I’m feeling burdened by the bigotry and ignorance of people who are objecting to the Cordoba Institute’s community center (and yes, mosque) at a location in lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center. (The so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”) Although some of the rhetoric has de-escalated to “they may have the right to build it, but [...]
Entries Tagged as 'uncategorized'
Religious bigotry
August 17th, 2010 · No Comments
Tags: · current affairs · international · rants · religion
Why I won’t be contributing
August 1st, 2010 · Comments Off
I contributed several times during the last presidential election. But I won’t be contributing to the national Democratic Party or national candidates unless they come up with, at a minimum, passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA): Of course, Democrats have an overwhelming majority in the House. In the Senate, Republicans can only filibuster if [...]
Tags: · current affairs · glbt · politics
Resistance to Cordoba House
July 31st, 2010 · 1 Comment
Most New Yorkers seem to have their heads on straight about Cordoba House, the Islamic community center proposed in downtown Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (via the Cordoba Initiative): If somebody wants to build a religious house of worship, they should do it and we shouldn’t be in the business of picking which religions can and [...]
Tags: · current affairs · politics · religion
People disgust me
July 30th, 2010 · 2 Comments
Here is what the anti-American “tea party” is like: First, Islam is NOT a religion, it is an ideology – the religious portion only encompasses 11 % (the qur’an) the rest is the Sira and Hadith and the closest parallel to Islam is the Ku Klux Klan – if that is Six Flag’s idea of [...]
Tags: · current affairs · politics · religion
Fishies!
July 18th, 2010 · Comments Off
Adding this just so I can sit and watch this post when I want a little break!
Tags: · games · geek · silliness
Community, food, and the economy
July 18th, 2010 · 1 Comment
It is all connected. My favorite constructive pessimist, Robert Paterson, on the problem: Our system has destroyed community. Food is now “made” in industrial settings far away from the consumer – where machines or “slaves” do the work. I use the term “slave” deliberately as people who do crushing hard and boring and often dangerous [...]
Tags: · current affairs · economy · food
Music for walking
July 17th, 2010 · Comments Off
For the next 24-36 hours, I’ll be playing music on Radio Riel in honor of Relay for Life of Second Life. The program ranges from gospel to new age, with a bit of classical cello and viola da gamba to bridge the gap. Notable among the religious music is a variety of Sacred Harp selections, [...]
Tags: · american cancer society · music · relay for life
Music for the American Cancer Society
July 10th, 2010 · Comments Off
On Sunday, July 11, 3-5pm Pacific time (that’s the time that Second Life uses), I’ll be DJing for Riel Day for Life, a fundraiser for Relay for Life of Second Life (for the American Cancer Society). I’ll be picking up from “French Classical Music” at 3 and playing a set of Klezmer and polka, as [...]
Tags: · american cancer society · music · relay for life · second life
My life as a DJ
July 7th, 2010 · Comments Off
In Second Life-related news with “real life” implications, I’m delighted to be back on the programming roster for Radio Riel. I’m playing Scandinavian music today. Tune in:
Tags: · music · second life
Thoughts for the day
July 4th, 2010 · Comments Off
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed Read [...]
Tags: · democracy · patriotism · United States

