by Colin Hyde

Ms. Audrey Matura said that she performed in the St. Martin De Porres production, John John’s Blue, free of charge, and I think she suggested most or all of the performers went on the stage without charging a dime. The play was done to raise funds for special programs the St. Martin De Porres parish has set up to uplift the youth of the area. Reports are that the production was a financial success; what is for sure is that the play was stunning, from A to Z. All the players and the writers and the producers get the big thumbs-up.

Bah, via social media Brother Mario Lara in the US had some not so kind things to say about the sound, and the lighting, and the AC, and the performing too. Ah, I didn’t really mean to give him a—bah. That’s a sophisticated brother. He belongs to another world. He’s got his contributions, and I know Belizeans think very well of him. But we’ll ignore his comments about the show. There’s a lot of artificial in the rich world. They see the world differently since they moved from scrub board to washing machine, since they moved from black & white movies to color. No one complains about washing machines. But black & white movies are the real deal. I’ll take the sound of the roots guitar over the electronic ones every day.

I feel for our young people. They think they’re so rich with their gadgets and such, but they are really impoverished. It’s not a good thing to block out so much of the world’s beauty. Speaking for myself, I love the art and music of my old people, I love the art and music of my generation, and I have found some beauty in the art and music of this present generation. My observation is that many of the modern people completely shut out the past. They should know that people without their past are shallow water fish. Ha, the denizens of the shallows are daag teeth, grunt, lang gyaad, and raati. That’s all you can amount to if you shut out the past, shut out where you came from.

Dear young people, you got to feel, taste the essence of our ancestors. When you listen to the music of authentic Belizean artists, the roots on the guitar, the accordion, the drums, the marimba, in your mind’s eye you should see and prize those old days when our women, our ma and grandma and great grandma, all wore those long huipil-type dresses to the dance, when the food at parties was tamales and hudut and rice & beans, when the guys drank cheecha and local rum. Get the feel of where you came from. There are things to admire in other cultures. But ain’t none like ours and no place like home.

Ah, to Ms. Audrey and this claim that she played, so wonderfully I must say, all for free: I say, no daam taal; she got paid, she had a price, she didn’t come cheap, and she got paid in full. Okay, she didn’t get paid in cash, neither in what cash can easily buy. Whoa, don’t get too sold on cash, because there are a few things money can’t control; for example, SOME people’s souls. But yes, the price is on many things.

Some of her payment did come in the opportunity to give. People who love giving are wonderful. But note that some people are addicted to it; that’s where they get their high from. If you take away giving from the person who lives to give, pray, where would they be? Yes, most people die to take. But some people live to give, and they get a giant high from it. Regrettably, some good people sneeze on other people who get their kicks from not-so-benign intoxicants. Remember what the infomercial said: live and let live.

Personally, I think Audrey is one of those who like giving. So, the producers paid her when they gave her a chance to give. But her participation wasn’t solely for that noble thing, far from. Heck no, she doesn’t sneeze on loot. We know she got none of that for her great effort. Yep, she got a share of giving satisfaction. But that’s not the big deal for her role in that play either.

So, what was in it for Audrey? Ah, she knew what she wanted and she got what she wanted. Oh no, she can’t fool me with that did-it-for-nada story. I’m not easily duped, and Audrey’s life has played out in public, so her pages are fairly easy to read. I bet you the house and lot, the whole shebang, that her price for performing in John John’s Blue was the chance to sing that song. O, O, O, she wanted that, alright; she dreamed about it, not so she could kill the Karaoke with her voice, but get this: for the message, for the joy of wicked revenge for womankind, all of them.

From the, ehm, outside it is my observation of many women that they live to bring all man kind down a peg. What could be the reason for that? Could it be because of the 6,000 years? The story dominating the rounds from those six millennia is that the fair sex has been chaansd by men. My, it is funny how sometimes perception can so distort the truth that the real victims end up the villains. You have seen many, many movies with men at the bar downing drink after drink, and ending up crying in their rum.

That song, two men like tunuball, two men squirming for the love of a single woman, and ai, she making absolutely fraudulent talk of feeling like a fool, while she’s turning the knife. Oh my, from I heard the first note I felt the glee exuding from the songster’s breast. The way she sang, it was like she didn’t want the song to end. And like every man in the audience, I desperately wanted it to. It’s okay. Men must be like London, they must take it on the chin; no matter the blows, they must be like the brothers on the flag—strong and silent. Accept what is done to you, do what you do, and keep what you do to yourselves. Don’t ever reply. Let them do all the talking.

They will do the talking. And in the Bliss it was by way of song. Yes, Ms. Audrey, you got to sing that song. I hope it made you very happy.

Extreme heat in October, now a welcome cool, but where’s the rain

The little chill this past week is welcomed, after unusual days of hot weather in the usually cool October. Most farmers are praying for rain, in October, a month when we usually get more than we need. This climate change thing is real, and the UN says human activities are at the root.

Scientists say the main human activity negatively impacting the climate is the burning of fossil fuels. Many people don’t buy that, and that’s because it takes a little scientific knowledge to fully grasp the stories about greenhouse gases and the ozone layer. What is ABC is the impact of deforestation on the climate. I have always wondered how intelligent people could ignore the value of trees. Hn, ever heard of anyone hanging their hammock away from the trees?

These reports of ancient glaciers melting at the poles should shake even the most stubborn climate change deniers. The Arctic and the Antarctic are not that far from us. The Arctic is just 4,600 miles from the equator, the Antarctic 5,700 miles. The distance from Belize to Adelaide is over 9,000 miles, and we are 7,400 miles from Palestine. The massive glaciers are melting at the poles and we will not escape changes. The UN warns that climate change will force many people to abandon their homes.