This essay deals with ways to focus on the strengths and gifts of communities, and especially children, in war and other adversity. It comes out of the many years that I worked in the field of child health and rights. Abstract: The paper examines ideas about the impact of suffering on childhood, and places trauma…
Chris Lowry
Archive for March 30th, 2011 30 Mar 2011 A Conversation with Northrop Frye about William Morris No Comments Words Interested in Frye, author of The Great Code? Ever heard of Morris, the English arts and crafts radical of the late 19th century? William Morris was a multi-disciplinary designer, poet, social activist, translator of ancient Icelandic…
Karate Kids was a film produced in 1989 when I served as Director of Educational Media at Street Kids International (1988 to 1998). Here I helped to make two animated films and the programs that delivered them to street educators in over 100 countries. Dealing with street life and HIV/AIDS, Karate Kids was the first…
Archive for March 28th, 2011 28 Mar 2011 A Taste of History: Toronto’s Craft Breweries 1 Comment News, Words It may surprise you to know that in the mid-19th century, every town in Ontario had a brewery and a tavern or two. During the 18th century, British soldiers in Canada were entitled to six pints…
Archive for March 25th, 2011 25 Mar 2011 Children, War, and The Forgotten Ground of Healing No Comments Words This essay deals with ways to focus on the strengths and gifts of communities, and especially children, in war and other adversity. It comes out of the many years that I worked in the field of…
During the ten years that I worked with Street Kids International, I met a lot of cool, big hearted people working in the field around the world. This is a portrait of one of the best: Rogelio Padilla. Our flight to Guadalajara arrives an hour late. Before we can clear customs we must play…
Archive for March, 2011 25 Mar 2011 Chambers: Tracks and Gestures (Excerpt) No Comments Film Here is a clip from an award winning film I produced in 1981-82: a biography of the Canadian painter Jack Chambers. I worked with director/cinematographer John Walker and Altantis Films. “… a fascinating and invaluable portrait.” J. Hoberman, THE VILLAGE…
25 Mar 2011 Rocky Saint James Infirmary (traditional) When I came across the lyrics to this song in a book, it conjured up a long-dormant memory. I must have heard Louis Armstrong’s recording of it when I was a kid, so this arrangement grew out of that fragment of melody. This song has the alchemical…
29 Mar 2011 Jane Jacobs: Prophet of Globalization? Yes, but with a (local) human face Inspired by the Ideas that Matter conference celebrating Jane Jacobs in 1997, this essay is an effort to place her work within the continuing debate about how globalization works, and where we go from here. Sao Paolo aerial (Photo by…
25 Mar 2011 Folky Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl) My inspiration was the Pogues. We played with the arrangement to make something new, and I think we did bring out some primal loneliness with Teilhard’s bodhran and the Ansgar’s harp solo. Millworker (James Taylor) Like John Prine’s ballad “Angels from Montgomery” this song is about…
Interested in Frye, author of The Great Code? Ever heard of Morris, the English arts and crafts radical of the late 19th century? William Morris was a multi-disciplinary designer, poet, social activist, translator of ancient Icelandic sagas, and a central member of the Pre-Raphaelites. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882) was…
28 Mar 2011 A Taste of History: Toronto’s Craft Breweries It may surprise you to know that in the mid-19th century, every town in Ontario had a brewery and a tavern or two. During the 18th century, British soldiers in Canada were entitled to six pints of beer a day, and it was often quite…