Tikkun Daily Blog Archive (https://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/category/culture/page/157/)
Posts about culture, the arts, the media, book reviews, movies etc.
The sun loves me. Oh yeah, I know, like the Bible says
the sun shines on good and evil alike
and I like that about old Sol. But when the sun shines on me
touching my cheek like a lover
turning my heart wild and green
lighting my crown like the 4th of July
grand finale, I know
the sun loves me
and on behalf of the planet
I take it very personally. — Elizabeth Cunningham, from Small Bird
This was one of the poems my wife, Debi, read at our service in Tilden Park on Sunday.
I seem to be surrounded by issues concerning death lately. It began a week ago yesterday when Barbara Coombs Lee spoke at First Unitarian Society (my church in Madison) about Compassion and Choices, an organization that advocates for more choice and better care at the end of life. This week a friend told me about the suicide of his best buddy. And even the Sunday newspaper had a comic strip about our fear of death. There’s probably a second reason for what some might consider my morbid train of thought.
In my twenties in England I couldn’t not know whenever the Eurovision Song Contest was happening: it was a big deal. I can’t say I have paid any attention to it in recent decades. But a friend just sent me this to post. She wrote:
Some of you music lovers may know that each year, for 53 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has brought thousands of international singers and songs into the limelight.This year, 42 countries participated in the final competition at the Olimpiysky Indoor Arena in Moscow. The Israeli entry was a beautiful duet, “There Must be Another Way,” performed by a unique Israeli-Palestinian pair: Noa (Achinoam Nini) and Mira Anwar Arad.
The Senate Judiciary hearings could provide an opportunity for liberals to present their worldview to the millions of Americans listening in. But once again, they are showing that they have no such worldview except the worldview of not having a worldview! It’s a stark contrast to the Republicans who unashamedly are asking Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to swear loyalty to their perspectives on major political issues facing the court. Yes, I know that the candidate has to pretend to think and act like a white upper-class man to get confirmation to the bench, and to have no political views shaping her judicial perspective. But Democratic Senators could use their time to ask questions and make statements that explain why a liberal or progressive worldview is precisely what is needed on the Supreme Court.
“You’ve come a long way, baby!” I guess that’s what I keep hearing in the background of the Senate Confirmation Sessions for Sonia Sotomayor. “And once you’ve come that long way, you should act like a (white) man, and not rock the boat with your ‘difference.'” Those white, male Senators don’t ask questions about impartiality when white, male judges are being confirmed, because, by definition, those men are unbiased, the norm, hey — they look the same and act same as the Senators asking the questions, so hey — they must be impartial. But Sonia Sotomayor has bright, red toenails, which we can all see, because of her broken ankle. And she looks like she’s Hispanic.
Altmuslimah has officially launched its photographic campaign – aimed at providing an alternative to the dominant media image of oppressed Muslim women and angry Muslim men. The purpose of Altmuslimah’s visual campaign is to present Muslim men and women multi-dimensionally, figuratively speaking. The collection highlights the literary contributions of empowered Muslim American women; telling portraits of tenacious Muslim females, young and old; warm, loving Muslim men; the purity of spiritual devotion; and the dynamics of positive gender interaction in Islam. We’re now featuring slideshows/videos on our main page – check out the upper right hand corner of the Altmuslimah site. Every other week, we’ll feature a different video or slideshow that will include photos and artwork from artists across the world.
Painter Janet McKenzie saw Christ, and all humankind, made in the image of God. She saw a black woman standing strong and proud as the child of God. Following this vision, she fashioned her Jesus of the People, and all of her paintings, as visual prayers for equality and gender equity. Visit our art gallery to see her works. For hundreds of years, most western artists have depicted the figure of Jesus Christ as a white man.
About fifteen years ago, I tuned in to the revival of klezmer music, once the traditional music of Jews in Eastern Europe. After that culture was destroyed in World War II, the music survived, and cross-pollinated. For me this was an exploration, not a return, and at first I had troubles telling one group from another. But klezmer now is like reggae was in the 70s and 80s, a spice that can be added to a wide range of musical dishes. Reggae may have started as the music of Jamaica, but it became a style used by everyone from the Clash to the Police.
…writes about Heavy Metal in Islam? He wrote that Tikkun editorial criticizing Obama’s Cairo speech? Yup, that’s him. And you can talk with him Monday night on our Phone Forum. We’ll discuss Obama’s approach to the Muslim world and Israel.
A friend of mine was interviewed in the Wisconsin State Journal last Sunday on the front page of the Local Section. Janet Hyde does research on gender differences in math performance (among other research areas). In this interview Hyde told the reporter that she had taken it as a personal challenge back in 2005 when Larry Summers spouted off about women mathematicians and scientists. Summers, then president of Harvard, stated that there were fewer female scientists and mathematicians than male, because men were innately better at math and science than women. Actually when it comes to math, Hyde had already proven Summers wrong before he opened his mouth.