Latest news with #ParadiseLost
Bangkok Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
A Celestial Triumph
The Bangkok Combined Choir and Orchestra (BCCO) delivered a performance of transcendent beauty late last month, presenting Haydn's The Creation for the very first time in the choir's 70-year history -- to a full house. For Assoc Prof Dr Charunee Hongcharu, one of Thailand's most respected female conductors, the concert was more than just a musical event -- it was a profound celebration of divine creation and universal harmony. The scale was majestic: 102 choristers and 47 musicians, all volunteers, from across the globe -- including Thailand, Korea, the Philippines, France, Singapore, the United States and African nations -- united to bring to life Haydn's oratorio, inspired by the Book Of Genesis, Psalms, and Milton's Paradise Lost. Their combined artistry, supported by a superb cast of soloists -- Barbara Zion (Gabriel), Aritach Tantipanjwit (Uriel), Kittinant Chinsamran (Raphael and Adam) and Manasanun Aksornteang (Eve) -- captured every nuance of Haydn's score, from the dramatic emergence of light to the joyous creation of birds, lions, oceans and humankind. As the final notes faded into air, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, hands clapping like rolling thunder in a spontaneous ovation that echoed the celestial majesty of the performance itself. What resonated most deeply was not only the musical brilliance but the thematic message: The Creation calls us to reflect on the splendour of nature, the dignity of human life and the divine harmony from which all things arise. In a time of division and unrest, this work reminds us of our shared origins -- and the peace and beauty we were meant to embody. This mid-year concert was made possible through the groundbreaking patronage of whose recent commitment to the arts has already left a profound mark on Bangkok's cultural landscape. Their support enabled BCCO's diverse ensemble to offer this powerful gift to the public -- completely free of charge. By evening's end, the hall stood still in awe. In sound and spirit, The Creation had been reborn -- not just as a masterwork of the Enlightenment, but as a living testament to unity, beauty and hope. Looking ahead, music lovers should mark their calendars for BCCO's cherished year-end tradition -- Handel's Messiah -- tentatively scheduled for Dec 13 and 14. It promises to be another uplifting and unmissable experience.
Wall Street Journal
10-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Paradise Lost at the University of Virginia
'What's your idea of Paradise?' I posed this question to the 12 students in my class on John Milton's epic poem 'Paradise Lost.' Lots of sparkling answers came. It was a wonderful group. At the end, a young woman named Jessica turned to me and asked, 'What about you, sir?' Jessica had a predilection for calling me 'sir'—various valences of irony applied, usually soft. 'What's your idea of paradise?'
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Not just an urban story.' New docuseries explores how ‘Miami Kingpins' rose to national acclaim
In the early 80s, Burt Simmons had a choice. On one hand, the American Senior High graduate could continue a successful wrestling career that had already earned him district honors, a state title and even a scholarship to the University of Ohio. Or, the Liberty City native could dive headfirst into the streets, a pathway that had begun to prove lucrative – at his peak, he claimed to have '$100,000 days' – but always ended in one of two places: a penitentiary or coffin. 'I turned down the wrong road,' Simmons, known world over as 'Convertible Burt,' told the Miami Herald, calling himself and others 'products of our environment.' 'That was the trend back then. Miami was built off of that drug money. We were just part of the process.' The consequences of Simmons' decision undergirds the recently released docuseries 'Miami Kingpins.' Produced by Slip-N-Slide Records CEO Ted Lucas, the three-part anthology shows how the trappings of the inner city created three antiheroes in Convertible Bert, Nathaniel 'Bo Dilley' James and James 'Bossman' Sawyer who climbed to the top of the drug game, leaving a legacy that extends into both hip-hop and Miami culture. 'This is not just an urban story,' Lucas said of 'Miami Kingpins' which can be purchased and streamed via Amazon Prime. 'We really showed you an overall view. If you grew up in Miami in the 70s, 80s and 90s, these are things that we were able to see through our eyeballs.' It's no secret that Miami used to be the drug capital of the world. From the infamous 'Paradise Lost' Time Magazine cover to films like 'Scarface' to the Cocaine Cowboys era that turned South Florida into the set of a tropical Western, the examples are endless. What's often missed in these stories, however, is melanin. 'If you look at the top echelon of crime in the city, the folks who are really at the very top are white,' historian Marvin Dunn said in the docuseries. 'But they need people right below them to implement their dirt, to implement their strategy of getting drugs distributed and Black people have satisfied that role and it's very profitable.' Think about the confluence of events that transformed Miami's urban enclaves in the early 80s. The McDuffie Riots. The poverty. The influx of crack cocaine. 'It was the perfect time for the community to lose itself,' Dunn added. 'They saw how well the Cubans and Colombians were doing dealing with drugs so that was a draw for people.' As much as the historical context was important, the docuseries doesn't hide the flashiness, either. These guys made real money during the 80s, even going as far as building their own sub-economy that afforded somebody like Simmons the opportunity to buy a Rolls Royce or party with Mike Tyson in Las Vegas or become a fashion icon. And while many could see the story as glorification, the filmmakers see the project as an educational tool. 'I asked Burt and I asked Bossman 'Would you do it again?'' Lucas said. 'And they told me 'Ted, I spent more time in prison than I spent out in society. It's not worth it.' That story needs to be told before somebody else goes and gets 31 years and six months.' The glorification piece was why former Miami Herald journalist Peter Bailey hesitated to take on the story in the first place. He didn't want to seemingly praise what was objectively a dark part in not just Black Miami but American history. Something, however, changed when he thought about the unique perspective that the project highlights. 'This series is a moment of reckoning that puts weight of morality on America,' said Bailey who not only directed by narrated the project. 'How do we have American citizens living in the wealthiest country in the world forced to sell poison to own community to survive?' Added Bailey: 'Both addict and dealer are bold in desperation. In a state of survival, morality gets thrown out the door. So from an educational standpoint, America and the judicial system, we want to educate them and see how this can inspire some kind of reform.' Therein lies one of the main through lines of the series: how much one's environment can shape their upbringing. In the case of Simmons, James and Sawyer, it clear had disastrous consequences. But for Lucas, who grew up passing by Sawyer's luxurious estate, it showed him a life outside of what his parents wanted. He viewed Sawyer and others as catalyst for him founding Slip-N-Slide Records, the label that launched the careers of Trina, Trick Daddy and Rick Ross, in 1994. 'Bo Dilley had the biggest house in Carol City,' Lucas said. 'The biggest house. When you ride by that house and there's a car in the picture window and the picture window is almost as big as your house. You see a white security guard standing in front of his house. Nobody had a white security guard standing in front of they house in Carol City. It inspired me. Like I could do more than just get a job, be there for 30 years and wait for that pension.' Ross, whose 2006 breakthrough record 'Hustlin'' includes a boast that he touched work like the infamous Convertible Burt, felt similarly. 'The music I began to make tapped into that lifestyle,' Ross said in the docuseries. That lifestyle didn't come without pain. Simmons spent nearly 24 years behind bars in some of the worst federal penitentiaries in the country. He didn't get a chance to really raise his four children. And people – addicts and dealers alike – suffered greatly. As he reflects, Simmons wonders what could've been if he would've chosen wrestling. He's not shy on confidence – 'it would've led into some type of greatness because I'm just a great individual,' Simmons quipped – yet acknowledges how the mistakes he made has allowed him to speak life into others. That, more than anything, is his life's mission now. 'That means the world to me because they were able to take what we did and turned it to a positive,' Simmons said of Lucas and Ross. The whole point of this docuseries, he continued, was 'to change the narrative of people using crime to get money. I wanted to show them it's a way to get money and earn it by doing right. You don't have to do the stuff that we went through.'
News18
01-07-2025
- General
- News18
Doctor's Maternity Leave Is Valid Bond Service, Says Madras High Court
Last Updated: The judgment further observed that rights under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 override any contrary conditions in employment contracts or bond agreements The Madras High Court recently held that maternity leave taken during the mandatory government bond service must be treated as valid service, directing the authorities to return the educational certificates of a postgraduate medical student who had been denied them for not completing the full tenure. A division bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and K Rajasekar delivered the verdict in an appeal filed by Dr. E. Krithikaa, who had completed her MS (General Surgery) from Thanjavur Medical College and served in a government hospital for a year before going on maternity leave. Dr Krithikaa had been appointed as an Assistant Surgeon following the completion of her postgraduation and served in Thittakudi Government Hospital for 12 months. However, as she did not complete the full two-year bond period — having gone on maternity leave — the state authorities refused to release her original certificates. Her initial writ petition seeking the return of documents was dismissed, prompting her to file a writ appeal. The division bench emphasised that maternity benefits are not merely welfare measures but a matter of constitutional right protected under Article 21. It relied heavily on the Supreme Court's decisions in Kavita Yadav v. State (2024) and Deepika Singh v. PGIMER (2023), which clarified that maternity leave must be recognised as part of employment service and that any attempt to deny this would violate both statutory protections and constitutional guarantees. Justice Swaminathan, writing for the bench, stated, 'Maternity leave is integral to maternity benefit and forms a facet of Article 21. The appellant, though not a regular government employee, is entitled to the same treatment under the law." Reinforcing the point with literary flair, the court quoted poet John Milton's famous line from Paradise Lost—'They also serve who only stand and wait"—to underscore that maternity is no less a form of national service than any physical presence at the workplace. Accordingly, the court set aside the single judge's earlier dismissal and directed the authorities to return Dr Krithikaa's certificates within four weeks. First Published:
The Age
27-06-2025
- The Age
The must-do highlights of Bangkok in three days
Bangkok defies metaphor. An enigma wrapped in a traffic jam? The place where feudalism meets futurism? Just step out and surrender to its din and aromas, the combo of urgency and 'mai pen rai' (no worries) solutions. This city of 11.5 million people on the Chao Phraya River doesn't have a clearly defined centre and its hotel accommodation is scattered wide. Which means, depending on your location, think of the following day itineraries as adaptable, mix-and-match suggestions. Hint: cross-city travel can be slow (and hot) so don't over-plan your day. Day one Make an early start for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) in the Grand Palace complex, preferably arriving by 8.30am to beat the crowd. It'll be busy anyhow. Spend a couple of hours in this ornate royal compound but don't attempt to photograph the tiny Emerald Buddha statue. Make time for the adjacent temple, Wat Pho, home to one of the city's great icons, the 46-metre Reclining Buddha. Catch a meter taxi to nearby Yaowarat Road, Chinatown, for lunch. (Tuk-tuks in this area are a rip-off.) The grazing choice is enormous, from hawker carts to side-alley restaurants. Try a local favourite, guay chap flat rice noodles in pepper soup, but skip the common 'delicacy', shark-fin soup. Afternoon You're in one of the world's largest Chinatowns, where the main attractions include Wat Traimit, home to a massive 5½-tonne golden Buddha statue, and to Bangkok's most important Chinese Buddhist shrine, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (Dragon Lotus Temple). Then make your way to Sathorn Pier near Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain station to join the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat. An all-day pass will allow you to hop on and off wherever you please at the ferry's 10 stops, including Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Khao San Road and attractions like the Asiatique theme park. Evening Bangkok has around 40 high-rise sky bars, most of them brilliant for sunset cocktails with spectacular views, plus dinner if you kick on. Not far from wherever you are there's probably a sky bar with an intriguing name like Paradise Lost, Cooling Tower, Vertigo or Flashback. If you're looking for sophisticated dining at a lower altitude, consider Red Rose in the Shanghai Mansion hotel on Yaowarat Road, or a choice of excellent French, Italian or Cantonese options in the Four Seasons Bangkok Hotel at Chao Phraya River. Or, further inland, the celebrated restaurant in Soi 53 Sukhumvit at Thong Lor.
