Duke Augustus and Duchess Susanna, the Duke & Duchess of Peace, have been thinking about books that help citizens participate in the democratic process while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a session of the Youth Parliament at the Legislative Assembly.
Tagore, Yeats, Neruda & Cooperatives
Duke Augustus: My attention was caught by an opinion piece in The Hindu titled Tagore and the idea of Cooperation which started with a quote from Nobel-Prize-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore:
“Today, economic power has been captured by a small minority. But it has acquired this power only by accumulating the productive power of others. Their capital is simply the accumulated labour of a millions of working people, in a monetized form. It is this productive power that is the real capital, and it is this power that latently resides in every worker …” — Samabayaniti/The Co-operative Principles, 1928.
As the piece goes on to explain: Continue reading Tagore, Yeats, Neruda & Cooperatives
Frederick Douglass speaks on the 4th of July
Duke Augustus: I like to remember that the 4th of July is a celebration of Independence, not of war. It is the celebration of activists coming together to speak out against human rights violations and crying “Enough! We will not take any more.” IN that vein, one of our greatest Americans, Frederick Douglass spoke on July 5, 1852:
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with greater distrust of my ability, than I do this day. A feeling has crept over me, quite unfavorable to the exercise of my limited powers of speech. The task before me is one which requires much previous thought and study for its proper performance. I know that apologies of this sort are generally considered flat and unmeaning. I trust, however, that mine will not be so considered. Should I seem at ease, my appearance would much misrepresent me. The little experience I have had in addressing public meetings, in country schoolhouses, avails me nothing on the present occasion.
The papers and placards say, that I am to deliver a 4th [of] July oration. This certainly sounds large, and out of the common way, for it is true that I have often had the privilege to speak in this beautiful Hall, and to address many who now honor me with their presence. But neither their familiar faces, nor the perfect gage I think I have of Corinthian Hall, seems to free me from embarrassment.
The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable—and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. That I am here to-day is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude. You will not, therefore, be surprised, if in what I have to say. I evince no elaborate preparation, nor grace my speech with any high sounding exordium. With little experience and with less learning, I have been able to throw my thoughts hastily and imperfectly together; and trusting to your patient and generous indulgence, I will proceed to lay them before you. Continue reading Frederick Douglass speaks on the 4th of July
Royal Fashion for Peace and Justice
Duchess Susanna writes: Did you see the rude headlines? What a waste of time. “Pippa wears see-through dress to Wimbledon”. Hope you did not get fooled. It was a black, crochet dress, that looked like something my Grandmother might have knit and/or worn.
I have been contemplating why everyone cares so much about what Pippa Middleton and Duchess Catherine wear. I guess it can be fun and sociable to dress like other women. Though, don’t we all have other women in our lives to emulate?
Fashion is such an important part of our selves and our cultural identity. I am more excited about fashion choices that can protect the earth, create justice, and celebrate peace and nonviolence. Instead of $1,300 leather purses, like the fancy one Duchess Catherine has been wearing, I prefer bags made from cloth or straw. (And, straw is “in” this season, too.)
Duchess Susanna’s Guide to Fashion
The Best Ways To Get A New Outfit Continue reading Royal Fashion for Peace and Justice
Royal Rants: Coverage of protesters to the other royal tour
The Duke and Duchess of Peace have not encountered any protests against them thus far.
Though, for Prince William and Duchess Catherine, there have been some protests criticizing the monarchy in general, Queen Elizabeth, and the cost of their tour.
Here are some articles of interest:
Re: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to the Inistitut de Tourisme et D’Hotellerie du Quebec, for a cooking class: Continue reading Royal Rants: Coverage of protesters to the other royal tour
The Duke & Duchess of Peace took a respite . . .
from our royal tour in the land of Lilliput with William “Billy” Connolly, Jr., CBE. Sadly, the Duke and Duchess found themselves surrounded by much talk of wars and killing, much like Prince Williams talk of all the successful wars Canada and Britain partnered on. The Duke and Duchess were pleased that all the war talk ended on a sane musical note:
The Duke then took a walkabout (literally) down to the a local library to return the DVD
and pick up a copy of Chaplin’s Modern Times from which the song Smile comes from: Continue reading The Duke & Duchess of Peace took a respite . . .
The Duke and Duchess of Peace reflect on Canada Day celebration
After perusing the household treasury, The Duke and Duchess of Peace have determined that they are unable to visit our Canadian neighbors as part of their current tour. Though, it has been interesting to follow the current focus of world thought on Canada.
The Duke and Duchess were disappointed with Prince William’s big speech. Because, the speech included a list of past wars which Canada has fought. We do not believe that countries should be proud of war, especially wars for territory. It would be more honorable to have solved historical differences with diplomacy. You can see the video of Prince William’s speech for Canada Day, which shows the eerie juxtaposition of celebration, pride, and militarism at The Express UK: here. We have concluded that part of his job is to make sure that England will have Canada for back-up again if they want to start any new wars.
The Duke and Duchess of Peace do believe Canada is a wonderful country. And, we have enjoyed studying Canadian culture. Continue reading The Duke and Duchess of Peace reflect on Canada Day celebration