Guided and (De)Lighted in Two Part Harmony

PART I. Stop the bus, I've been seduced. No really. Simon and William Shaheen visited Daily Planet on KBCS and graced our listeners with a sonic journey with Simon's two favorite instruments, both of which he demonstrates effortless mastery: ud/oud (Arabic lute) and violin. So, stop the bus, get off, and get thee to a record store now, and when you arrive, find the 'International' section where a copy of Blue Flame by Simon Shaheen and Qantara awaits you...if you're lucky. You see, I'm not the only one who was seduced. The radio station phone lines lit up, the concert hall was packed. People in the audience were all mesmerized and glowing, including the ud/oud master himself. And he wasn't alone in his sonic conspiracy: He was joined by by Walid Zairi who offered exquisite bass playing, and Zafer Taweel, whose percussive sense of humor added just the right rhythmic embellishments. The trio was also joined by Simon's brother William, also a master ud/oud player, who plays with a distinctly different style that's passionately edgy and crisp. It doesn't end there, Simon and William's older brother Najib is a master luthier of the ud/oud and has crafted some of the world's most beautiful instruments.

Gretchen and Matt from the UW World Series go above and beyond in curating the most delicious concert series!

PART II
Guiding Lights Are Everywhere!

"This little light 'o mine, I'm gonna let it shine...
...let it shine, let it shine, let it shiiiine!" That song always inspires the crowd and it's how Patrinell Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir wound up an incredibly lit up three days, filled with hundreds of people at the Guiding Lights Weekend, founded by Eric Liu , author of Guiding Lights: How to Mentor - and Find Life's Purpose.
Did you ever have a mentor? Have you mentored? Listen to experiences of some of our community's inspired individuals
on how mentoring is so essential to our human being and being human. Eric Liu presented Willie Austin with the Mindful Mentor of 2008 award last weekend, Jan. 27th, at the Seattle Center. And to think, just a couple of decades ago, I stumbled across Willie at the YMCA where he became my first fitness mentor. Willie Austin is the founder of the Austin Foundation. Their goal is to transform youth through fitness. Willie is also the owner of Nowis Fitness Center in Seattle. Listen to Willie's and two of his mentees' reflections about health justice and childhood obesity, and how mentoring through fitness has been successful in the lives of thousands of young people on Voices of Diversity.