Check out Monkey & the Engineer by David Opie (my bro)

My brother Dave's new book Monkey and the Engineer (illustrated by him with text from the song by Jessie Fuller) is now out in hardback. He is selling them (signed) from his website at http://spacemandave.com/.

I'm at my parents' home in Staunton, Virginia at the moment (until tomorrow--Dave left just a few minutes ago), and yesterday on the front page of the newspaper here they ran an article about Dave and his book after he did the interview just the day before. The photo above is from that article, taken by Mike Tripp of The News Leader. Dave's first grade teacher called our house first thing yesterday morning after she saw the article. Dave answered the phone by chance, and she said, "You probably don't remember me, but I remember you very well." He remembered her once she said her name.

Here's the full newspaper article (written by Brad Zinn) about the book:

STAUNTON — A former Deadhead himself, two years ago Dave Opie jumped at the chance to illustrate "Monkey and the Engineer," a children's book based on a Jesse Fuller folk song popularized by the Grateful Dead.

"It's kind of amazing that no one else came up with the idea before that," Opie said.

The story revolves around a pet monkey "who leaves his owner with a 'worried mind' when he makes off with a big locomotive," according to Opie's Web site. The book is slated to hit bookstores this spring.

Opie, 39, is a former Staunton resident who earned his bachelor's degree in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and later obtained his master's from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Spider Magazine and the Weekly Reader. Opie also has done educational art for McGraw-Hill and National Geographic School Publishing, and teaches two days a week at the Illinois Institute of Art — Chicago.

"It's a tough way to make a living, but it's a lot of fun," he said of his busy schedule. If all goes according to plan, "Monkey and the Engineer" could be turned into a series. "I've always wanted to do children's picture books," Opie said. "I'd much rather be drawing monkeys and trains. That's where the fun is."

Opie said he worked on the book's illustrations during a one-year span, using water colors and digital animation to achieve the effect he was seeking. Though Opie said he could finish a one-page illustration in about eight to 10 hours, he typically spent about two days on the artwork.

"This has a longer shelf life, and I would definitely spend more time" on it, he said. Once the art was finished, JD Publishing, a division of Redpsych Productions, had the book printed in Hong Kong, a four-month process that recently was completed. Holding the book Wednesday afternoon, Opie said, "Having it in hand is a great feeling. To finally see it put together is satisfying."

Opie said he even managed to get a likeness of his dog, Poppin, inserted into the book. "I needed to work her in there," he said with a smile.

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What is Emptiness? (Joseph Goldstein explains)

What is Emptiness?

The expression of emptiness is love, because emptiness means "emptiness of self." When there is no self, there is no other. That duality is created by the idea of self, of I, of ego.When there's no self, there is a unity, a communion. And without the thought of "I'm loving someone," love becomes the natural expression of that oneness.

- Joseph Goldstein, The Experience of Insight

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The Rocket: A DVD Review

I recently wrote a review of the hockey film The Rocket for Greencine.com that has been posted here. An excerpt of the review is below:

Directed by Charles Binamé (Seraphin: Heart of Stone), The Rocket stars popular Canadian actor Roy Dupuis, who had already portrayed Richard for two previous projects (including a two-part French-Canadian miniseries). Dupuis reportedly did his own skating in the film, and the hockey scenes—which depict the NHL in the 1940s and 1950s before players wore helmets—have an admirable gritty quality of verisimilitude. Binamé has said of his inspiration for the hockey scenes, "I really wanted to capture hockey the way (Martin) Scorsese had captured boxing with Raging Bull."

One of the more memorable scenes in the film comes when Richard is being threatened at Madison Square Garden by Bob "Killer" Dill, a New York Rangers player known mainly for his dirty and near-deadly fights (played by current New York Ranger Sean Avery). Rather than try to stay away from Dill as everyone expects, Richard confronts him violently with a wicked punch in the face that establishes his domination as the real force to be reckoned with out on the ice. Dupuis is able to carry this off and remain sympathetic as the hero of the day.

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Driving for Burma -- Si Thu Visits Berkeley

Monday night in Berkeley I attended an event to help raise awareness about the situation in Burma. We watched a 24-minute Frontline video, then a highly revered 81-year-old Buddhist monk, Masoeyein Sayadaw, spoke on the situation in his native Burmese language (with an English translator) followed by Q & A. At some point we heard from Si Thu, who is Burmese but now lives in Canada. He said he was using one month of vacation time to drive across North America and help raise awareness about Burma. As it says on his blog, drivingforburma.blogspot.com, he was, "a student activist in the 1988 democracy uprising in Burma and fled the country after the Burmese army brutally cracked down the popular movement. He arrived in Canada a decade ago and lives in Toronto."

Here's more of Si Thu's story from his blog:

"His solo driving journey started out on December 1, 2007 at Toronto. His car, emblazoned with the word “Free Burma”, pictures of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and monks, turns many heads as he drives through major cities in the U.S as part of a 15,436 kilometre drive across North America stopping off at key cities to address politicians, dignitaries, campaigners and Burmese exiles.

He will arrive in Vancouver on Dec. 22 and continues to raise awareness on the situation in Burma with the support of local activists. Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) supports his initiative and is providing necessary assistance and arrangements during his tour in Canada."

Out of curiosity I asked him what his job was back in Toronto. He said, "I'm a supervisor." It was clear that he didn't want to say what he supervised, but of course I asked anyway. He kind of shrugged, smiled, and said, "Of a company that provides bathroom supplies." If you ask me, that's a great business to be in because everybody needs bathroom supplies and that need isn't going anywhere, no matter what happens to the economy!

Anyway, my hat is off to Si Thu--somebody who is a true hero for the people of Burma, doing whatever he can think of to help, including a solo drive across North America in a sporty BMW that says FREE BURMA in bright red letters on the side!

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Buddhist Peace Fellowship Delegation Returns from Inside Burma

*Note: Recent press release from BPF. -w

Buddhist Delegation Finds Burma Cloaked in Fear
December 15, 2007, San Francisco, CA ­

A delegation organized by the U.S.-based Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) has just returned from an eight-day visit with Burmese activists, monks, students, orphans, and citizens in Rangoon, Burma, and along the Thai-Burma border.

Members of the delegation, who posed as tourists to be able to enter the country, collected a wealth of first-hand evidence that the situation in Burma has become even worse since the September peace marches undertaken by Buddhist monks. In particular, delegates gathered information indicating that at least 70 people have been killed in the government crackdown over the past two months, more than double the number given in a United Nations report released earlier this week. Delegation members were: Alan Senauke (a Zen Buddhist priest and associate director of BPF), Jill Jameson, (member of the BPF Australia chapter), Phra Paisan Visalo (a Thai monk from the Buddhika network), and Nupphanat Anuphongphat (also from the Buddhika network in Thailand).

The purpose of the delegation was to observe the aftermath of the recent pro-democracy uprising and to communicate international solidarity with the people of Burma. Delegation member Alan Senauke said, “Wherever we went, people were very happy to meet with us, and welcomed the news that the world was still watching Burma, despite propaganda that things had returned to ‘normal.’ They asked us to carry the message that the crackdown is active and ongoing; that ‘normal’ for Burma under the military regime is a state of fear and repression."

Australian delegate Jill Jameson spoke with a number of members of the Burmese Buddhist community and observed severely deteriorated conditions in the military-run country. Rampant disease, starvation, and incarceration and torture of civilians are commonplace. Based on conversations with reliable sources inside the country, Jameson believes the figure of 31 people killed provided by UN representative Paulo Sergio Pinheiro (Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar) is understated.

The delegation learned that thousands of monks, nuns, and ordinary citizens have been imprisoned or driven out of the cities. Delegates recorded examples of those detained in the wake of the peace marches. Those who applauded the monks, offered them water in the blistering heat, or simply stood by and watched were arrested and held, often without family members knowledge, for up to one month. Many of the monks who participated in the peace marches are still missing and feared dead. Hundreds of Burma’s monasteries have been emptied and continue to be locked tight. And no one is able to account for thousands of children who were being cared for at the 3,000 Buddhist monasteries. Some may be in orphanages around the country, but this is not clear.

The delegation identified numerous places where support, both ­humanitarian and educational, ­was greatly needed, and is working to develop secure channels by which to offer this support. This will be a collaborative effort among Buddhist supporters in the U.S. and Australia, and activists in dedicated networks in Southeast Asia. Now that they have returned from Burma, delegation members intend to be a voice for Burma’s voiceless by sharing the story of this journey with their communities. They also plan to offer financial support for monks, nuns, and others in distress and explore channels for future support.

ABOUT THE BUDDHIST PEACE FELLOWSHIP
The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), founded in 1978, is to serve as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism. BPF's programs, publications, and chapters link teachings of wisdom and compassion with progressive social change. The organization is comprised of more than 4,000 members and 30 chapters. BPF is an affiliate of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. For more info, visit: http://www.bpf.org/.

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Burma Peace Rally Held in SF on International Human Rights Day

A Burmese monk offered Buddhist chanting in his native language.

Aung San Suu Kyi made a special appearance.

Several of the original 88 Burmese student demonstrators from 20 years ago attended.

A demonstration was held on behalf of the Burmese people this past Sunday, December 9 in front of City Hall in downtown San Francisco. It was International Human Rights Day. Jack Kornfield spoke, calling on Singapore to offer asylum to the military junta rulers in Burma (renamed Myanmar by the regime) in exchange for allowing democracy to take over in Burma instead of the current system of brutality and isolation. Original members of the student democracy movement in Burma from 1988 also attended the demonstration and spoke in their native language (with translation for those of us limited to English). Above are photos I took at the event.

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First University of Richmond Spider in Space

First UR Spider in Space*

University of Richmond alumnus and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, R’86, is set to become the first Spider in space tomorrow afternoon. Melvin and the rest of the NASA crew are scheduled to blast off aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 4:31 p.m. (EST)

A number of University representatives and friends of Leland, including several of his former UR football teammates, will be at Cape Canaveral for the event. Leland is taking with him on the mission several University of Richmond items, including a banner, hat and football, which he will then donate to the University upon his return. NASA is expected to broadcast videos of Leland at various points during the flight.

The University will be hosting a campus countdown celebration in honor of Leland’s blast-off on Thursday, Dec. 6, beginning at 4 p.m. (EST). Students, faculty, staff, and local alumni are invited to watch the launch on campus from the Pier in Tyler Haynes Commons.

Please note that the actual launch time is subject to change. For the latest official information on the launch, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main.

For more information about Leland, visit: oncampus.richmond.edu/news/nov07/Melvin.html.

*I graduated from U of R in '87 so I remember Leland Melvin quite well--he was a star on the football team back then, and now he's an astronaut!

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Car Salesman Helps Those in Need

Here's a heart-warming story for you cynics out there:

Revisiting The Generous Salesman

VANCOUVER, Wash., Nov. 23, 2007(CBS) Car salesmen get called a lot of things. “Living saint” is rarely one of them.

And yet CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman says he really does believe that’s what he found at a Chevy dealer outside Portland, Ore.

His name is Korry Holtzlander.

“There are no bad men. There are no bad men on the planet,” Holtzlander said. “There're just those who are lost."

By all accounts, this married father of two has always had a good heart. But it swelled to greatness after a series of three chance encounters at work -- the first, about a year ago.

Last December Holtzlander found a homeless man sleeping in one of the cars on his lot.

But instead of giving him the boot, Holtzlander gave him a cup of coffee, talked to this guy for two hours, and eventually helped him find an apartment. It was such an amazing story, that homeless man told another homeless man.

His name is Don Pechum.

“Yea, Don showed up here about a week later and says -- I got a son, he's graduating and he said I haven't been there for him and I really want to do something for him,” Holtzlander said.

Don was thinking a new pair of shoes. But Holtzlander was thinking bigger.

“Means a lot to me because he gave me an opportunity to give my son ... look where he's at,” Pechum said.

Hartman said, “wait your son works here” at the car dealership?

“Yes,” Pechum said.

Korry gave Don’s son a job as a lot attendant. He also now mentors the boy. Again, such a wonderful story that Don passed it on to this guy he met in jail -- Sean Wood -- a former meth addict and convicted thief.

Holtzlander gave Wood a sales job and a car to get to work.

The guy’s just out of jail -- when Holtzlander didn't know him at all he gave him a job selling cars?

“What’s my other choice?” Holtzlander asked.

“To not give him the job,” Hartman said.

“That’d be the wrong thing to do,” he said. “Here's a man in front of me asking for help and I say no?”

Understandably, word of this good Samaritan salesman started spreading through the homeless and prison communities. And the more people showed up the more people showed up, the more Holtzander gave.

Andy Garcia was living in his van with his wife and two little kids when Holtzander gave him a sales job and a month’s rent.

“So within five hours ... he hired me at 11:30; by 3:30 we were back in our duplex,” Garcia said.

In total, about 50 people have come to Holtzlander for help. In some ways its been a real sacrifice.

How much money has he spent out of his own pocket?

“Everything we have,” Holtzlander said.

But in other ways, he says it’s paying off in spades. It's been two months now since we first told that story. And so much has happened.

Last we saw Don Pechum, the man who just wanted shoes for his kid, he was out of work and living in a tent.

“This is what I do now instead of holding a sign on the freeway," he told Hartman.

The people at West Coast Sand and Gravel saw the CBS News story and offered Pechum a job cleaning up their shop. But he was such a hard worker they’re now training him to be a diesel mechanic.

And finally, the brightest news of all -- frustrated by the lack of transitional housing available for all the homeless people he’d met -- Holtzman took matters into his own hands, and actually bought a house.

"They're not homeless anymore, they have a home," he said.

It sleeps five. And quite comfortably.

“These towels are like super fluffy,” one resident said.

Holtzlander said guys will stay here just long enough to get back on their feet. And then make way for the next person in need.

“We've had a lot of people say where do you stop,” Holtzlander said. “If it's really in your heart you want to do more. It's uncomfortable if you're not doing something.”

Sounds like Hartman might be doing another update soon.

© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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