This Is NOT a Political Blog...BUT...

(As a native of Berkeley, the Old Queen believes in a socially just monarchy, and in a monarchy where everyone sees themeslves as creatures of value whose worth is reflected in the faces of those who represent them. If you don't believe this read back posts about the importance of boys seeing men and other boys as professional dancers. It makes a huge difference in attitude. I think the time is ripe for little Barack Obamas to see themselves in the role of president...as no doubt little rail splitters did when they looked upon that other "inexperienced" Illinois Senator who rose to the post of president. Yep, it can happen, so keep dreamin' big kids! That's a royal order from The Shoestring Prince, and The Old Queen)

(From the royal library at Wiki.answers)

What is the origin of the name Barack?
In: Name Origins

"Barack" is a word that is shared among several languages. First, it is a word in the Semitic family of languages. As such it has a root in Hebrew (but written baruch), a version in Aramaic (berek), a version in Arabic (baraka). (See Strong's Hebrew Bible Dictionary, entries 1288-1294.) It also occurs as a loan word in non-Semitic languages that have been influenced by these Semitic languages. As often happens, cognate words are similar in pronunciation. What appears in a later-appearing language may sound like something else in the earlier language. And in English we sometimes see words that are pronounced the same and even spelled the same, but that have very different meanings. Barack or Barak means 'lightning' in Hebrew.

(Barachiel is the old queen's own patron angel for her birth month of February!)

The name Barak is also mentioned in the Bible in the book of Judges. Barak was part of the story of the prophetess Deborah. Baruch (or Baruwk, Baruk, Strong, 1263) and its cognates berek and baraka all mean the same. Strong, 1288, says "barak, baw-rak', a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit)."

http://www.virtualchristiancenter.com/biblestudytools/kjvstrongs/STRHEB12.htm

Regardless of how one spells the name, it gives two possible and not contradictory meanings. One is "a blessing from God," and another is "a blessing from God that the individual may pass on to others as a benefit to them."

The second meaning is very clear in the Sufi tradition in which the searcher for Allah, or as Jesus would have called Him Alaha, receives from his or her teacher a transmission of some key to seeing what Meister Eckhard called the "divine spark" within each of us. ) If you pray to Allah you may choose to call your child Barak. If you pray to Alaha you may choose to call your child Berek. If you think you are praying to different gods or bestowing names with different meanings you may benefit from further study.

...just sayin'.

Sir Ken Robinson 4 Minister of Education

While the fact that he has been knighted tends to convince us that our beloved cousin Elizabeth, by the grace of God, etc. has managed to get her hooks into him first, (you've won this round, Elizabeth, but it isn't over yet!) the SP and I are very interested in proposing Sir Ken Robinson's name for the post of Minister of Education should we ever regain our kingdom.

In the event that we never regain it...please, check out this very interesting video where Sir Ken considers whether education, as we currently define it, kills creativity.

Honestly, that Elizabeth gets all the luck!

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

The Good, The Bad & The Dance Belt

(Nutcracker wearing a dance belt. Really, what else is there to say?)

It is a right of passage for every little girl who sticks with ballet long enough; she gets to wear a tutu, the ethereal spun sugar confection of which a million princess dreams are made.

For the boys, there is the dance belt.
A thong...yes, a thong, since the full bottom kind create what I suppose must be called, (forgive me little danseurs) "panty line" and in tights these lines are hideously apparent. Since other things are made much more apparent in tights as well, it is the job of the all important dance belt to preserve a gentleman's modesty and the sensibilities of the ballet audience who, while they may enjoy watching the dancer "fly" do not wish to see his junk do the same.

Not only that but dance belts, which are a kind of athletic supporter for dancers, can be a life saver when a ballerina's errant foot/knee/elbow makes contact with the wrong place.
Boys may not like the thong aspect, but without the protection afforded by a dance belt the 'Nut'cracker will do just that!

The whole dance belt situation just underscores the need for male ballet teachers, not only as role models, but for their practical experience in situations such as these.
How does one...er...situate oneself? Well don't look at ME?! While I can fake teaching the SP to shave, with the help of a leg razor and an indifference to embarrassment I can't even BEGIN to fake this one! For, while it may not have been my face I have shaved. I have never adjusted.

For those of you who follow this blog (and that means you are my son, so hey baby) here is a link to an interesting article from the New York Times on getting boys into ballet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/arts/dance/19good.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5089&en=cdeaeb251dd0b13a&ex=1345176000&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Crack a' Dem Nuts!

(Our unfortunate cousin Prince Ken. Smiling bravely in the face of a tragic physical deformity which has left him somewhat...anatomically incorrect. He will never, we fear, be able to produce an heir)

Royal families are slaves to duty. It is a well known fact that if you are from a royal family you cannot truly live for yourself. It is the price one pays for the position into which one is born.

Well, I guess that is equally true for deposed royalty, in fact, for us it is even more important to be above reproach and ever ready to answer the call, otherwise we are little more than just another joe schmoe with a heavy, funny looking gaudy hat hidden under the bed.

The Prince has seen the ominous fate of ex-kings who allow themselves to forsake royal duty for mere publicity seeking. Next thing you know you are using your royal robes to become a shill for a fast food joint that cranks out paper replicas of your crown for children to wear while they are having burgers "their way". DON'T be that king!

In the interest of duty the SP has answered the call that sooner or later comes to every young prince who is enrolled in a dance class. He has been called upon to pick up his sword and lead a fighting force of superior armed little girls into battle against an army of mice. The battle field---in the shadow of a gargantuan Christmas tree.

Think of it as a sort of Saving Private Ryan with dancing desserts and tutus.

My son is to be....The NUTCRACKER!

In a bizarre example of art imitating fabricated life the SP is going to play the Nutcracker Prince for his dance school's version of The Nutcracker.

His prior nutcracking experience was as one of that hard bitten band of mouse fighters in the trenches. In that production the Nutcracker was an adult man with years of dance training and experience so the SP didn't stand a chance of usurping that particular throne.

This year he is swimming in a much smaller pond where one year of on and off (I couldn't afford $500 a month for dance for a 11 year old boy!) ballet lessons does not stand in the way of the title role in THE Christmas ballet.

Ah well, what he lacks in experience he makes up for in gorgeousness. That Clara is a lucky girl...here's hoping she is also tiny and easy to lift!

Ham Radio Redux

Take two vain, individuals with an aesthetic just this side of Sun King (the Prince has been known to crank up Lully and rock out in the car. Ballet de la Nuit is great for that), a taste for obscure cultural pursuits; (baroque dance, anyone?), expensive clothes, surroundings and damned good food. Make them the sort of people upon whom bizarre and embarrassing mishaps descend like headlice on a kindergarten. Next make these two charming but misguided people voice actors with a radio dramatic company and what do you have...?

An episode of Frasier?

Well no, you have real life for the S.P. and his Queen Mother.

We auditioned in hopes of joining a local radio theatre company, and we were both accepted!
As of today we are well on our way to becoming the next Frasier & Niles!

I think this calls for a celebratory meal of tossed salads and scrambled eggs.

Royal Birthday

Sunday September 14th saw the celebration of the 13th birthday of the S.P. As befits a deposed prince it was a small celebration held at home with the deposed queen and the royal cats (The Ammonia Guard)

Luckily this is not France in the era of Louis XIV or he would now be officially "of age" and able to ascend the throne in his own right.
I hope the "subjects " like Avatar, Mario Kart and pizza...that's all I'm sayin'.

Life Among The Savages

Well, it's been two weeks of "back to school" for S.P. and I must say the whole thing has been successful beyond my wildest dreams. The Prince loves his new school and has made some nice friends. The court treasury being what it is I found a Catholic school for him since parochial schools offer the best chance for a non-millionaire to get their young one into a less overwhelmingly huge and crowded environment.

So, is there a difference between private and public schools? To be honest I think there is less than is usually imagined. Yes private schools have more control over the academic program they emphasize and they can offer some specialized classes that state controlled schools don't have the ability to offer, but the main difference seems to be the financial standing, and security level of the parents and how this freedom from fear of want affects the attitudes of the kids.

One of the reasons I selected the school I did was because the S.P.'s school offers foreign language classes beginning in 7th grade. That's a very good thing considering how often you hear people whinging away about the ease with which one can learn a language when one is young and how it becomes progressively more difficult as the years pass. So, if this is so widely believed, why don't we offer foreign language classes universally, in elementary school?

They do that in Europe. In the public schools too! Ever wonder why just about every Dane/German/Frenchman can handle his or herself in English when push comes to shove...languages are standard, even in primary school. In some countries swimming is a requirement as well.

But to get back to the point: Got time? Got money? Not scared to death that at any moment you may be homeless or hungry, or may get sick and not be able to do anything about it without losing a crap job that barely paid you enough to live on anyway?

Well, if you can say yes to the above I'd be willing to bet that unless you are a total evil, selfish, psychotic piece of garbage your children will do pretty well even in public school.
This is directly traceble to how often YOU can smile and how often YOU can get to this meeting and that meeting of the school, and how often YOU can find someone you trust to pick the kids up early or stay with them on one of the many and seemingly arbitrary days the school is closed.
The public/private divide becomes dire when the public kids have no one at home with the time, the energy or the knowledge to supplement what the schools can offer.

Not being religious---in the monarchy church and state were firmly divided---we don't care much for "indoctrination"
Since none of the people who teach the Prince are actually dead (I hope!) their guess about the spiritual world is worth as much as mine or my cat's. Still the church history and judeo-christian theology aspect of the school are interesting from the standpoint of the significance of the Catholic church in western culture. That religious stuff shaped our history.