Worth a good listen: Appealing to your inner ear and hungry mind one song at a time

Spring has arrived in splendid fashion ~ and there's plenty of promise as the weather warms up for most of us around the world. What better way to celebrate the new season than by spinning some enjoyable new tunes.

Whether you're looking to create a mood or, simply, be in the mood, here's a multicultural playlist (U.K., U.S., Australia, Germany, Switzerland) of some of my favorite music I've been in tune with via KCRW.com, and exploring through my iPod, that's worth a good listen. 

Hopefully, these songs not only will appeal to your inner ear and hungry mind. They'll make you smile, too. After all, these days everyone want something to smile about. 

Happy listening!

My Spring Multicultural Playlist

Laura Mvula - Can't Live With the World ~ England

British neo-soul singer/songwriter Laura Mvula's music has been labeled by The Guardian as "gospeldelia", calling it a new music genre. "Can't Live With the World" is from her just-released album Sing to the Moon. The song and the artist are garnering positive vibes here in the U.S. via KCRW.com's Morning Becomes Eclectic show. Hear here for yourself. 

Ivan & Alyosha - Running For Cover ~ U.S.

Formed in 2007, Ivan & Alyosha is a folk pop/indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, fronted by Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary, who generated good buzz at this month's SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival in Austin, Texas. (For the record, none of the band members are named Ivan or Alyosha.) Their first full-length album is All the Times We Had.

Emma Louise - Boy ~ Australia

Emma Louise is an indie singer/songwriter from Brisbane, Australia, who was a featured artist on "The Austin 100: NPR Artists to Discover at SXSW 2013. Her lovely harmony is what will make you want to listen to "Boy" more than once.

Bibio - Á tout á l'heure ~ England

From the forthcoming album Silver Wilkinson, "Á tout á l'heure" (French for At the time) is by the Midlands, U.K. group Bibio, the moniker for Stephen Wilkinson, whose music is primarily electronic and experimental in nature. 

BOY - Little Numbers ~ Germany and Switzerland

Swiss singer Valeska Steiner and German bassist Sonja Glass are BOY and fans of Feist or Jenny Lewis will enjoy this Zurich-Hamburg indie-pop duo, whose album Mutual Friends, sung in English, was just released in North America after receiving good props in Europe. The song "Little Numbers" was featured in Lufthansa Airline's Business Class advertisement last summer.

Pope Francis I: He will not forget the poor

A simple wave and a smile / Pope Francis I 

Until now, there's never been a Francis.

There have been popes named Peter, Urban, Leo and Innocent. And, we've had John, Paul, and John Paul I and II.

Now, we have Francis I. With a little less silk, lace and gold than his predecessors, but no less humble.

Today, the world watched together as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, formally became Pope Francis I, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, during a Holy Mass inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome outside St. Peter's Basilica.

It was a remarkable morning celebrating a universal event.

A crowd estimated by the Vatican of 150,000 tourists, pilgrims and Roman Catholic faithful poured into St. Peter's Square for the two hour inauguration Mass, which was televised to a world-wide audience and, in this age of social media, was live blogged, too. In addition, there were delegations representing 132 countries in attendance, including six reigning sovereigns, 31 heads of state, three crown princes and 11 heads of government.

Before the start of the Holy Mass, the affable pope arrived at St. Peter's Square and greeted the crowd while riding in an open-top "popemobile". He appeared totally at ease and comfortable, beaming his photogenic smile for everyone, kissing babies, even giving a thumbs-up to well-wisher. He took the time to have the popemobile stop in the square so that he could get out and kiss and bless an infirmed man.

During the Holy Mass, the pope received his fisherman's ring, symbol of the pope as a "fisher of men" and a ring that only a pope can wear. In his 14-minute personal homily, reported The New York Times, the new pontiff "offered a passionate pledge ... to serve 'the poorest, the weakest, the least important,' striking the same times on humility as have marked the days since he was elected last week."

The London Guardian noted: "In his homily, the pope compared himself with Joseph, the husband of Mary who was given the mission by God of being her protector, that of Jesus, and that of the church. He said all people should take on this role of protecting those around them and the world itself, and said that goodness and tenderness were signs of strength, not weakness. Power is service, he said."

• A week of joyous excitement

Less than a week ago, amid chilly rain, about 150,000 jubilant faithful jammed the piazza of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, joined by a world-wide TV audience, who watched in anticipation as a new pope was announced.

Joyous excitement, colorful pageantry and a sense of orderliness ~ giddiness, maybe? ~ rang through St. Peter's Square a few minutes past 7 o'clock last Wednesday, in the twilight, as the Basilica bells chimed, confirming what the white smoke billowing out of the the makeshift chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel signaled for everyone to see: a new pontiff had been elected.

Soon, it was announced to the world: Habemus papam.

"We have a pope." 

With those terse but expressive Latin words, there was much joy and celebration among the faithful, both in the Roman piazza, and throughout the world among 1.2 billion Catholics.

Although I am not Catholic (I am a confirmed Episcopalian), I have shared in the jubilation of the new pope. Soon after there was confirmation that a new pope had been chosen last week, I was online with a longtime friend of mine from Costa Rica, who is Catholic. She was thrilled by the news that the newly chosen pope hailed from South America and expressed her hope. Meanwhile, I tried to explain to a new friend of mine from Tunisia, a Muslim, the significance of the moment, which I had been describing in detail to her, as a result of my interest in papal history, pomp and ceremony.

In an institution that is based largely on tradition, the announcement of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's (pronounced Burr-GOAL-leo) as the "chosen one" to succeed Benedict XVI, who last month became the first pope in 598 years to retire, brought tremendous surprise. Amid the secrecy of the conclave of cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, it took only 28 hours and five ballots to choose a new pontiff.

• A pope of firsts

Indeed, Francis I has become a pope of firsts. He's the first pope born outside Europe since St. Gregory III 1,200 years ago and the first pope from the Americas. He's the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first Jesuit pope. And, he's the first to adopt a new, unused and non-composed regnal name since Lando in 913-914.

In the spirit of St. Francis of Asisi, whom the new pope honored in taking the name Francis, we've witnessed a sense of poverty, humility and simplicity on display during the pope's first week. At least for now, it signifies a rekindling of energy in the Catholic Church, not to mention a fresh face for its spiritual leader.

Fratelli e sorelle, buonasera: "Brothers and sisters, good evening," said the bespectacled Francis, dressed in a plain white cassock and speaking in Italian, as he greeted the world and introduced himself for the first time from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica last Wednesday. "I would like to thank you for your embrace." He showed a sense of humility, too: "My fellow cardinals went and found one all the way at the end of the world, but here we are."

Among his first acts, the new pope asked the people of Rome (and, for that matter, the world) to ask for God's blessing for him before he blessed them. It was an act and gesture of simplicity, but it spoke volumes.

• A humble man, a man of the people

The former Argentine cardinal, who was archbishop of Buenos Aires, is a humble man, a man of the people. An Argentine by birth, he has Italian roots thanks to his father being born in Italy. He is comfortable speaking in many languages, including Spanish, Latin and Italian. 

A conservative with a common touch, Francis has shown he wants to be close to the people. He's taken time to embrace everyday Catholics and shown the friendly demeanor of a parish priest. Back home in Argentina, he's a fan of "the Saints" of San Lorenzo de Almagro, a top-division Argentine football team in Buenos Aires. He's well known for his outreach to the Argentine poor and the disenfranchised, and for living modestly in a small apartment and cooking his own meals.

In Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio eschewed a chauffeur-driven car for public transportation, which endeared him to his faithful. According to legend, the best way to enjoy a personal audience with him was to hop aboard the bus that he regularly rode to and from his home and the church.

"He forsake many of the luxuries. This is a man of humility," said NPR Rome correspondent Sylvia Poggioli on All Things Considered, in describing the new pontiff in his first hours after being elected. "A pope from outside of the European world is going to be received very well."

Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, in referring to the pope's position as the heir to St. Peter, told the Los Angeles Times: "He's trying to be himself, not to change himself. But at the same time he's completely aware of his role, of his Petrine ministry. He's trying to find a balance."

• Can Francis save and reform the Catholic Church?

For the moment, hot-button issues facing the Catholic Church such as a shortage of priests, the ban on the ordination of women as priests, a sexual abuse crisis in the West, as well as its staunch opposition to abortion and gay marriage, have taken a back seat. Hopefully, these issues will not be lost on the new pontiff.

Just a few days into his papacy, one wonders if Francis can save and reform the Catholic Church? I don't know. But, I am hopeful that he can. At least, his outward appearance ~ his magnetic personality ~ suggests a sense of warmth and friendliness, and I think he is reaching out to show openness towards other faiths, too. Patriarchs from major religions were in attendance at the pope's inauguration Mass.

“Given that many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I give this blessing from my heart, in silence, to each one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you, but knowing that each one of you is a child of God,” the pope told a gathering of world media last Saturday at the Vatican. “May God bless you.” 

During his gathering with world media, the pope said he had chosen his name, Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who worked for the poor and worked for peace. "Francis is the man of peace." He said the name "came into my heart: Francis of Assisi.” The  pope added: "Ah, how I would like a church that is poor and is for the poor." 

I think the new pope will be very invigorating for the Roman Catholic faithful, something that I sensed was sorely lacking in the papacy of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. So far, he's resisted giving up his simple black shoes for the stylish red shoes favored by Benedict, and he wears a plain crucifix instead of something much more bejeweled and ornate. Looking at photo galleries in recent days, the new pontiff has shown he isn't afraid to smile. 

According to many, the future of the Catholic Church lies in the developing worlds of Latin America, as well as in Africa and in Asia. Certainly, I think Francis is a representative of the developing world instead of just the developed First World. And, his choice signifies a shift of the centuries-old gravity of the Catholic Church away from Europe toward Latin America, where 40 percent of the world's Catholics now reside.

The bottom line is this: Can the new pope bring the Gospel message to the world? Let's hope so. Today's inaugural Mass was marked by its simplicity, and the new pope's homily set a good tone for his papacy.

One thing's certain: This pope will not forget the poor.

After all, there's no faking humility.

• A postscript

Editor's note:  On Dec. 11, Time magazine named Pope Francis as its Person of the Year, "crediting him with shifting the message of the Catholic Church while capturing the imagination of the millions of people who had become disillusioned with the Vatican," according to Reuters.

Photograph of Pope Francis I courtesy of the Associated Press.

What we can learn from art on a starry night

Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night / 1889 oil on canvas.

I love Dutch art. I feel comfortable and at ease being around it. 

Some of my best life experiences have been spent perusing Dutch masterstroke painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Rubens in museums across the world, in Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Amsterdam, alone, I've spent many enjoyable hours walking through the galleries of the Rijksmuseum, the Hermitage Amsterdam and the Van Gogh museums admiring the Dutch Golden Age of art and much more.

What's not to like or to learn from it?

And, then, there's famous 19th century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), whose post-Impressionist work is notable for its "rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color," that I am very fond of. Van Gogh once said: "If you hear a voice within you saying, 'You are not a painter,' then by all means paint … and that voice will be silenced." 

Art, as I have learned through my travels, teaches us to notice what we feel, and how to think for ourselves. It also helps us learn to see and appreciate the world all around us.

And, yet, art teaches us how to express ourselves in ways that words cannot ~ even though it's said that every picture is worth a thousand words.

In a project designed to engage feedback, the Bainbridge Island (Wash.) Museum of Art asked its patrons of all ages a very simple but matter-of-fact question:

"What can art teach us?"

As you might imagine, many of the responses ~ especially those from children ~ were most perceptive.

One child said: "Art teaches us about life. Art teaches us how to see the world in new ways." 

Another child's response struck a chord with many of my friends when I shared it with them on Facebook:

"Art teaches us that it's okay to color your trees purple." 

I like that response very much.

After all, if coloring our trees purple provides us with pleasure and makes us happy, I say: "Go for it!" 

While van Gogh may not have colored his trees purple in any of his paintings, his work was quite colorful and very artistic. I've always admired his painting "Les Iris", his 1889 interpretation of irises, since we have an iris garden in our back yard.

Of course, I marvel at what is arguably van Gogh's most artistic achievement, "Starry Night", which the artist painted from memory during the day time. It depicts the nocturnal view outside van Gogh's sanitarium room window at Saint Rémy-de-Provence in France. "Starry Night" has become one of the most well known images in modern culture. It became the subject of a popular, 1971 song "Vincent" by Don McLean, whose lyrics were written with the iconic painting in mind. "Starry Night" is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. 

I have learned through studying van Gogh's life and paintings that he was very outspoken when it came to sharing his thoughts about art and its relationship with life, love and religion. After all, during his early years as an artist (1876-1880), he wanted to dedicate his life to the evangelization of those in poverty. 

"The best way to know God is to love many things," said van Gogh. "It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done."

According to van Gogh, there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. "Close friends are truly life's treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves," he said. "With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.”  

Indeed, art teaches us to feel emotion. And, the artistic legacy of van Gogh will forever remain with us through his paintings, drawings and writings. They are everlasting. 

"Love is something eternal," said van Gogh. "The aspect may change, but not the essence."

Girl with a Pearl Earring: Who's that girl?

Girl with a Pearl Earring 

If life is best shared through story, as it's been said, then, art is the medium through which we illustrate these stories.

One such story that has been wonderfully illustrated is Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. This renowned and beloved masterpiece, labeled the Dutch Mona Lisa, is one of the most beautiful and artistically important paintings in the world.

Currently, the de Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is hosting Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis. The show, which opened on January 26 to much fanfare, continues its residency in The City through June 2. It is drawing tremendous crowds and much attention, too.

Last Friday, I visited the exhibition, which is on loan from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague, and came away impressed by the many outstanding paintings from the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age. Both portraits and still lifes, which give Dutch art a visually and intellectually appealing resonance, were well represented among the 35 paintings. Among them were: A Hunting Party near the Hofvijver in The Hague, Seen from the Plaats (ca. 1690) by Gerrit Berckheyde and The Goldfinch (1654) by Carel Fabritius. Other masterstroke artists represented included: Salomon van Ruysdael, Abraham van Beyeren and Rachel Ruysch.

And, of course, the special exhibition wouldn't be complete without giving due props to the most famous Dutch master of them all, Rembrandt. In fact, a separate exhibition gallery featuring 60 etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn, entitled Rembrandt's Century, is also on display and included in the admission price for Girl.

However, the centerpiece of the Dutch Golden Age exhibition remained the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring. It was the one spectacular painting that garnered everyone's attention, the one everyone wanted to see. And I must say this: The showstopper, which had its very own gallery room, was quite the jewel.

Johannes Vermeer painted the timeless portrait of Girl with a Pearl Earring using oils on canvas, circa 1665. While it's been a popular painting for several centuries, its celebrity and superstar status was enhanced only recently, in both literature and on film. In 1999, Tracy Chevallier's best-selling, historical novel fictionalized the circumstances of the creation of the painting. In turn, the novel inspired a 2003 dramatic movie starring Colin Firth as Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as the wide-eyed girl, Griet. Hired by Vermeer as an assistant, she sits for him as a painting model while wearing one of his wife's pearl earrings dangling from her left earlobe. The book and the film brought the radiant painting to life and helped introduce it to a wide-reaching audience.

On this particular morning, I took my time in absorbing the atmosphere of the spacious gallery room as I approached Girl with a Pearl Earring. I wanted to take full advantage of this rare opportunity to see the most famous of Vermeer's 36 paintings and, arguably, the second most famous painting in the world.

First, I stood to the right of the hauntingly beautiful, softly-lit masterpiece. Then, I stood in front of it. Finally, I shifted to the painting's left side. I wanted to see this lovely portrait set against a dark, neutral background from a variety of angles. In each instance, there were different aspects of the painting, which was restored in 1994, that I focused upon: the girl's beautiful wide eyes, her parted lips, her blue turban-like headscarf with its yellow veil, her yellowish-brown jacket with the shining white collar, the intimacy of her gaze towards me. And, of course, the focal point: the most famous pearl earring ever painted.

Soon, I left the exhibition and headed out into a lovely, sunlit San Francisco afternoon impressed by Girl with a Pearl Earring. Yet, after seeing this magical face full of much drama and conflict, I couldn't help but think that there were many questions about this masterpiece in search of answers. I pondered some of them while walking across the park on my way to eat lunch.

• What is the girl thinking as she stares at us? 
• Do her eyes and half-smile convey a sense of innocence or are they meant to be seductive? 
• And, centrally, why is the girl wearing a pearl earring?

I'm sure others are asking the same questions as me.

Indeed, who's that girl?

Teaching her children well: The remarkable life of Fawzia Koofi and her fight for a better future

Fawzia Koofi / The Favored Daughter

"As you grow older you will learn about loyalty," writes Fawzia Koofi in her courageous memoir The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future. In a letter to her daughters, Shurha and Shaharzad, that precedes the chapter entitled "The War Within," Koofi says: "Loyalty to your faith, to family, to friends, to your neighbors, and to your country. In times of war our loyalty can be sorely tested."

Indeed, these are challenging times for everyone throughout much of the world. For some of us, our homelands are facing political upheavals, while others are battling through the economic reality of uncertainty. 

Our loyalty is being tested every day.

In Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest and most volatile countries, Koofi, 38, who is her country's first female Parliament Speaker and a noted activist for women's and children's rights, is currently a leading candidate for the 2014 presidential elections. Mind you, in a country where women have been struggling for generations just to achieve gender equality, a woman has never been elected president of Afghanistan.

Recently, Koofi appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and spoke at Harvard Law School as part of a visit to the U.S. to drum up support for her candidacy as well as to promote her book. Immediately, after seeing Koofi's interview with Jon Stewart, I went online to put a hold on her book, and checked it out from my local public library by the weekend.

Since obtaining a copy of Koofi's book, I have not been able to put it down. It has been my reading companion at home and at work, even at the gym. It is both a highly fascinating and riveting read. And, I highly encourage anyone wanting to learn more about her life's journey ~ from being rejected at birth and left for death to becoming an author and a presidential candidate ~ or what life in Afghanistan is really like, as seen through this remarkable woman's eyes, should read Koofi's book.

In a review of The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future, which Koofi wrote with Nadene Ghouri, an award-winning journalist and former Al Jazeera and BBC broadcaster, the Kirkus Reviews wrote: "An affecting inside look at the making of an Afghan woman leader, in spite of the repression by traditional Islamic society and the Taliban ... With moving letters to her daughters opening each chapter, Koofi delivers an important message."

The Globe and Mail wrote: "A powerful and moving book, not just for Koofi's daughters, but for all the daughters of the world."

Indeed, Koofi's message is an important one that needs to be shared and passed along from one generation to the next. And while her letters to her two teenage daughters focus on life in Afghanistan, I think it is a message that is germane to us all no matter where in the world we reside, and it's one we can all appreciate reading and learning from.

Koofi continues in her letter to her daughters about the importance of loyalty: 

"You must be loyal to the true and good nature of your Islamic faith, helping and loving those around you even when you might feel you cannot.

 "It is important to be loyal to your family, both those alive and dead. Our bonds of family do not cease at the grave, but we must also be careful not to remember the dead at the expense of the living.

"You must be loyal to your friends, because it is the action of a true friend. And if they are true friends then they will also be loyal to you, and ready to act when you need their help.

"You must be loyal to your fellow Afghans. There are many of us and we are not all the same. But you must be able to see past those ethnic and cultural differences and remember the thing that unites us together ~ Afghanistan.

"And you must be loyal to your country. Without loyalty to our country we have nothing as a nation. We must work hard and wisely to improve our country for your children and their children."

Loyalty can be a hard lesson to learn sometimes, as Koofi has reminded us. Yet, there are few lessons more valuable.

The many lovely faces of our calla lilies

We are blessed to have beautiful flowers growing in our garden, including roses, fuchsia, rhododendrons and camellias. Every year at this time, thanks to the Bay Area's moderate winter climate, our lovely calla lilies come alive, too.

Quietly, these majestic perennial flowers go about their business of blooming on the quiet, east side of our house. As February reached its midway point last week on Valentine's Day, we had four calla lilies in bloom. By spring, that figure will quadruple. Our thriving calla lilies will be with us until the start of summer.

What we commonly know as a calla lily ~ its more formal name is zantedeschia aethiopica ~ is a species in the family Araceae, which is native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland. In the language of Afrikaans, a calla lily is known as "varkoor" meaning pig's ear.

The calla lily is the national flower of the island nation of Saint Helena, and its showy pure white spathe and yellow spadix have been cultivated for the Easter floral trade over the past century. In Britain and Ireland, it is known as the "Easter lily" and, since the Easter uprising of 1916, it became an important symbol of Irish Republicanism.

Over the years, I have enjoyed photographing our calla lilies; each flower seems to have its own individual shape and personality. Because calla lilies can represent both happy and sad occasions, I've used my photographs of them to represent not only the purity of a wedding but also as a condolence to a friend who just lost a parent. The beauty and attractiveness of calla lilies enable them to be used both in wedding bouquets and in funeral arrangements.

The American artist Georgia O'Keeffe brought the calla lily to life through her close-up paintings of single calla lily flowers in the 1920s and 1930s that were both sensual and geometric. Well known as the "lady of the lilies," she once remarked, "What is my experience of the flower if not color?"

Indeed, the calla lilies are in bloom, again.

All photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

In St. Peter's chair: The Good, the Bad and the Holy uncertainty as 600 years of tradition is broken with resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

On Monday morning, I woke up to the stunning development that Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader and world face of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, had announced his resignation effective at the end of this month.

It is historic news which shocked the Vatican, stunned the world and broke with 600 years of tradition.

Consider this: A pope has not resigned since the Middle Ages -- the last one being Pope Gregory XII in 1415. So, it's not something we've ever witnessed in our lifetime.

Could the pope even resign? Pope is a lifetime appointment and successors are usually chosen after a pope has died, like in 2005, when Pope Benedict XVI was chosen to succeed Pope John Paul II.

"The former Joseph Ratzinger came to the highest office in the Roman Catholic church with a reputation as a challenging, conservative intellectual," wrote the London-based The Guardian on its website following Monday's announcement. "But the messages he sought to convey were all but drowned out, first by a string of controversies that were largely of his own making, and subsequently by the outcry -- particularly in Europe -- over sexual abuse of young people by Catholic clerics."

The Guardian continued: "Ratzinger had spent almost a quarter of a century in the Vatican, so it was reasonable for the cardinals who elected him to assume he understood it inside out, and would be keen to improve its workings. But, although he had been an influential and trusted lieutenant of John Paul II, the new German pope was a paradox.

"On the one hand, he was intellectually remorseless. Not for nothing had he attracted the nickname 'God's rottweiler'. Yet, like many scholars, he was timid -- wholly lacking in that desk-thumping vigour needed to foist reforms on clerics whose resistance to change is the stuff of legend."

While Pope Benedict XVI made headlines last December by being the first pope with a Twitter account, when it came time for the Holy Pontiff to deliver the news of his impending resignation, he opted for a much slower moving (and more character-filled) method of delivery. Looking frail, he delivered his resignation in that most ancient of languages originally spoken in ancient Rome, Latin.

http://youtu.be/TzAC5tGJ_Nk

Here is an English translation:

Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. 

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of Gold in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

The Vatican was quick to say that Pope Benedict, 85, was not resigning because of the "difficulties in his papacy," but rather due to his health and advanced age. The news reverberated globally and was met with shock, sadness and disbelief. World leaders shared their thoughts about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

President Obama issued this statement:

"On behalf of Americans everywhere, Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting with the Holy Father in 2009, and I have appreciated our work together over these last four years. The church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's successor."

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti: "I am greatly shaken by this unexpected news."

British Prime Minister David Cameron: "He has worked tirelessly to strengthen Britain's relations with the Holy See. His visit to Britain in 2010 is remembered with great respect and affection. He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "If the pope himself, after thorough reflection, has come to the conclusion that he doesn't have the strength anymore to carry out his duties, then this has my utmost respect. He had to make a difficult decision."

The Catholic College of Cardinals will meet in conclave at the Sistine Chapel after taking a vow of secrecy to choose Benedict's successor in the near future, after his official resignation at 8 p.m. on February 28, according to the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman.

"Before Easter, we will have the new pope," Father Lombardi said. The start of the Catholic Church's Lenten season begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. Easter Sunday is March 31.

While Benedict won't be involved in the decision to elect a new pope, according to Father Lombardi, his influence will be felt. After all, Benedict appointed 67 of the 118 cardinals who will make the decision. It takes at least two-thirds plus one of the 118 voting cardinals to elect a new leader for the church.

There is no obvious successor, but the leadership of the Catholic Church has a unique opportunity -- a chance for a rebirth -- when they meet to select a new leader. Will it come from outside the usual Italian/western European mold? I hope so. This is a great opportunity for both inclusion and to select someone who is much younger than Benedict.

Remember the energy and excitement when a young (age 58) and charismatic cardinal from Poland, Karol Józef Wojtyla, emerged to begin his reign as Pope John Paul II in 1978? His legacy included becoming the second-longest serving pope in history and the first non-Italian since 1523.

Is there another charismatic cardinal waiting in the wings? I don't know. I can only wish that whoever it is does a better job than Benedict in uniting together Jews, Muslims and Christians with Catholics.

Among those whose names surfaced Monday as possible successors, according to The New York Times, include: Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan; Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada; Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana; Cardinal Leonardo Sandri of Argentina; and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

According to CNN Senior Vatican Analyst John Allen, regardless of where the next pontiff is from -- whether it be from Italy, Europe, Asia, Latin America or North America -- he will probably continue Benedict's conservative tradition as conservative vision likely will trump geography. So much for a chance to re-examine the Catholic Church's stance on hot-button issues like same-sex marriage, the loosening of restrictions on the use of condoms to prevent AIDS and the ordination of women priests.

During Benedict's tenure, the Catholic Church has taken a firm line on issues such as abortion, birth control and divorce. It has also been clouded by a series of sex abuse scandals involving Catholic priests, which started in Europe and spread across the Atlantic to the United States. Many church critics believe the church's ship has become adrift.

"So when the pope stunned the world on Monday with his resignation announcement, his supporters and detractors alike almost universally hailed the move as a movement of grace, sounding almost relieved to see the end of what has been a very turbulent journey," wrote Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times, in a front-page news analysis published in today's print edition.

While the new pope undoubtedly will have big shoes to fill, one thing is certain as the soon-to-be old pope leaves St. Peter's chair for emeritus status: Pope Benedict XVI leaves the papacy looking and feeling frail, his legacy clouded by scandal and declining faith.

Form + function + green technology = meeting the aesthetic and environmental needs of a city

"Seismic Wave" / Waiting for the Muni
Metro N Judah train at the corner
of Carl and Cole in San Francisco. 

The city of San Francisco has enjoyed a history of environmental sustainability and it prides itself on being a city of inclusion, too.

Reflecting these values are the colorful and artistic "Seismic Wave" Muni transit shelters that have sprouted up all around the City since the first one debuted on Geary and Arguello Boulevards in 2009. By the end of this year, there will be about 1,000 transit shelters that are making use of innovative solar technology and design.

In the words of former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who oversaw the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the first of the new transit shelters nearly four years ago, they "will make getting around this beautiful city easier and greener."

On a recent visit to the City, I rode the Muni Metro train from Embarcadero Station to Golden Gate Park to see the Rudolf Nureyev exhibit at the de Young Fine Arts Museum. During my nearly half-hour ride, I noticed several of these aesthetically-pleasing transit shelters dotting the N Judah route.

On my return trip downtown, I encountered one of the hip, "seismic wave" shelters up close at the corner of Carl and Cole Streets, across from the Crepes on Cole cafe where I had stopped for lunch, in the heart of the City's Cole Valley neighborhood.

I didn't mind that my wait for the next N Judah train would be eight minutes because it gave me time to study and admire the "Seismic Wave's" design and function.

A poster inside one of the shelter's display panels caught my attention: "Form and function combine with green technology to create a compelling, iconic structure designed to meet the aesthetic and environmental needs of a City at the forefront of new age technology."

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) touts its new "Seismic Wave" transit shelters as "the most sustainable shelter under the sun."

It's easy to see how and why.

Among the shelter's many "green" features" according to the SFMTA are:

• Solar-powered photovoltaic cells can generate up to 100 watts of electricity -- enough to power high efficiency fluorescent backlit information panels, super efficient rooftop lighting and NextBus and Push to Talk technologies.
• Up to 40 percent of all energy captured can be recycled back into the power grid.
• Wave-shaped plastic canopy composed of 40 percent post-industrial recycled content.
• Galvanized steel beams created with 60 to 70 percent reclaimed product.

Other features include: ergonomically-designed seats for up to six customers and steel support columns that can vary in length to accommodate San Francisco's hilly terrain.

In a 2009 interview with sf.streetsblog.org., project designer designer Olle Lundberg said it's been fun leaving his signature on the city. Lundberg Design, a local architect, was selected in a competition to design the civic project.

"We've done some really beautiful buildings in the city, but honestly nothing will have the same impact as (1000) of these will," said Lundberg. "These are going to be everywhere and are going to be this kind of icon. I do hope that they become part of the street vocabulary of San Francisco."

Indeed, form + function + green technology = meeting the aesthetic and environmental needs of a city -- the City.

"Seismic Wave" photograph by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Finding serendipity on a Saturday afternoon walk in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

Look, there's a gull on top of the fountain ... /
A happy accident or a pleasant surprise? 

Life is full of surprises and we all like a pleasant surprise every once in a while, right?

There is such a word to describe a pleasant surprise. That word is serendipity, which means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, serendipity is the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.

The word "serendipity" was first coined by Horace Walpole, the fourth Earl of Orford, in a January 28, 1754 letter to British diplomat Horace Mann. In this letter, Walpole said he formed the word serendipity from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip in which the heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of."

I had a brush of serendipity recently. It occurred during a recent Saturday afternoon visit I made to the de Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco's expansive Golden Gate Park to see an exhibit on the life of the extraordinary ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, "A Life in Dance."

Just before entering the museum, I stopped for a moment at the central fountain that straddles the de Young, the California Academy of Sciences and the Music Concourse to take a photograph of the fountain as I have done many times before. Located in an open-air plaza with many heavily pollarded trees (London plane and Scotch elm), it's a lovely fountain surrounded by beautiful park scenery that looks handsome in both daylight and at nighttime, too.

While my photograph was intended to be of the central fountain, much to my surprise, there was a gull sitting on top of the fountain at the time I took my photograph. The gull became my focus as much as the fountain. Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise, a happy accident. That's serendipity and I'm grateful because the gull made my photograph more interesting and colorful.

May we all find a little bit of serendipity in our lives.

Claes Oldenburg: Creating playful and monumental art out of everyday objects

Along San Francisco's Embarcadero / Cupid's Span (circa 2010)

The Swedish-born American sculptor Claes Oldenburg delights in creating large replicas of everyday objects. They are playful and monumental. Yes, they are gigantic and they grab your attention, too.

The 83-year-old Oldenburg's public art installations have included a diaper pin, badminton shuttlecocks, a spoon and cherry, a clothespin, an ice cream cone, even a old-fashioned typewriter eraser. These visual artworks and others just as playful and monumental created by Oldenburg dot the urban landscapes of many major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Seattle.

Until I caught a glimpse of Corridor Pin, Blue last weekend during a visit to the de Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, it hadn't occurred to me that I have seen many of Oldenburg's public art installations during my U.S. travels this millennium. 

I've seen the Giant Shuttlecocks on the pristine front lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City; the Spoonbridge and Cherry that highlights the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at Walker Art Center; and the Typewriter Eraser, Scale X at the Olympic Sculpture Garden in Seattle.

Lo and behold, San Francisco is home to not only the giant diaper pin sculpture. It is also where Cupid's Span, a 60-foot-high painted fiberglass and stainless-steel sculpture created by Oldenburg and Coojse van Bruggen, his wife and collaborator of more than a quarter century, dropped anchor and took up residence along the Embarcadero waterfront in 2002. It certainly changed the look and landscape when it premiered.

I've walked by and admired Cupid's Span numerous times over the years and photographed it from many different angles. Each time, it seems, there's something different about it. Once, I was lucky enough to capture the bow and arrow while it was covered in fog.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle on the occasion of the unveiling of Cupid's Span, Oldenberg said: "At first there's the man-in-the-street opinion, but then there's the more nuanced response. We don't copy the objects we use, we try to transform them and we hope they go on transforming as you look at them. The idea of endless public dialogue -- visual dialogue -- is very important to us."

Whether or not Oldenburg has a social agenda behind his public art installations doesn't matter to me. I find his Pop Art both visually colorful and admiring. And, as Oldenburg once explained to Chronicle art critic Kenneth Baker: "Just the fact that you can put up something beautiful and complex in a city is a social statement in itself."

To learn more about Claes Oldenburg:
https://www.artsy.net/artist/claes-oldenburg

Photograph of Cupid's Span by Michael Dickens, copyright 2010. All rights reserved.