A Promotion of the Millenium Development Goals

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Jobs
"Millennium Development Goals-MDG (18 jobs): At the UN Millennium Summit, world leaders put development at the heart of the global agenda with the MDG, setting clear targets for reducing poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy, environmental degradation & discrimination against women by 2015. On the ground in virtually every developing country, UNDP uses its global network to help the UN system & our partners raise awareness & track progress, while we connect countries to the knowledge & resources they need to achieve these goals

Democratic Governance (66): More countries than ever before are working to build democratic governance. Their challenge is to develop institutions & processes that are more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, including the poor. UNDP brings people together within nations & around the world, building partnerships & sharing ways to promote participation, accountability & effectiveness at all levels. We help countries strengthen their electoral & legislative systems, improve access to justice & public administration, & develop a greater capacity to deliver basic services to those most in need

Poverty Reduction (18): Through the MDG, the world is addressing the many dimensions of human development, including the halving by 2015 of the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. Developing countries are working to create their own national poverty eradication strategies based on local needs & priorities. UNDP advocates for these nationally-owned solutions & helps ensure their effectiveness. We sponsor innovative pilot projects; connect countries to global best practices & resources; promote the role of women in development; & bring governments, civil society & outside funders together to coordinate their efforts

Environment & Energy (20): Energy & environment are essential for sustainable development. The poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation & lack of access to clean affordable energy services. These issues are also global as climate change, loss of biodiversity & ozone layer depletion cannot be addressed by countries acting alone. UNDP helps countries strengthen their capacity to address these challenges at global, national & community levels, seeking out & sharing best practices, providing innovative policy advice & linking partners through pilot projects that help poor people build sustainable livelihoods

Crisis Prevention & Recovery (22): Many countries are increasingly vulnerable to violent conflicts or natural disasters that can erase decades of development & further entrench poverty & inequality. Through its global network, UNDP seeks out & shares innovative approaches to crisis prevention, early warning & conflict resolution. o wherever the next crisis occurs, UNDP will be there to help bridge the gap between emergency relief & long-term development

HIV/AIDS (3): To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS & reduce its impact, developing countries need to mobilize all levels of government & civil society. UNDP advocates for placing HIV/AIDS at the centre of national planning & budgets; helps build national capacity to manage initiatives that include people & institutions not usually involved with public heath; & promotes decentralized responses that support community-level action. Because HIV/AIDS is a world-wide problem, UNDP supports these national efforts by offering knowledge, resources & best practices from around the world

Women’s Empowerment (6): Women's empowerment & gender equality are one of the MDG & central to all other development efforts. UNDP works to promote achievement of these goals in all parts of its work, & also administers UNIFEM

Management (59): UNDP's managers, on the ground in 166 countries, share & learn from each other, & draw on best practices from both the public & private sectors, so that we can provide effective management & operational support to achieve development results"

http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm

Posted originally by Dr. Ana Isabel of Paraguay

1001 Arabian Knights

I was young when my mom
used to read to me about the Arabian Knights,

a Mexican fighting the Polaris
with no end in sight.

She read about Pinatas and lutes,
Raphael, Degas and taught me

how to play the flute.

I never learned about crossing
the border-

I crossed the schoolyard

to dance and sing-

"Girls in white dresses"...

"These are a few of my favorite things."

Copyright 2009
Gisella Perezarce

Pie Jesu

This is taken from the Sarah Brightman website:

Sarah Brightman & Paul Miles-Kingston - Pie Jesu

Sarah
Pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem

Paul
Pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu

both
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem

choir
Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei

both
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem

choir
Dona eis requiem

both
Sempiternam
choir
Dona eis requiem

both
Sempiternam
Sarah
Requiem

Paul
Sempiternam


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Show: Requiem, 1985
This is the original recording from "Requiem" (1985). I find it interesting to hear how much Sarah's voice has changed in the last ten years. [from the CD-booklet]
Sung with the Winchester Cathedral Choir
Source of the song and different versions by Sarah
From: Surrender, The unexpected songs (1995)
and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection (1997).
Also on: Sings the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (1992)
and on: Classics - European release (2006).

At the concert in Edinburgh I saw, and on the video of the same concert in the Royal Albert Hall (September 1997, both), Sarah sang this song with Adam Clarke.
And at the concert as well as on the video of the La Luna tour (2000/2001), Sarah sang Pie Jesu solo.

A solo version appears on: Classics (2001), which basically has the same lyrics.


Source of the lyrics: thanks to Lauren, with the correction that 'dona' is spelled with one 'n' [which comes, wrote Lanny, from "donare", meaning "give, grant, ..."] and 'tollis' is with double 'l' [thanks to Fernando A. Batista de Almeida, who added that it is "from Latin verb: tollo, tollis, tollere, sustuli, sublatum means To Take away"].


Some info on the background and origin of the song

Bjorn Handeland wrote me that this song, and in fact Andrew Lloyd Webber's entire "Requiem", is dedicated to the victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Mark DeCain, however, wrote me that in the liner notes on the CD to 'Requiem" it states that the work was composed by Webber in sorrow over the loss of his father.

At the concert in Edinburgh I saw, and on the video of the same concert in the Royal Albert Hall (September 1997, both), Sarah dedicated the song to all those who lost loved ones.
And at the concert as well as on the video of the La Luna tour (2000/2001), Sarah said it dedicated to all those who lost their lives due to political conflicts.


Sam Bendahan wrote me that "Pie Jesu" is part of a "Requiem Mass" written by Tommaso da Celano (circa 1200-1270). It has been put to music many times, the most famous version of which is by Gabriel Fauré and the most recent by Andrew Lloyd Webber.


Translation into English
Lauren also gave me an English translation of the Latin (with a correction thanks to Walter H. Padilla Ramírez); see also the translation of "In Paradisum" for some remarks.

Latin English
Pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Agnus Dei
Dona eis requiem sempiternam
Merciful Jesus
Who takes away the sins of the world
Grant them rest
Lamb of God
Grant them everlasting rest


Fernando's translation reads:

Pie Jesu, qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem.

Merciful Jesus, you take away the sins of the world
(eternal) rest grant unto them.


Sarah herself gave another translation at the Royal Albert Hall concert mentioned above:
Sweet Jesus, who takes away the sins
of the world, grant us peace



An exact translation of a song such as this is clearly difficult to give: it is the feeling that counts most. The lyrics and translation into English given in the CD-booklet of Voice of an Angel (1998) from Charlotte Church, for example, are:

Latin lyrics English translation
Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu,
Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu,
Qui tollis peccata mundi;
Dona eis requiem,
Dona eis requiem.

Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei,
Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei,
Qui tollis peccata mundi;
Dona eis requiem,
Dona eis requiem.
Sempiternam, sempiternam requiem.

Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy,
You who take away the sins of the world;
Grant them peace,
Grant them peace.

Lamb of God, Lamb of God,
Lamb of God, Lamb of God,
You who take away the sins of the world;
Grant them peace,
Grant them peace.
Peace everlasting, everlasting.



The last line is actually "Everlasting, everlasting peace" of course. By the way, the translation of "requiem" as "peace" is, religiously speaking, not really correct: it is better to use "rest", as in the first translation.

The Streisand lyrics in my mind today

Don't Rain On My Parade (Released 1990)

At the end of the baltimore run, fanny's train is leaving to go on to to chicago,
While nick must catch the train for new york and then head to europe. nick tells
Fanny he loves her and she suggests he marry her, but he wants to have a fortune
Before he does. on the spur of the moment, fanny decides to leave the tour and
Follow nick to new york. eddie who has arrived to visit tries to talk her out
Of it. ziegfeld tries as well, but fanny is intent on following nick; she has
Success in show business and now she wants a personal life as well. eddie tries
To advise her one more time, don't, and she replies:

Don't tell me not to live,
Just sit and putter,
Life's candy and the sun's
A ball of butter.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade.
Don't tell me not to fly--
I've simply got to.
If someone takes a spill,
It's me and not you.
Who told you you're allowed
To rain on my parade!
I'll march my band out,
I'll beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,
Your turn at bat, sir.
At least I didn't fake it.
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it!
But whether I'm the rose
Of sheer perfection,
Or freckle on the nose
Of life's complexion,
The cinder or the shiny apple of it's eye,
I gotta fly once,
I gotta try once,
Only can die once, right, sir?
Ooh, love is juicy,
Juicy, and you see
I gotta have my bite, sir!
Get ready for me, love,
'cause I'm a comer,
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade!

I'm gonna live and live now,
Get what I want--i know how,
One roll for the whole shebang,
One throw, that bell will go clang,
Eye on the target--and wham--
One shot, one gun shot, and bam--
Hey, mister arnstein, here I am!
I'll march my band out,
I will beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,
Your turn at bat, sir,
At least I didn't fake it.
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it.
Get ready for me, love,
'cause I'm a comer,
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Nobody, no, nobody
Is gonna rain on my parade!

Pieta

St. Patrick's was great. Really good. I love it when a sermon is about suffering for Jesus and not the Lord blessing me for a new car and house....which most churches were for awhile.

My two comments written during Mass:

"My friends cause me more sorrow than my enemies. Selah."

The other one sounds very Angelina Jolie, (pre-Brad)...

"I would like to write a
'Jesus loves Matthias'
with a heart around it
on the ceramic Pieta?

Would that be bad?"

Peace on Earth

The holidays are approaching and the Halloween stores will soon be Christmas stores before Thanksgiving.

I recall a favorite song sung in elementary school,

"Let there be peace on earth."

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our father, brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony."

May Chanukkah and Christmas be well celebrated
as God is giving us life.

L'Chaim. The Twelve Days of Christmas song and
the Candy Cane are Christian themed.

Hashem loves you!

A poem sent from a friend of Israel:

Along life’s road, I’ve noticed this
The grandest sights we often miss
We fail to see the lovely things
And miss the joy that seeing brings.

The flowers that bloom along the way
The setting sun at close of day
The mountains, valleys, streams and trees
We seem to miss the sight of these.

Hashem left it all to us,
To help ourselves to happiness
And yet we grumble and complain
Of too much drought or too much rain
Of too much heat or too much cold
All through our lives, until we’re old.
We kick and growl and fret and fuss
And all is wrong that is given to us.

The way to live, it seems to me
Is just to try our best to see
The pleasant side of everything
Instead of grumbling, try to sing
A song of praise and thankfulness

For all that’s ours of happiness
And pay Hashem a compliment
For all the blessings, He has sent you!

Tizku Leshanim Tovot Uneimot,

Binyamin Jadidi

Girl Scout Cookies

Dear Parents,

If you are no longer living in the early 1980's, do not send your little girl out into the big, bad world armed with just a girl scout sash ( in my case a brownie one) and a sheet for ordering a gazillion cookies.

My mom sent me from house to house as she stayed in the car OR WAYYYYYY back at the bottom of many lonely staircases in my Del Rey Woods neighborhood.

I saw the multi-colored, pastel, cookie order sheet as my brownie mandated agenda and duty to fulfill.

I sold a lot.

Now I just help the world, one cookie at a time.

Elvis

Elvis-

I remember sitting in my friend's, Emily Harmon's house out by the vineyards of Sonoma County. We got kicked out of the city limits at a party once and had to tredge through fields of grapes at night.

"Veronica" by Elvis Costello brings me back to independence.

I hear it in grocery stores and elevators and it makes me what I am.


Gwen Stefani running in her wedding dress keeps blurring through my mind.

I wrote this based on amazingly true events.


ICEE

Slurpees on a summer day, icees
of lemonade to run, to play,

Sprinklers in my underwear-
running around in the golden air.


A tribute to John Updike.



Running-(Runi)

She runs the fastest.

From Nigerian Kings and Princes,

and from Scottish men with ale.

From crack on the street, in Pie a la mode,

and from people who put her in jail.

She runs the fastest.

Courtney Love is my hero!

I was imprisoned, strip searched, tortured, put in captivity for thirteen days in jail, and met some friends who sang a few songs.

A place to cry.

Sometimes putting pieces together creates a map of alchemy in our hearts.

Ingredients of people's hearts and minds make me what I am, transparent before God.