shadowkat | Entries tagged with religion

Struggling with rage and frustration, and a sense of futility. I honestly don't know what to do?
( conversations with family )
**

I wanted to get another storage basket container like the one I'd gotten about three years ago from Amazon, when...I found out Bestos is best buddies with the Doofus, and afraid of him. I'm not sure it really matters if I buy stuff from Amazon - most of it is from third party sellers, and it's low-priced. He won't notice. Meanwhile the stock is diving, which is a good thing. Dive Amazon Stock, Dive.

***

The rage sometimes threatens to engulf me. It hurts. It is a physical ache in the center of my chest, it's a catch in my throat, it's a throbbing headache, it's an ache in my feet...and I find myself reaching for chocolate or eating things I shouldn't. I meditate daily. Deeps breaths. Letting the thoughts roll aside like angry thunderclouds in the sky before lightening can strike. I look for hope in all the corners, and good news in the oddest of places. Even as my mind occasionally rages in futility.

The worst part? Is this feeling of powerlessness in the face of an encroaching darkness. I want to scream at people, shake them, until they topple - "WHY? WHY? WHY? WHHHYYYYYYYY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING TO STOP THIS? WHY DID YOU VOTE FOR HIM? WHY WON'T YOU IMPEACH???" The Whyyy part reminds me of the song Gethsame from Jesus Christ Superstar. I listened to about five different people singing this song over the Easter Holidays.
Ted Neely and Ian Gillen do it the best. Here's the Ian Gillen version - and his range on WHYYYYY is phenomenal.

This is my favorite song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, and my favorite of all of their musicals. (Although the Tango between Che and Evita comes close from the musical EVITA). It's an odd pick, I know. Almost nonsensical. And it may sound strange, but the character that resonated the most with me from that story is Jesus. And that song just fascinates me - and it really expresses the feeling of powerlessness and despair in the face of the inevitable or what you know is coming but can do nothing to stop. It's almost better if you don't know it is coming...knowing and being unable to stop it, makes it a hundred times worse.

What a lot of people don't appear to know or realize about the Jesus story, is Jesus was a radical revolutionary and a socialist.( Read more... )

People, I remind myself every single day, are more than one thing. But watching what is happening at the moment it's hard to remember that. I am lucky. I work for a State Agency, in a liberal progressive state, and for an agency that is necessary and not solely dependent on Federal funds, actually it can to a degree survive without them. And while I live in a heavy immigrant community, all are well documented, and no ICE in sight.

But I am still angry. Still fearful. And I still feel much like Jesus may have felt...raging at a distant, and unknowable and often silent Universe.

[On the COVID front? I think I'm getting better? Last night ran a slight fever - at 100.11 or thereabouts. But headache meds (acetametphine/Asprin (NASAI)/Caffeine) and water reduced it quickly enough. I also think the fact that I had the latest COVID Booster in January, along with the Flu Shot is why it's milder than some folks cases have been.

I'll probably call in sick Monday, take another test, and if it is negative, see how I'm feeling on Tuesday and/or Wed - to determine whether I go in to work.]

So, I've become a little fascinated with the topic of worshipping writers and the negative impact that has on well everyone concerned. Former Minister had a sermon on the topic once - in which she stated "you are going to worship something, just be careful what it is." (She was talking about money, politics, etc. But it applies to humans as well.)

Although I do think there is a difference between being obsessed/fannish about something, and worshiping someone. Picking apart a writer's work, being fannish about their work - isn't quite the same thing as idolizing. Or defending a writer - who may or may not have done something terrible isn't idolizing, depending on why? I question allegations, because I have a criminal defense background and was taught to question everything. And let's face it? The internet isn't reliable.

There's an excellent thread on Reddit about it.

Someone states that's why they only idolize fictional characters because they will never let them down. To which someone responds: "Didn't read Go
Set the Watchman, I take it?" (OR the Watchmen, I thought.)

And then in regards to Gaiman** - there's a thread that compares him to another famous and beloved British writer, Charles Dickens, who was also a bit of a mess. (I'm hesitant to call either terrible people, because I know people are more than one thing, and our actions don't necessarily define who we are. And never have. Our actions vary from day to day, one situation to the next, and we have different choices to make each time. That said, I admittedly am uncomfortable watching a couple of actors, and it may be a while before I read a few writers works.)

"This bit "I don’t think anyone should idolize anyone, ever. It’s not great for them, and it’s not great for you, they probably didn’t ask to be idolized (and if they did, holy shit, fucking run)". I've read a lot of Neil Gaiman and I particularly loved American Gods and the graveyard book. So when Neil Gaiman did an event at the Barbican with the BBC symphony orchestra in 2019, I got tickets. I came away disturbed. I didn't see any predatory behaviour or anything like that, but there was such an unhealthy atmosphere of basking in adoration."
( Read more... )

Two statements to highlight:

* I don’t think anyone should idolize anyone, ever. It’s not great for them, and it’s not great for you, they probably didn’t ask to be idolized (and if they did, holy shit, fucking run)

*I'm certain that idolization is one of the most reliable ways to bring out the absolute worst in somebody

I agree with both. From everything I've read about famous folks - who do horrible things - it's usually the result of "idolization". They all fall into that trap. And idolization or adoration can be mistaken for love, it's not love. It's a false or empty kind of love that often destroys the object of it. There's parables, fables, fairy tells, and Greek Myths/stories that describe why this is a bad thing.

I've been watching "The Magicians" adapted from Lev Grossman's books. It's a story about a bunch of magic users who find a gateway into a world that was fictionalized in a bunch of beloved children's books. Halfway through the first season - it's revealed that the writer of the books is in reality a pedophile, with his sister's help, drugged, and molested the children in his charge. When he discovers that they can escape him into a fictional world, a world where he can do whatever he wants - he practices black magic to change himself in order to enter that world. The Writer is portrayed as a charming British writer, with graying hair, and tweed. Looks a bit like Neil Gaiman by way of CS Lewis.
( Read more... )
Coincidentally this morning, the lay-worship sermon at my church, via FB, was on how humans, writers or AI creators, create things and then wish to assert control over them. And at what point does the creation become its own entity, with it's own free will, and desires? No longer an extension of the creator? And how do we interact with these creations? As separate from the creator of part of them.

The sermon argues that while all things are ecologically connected and we are indefinably a part of each other, at the same time we are separate entities and once the creation is released into the world - it becomes its own entity.

This furthers the view that yes, you can love Harry Potter and it's world, without supporting JK Rowling's views, or you can love A Tale of Two Cities or a Christmas Carol without supporting or loving Dickens (he's long dead anyhow and I think he's works are in the public domain), or you can adore the works of folks like Gaiman or Whedon without condoning their actions or worshiping them. The creation can survive outside of the creator, and in some cases expand and become more - based on every interaction others have with it.

In short? It is safer (well for the most part - not to the extent you get lost inside of it) to love the fictional work than the creator of the work. Or? Ignore the person behind the curtain, they are but a shyster and a conman, hardly a wizard worth worshiping. But their creation can be loved and adores separately.

** A side note about Gaiman? Unlike Whedon and Munroe, the allegations aren't being reported by any reliable news sources. Doesn't mean they are false, but doesn't mean they are true either. ( Read more... ) So at this point, I really don't know if Gaiman did anything.

What unnerves me about social media is how many people assume that if XYZ publication reports it is true. Or if someone says it in a publication - than it is true without any fact checking whatsoever. A reputable source fact checks. [I had a massage therapist who fully believed that vaccines were tainted and caused autism because...wait for it...she read it on an internet discussion board???] This is why people died of COVID. How do you know if something is true? There has to be reliable and primary sources, preponderance of the evidence, and a level of accountability. And even then, we don't necessarily know for certain. My father was on the jury of a child molestation case, he and the jury found the defendant guilty, only for the judge to throw out the case because it was determined that the therapists had manipulated the child's testimony to support the ends of whomever wanted custody. And this is easy to do.

That Reddit thread is weirdly disturbing - in how many people misread Scalzi's piece, and how many are quick to judgement based solely on something they read on the internet. And are insanely self-righteous about it.

The Storied Life of AJ Fickery was rec'd to me recently by kerk, whose dreamwidth I forget and am too lazy to look up. It's both a book and a movie - the movie adaptation is currently streaming on Hulu, and is comforting. I adored it. I also cried through a good portion of it - so cathartic - I needed a good cry - it cleared out my sinuses. I was suffering from a sinus headache from hell.

It's a lovely little film about the owner of a book store on Alice Island, off of Rhode Island. The book store is in a purple and white building, with purple trim. And filled with books. He lives upstairs. The owner is grieving, and someone drops a child in the center of his store. And his life changes completely. It's not what you think. The cliches are subverted here and there, and commented on. And it is a tale about writing and reading and connecting with others, while seemingly isolated, and never certain when your life might take a right hand turn or a left hand turn.

Also, listened to a sermon on Youtube from Community Church of New York - it's an UUA Church - which is liberal progressive, with the view of being a church for all people, and respectful of all prophets. ( Read more... )

Very comforting sermon about interdependence, and struggling with isolation in difficult times. The Rev stated at one point..."I have to find a way to survive without ice cream, and this seems impossible." I can relate. He also said that as important as it was to be seen - by others or feel seen and be able to be your whole self and to make mistakes. It's equally important to admit when your wrong, and to be allowed to be wrong. And say I'll do better tomorrow. Lately I've realized that I do not leave arguments when I should. And as a result cause unnecessary emotional pain in myself and others. This is mainly in regards to online disputes. Offline - are easier to leave - because I can read the body language and energy of the person that I'm in disagreement with. Not that I always do - when I should - but I'm more aware of when I should leave them.

The difficulty with talking with others and being seen? Is we all have different types of trauma? Different things trigger folks? Even different words? I remember being in a group therapy session once - and a group member informing me that the word "trigger" bothered him, he didn't like it. Could we use something else? While being told what words to use or being corrected in word use - bothers me, and upsets me - because I have trauma over it. I've had to learn to get past that. But I also have to remember just because I've had to get past my trauma, doesn't mean that I should expect others to do the same. And that's hard to understand sometimes. It's also hard not to minimize another person's trauma. We feel things differently. What may seem minimal or trivial to me, isn't to another person.

My own church's sermon was also comforting - in that it was a lay person's sermon that included music about the songs of Sufjan. Specifically a song based loosely on the Books of Revelation. The lecturer or worship leader taught me something that I didn't know. Apparently the Books of Revelation were in reality a satiric commentary on what was happening with Roman Civilization at the time - or rather the writer was commenting on the downfall and decline of the Roman Empire - which had gone insane in its later years. That's kind of an epiphany? It also explains a lot. If you look at the New Testament within the context of the Roman Empire, and what it must have been like to be poor and not Roman at that time, and writing against it - it kind of explains a lot of it? It also is weirdly comforting - because honestly? What we're going through now? We've been through before, but far worse. It's survivable. We just need to learn from it, or hopefully take the "right" lessons from it? But of course no one is going to agree on that, I'm not even sure we can agree on the interpretation.

***

Today has been a sleepy day. I ventured out around 10 Am to get Magnesium Citrate from the Pharmacy - it's not my favorite brand. And since I don't feel like walking down to the Health Food Store on Courtelyou in the heat, I may order it via Amazon. My favorite brand is BlueBonnet, which doesn't have anything but Magenisum Citrate in it. Everything else has additives.
But it will tide me over until I can get Bluebonnet's brand.

Also, veggies. And paper towels.

Temperatures are at 90-96 F or 30-36 C, with a humidity level of 50-70%.
It's cooler now, the temperature is 87, feels like 93, as opposed to 90 and feels like 96 or 97.

This is why I have A/C - it lowers the humidity. A fan isn't enough.

Struggling a little with my blood sugar still.( Read more... )

But it did drop down to 181-190, after spiking to 250 briefly. And it's not crashing. For the most part it's hovering at 150 and the sensor tends to scan high anyhow.

I need to exercise more and sleep more.

My writing has hit a wall. I've decided the romance novel that I was working on - doesn't really work. Or I don't like it. Or I'm bored with it at the moment. I may have to jump to something else.

***

Everyone writes differently in their DW posts. I write mainly about my thoughts and feelings on things, which jump hither and thither. Some most likely shouldn't be written. But it helps to throw them up onto a screen. Even if I may change my mind about them later.

I want to be seen. As I am. Warts and Moles and Beauty Marks and All. In the hopes that somehow - I'll find others who like what they see and can relate to it.

A few will reject it. I screw up. I step on toes. I question things I shouldn't. I condescend when I get annoyed. Snark. And have a dry sense of humor. I see my father in myself. Although, no gone, he seems all the more elusive. In both dreams and reality.

1. Kind of fun and definitely useful

As the number of air travelers rises, returning to near-prepandemic levels, so do questions about flying protocols and rules — particularly what travelers can and cannot take in their carry-on luggage when flying within the United States. For instance: Is guacamole a solid or a liquid? (It’s a gel, which falls under the same restrictions as liquids and is not allowed in your carry-on — unless it’s inside a 3.4-ounce container.)

Here’s a guide to help you navigate the more ambiguous carry-on rules — with some quiz questions throughout to test your knowledge, too.

2. Today gave me a headache. That is all.

3. Mother agreed with me, that my father's funeral is beginning to remind her of a wedding, in particular her own - apparently it also only had four Catholics in attendance.

I told her about one of the responses to my post on how my uncle was planning on doing my father's funeral.
( Read more... )
This came up because my brother went to Buffalo and Niagra Falls to get a new suit. (I don't know why he didn't drive to NYC to do it. My brother's logic and me tend to be unmixy things, it's actually one of the reasons we don't get along.)
( Read more... )
Frigging hell, he went to get a suit and to Niagra Falls with his wife.
I want my brother's life.

Meanwhile, I'm day-dreaming about taking an excursion to either The Little Island or Governor's Island - apparently you can camp or glamp on Governor's Island in luxury tents and cabins" (which I don't know, is that even camping? Kind of takes all the allure out of the sport. It's camping for people like myself who hate sleeping on the ground and want my own private bathroom and shower at my beck and call). Of course you have to book months in advance, because hello, NYC. Everything in NYC has to be booked in advance - we've got 12 million people plus tourists, so approximately 15 million people. Apparently there are people fleeing NYC? If so, more power to them - I wish more people would. Go, shoo. Flee to Pennsylvania and preferably Kansas City. (Although it is awfully hot in Kansas City at the moment - I can see why you might not want to flee that far.)

There are things that don't need to be booked in advance - things no one really knows about.

Today on the way home from work - they had cordoned off the streets around BAM for a street fair of sorts. It was a pleasant surprise - it meant I could walk obstacle free to the subway. No pesky cars and bikes to bar my path. Sure there were inflated bounce rooms. One was designed as a giant Wall E (it was ugly and looked like a haunted house), and another was a huge slide or a series of slides. Inflated bounce rooms are weirdly popular at the moment. You'd think the pandemic would make it the opposite - but no. The Worlds Biggest Bounce House is Coming to Brooklyn This Fall - or in September. [It's coming to the park near Brighton Beach or to the east of it. I can't get there - I'd need to find a friend with a kid and a car, and ...well...it's not like I'm into Bounce houses. I've never really understood the point of them to be honest. I'm more of a water park kid. But it would be fun to do with kids.] Anyhow, no clue what the fair was about - something regarding "Epic Solutions", the NYPD even had a booth - so I'm thinking a youth job fair.

It was definitely warm enough - and no rain.

4. Worried again today whether I'm nice. Okay worry isn't quite the right word. I pondered whether I was nice. I really need to block out my co-worker's conversations. I wear earphones, it should be easy. Maybe I should invest in ear pods which I can wander about in?

I don't feel nice at the moment. I'm too frustrated with everybody and everything to feel nice. I feel I have no control over anything and am sort of trapped.

Trying to find the positives. My life's never been that traumatizing, which is why...I can't say things have ever gotten necessarily better.

Mel: We're thinking things have to get better soon, right? You've worked here a long time...what do you think?
Me: I don't know. They got really bad for a bit back in 2009-2014 or thereabouts, before you came on board. We went a good five years without any raises, promotions or hires, and everyone was either over-worked or had no work since we were in a recession and had no money. Then you came on board and we got promoted and got raises, and things were good. Then we all move to 347, and well...hired more people, then wham. So what I can promise? They'll be different. But better? Eh, matter of perspective, I guess.

I pondered this later with mother over the phone.
( Read more... )
I think life is annoyingly vague. And it's really hard to judge anyone's life including our own because of that. For the most part - after a while it feels a bit like a fever dream.

I've been listening to the Sandman, so that's clearly affected my views on this. Well that and this thing I saw on ...Twitter - posted by shipperx,
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears its end

Growing evidence supports what physicists have long suspected: In some way or other, space-time itself seems to fall apart at a black hole, implying that space-time is not the root level of reality, but an emergent structure from something deeper.

So basically time folds in on itself, and as seemingly linear thinkers in a seemingly non-linear universe, our perception of reality itself may in fact be a mere construct of our mind to make sense of things and live in an ever changing and unknowable universe.

And I just gave myself another headache.

Too much thinking for one day. Time for bed.

Here's hoping your day was better than mine, or at the very least no worse.

Took the day off - for a doctor's appointment. I thought it was the annual physical, but apparently just a follow-up. Didn't matter - had to give the blood and urine samples anyhow.

Didn't feel great this morning - but nothing to worry the doctor over. I think it was the shift in barometric pressure and IBS issues. (Which resulted in bowl issues - ( regarding bowl eruptions that you may not want to know about )

NYC on it's face appears to be a difficult place to find bathrooms in. Although most places are. ( finding a bathroom while out and about, when one desperately requires one... )

Also, a lot of television shows and books don't talk about bathrooms. Actually 98% of them don't. In sci-fi, I ponder it. Granted we don't necessarily want to know. But I was admittedly impressed with the Expanse for showing it, not to mention Firefly, and I think BSG. Star Trek acts as if no one ever has to go. (Maybe they advanced past that point?) They are all wearing form fitting jump suits - making it difficult to go to the bathroom. I feel for the actors.

In addition to the above? There's the new movie out (Lost in the Jungle?) with Sandra Bullock who plays a romance novelist stuck in the Amazon Jungle with her cover model, and she's wearing a glittery jump suit, that you have to disrobe completely from in order to go to the bathroom. When I read the article - I thought, okay, why? She stated in the article that she didn't go to the bathroom very often - because she'd basically be naked in the jungle. (Sounds painful. I'm guessing she didn't eat or drink all that much during shooting?)

Apparently the costume designer or the director or both of this new film didn't much like Sandra Bullock? I mean the costume designer of Romancing the Stone was nicer to Kathleen Turner - she got to wear a shirt, skirt and high heels, that she chopped off. Also, her companion was an adventurer who could actually shoot a gun. Granted she did her own stunts, and got beaten up in the film, but hey, better outfit to go to the bathroom in. If I had to choose which film and heroine to get trapped in - I'd pick Turner's.

Yes, I think about these sort of things.

***

The doctor decided to prescribe me an expensive and not exactly easy to figure out - Glucose Level Reader. You get a 14 day supply, and it costs $69.58 or thereabouts. (Why it doesn't just cost $70 even, I don't know.)
I have a feeling I'm going to get the finger sticks.

This new thing - according to the directions, requires you to place the item on the back of your upper arm, then put the reader up to read it. It has a needle attached to it - so you push in the needle then pull it away, then put up the reader, and see the glucose level.

I'll let you know how it goes. It's pricey, so I don't see myself continuing with it.

Type 2 Diabetes is fun.

***

Decided the reason I'm feeling off today is definitely barometric pressure changes, sinuses and post nasal drip/gerd. Because I took tynenol sinus and it relieved some of it. Also have prescription dose pepcid (which is a lot cheaper than the over-the-counter version believe it or not - about a 90 day supply cost $10, when it normally costs $39-50).

Getting older means more pills to keep track of. Lovely.

**

Also managed amidst all of this - to get laundry done. I'd run out of socks again. Also the black jeans from the well...bowl issue described above, required washing. I washed them in the sink first, rinsed them out, and then put them in the washer for well obvious reasons.

Had a lengthy conversation with guy in the laundry room. Apparently he owns a house in Delaware with his partner, and is renting an apartment in the city due to work issues. He works in the city. But can't really afford a house here - it's cheaper in Delaware. I'd think owning a house, and renting an apartment in NYC would be expensive - but what do I know? The need to own a house or apartment is kind of lost on me. I know how much houses and apartments cost to maintain, I actually dealt with repair men while house-sitting my parents house. It's a lot cheaper and less stressful to rent particularly in New York - which has high property taxes. You just need to find a well-maintained complex, with a good super.

**

My appetite has been weird lately. The idea of red meat, lamb, beef, steak, hamburger, any of it - turns my stomach. I don't know why. I looked at it in the store today and was completely turned off. Also I can't stomach green beans at all. The mere idea of them makes me ill. What happened? Did I burn out on them finally? Wish I'd burn out on other things. Like Against the Grains Pizza?

While in direct contrast? I have been craving celery. I used to hate celery. Now I love it. I also love celery juice. WFT? My body is very odd.
I picked up a kosher gluten free chocolate cake roll from Molly's Bakery at the grocery store. It's apparently for passover. I considered getting the honey cake - but it was too big.

I've actually done Passover - with a college boyfriend in San Francisco (with his brother and his brother's family). ( Read more... )

Off to make dinner and lunch. Or attempt it any rate.

Due to allergies, once again spent the day worrying if I had somehow come down with a break-through case of COVID after hair appointment. (I don't, since allergy meds took care of it - and it went away.)

Twitter is amusing me again...

Ken Klippenstein
kenklippenstein
They’re mad at big bird lol

Big Bird getting vaccinated is government propaganda according to crazy anti-vaxxers

Mai Komagata
mai_komagata
·
22h
Replying to
kenklippenstein
if you are on the other side of an argument with sesame street, it is time to reevaluate whether your worldview is wrong.

What's the controversy about?

Big Bird Got Vaccinated on Sesame Street

Big Bird's seemingly innocuous — and obviously fictional — announcement Saturday that he was vaccinated for Covid-19 caused a stir online, as Republicans like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz accused the yellow anthropomorphic bird of tweeting "government propaganda."

"I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy," the eight-foot two-inch Muppet wrote on Twitter. "Ms. ericarhill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!"

Twitter's response was basically, snarky.

Ah the internet, the gift that keeps on giving.

***

Feeling lonely today and bummed out. Also tired. Haven't been sleeping well - combination of the heat coming on (so I'm overheated), and allergies.
So after calling mother, who was tearful regarding my Dad, I'd opted to finish off my peppermint ice cream, have a bite of chocolate, and a CBD gummy. [Mother had visited my Dad and it hurt to leave him. She hates that he has to stay in the Preston and she can't bring him home and care for him. But, on the bright side, she is getting progressively better. Using her cane today she was able to make herself lunch and is hoping to reduce her POD (home health care workers) to maybe one a day, if any at all.]

The internet makes me feel lonely at times. I've been watching S3 episodes of Yellowstone, and recaps of previous seasons, because I've decided to watch S4. It's a dark modern western. And I'm in the mood - although I did skip the most violent season - S2, which is when my folks gave up on it. Currently taping on FX, Spiderman: Far From Home - which I missed in theaters and when it was on demand. Disney doesn't have secondary subsidiary rights to it - so it didn't end up on Disney Plus. (It's Sony, although Sony and Disney did a kind of deal to link the movies.)

Television and film air rights are confusing. If I didn't work in copyright law for a bit, I wouldn't be able to follow it. Paramount + doesn't air previous episodes of Yellowstone because it was more lucrative for Paramount to sell the exclusive secondary distribution streaming rights to NBC's Peacock, and to air it first distribution only on the Paramount Network. You can only stream the first season on Paramount Network (if you can unlock it) not on Paramount Plus. However, if you want to see the spin-off about a horse ranch, or the prequel 1886Y, then you have to get Paramount +. I think this may be the last or second to last season of Yellowstone (which stars Cole Hauser, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, and various others...)

Also, I think in such a way that this stuff makes sense to me. It's like a logic game. I'm good at logic games. Explaining them, I struggle with. I think in patterns, and it's hard sometimes to explain my thinking process to someone else. Apparently charts help - I suck at charts.

***

At the salon yesterday, neither stylist wanted the booster. Although mine was going to get it. The receptionist was reluctant because the vaccine made her ill, and she too got her period right afterwards. (I didn't get mine after the booster - odd, that.) But I think we all need them. Folks who haven't - have gotten COVID, as a breakthrough case, here and there.
Mainly because the initial vaccine is less effective six to eight months after you got it, hence the need for the booster.

I listened to a virologist and epidemologist at crazy workplace, so have more information on this than most. I know how the vaccine works, why it works, and why we all need it.

The anti-vaxxers unfortunately got used to questioning the flu shot. This whole movement started long before COVID, with the holistic health movement. And a lot of actors bought into it. I don't know what it is about the acting profession - but they are very susceptible to cults, psuedo-science, new age medical techniques, and holistic scams. They also have a tendency to be skeptical of medical science, and not at all very logical.

Currently on Twitter, this German actor (by way of Australia) who is known for his daytime soap opera roles has decided to make himself the poster boy for the anti-vax movement. I'm thinking, okay, you are a daytime soap actor, who last I checked barely graduated from high school let alone got a degree in virology or epidemiology. Your experience and knowledge is in modeling, soap acting, and running surf shop in Hawaii, also life guarding.
Not only that - but he plays a supporting character on a daytime soap, who is mainly recurring. The man needs a reality check pronto.

Speaking of twitter, it is apparently rude to @ anyone on twitter, this is considered subtweeting. And ratioing - is when the ratio of replies outnumbers likes, meaning people are arguing with you. If someone has been deeply ratioed - they've been argued to death or ganged up on, meaning they were wrong and got trounced. (We've all been trounced at some point in fandom. If you haven't, trust me, be happy about that not so meager accomplishment. Getting trounced on social media is never fun. I haven't really been trounced...called out, yes, trounced, no. But I was also playing in fandom prior to the advent of Twitter and FB, the techies who created those marketing platforms were in college when I was playing about in fan and other discussion forums online.)

I'm learning all sorts of new things...that I'm not entirely sure are necessary to my continued well-being.

***

Church featured violist, which I liked. And a sermon validating people who are religious but not spiritual (basically the woman who asked for the sermon was actively religious but an atheist, she loved everything about being a UU, and the practices, rituals, etc, but she doesn't believe in God at all nor is spiritual), since I'm more spiritual than religious this didn't work for me that well. Actually the whole thing left me feeling kind of out of sorts. It validated the woman who bought the sermon - she bought the option to request a sermon of her choice at a fund-raising option - but left me feeling a bit lost. This happens a lot with sermons or speeches geared to validate people, I often feel disconnected by them for some reason.

This day has felt very long, yet also weirdly short. My time clock is now completely off. Thank you very much.

***

Random photo of the evening, which cheered me up...(you can think of whatever you like...)

This is from Unvirtuous Abby (courtesy of previous minister), with the caption.."Actual photo of the Holy Spirit telling you that when the day comes and you're down in a river of trouble and about to drown to hold on, She's comin' " - kind of feeling that way at the moment, so it made me laugh and feel better at the same time.

I've decided to just float for a bit. My mind isn't really focusing that well anyhow.

I'm inundated with COVID stuff still from the organization where I work, and bereavement notices of folks parents dying.

Today - I went grocery shopping again - and noticed while people wore masks inside, they didn't as much outside, although many are. One guy wearing a baby breath's blue jogger suit was screaming and spitting into his cell phone outside. I gave him a wide berth.

I need to get the flu shot again - I wonder if I can get it from the pharmacy? Doctor appointment isn't until November 24, and I want the COVID booster then. Crazy Org - is giving them, but out in Mineola.

Shoulders still hurt. And fingers. I think it may be the weather?

Looked at Ancestry.com and discovered I'm now 29% Scottish, 27% Irish, 15% Welsh, 15% Scandinavian, and 3% German. Which is odd, considering my mother's father was 100% German, and I've German on my father's side. I don't know, been listening to The Cooking Gene - and that was eye-opening. 23andMe provides DNA for minorities. Ancestry tends to have mainly Western European. So...how does one know for certain?

From the Times:

* Los Angeles will require proof of Covid vaccination to enter many indoor businesses, in one of the strictest rules in the country.
( Read more... )
* There was a shooter in Arlington, Texas today - another school shooting. ( Read more... )

* I got distracted by BAD ART FRIEND about a literary writer, Sonya Larson, who co-opted another writer's personal kidney donation story (a writer she disliked and wanted to hurt) in a writer's group for a short story.( summary )

This ended up being the subject of a kerfuffle of sorts on "Literary" Twitter (which by the way makes me never want to buy another book again - I'm sticking with Amazon e-books and audio and paying next to nothing for independently published genre novels, although I was kind of already there. And I hardly need to - I've enough books that I've not read yet in my apartment and in the basement of my apartment building and on the side streets and in area libraries to last me for a very very long time). Cat Sebastain was discussing it. Along with various other writers on literary twitter:

1/ Okay, Literary Twitter, you got me. Here's one more writer's take on "Bad Art Friend" aka The Kidney Story:

One party is a needy weirdo who did, in fact, donate a kidney.

The other knowingly plagiarized the letter portion of her story and repeatedly states this in writing.

Yup.

And apparently Bad Art Friend followed a similar story in Slate: Cat Person

The other bit as brought up on Twitter - was something I've had issues with my entire life. When a group of people get together - they can often decide to go after one person they don't like very well and bully or exclude them. I told my mother why I left my college sorority in college, actually why Wales and I both left it.
( Read more... )
The Bad Art story reminds me a lot of that, and various fandom kerfuffles, where someone else was the subject of a group complain discussion or I was. I've been on both sides of that argument. Actually most of us probably have. Human beings are annoying, self-centered, and often selfish assholes. The pandemic has proven that without a shadow of a doubt.

On Twitter, the genre writers were proclaiming themselves better than the literary writers because at least they just made up stuff. LOL! (True, it's why I prefer writing genre. I'd rather make up stuff than try to write about reality. Reality is painful, and at times exploitative. Making up stuff is more fun. And I think metaphorically so I can hide it all in metaphors.)

**

Covid
Via the Times:

* The U.S. is starting to recover from a summer surge, but public health officials say the pandemic remains a potent threat.

* A new study found that “Covid toes” may be caused by an immune system overreaction.

*Sweden and Denmark paused the use of Moderna’s vaccine for younger age groups because of possible rare side effects, Reuters reported.

*U.S. hospitals in less vaccinated areas are struggling financially under a surge of patients, The Washington Post reported.

*Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set deadlines for employees of Canada’s federal government to be vaccinated. [Hmm, we're kind of ahead of Canada on this one - the US Federal Government mandated it in the Spring.]

*The choice for a Colorado patient: Get the Covid vaccine, or miss out on a kidney transplant.[ Decisions, decisions.]

***

Did UU Bible Study again tonight. We discussed Tower of Babel. ( Read more... )

At check in - I kept it simple. I didn't try to communicate much at all.
"I'm floating," I said. "God tethers me, as I float, so I don't just float away into space." This statement was aided by my background (which you can pick on Zoom) that was space. It's basically planets behind my Zoom image.

Random photo of the day...

Jordan Pound Rocks in Arcadia National Park, Maine - circa 2010.

Me: What is Maundy Thursday?
Mother: I think it's when they annoit or wash the feet?
ME: I used to know this.
Mother: I'm pretty sure that's it.

My Bible Study Group invited me to do a Maundy Thursday, where we'd light candles, and read the Biblical verse from Mark, and an Adrienne Rich poem and a prayer. It was quite moving - and kind of what I needed today. To sit in silence, with the readings from the point before Jesus' betrayal by Judas, and Peter's Denial of him - where he tells them that's indeed what they will do.

After the readings, they asked if we had anything to say about them. For myself, I oddly identified with Jesus - who knew all this was going to happen and could do nothing to stop it. He had to let it play out. The inability to do anything has been plaguing me all year long.

***
Family

The doctor, or rather the second opinion that mother sought, wasn't overly reassuring. He informed her that the type of fracture she suffered would take six months to heal. (I took this as six months from today - and was rather upset when I learned about it at lunch. But no, it turns out it is six months total, so really only three months left. Mother had been rather upset at lunch time - so of course I assumed the worst. She's upset for the usual and understandable reasons - she's dependent on other people to take her places, drive her places, get her mail, get her food, do her laundry, etc. She can at least take a shower and go to bed by herself now. But mainly she's upset about my father - and the inability to bring him home - which I think we are slowly coming to grips with - won't ever happen now. My father is dealing with it better than she is, I think. In part because he's not in his right mind - dementia.)

Six months seems to a pattern at the moment. I found out that the Pfizer is 90% effective against the virus for six months. Which begs the question, what do we all do six months from now? Get it again?

If I'm being inundated with information about COVID, why shouldn't you be too?

***

Crazy Company

Meeting today was...weird?

I have no idea why Boss felt the need to pull me into this meeting. Nor did anyone else for that matter. ( Read more... )

I've decided to forget about the meeting. So shhh.

***
Creepy Song

While working today, Helen Reddy's classic song Angie Baby written by Alan Dale, came on my iphone. (I have an Apple Music Streaming Account, and when Reddy died - I downloaded all her songs.)

And...I never realized how incredibly twisted those lyrics are until today. So, I'm halfway through the song - when I think wait a minute, and rewind. Did I just hear that right? Whoa! That can't be right? Rewind. Yup.

It's kind of like a Twilight Zone episode or horror story wrapped inside a tween girl's song.

( lyrics beneath the cut )

And, and...they made a CARTOON on the Sonny & Cher Show - who were apparently into turning songs into mini musical cartoons. They also did Big Yellow Taxi, Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Demon Alcohol, Dark Lady..

I was blown away by this today. It was so random. Also, I remember loving the song as a kid - and I've listened to it a lot - but I don't think I ever registered the lyrics until now. (I admittedly don't often listen to the lyrics just the sound of them.)

**

I get tomorrow off - holiday (I am in an Irish/Italian Catholic formed union in New York State - I'm amazed the Irish didn't lobby to get St. Patrick's Day off, considering the Italians got Columbus Day. I'd rather have St. Patrick's Day, it's less controversial.). I will most likely do errands around the apartment, take a walk to the grocery store, and veg. I'm considering taking up bike riding this spring and summer - Citibike hubs have finally entered my neighborhood. There's now one at the end of my block, on Church and Ocean Parkway, on the way to the park. I can grab a bike and bike to the park, around the park, and back again. Assuming of course I don't kill myself in the process. (I've not ridden a bike since the 1980s, possibly the 90s, I can't remember. The 20th Century at any rate.)

Did laundry tonight. Considered doing linens, but I waited too long - and the basket was full to the brim. I didn't have enough machines or room in the basket - apparently, I'd forgotten about the mattress pad left over from last time. So, will strip the bed, and change the towles tomorrow morning, and do linens next Thursday. Plus side of working remotely - it's easier to do laundry.

Have a dull headache - most likely due to shifts in the weather. Other than that...hanging in there, like the rest of the world, I suspect. Or most of it at any rate - there are a few folks out there who appear to be having a grand old time.

1. Struggling with the whole focusing thing again. Had to stop myself from compulsively buying food online - via Foodkick or Fresh Direct, who had delivery windows. I don't need more food. I have plenty and another delivery due next week.

Walk did help - but kind of wired afterward. I'm a night-owl - I get my second wind at 5PM.

2. Mother told me what her church is up to. My parents are Catholic. My brother and I were both raised Catholic - it didn't stick. We're varying degrees of Agnostic. I'm Unitarian, and he's well nothing at the moment. We both believe in something greater than ourselves, we're just not exactly certain what, if anything to call it.
Anyhow, The Catholic Church where mother lives in South Carolina - has been shut down. Now they are opening up again - because South Carolina is...but they are being careful about it. They've been doing mass and worship by streaming. Now, they Church is telling folks that they should tell them when they are coming, and kind of reserve a seat. They'll have assigned seating and only so many people can come. My parents aren't certain how this will work - for one thing how do you social distance in a pew? Also how do you disinfect the entire church between services?

My father isn't sure it will work for him - nor is my mother - he's kind of decrepit and likes to sit on the aisle, so he can get out easily and go to the bathroom when needed, and get past a crowd.

She thinks they'll have no troubles getting a dispensation, although she's not really sure she cares.
( Read more... )

3. New York vs. the Corona Virus

Apparently New York has managed to test one million people now. More than anyone in the world. Now that is dedication. How did they manage that? Have you met our governor? Trust me when he decides he wants something - he will makes sure it happens. I've disliked him for six years because of this bull-dog tendency - but now I'm down on my knees thanking the heavens for it. Also, I kind of appreciate and understand that pit-bull persistence - I have it, and so does my brother. Pragmatic, logical and tough minded and persistent - that's our Governor.

So, we just have, what? 18 million to go?

This is of course also the reason NY has more cases than the rest of the country and more deaths confirmed, because they've tested 1 million people. Poor Maryland is trying to catch up with 550,000.

They've also figured out a few things - such as that the virus that hit New York, Chicago, and New Jersey, along with Massachustus, came from Europe. Not Asia. It came in February and January, when everyone was busy paying attention to China. It was in China in November and December. It was in Europe after that. So while everyone was testing folks from China at JFK, Newark and Chicago, folks with it from Italy and Europe were passing right on by.

Our lovely Governor has basically killed the politicians attempt to spin this as the China flu or as China's fault. He's also kicked the politicians in DC again, specifically the President, by stating leadership is problem solving not posting stuff on social media. In other words - evil marketing folks can't spin this. And our Governor isn't going to let them.

He has a following - there's people from other states popping up in the comments on FB every morning. He's become must-see TV. Mainly because he's the only giving anyone any facts. And he's been able to build a bi-partisan coalition with the Democrat and Republican Governors of six states in the Northeast or the Northeast Corridor - Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Conneticut, Mass, Rhode Island and New York. Go team!

He's also the only thing keeping my anxiety in check at the moment. Here's the latest daily email from my Governor's Office:

( Read more... )

He also laid it all out during the briefing. Explaining exactly how it works and why. Also how they came up with it - and what lessons they'd learned from the past.

Makes me happy I voted for the guy in the last election, albeit reluctantly. Right now there's a movement to elect him President, even though he's made it clear that he is NOT running and has endorsed Biden.

1. The Good Place -- last week's episode...and oh dear, I'm really not liking this season much at all. Considering I skipped over half of S1 and in some respects prefer that season to this one, is saying something. It's just not working for me, folks.
( eh, spoilers )

2. Saw the flick 2 Fast 2 Furious: Hobbs & Shaw last night on "on-demand". I watched it for three reasons: 1) the stunts, 2) I had the oddest desire to see things blown up and fight sequences, 3) Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren, and Idris Elba (who plays the villain).
( Read more... )

3. Why People Can't Write

Not what I thought. I actually sort of agree with some of it.

( excerpt )

4. Television Series..

I watched the relationship dramas, all of which pissed me off on some level. Sigh. Hormones. The problem with peri-menopause is the hormones. The weirdest things set me off -- I'll either cry at something or rage at it. It's very odd.

* This is Us -- most of this past week's episode was cringe inducing, except for the scenes with the two teens, and there's a lovely scene at the end between Randall's white father Jack (Randall is black) and Randall's black teacher.
( Read more... )

*A Million Little Things -- which I've decided to rename A Million Little White Lies -- a much more fitting title. The entire plot and character development hinges on the white lies the characters tell each other and themselves.
( Read more... )

* Grey's Anatomy

( Read more... )

If you haven't guessed, I'm frustrated with bad television plotting lately. Also they really need to work on dialogue.

5. Studied The Noah's Arc story this week in my weird Bible Study Group (it's a bible study lead by a liberal Jewish UU Minister who doesn't like the New Testament and lets us do that part on our own, while she's providing in depth theological teachings on the Old Testament.)

So, long story short, I learned a few things about it that I did not know.
( Read more... )

6. On Writing..

This morning, I read in a discussion I was having over a book that I was highly ambivalent about (yes, why I'd discuss a book I felt ambivalent towards I don't quite know either)...that the writer wrote the book because she wanted to read fantasy books with magic that featured characters that looked like her.
( Read more... )

1. We had a Nor'Easter which resulted in heavy rain. I got soaked. From feet to hips and arms. Dang it. Going to and from church for the unconventional bible study group -- Unitarians are interesting. No one in the group is very religious, all are grappling with the religion thing, and while we all sort of believe in God, it's more in a general sense, not a personal sense.

The reading was Matthew 23-38 - "Love thy Enemy", so we spent a good portion of the session discussing what "turn the other cheek meant" and we compared it to the "eye for an eye" bit in Exodus.( Read more... )

2. My Aunt is doing better, and according to my mother, my niece is looking forward to my visit. Hopefully it won't rain the whole time.

3. The Surprising Reason Zebras Have Stripes

( excerpt )

4. How to Survive Encounters With Dangerous Animals

Most of this seems like common sense, really.

( excerpt on how to handle Rattlesnakes )

5. Advice on How to Write Mysteries from Mystery Writers...yes, just what we all needed.

6. Here's an Example of the Crazy Lengths NASA goes to Land Safely on Mars

( excerpt )

Okay. Saving for future information.

7. How Science Has Shifted Our Sense of Idenity

( excerpt )

1. Bible Study was rather interesting and rewarding. (It was a six person group including the Minister -- who is a UU Minister by way of Judaism. Unitarian Universalism is interesting.)

At any rate -- without going into too much detail (yes, well see if I can manage that - brevity is not what I'm known for, but I've less than 15 minutes to write this) -- we has the reading of Abraham binding Issac -- known as God Tests Issac?
And the Minister gave us an oral folk legend on Abraham that flipped the whole story on its head. None of us had heard it before. (Also as an aside the Torah translation and wording is quite different than the St. James or Catholic text, and has a completely different meaning -- the words you use do matter.)
( the interpretation of an old story in a way that I'd never considered. )

2. House of X #6 -- well, Hickman has managed to completely reinvision the X-men. I've not been excited about the series like this since... well the early 1990s.

And he's delved deeply into world-building, and doing things they never did before now.

3. How to Date A Dragon by Molly Harper -- finished this today. The writing is uneven and has a lot of unnecessary typos and plot inconsistencies that I kind of hand-waved. I have a feeling these are published on the cheap? Because there's not a lot of line editing in evidence.

It's better than expected. There's a mystery and it's urban fantasy, and it's amusing. But like I said, sloppy in the writing department -- if you are picky about this sort of thing, it will bug you. I personally found it less distracting then some others I've read...there's definitely a spectrum.

The plot is sort of wackadoodle. ( spoilers )

Now, I'm reading a contemporary romance novel that appears to be an re-imagining of the Arthur Legend but in an American setting, with a Vice President(either Lancelot or Mordred - hard to say - Ethan Mowbrey), a President (Arthur - Ash), and the woman (Gwen - Greer) they both love. In this re-working, it's mentioned that Lancelot was created by the French scholars but didn't exist in the Welsh legend, in the Welsh, Mordred was the rival.

It's better written than the last book I read, I'll give it that. Granted that's not hard...

1. Beautiful summer day, so took a long walk around the park -- which was an obstacle course of competing family barbecues. Honestly, it was if half the neighborhood was barbecuing in the Park. I had to work to find a place that did not smell of propane.
( Read more... )

Instead of watching the Fireworks -- although they are still going on outside my window. My neighbors are illegally setting off huge fireworks. Some of which are visible, all of which are audible -- I rented the old farce, Noises Off -- it's the film adaptation of the theaterical farce about taking a show to Broadway, and how the backstage antics slowly erupt on stage. It stars Michael Caine, John Ritter, Christopher Reeves, Nicolette Sheridan, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliot, Julie Hagarty, Mark Lyn Baker, and Marilu Henner. ( Read more... )

2. Spent part of the morning reading reviews of Midsommar and...it's an interesting film. It sparked my curiosity, which horror films will do on occasion, but I know I can't see some of them. Okay, most of them. (Also I like reading reviews of horror films -- always have. More than any other film. I don't know why.)

What I picked up from the reviews?
( somewhat spoilery )

1. Wasn't feeling well this weekend, so stayed home and watched the 1973 film version of Godspell and the 2013 arena staging of Jesus Christ Superstar back to back this morning. I did not watch The Ten Commandments with Charleton Heston, that many people I know do, annually, as a drinking game.

I did not know that Victor Garber (from DC Legends of Tomorrow, and Alias) starred as Jesus in "Godspell" (Lynn Thigpen was also in it along with David Haskell who died in 2000). Just in case you want to see what he was like in 1973, see video below, singing one of my favorite songs from the musical:
( clips from Godspell with Victor Garber singing in the lead )

The musical is based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Gospel that focuses mainly on the parables, and has very little of the passion. In the Stephen Schwartz musical, John the Baptist calls various people around NYC to Central Park, where he baptizes them in a fountain, and they meet Jesus, who leads them through a series of parables...in surreal story fest, where they dance around the city, across empty streets, buildings, and vacant stores. At one point they are dancing on the top of the World Trade Center, singing..."All for the Best"...which is weirdly ironic.

( another clip of Victor Garber singing, this time All for the Best with David Haskell )

Jesus Christ Superstar

In direct contrast, is about everything that happened in the Gospel according to Luke, and focuses on the Passion or the persecution of Jesus. And the horror of it.

I Don't Know How to Love Him from 2013 Arena Tour
( Read more... )

Gesthemane - 2000 filmed version. This is an insane song by the way. You have to have a wide range to sing it, and great control. Everyone has tried it, from Michael Crawford to Kermit the Frog (yes, really). But I like the song and the metaphors...it really talks about the human relationship with something greater, and how to do what feels impossible. Martin Luther King may well have sung a similar song, as would Joan of Arc, and various other smaller christs who found themselves sacrificed for something larger than themselves...and wondering if it even matters.

( Read more... )

2. The spring brings in the oddest holidays...they are about death, freedom and rebirth. Echoing and intertwining with each other.

Passover celebrates how God freed the Jews from Egypt after thousands of years of slavery. Then due to their own stupidity, they were lost in the desert for many many more. Not fully obtaining their promised land until well into the 1950s or so it seems, and even then...it's not been exactly paradise. Perhaps because their idea of paradise and God's isn't quite the same? It can be realized of course...

Easter celebrates how God freed or attempted to...humanity from the slavery of the material world and its demands. Issuing humanity to a paradise...through death and sacrifice. Except this round instead of killing and torturing the enemy, because that apparently sent the wrong message and didn't quite work as expected, God sacrifices himself. Hoping people figure it out. That paradise can be realized if we let go of ourselves...turn away from vengeance, eye-for-an-eye, let go of the grudges, and confess our sins, love each other...

Of course it doesn't quite work out that way.

I found myself wondering as I watched the Jesus story unfold for the millioneth time, for some reason I don't get tired of it, while I can't re-watch the Ten Commandments. (Although that could just be that particular version of it.) Anywho, I find myself wondering...what would have happened if Jesus had not been crucified? If the society around him, the Jewish Rulers and the Roman ones had chosen to ignore what he was doing and he just over time...disappeared? Would the Roman Empire have crumbled? Would we have had the Holocaust? What would have happened if Egypt hadn't enslaved the Jews? What would have happened if the Jews hadn't worshipped false idols when they came out of Egypt? What would have happened if the stories...both the Passover one and the Jesus one...had ended differently? Would we still be telling them today? Would we need to?

And more importantly why are they still told? Why do they still have resonance over 2000 years since their inception? Neither story was written when it happened. Neither is completely true. Memory can be embellished, and certain items are lost in translation. But the endings are true. Recorded data shows that. The Jews did leave Egypt and were freed, most likely by the Prophet Moses. And Jesus was a prophet and teacher, who was crucified on a cross by Rome for insurrection against the state.

( cut because I'm not sure if this will piss folks off or not...and it is rather long. Because I'm trying to figure something out for myself and I do that best when I write about it in my journal. I do not pretend to be an expert...this is just me figuring stuff out. )

Current Mood: contemplative

A Tale of Two Sermons
( religion and contraceptive rights...look away, look away )

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/773096.html

[As a prelude to the below, my article on the Common Threads Dinner - got rave reviews from my
the social justice committee that I've joined through my church. Was quite pleased about that, particularly since I was a tad nervous on how well it would be received.]

This week in the US - is National Open Mosque Week. The below was issued as a press release. If you live in the NYC area? Or in an area that has Mosques - I highly recommend that you check it out. I went to a Mosque in Istanbul and other areas of Turkey, and it opened my eyes. Diversity is something we all need to embrace. And it starts here.

The Islamic Leadership Council of New York, a federation of mosques and Islamic organizations in New York City, is against bigotry and Islamophobia in the United States and particularly in New York and will conduct a Week of Dialogue and host Open House at Mosques during October 17 to October 24, 2010.

Imam Al-Amin Abdul Latif, President of the Islamic Leadership Council, expresses his outrage and condemnation those who for their vested interests have sought such an un-American path that violates our values and Constitution. Imam Al-Amin emphasizes that Muslims have to be proactive and reach out to non-Muslims with the message of Islam. Similarly, inviting non-Muslims to mosques and Islamic centers and sharing Islamic literature with them will help correct their perception of Islam and Muslims in America. Imam Al-Amin said that this was the reason the national Islamic leaders in their summit held in New York City on Sept. 19, decided to conduct a Week of Dialogue. Therefore, during this week, mosques all over the United States will organize open houses and invite neighbors and non-Muslim friend to attend special seminars and programs so that they can know more about Islam and Muslims.

( Mosque Open House Schedule in NY Area )

This list can also be found on NY1.

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/574896.html

Last week I volunteered to write up an article for a newspaper regarding an event being held in my community. They did not tell me what to write - just write something about it. So I chose to go with first person narrative and testamonial, as opposed to journalistic - partly because I did not trust myself to be accurate on the names and exact words everyone used. I could get the gist, of course.

I pondered whether or not I should post what I wrote to my blogs. Would it be a good idea? But, after some thought, I realized today that I want you to read what I think about this. That I believe more in this - than 80% of what I write regarding tv shows, etc. Plus the internet is to a degree about sharing information or what we experience with others. Our points of view so to speak.

As a bit of a preamble - prior to attending this event, I either read or experienced the following items. I'm mentioning them, because it is important, I think, to understand the context of this story. Also, as an aside, I was very nervous about writing this article. I did not want to screw up.

1. This past week, a news piece aired in the media about how little most Americans know about others religions, including their own. The survey was posted on several journals on my flist.

Here it is: http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

( Read more... )

2. Last week I read the infamous blog post by science fiction novelist, Elizabeth Moon. I'm posting a link to it here, not because I want to rehash or even revisit the kerfuffle, but because her post articulates how many Americans, particularly those living in NYC, such as Rudy Giulani, Sen. Al Damato, a few fire-fighters, view Muslims and the Mosque being built at Ground Zero. The article I wrote below serves as a counter-point to this sentiment. And of those who share it and have spoken about it, Ms. Moon articulates it the best.

Here's the link:http://e-moon60.livejournal.com/335480.html

Below is the edited article that I wrote, which I would like to share with you, with the names changed, of course.

Common Threads or Looking at it from a Human Perspective

This year I attended 10th anniversary of the Common Threads Dinner, an annual inter-faith celebration started shortly after 9/11, in which stories are shared, and religious ideas exchanged. Thirty to forty people from two faiths attended the dinner and dined with one another.

As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)

(Peace be upon you)

Ten years ago on the last day of Ramadan, several members of an Unitarian Universalist Church walked into a Mosque. They thought that they would just see a service or at most a sermon, instead they were greeted with a celebratory feast and graciously invited to sit down and eat with the members of the Mosque. The feast they were invited to partake in is called Eid-ul-Fitr, is the feast at the end of Ramadan, where fellowship with families and surrounding communities is encouraged.

The feast of Ramadan, according to MR and HA, members of the Mosque the UU's had visited ten years ago, takes place for 30 days and is the Islamic month of fasting. "We fast from sunrise to sunset. Certain individuals are granted leave not to fast - such as the elderly, the infirm, pregnant women, and children below the age of puberty. During the fast, we must refrain from showing animosity towards others, which includes cursing, rudeness, fighting, or anything that could be considered as not taking in the learning."

The next year, the Unitarian Universalist Church (“ UU”) invited members from the surrounding Muslim Community to share with them the traditional feast of Eid-ul-Fitr. This tradition of community sharing has continued for 10 years and is called The Common Threads Dinner. Due to the fact that Ramadan ended before the UU Church reconvened for its new year, the Common Threads Dinner took place post-Ramadan and not on the feast of Eid-ul-Fitr as it had in previous years.

DA an active member of the Muslim Community, informed those present that similar gatherings had occurred this year in three synagogues across the NYC metropolitan area. “The only way we can continue to preserve peaceful relations in our community is by standing side-by-side together. Our goal is to replicate Eid-ul-Fitr dinners such as this in churches and communities across the nation.”

DA added, “On September 19, in Queens NY, at the National Muslim Summit Meeting - it was decided in direct response to the controversy surrounding the Mosque at ground zero, that we should host a series of open houses at our mosques across the country and in our cities. Inviting people of other faiths and views inside our places of worship, to view how we worship and what we are about. We have nothing to hide. Our doors are open to you. Everyone is welcome, no matter your views or your faith."

"This bears repeating. We in the Muslim Community and here at this inter-faith gathering stand united in our support of the Mosque near ground zero. Freedom of religion is our right, the right to worship anywhere. We as human beings, especially here, in the USA, are a compassionate people first and always. We must remember that."

Walking home from the dinner, I thought hard about what to write and DA’s words resonated with me...not about religion but about being human. We are all human and as such we are compassionate. That as human beings is our greatest gift, our ability to feel compassion for others outside of ourselves.

The Common Thread Dinner and celebrations like it and the National Mosque Open Doors Event, allow us to come together as human beings. As my dinner partner, a Muslim and Palestinian, stated, “In the movies - the humans all unite to defeat the monsters. Why can't we do that all the time?”

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/570090.html

Cross-posting from DW again, because I'm tired of lj's slowness and ad problems. Still on fence about importing and just posting from here.

Had a relaxing weekend, played on the net, read and laughed at a comic, wrote a review about it, played some more, took long walks, went to church (which is always a new experience everytime I go), drew and painted. Have four drawings to start painting now. That should last the week. Also watched Discs 1 and 2 from S1 of Big Love (which were good, but not gripping), and two brilliant episodes of Mad Men which blew me away. S4 Mad Men is by far my favorite season of this show. Best thing I read or watched this weekend was Mad Men - it's character focused, and quite subtle with its themes, unlike some writers who I shan't mention.

At church - it's a Unitarian Universalist Church - which basically means open to all religious and non-religious faiths (ie, all are welcome - whether you are theist or non-theist.) Anyhow - we basically just met in groups and discussed stuff on our minds, such as the on-going Mosque debate. The Mosque debate which is not going away and continues to grate. I do not understand the people who are offended by it or against it. I just can't wrap my head around their argument, it makes no logical or rational sense. It's pure emotion - and based on fear and anxiety, which ahem, was the all intent of the terrorist attack. Hello? Terrorism is about instilling terror and anxiety in the target. There were two readings. I wish I knew where they came from...so I could google them.

The first was about listening. ( Read more... )

The second reading was a quote that has haunted me for the past two days. "Too often we ask the question 'who we are', when the question we should be asking is 'whose we are' - who do we belong to? Whose lives do our decisions/choices touch? Whose lives are affected by what we do or say? Whose lives are touched by ours? Who are we responsible to? Who trusts us? Instead of the self-asborbed question who am I? Perhaps the more meaningful one is whose? And not in the religious sense, but the spiritual one." (This quote was read and written by an atheist.)

It's funny - I had a discussion about writing in the last post (a snarky review on a comic book posted in LJ only) - a brief one...and during it the question was once again raised - who do we write for? Ourselves? And as a writer - whether it be solely on a blog under a crazy name like shadowkat or as a well-known comic book and television writer - do we have a responsibility to those who read and see our work? Does what we produce in part belong to them? It's an odd question for a former copyright specialist to ask - since copyright law firmly states the opposite. Yet, when I read a comic book this weekend and the numerous posts on it - I noticed in both the posts and the comic - ideas and items borrowed from other writers works. Our writing informs one another's, we react to what we've read. And what we put out there, whether we like it or not does affect someone else for good or ill. ( about online posting and responsibilities to readers )

Watching Mad Men tonight...it hit me how true this is. Two episodes back to back, last week's and this week's - about the consequences of Don Draper's actions. How he affects those around him. You wonder watching them why people tolerate Don - until towards the end of the second episode about the suitcase. In that episode - Don oddly comforts Peggy, after he's ripped her to shreds. It's an episode that depicts the complexity of both Don and Peggy, in detail. Showing the good, bad, and ugly.

( spoilers on Mad Men - this sunday and last sunday's episodes )

As a final closing statement - I read another flist meta today (it's flocked, so no, I can't link to it or tell you who it was) where the writer analyzed the Buffy issue 36 comic from a perspective that none of the other metas/reviews that I've seen considered. This post looked at from a purely political and philosophical stance - stating that it is a metaphor for religious zealots - who place far too much trust in holy oracles or biblical text. Angel who trusts an God to tell him what to do, then becomes elevated to God himself - and everyone follows him blindly. Or Buffy who doesn't trust Angel, but gives him her faith and heart - and gets elevated to Goddess status - while all follow her blindly to their doom. The analogy can also be linked to political leaders - who people follow without question, place faith in - without the political leader earning their trust first, and the leader acts as if they are on a mission ordained by God. A holy jihad. The slayer jihad. And Twilight's just war against their unholy religion. This in a way circles back to the debate on the Mosque and how we are responsible for one another and belong to one another, not just to some heavenly body. And it can as well relate to parents, since many see God as a parent of sorts - that we are not just our parents children, we do not belong to them solely. Our actions do not only affect them. Sometimes our parents can be wrong. At church there's a fan that states Question Authority. It's important I think to do so. Trusting blindly in anything can result in horrific consequences as the up-coming anniversary of the 9/11 bombings is testament to. You need look no further than 9/11 to know what blind faith in anything can do.

Off to bed

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/562250.html

Well, I lost three paragraphs of content after attempting to switch from no scripts to scripts on dream-width. So, I'm back here - because dream-width won't let me do cut-tags. And I can't write an entry without cut-tags.

What I learned today:

1. According to Fox News - 70% of people graduate with a high school diploma, and often late. Since we all know how reliable Fox News is, I found a second source - according to the Alliance for Excellence in Education (PDF so need scripts to read it): "Sixty-nine percent of high school students graduate from high school with a regular diploma each year. The graduation rate varies significantly between race groups, ranging from a graduation rate of only 50 percent for Native Americans, up to 79 percent for Asians." This is US statistics. I have no clue what they are internationally.

2. At church we sang The Internationale - but before we did so, we got a story about why we were singing it and what it meant. Also lyrics. Since neither match what I found on the internet, I am writing them here.

The lyrics to this version of The Internationale come from a woman whose family fought the Nazis, at the age of 14 her mother went to school during the day, wrote for her student paper, while at night she helped blow up bridges to stop the Nazis. Growing up in the US, her mother would not permit her to participate in singing any national anthems or the pledge of alliegance because they brought up negative memories of NAZI Propaganda and pomp and circumstance. However, there was one anthem her mother permitted her to sing - and this was The Internationale.

The lyrics are behind the cut below.

( The Internationale )

Then we sang the old Cole Porter Tune - Don't Fence Me In. (Hee - the Libertarian anthem.)

3. And this was immediately followed by the following - Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion. This was the result of Karen Armstrong winning the TED Prize and her wish was to create, launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion. In 2009 it was unveiled to the world.

From Farscape:

John Crichton: Show some compassion, they haven't hurt you in any way and they could have, they are merely trying to escape more pain and get back to their homes
Aeryn: compassion? what is this?
John Crichton: feeling for someone other than yourself, caring what they feel, not wanting them to feel pain, empathy...
Aeryn: We don't feel that. That's weakness.
Crichton: I'm on the wrong side. I'm going back.

Here's the text of The Charter of Compassion:
( Text of The Charter of Compassion )

A man who had lived with Aids/HIV for over 28 years, with his partner of 28 years, spoke about being a church-going atheist, about buddhism, about living positively, and about tolerance. He said the Buddhist prayer is:

Life and Death are the two most important things, and are not to be taken lightly, time is short, a life squandered is not lived, do not squander your life, Awaken.

(Which resulted in me spending the next hour convincing myself that I had not squandered my life. I decided that I hadn't in case you're curious.) He said that being told you were going to die and not to have it actually happen is an amazing thing - it changes you. Prayer, he said, does not change things, but it can change people. And that's when he recited the prayer - I provided above.

Here in this church, he told us, sit a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an Agonistic, a Atheist, all side by side - who share similar goals if different theologies and philosophies. The goals are where we can come together. We can appreciate each others differences. We are a colony of living beings on this earth. The human body - 90% of it is not made up of human cells. The rest are largely bacteria and fungus, all of which are necessary for us to live. We are colonies of living matter. Our earth is a living being, made up of all of us together. Finding a way to overcome differences and live together in love should be the main goal.

The work-week is hard, at times I feel battered to a pulp by it and those racing and chatting and fighting around me. Their anger. Their frustration. Their needs - not always, but often, at direct conflict to my own.

( the continued and insane fight over the Mosque being built at Ground Zero )

Today I was reminded of how precious life is and how lucky I am. While far from perfect - I do have things in my life, many don't. And the ability to help, that others do not have. Compassion - it's such a simple word. Tis a gift to be simple, a gift to be kind, and to dance, oh just to dance...an old shaker dance hymn. The shakers did not believe in any institutions, marriage or religion, outside of just dancing. There's something to be said for that. Also may explain why there aren't that many shakers still around. To dance. To sing. To laugh. To play. To work at something that makes you feel as if you are contributing accomplishing helping society in some small way. To accomplish. To love.

Ways to fight off anger, and hate. Hate which tears and rips and derails. If I have one prayer for myself and you, whoever or wherever you may be, dear reader - it is this, that hate does not touch you in any way this week either in thought or in deed. That you are able to avoid it at least for this week and maybe the next. Or just for tomorrow...maybe that's all I can ask.

1. This link touched me today in such a way that tears silently rolled from my eyes:

http://65redroses.livejournal.com/139488.html?nc=1147

It's the journal of a young woman who had cystic fibrosis and recently died. Her words remind me a bit of Cassie's from the BTVS episode "Help" except different.

2. Today is cool, but soft and springlike, with a bit of flower in the air, and a light dusting of rain...and I went to my new church to listen to a liturgical choir on Palm Sunday. The Choir was singing a new arrangement on Handel's Chandos Anthem - using the psalm from David in the Old Testament, My song Alway. Was quite lovely and I'm not a fan of liturgical choral music - tends to put me to sleep or just annoy me. But this was lovely, felt a bit like listening to a rumbling brook or a quiet breeze in a glade as swans swim by. Although, in reality, I was sitting on a cedar pew, with a red cushion beneath me, staring up at tiffany stained glass, with light streaming in, as the choir sang...their voices melding with the string instruments that backed them.

As I sat there, I thought on other things...

As a child my father used to entertain me in church by clasping his hands together and saying, this is the church, then steepling his index fingers, and here is the steeple, and...he'd open up his thumbs (open the doors), and then wriggle his fingers - "here are all the people".
Looking around the church - it struck me, not for the first time, that it was the people that made it what is was. The choir, the pastor/minister, the congregation...it always is, regardless of the religion.

3. Found this while looking for spoilage on Buffy Issue 35 - which I'm still being foiled on.
Dang it. I want to know where the stupid story is heading before I invest any more of my precious time and money on it. If it's heading towards Twuffy fighting the big bad and living happily ever after? Count me out. Because you know, that's just beyond my capabilities of suspenison of disbelief. Plus if I wanted to read that - I'd be reading the Twilight novels, thank you very much.

Anyhow, what I did find out, which you may already know about and chose to ignore...is what that one-shot I predicted would show up either in August or December would be.
( the Buffy one-shot spoiler - don't get excited, it's not that big a deal, no Spike mention whatsoever... )

4. Caprica - not much to say really. I liked last week's episode better.( Read more... )

Current Mood: sore

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shadowkat

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WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Don't Look at the Person Behind the Curtain...
Being Seen, The Storied Life of AJ Fickery and other comforting spiritual things..
Sorry, still drawing a blank in terms of subject headings...
Hunting a bathroom ...along with other necessities...
Y2/D236 Vaccines or Bust Part II
Year 2 - Day 204 - Floating on by..
Day #15 - Maundy Thursday...
(no subject)
(no subject)
Links of Interest and other things...
Wed Reading Meme..and other things
(no subject)
Musings on Easter and Passover...
Tale of Two Sermons
National Open Mosque Week...a way and means to fight Islamophobia
Common Threads....
Ramble before bed on the weekend...Mad Men, Buffy comic, listening, and whose we are
Tis a Gift to be Simple, a Gift to be kind and to dance..(anthems, mosques and charters)
Kitchen sink post - Caprica, Buffy Comics, Religion, amongst other things..

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Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
Resources: OpenClipart and Oceanside Twilight

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Spontaneous Musings

from a curious soul

Entries tagged with religion

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Don't Look at the Person Behind the Curtain...

Being Seen, The Storied Life of AJ Fickery and other comforting spiritual things..

Sorry, still drawing a blank in terms of subject headings...

Hunting a bathroom ...along with other necessities...

Y2/D236 Vaccines or Bust Part II

Year 2 - Day 204 - Floating on by..

Day #15 - Maundy Thursday...

(no subject)

(no subject)

Links of Interest and other things...

Wed Reading Meme..and other things

(no subject)

Musings on Easter and Passover...

Tale of Two Sermons

National Open Mosque Week...a way and means to fight Islamophobia

Common Threads....

Ramble before bed on the weekend...Mad Men, Buffy comic, listening, and whose we are

Tis a Gift to be Simple, a Gift to be kind and to dance..(anthems, mosques and charters)

Kitchen sink post - Caprica, Buffy Comics, Religion, amongst other things..

Profile

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Page Summary

Style Credit

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