New York - Actress and singer, Cynthia Basinet petitions the United Nations Sixty-second General Assembly Fourth Committee on behalf of issues facing the Western Sahara.

From the UN official site:

CYNTHIA BASINET, singer and actress, said that the international community had a moral responsibility as steward of the Saharawi people, and that a shift in heart and not just policy was required. Anemia, diabetes, tuberculosis, stunting and acute malnutrition were plaguing the Saharawi population, and yet 90 per cent of the population had attended school and were literate, according to a 1998 study.

She expressed deep concern over land mine explosions, such as that which had claimed the life of 8 year-old Fatima Bent Ibrahim this past year. Food prices rivaled those of Europe, with camel meat costing about €4 and the price of potatoes and milk equally prohibitive. Finally, refugees living abroad were unable to bring relatives with them because Western Sahara was not recognized by the United Nations, nor were documents and passports.

It took all facets to make the world a diamond, she said, and the international community must look beyond traditional methods of aid to consider public-private partnerships and microlending, among other forms of assistance, so that Saharawis were not “slowly delineated from the human map of the world”.

Cynthia visited the W. Sahara in ‘01 in efforts to raise awareness for the Saharwian refugees living in self-determination.

She was later nominated for a shared Nobel Peace Prize as part of the “1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe”.

The singer is best known for hits “Santa Baby” and “Tea For Two” .

For more visit:
www.cynthiabasinet.com

For more about Nadia and her music, visit www.nadiaworld.com.

For those who are just hopelessly “out of the loop” { } and still have no clue what the “Music and Spirit” blog is, read on!

I have been running an interesting blog on MySpace now for the last nine months or so, at www.myspace.com/musicandspirit. There are currently 40 AMAZING artists in my Top Friends who are all very much worth supporting. In addition, there are many more in my modest friend space which is currently at 150+, most of them musicians.

The blog itself consists of about 35 entries, some extensive, showcasing artists’ lyrics and additional material provided by the artists themselves, in addition to several reviews by myself. The word “spirit” in its title is NOT a reference to dogmatic spirituality. I consider a good love song to be “spiritual.”

This site and blog are open to any songwriter who wishes to message me and send a friend request. I reserve the right to decide on the suitability of the material– please review my profile page, listen to the artists, and look at the blog itself. You will see that there is a wide variety of styles represented, and you will be able to judge for yourself if this is a place where you’d like to have your music “found.” It is free, and will remain free, forever.

And be sure to read the top blog entry, my interview with the “Awesome Artist of the Month”, who is currently Annika Fehling from Sweden! The profile song, which you hear before you go to the blog, or after you go back to the profile page, is one of hers.

Currently, I am receiving spontaneous friend requests from really good artists, EVERYWHERE! Germany, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Britain, and of course, the USA. It is good, free exposure for any artist who has “the right stuff.”

Be Well–
Blogger Van
http://www.myspace.com/musicandspirit

It seems that everything took an uplifting turn in 2006 when Gunnar and Amethyste started to collaborate more extensively on several projects ranging from Trance - Dance to Ambient. They finally decided to meet in February of 2006 in NYC, then shortly after their first meeting, Gunnar came to spend 3 months in the USA focusing on music composition and production. Their love for each other fueled the creation of Amethyste’s debut CD titled “Ethereal”. Gunnar’s extreme composing ability really showcases Amethyste’s soothing and dreamy ample vocal range. The beautiful music that Amethyste and Gunnar Spardel create have been heard in radio stations in Europe as well as many internet radios. Ethereal warms the heart and shines light upon their acclaimed and distinctive style of music.

MUSIC QUOTES
Delicate and sublime with a stirring of ecstasy dancing over a driving powerful intoxication is what you will find if you listen to Amethyste’s masterpiece – “Ethereal“. If you listen to the album from start to finish you will first encounter silky washes of sound with ethereal vocals. Floating on air is the feeling that Amethyste creates as soulful and ethereal voices of the mysteries above and below soar across an ocean of stars into a celestial downtempo mood. “Ethereal” goes beyond inspiration to new levels of creativity where modern technology and ancient longings collide. At times it is crystalline perfection and at others the warm sounds completely surround you enveloping you in a dreamy haze. Behind the scene of “Ethereal” is also the magnificent composer Gunnar Spardel, who lays down a set of deep ambient beats that creates a tantalizing ebb and flow of exotic sexy moods as a magical calm is unveiled by a journey within the smooth grooves. Amethyste is one of the most profound influences over mainstream Chill out artists, through a new, innovative artistic panache.
- AMAdea Records, BULGARIA

Purchase CD at CDBABY HERE

Purchase MP3 Album at iTunes HERE

Listen to free music at MySpace HERE

www.cdbaby.com/robynmusic

’saratus persen’ is a world music group from Indonesia, formed in the beginning of September 2001, combining traditional music instruments : balinesse gamelan such as pamade & kantil, sundanesse such as drum & suling, african djembe with a western music instruments : drum, electric bass, violin, bongo, rotothom & percussion etc…the sound music more a balinesse influence….so attractive, nice for move and dance…. www.saratuspersen.com www.myspace.com/saratuspersen

Check us out on Myspace.

If anyone is looking for the next best thing the Hip, we are ready to rock.

According to legend, Moll Dyer was a mysterious woman who lived alone and had knowledge of herbal healing. During a harsh winter, the townspeople became suspicious of her and accused her of being a witch. They came to her door one night and set her house on fire. Moll fled to the nearby woods. She collapsed on a rock, balanced one hand upon it, and raised the other while calling a curse down upon the town. A young boy found her the next day. On the rock was burned an impression of her hand and knee. In 1975 a historian located the site where her house may have been. Not far away was a large 875 pound boulder with what looked like the marks of Moll’s hand and knee.

Download the track on Hobbyhorse’s myspace - http://www.myspace.com/hobbyhorsecafe

“Our song brings to life Moll’s last moments when she is trapped between the extreme elements of fire and snow,” explained Hobbyhorse singer Annie. “There is no hope for her to survive, but she expresses her power as she curses the town that treated her so wrongly. Her spirit is strong and lives in this legend, in ghostly sightings and beyond.”

Hobbyhorse’s music is in the spirit of experimentation and the expansion of the imagination. They take psychedelic folk/rock into the present day with their poetic songwriting and adventurous arrangements. The duo has returned from a year in the studio recording their latest full-length release “Break in the Clouds,” which has been growing on the broadcast airwaves with stations in Canada, Australia and across the US adding it to their playlist.

“Traditional in one sense, quietly experimental in others, Hobbyhorse’s Break in the Clouds embodies the magic that is woven in the art of folk music - and by folk music I mean music that is authentic, spirited & manifest from the love of creation rather than ‘music industry’ profit motive.” Seldom Heard Radio