual - amazing musicians and lots of people, including an interview on PBS about Red Pants and I met a documentary filmmaker who I hope to connect with Nafissa -

SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE CONCERT!

Red Pants for the World is partnering with Silk Road Institute/Silk Road Ensemble for A Musical Journey Along the Silk Road.

On August 8, 2009, master musicians representing the Middle East, Central and East Asia, the Caucasus and Europe will converge in Bloomington for the 17th Annual Silk Road Festival.

This year’s festival is titled “Undiscovered Treasure: Masters of their Crafts” and will take the audience on a “Mystic Journey” with featured artist, Iranian master of the Setar, Jalal Zolfanoon.

Dr. Shahyar Daneshgar, Silk Road Ensemble and Silk Road Institute director and co-founder of the Lotus World Music Festival, yearly assembles some of the greatest living masters of traditional instruments to transport audience members to lands marveled at by Marco Polo. Dr. Daneshgar is an Indiana University faculty member and musician trained in the Tehran classical conservatory.

Silk Road music reflects a millennia of cultural exchange between East and West. You might identify hints of Spanish flamenco or Gregorian chant in the complex rhythms. The instruments on stage will reflect the cross-fertilization of cultures: some resembling violins, others close to lutes and tambourines. Some singers imitate nightingales, and others are able to simultaneously produce different tones in the throat.

Each year the Silk Road Festival highlights a master performer from one country. On this occasion, we proudly present Master Jalal Zolfonoon, the Iranian setar virtuoso, whose name is as famous as that of Ravi Shankar, in the domain of Persian classical and mystical music. The eminent Mr. Zolfonoon singlehandedly brought the setar back to prominence in Iran after cultural and artistic restrictions imposed following the 1979 Revolution, and recorded the best-selling Iranian folk album to date, “Flower of 100 Petals”.

Just returning from his latest international tour, Mr. Zolfonoon will be joined by his son, another famed Persian classical musician, and the usual line-up of talented ensemble artists from Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, India, Russia, Afghanistan, and more. These artists will also offer a public lecture entitled “The Musical Traditions of the Silk Road Peoples” on the evening of Friday, 31 July from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in Ballantine Room 109, and a workshop on “The Classical Music of the East” on Saturday, 8 August.

This year’s concert also marks the launch of the Silk Road Institute, a non-profit organization advancing education about the arts and culture of the Silk Road regions.

The concert is scheduled for Saturday, August 8 2009, at 5:30pm in the auditorium of the First Presbyterian Church, 221 E. 6th Street, Bloomington, Indiana. Tickets are available at all Bloomingfoods locations and are $5 in advance, or $7 at the door. IU students with ID are admitted free.

Please see www.silkroadensemble.com for more information, or contact Dr. Shahyar Daneshgar at 812-322-4702, or Administrative Director Sarah Forbey at 202-306-7234 or sarah@silkroadensemble.com

NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITH RED PANTS AFGHANISTAN

We have sent $100 to Solidarity Provence Afghanistan, have another $500 being repaid to our Kiva.org account, ready to be sent to Nafi's organization in Paris throughout the coming year. We are excited about forming an alliance with Silk Road Ensemble to expand our efforts in providing educational resources for the people and in particular, the women and children of Afghanistan. See The Silk Road Ensemble: http://www.silkroadensemble.com.

Still hoping to raise $250 for Solidaire Provence Afghanistan

Things are slow right now--any suggestions or contributions to Red Pants Afghanistan are appreciated so we can start funding Nafissa and her organization. We have $500 loaned to a family through Kiva that should come back to us within a year or less, but in the meantime, we promised $250 to Nafissa by May 29th.

One of the team suggested we ask ten people we know to donate a buck - that could mount up. If you have ideas, send them on. Right now I think the missing element is people don't know where to send the $$ to. They can always contact me or one of my team through email and get the address privately. I'm also considering starting a Paypal account separate from a personal one, in the Red Pants name.

Oh, have a happy Easter, those of you who are of that faith. Judi