Darkness

Darkness is a topic that has come up a lot recently in my thoughts, and in my conversations with my dear friend Lakshmi. For a long time I have adopted the Quaker saying, "I'll hold you in the Light" as a way to say that I am keeping someone in my prayers, and it feels like a less religious way to say, "I'll pray for you." Part of my theology is that each of has "the Light of G!d" within us. It may not always be easy to see, but it is there.

But what about the Dark? Nighttime is dark, it's when we rest, it's cooler, and sometimes scary. But the Dark can be restorative. I realized when recently watching "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" [which I HIGHLY recommend!!!] that the dark takes getting used to, and ideas emerge from the Dark.

I like the idea of coming to be able to see in the Dark at first, it is scary because our primary sense is "obscured" we can't see properly, but we begin to use and notice our other senses we have to calm down and be still and slowly acclimate to the Dark and often, if we are still long enough, we can see, even if it's just shapes, or we feel our way and we make it through it doesn't have to be terrifying. A lot of times we talk about “being in a dark place” when we are going through a difficult time, full of pain. Pain hurts, but it is not bad in and of itself: it helps us to get somewhere new, or learn something, and change often involves pain.

My friend Lakshmi clarifies by saying,

“there is a difference emotionally, experientially, between the darkness that descends while we are on a path: it is confusing, sometimes painful, disorienting; and the darkness of a restorative place (like a dim cathedral or a cave or the womb or the black soil of the earth), one chooses the cave, one does not choose a hard and obscured path (usually).

me: But there is still something deeply worthwhile about each experience, and the darkness isn't necessarily bad - the light and the dark, the good and the bad all of it makes us who we are today.

Lakshmi: I think our culture regularly confuses the difficult darkness with the restorative darkness and that is problematic. Also, as you are saying, there comes a way to see the difficult times as descents into the cave: challenging, fearful, harrowing even. Yet afterward, you come back with new knowledge, strength, skills. There is a way in which the difficulties can be transformed into restoration. In addition, I believe that the more you consciously, intentionally engage with/seek out/explore the dark, the less shocking and difficult it is when you come into a dark section of your life's path. You've gained skills in "seeing in the dark" as you say, you spend less time fighting the darkness and more quickly transform it to a time of contemplation and reflection, rebirth, gestation. This is why the dark goddesses: Kali, Hecate, Persephone, are so important: because they know how to dance in the dark. They know the path. It's kind of "nothing to fear but fear itself." It's our very fear and dislike of the dark that makes the process so hard.

Egypt

UPDATE 3: Egypt's Muslims and Christians join hands in protest - BBC

UPDATE 2: A little history: The Road to Tahrir

UPDATE 1: NY Daily News reports that "Muslims Return the Favor, Join Hands with Christian Protesters in Tahrir Square."

click for image: http://yfrog.com/f/h02gvclj/

I saw this photo by accident. I actually can't recall how I saw it in the first place. Maybe it was when I opened my Twitter account for the first time in like, a long time. [Hey, I'm 40, what an I say?] But it, and its caption, brought tears to my eyes and blew me away:

A pic I took yesterday of Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers #jan25

posted by @NevineZaki

At first I wasn't sure that that was really what the picture was of. I wondered, could I trust this to be true? I read some more of NevineZaki's feed, and 'checked it out.' But then I thought, Does it really matter if this photo is staged or not? Isn't the beautiful thing the idea behind the caption? That one group of people would make a human chain to protect another group of people while they pray? And the answer I came up with is, No, it doesn't matter if the photo was staged, it's the message that counts: we are all G!d's people, and we need to pray.

Maybe it's a coincidence, but I watched Defiance last night. It's a great action movie (with the very talented actors, Liev Schreiber & Daniel Craig in the lead roles, [sigh]) about Eastern European Jews hiding out in the BelaRussian forests. At one point, Craig's character says, "If we should die trying to live, at least we live like human beings." The protesters in Egypt are doing something huge, just like the Bielski brothers. They are peacefully demonstrating for something they believe in and are willing to die for. It is scary to watch - scary because I fear for their safety, but also amazing, heartening, and hopeful.

This week, as Nicholas Kristof said, ‎"A quick lesson in colloquial Egyptian Arabic: Innaharda, ehna kullina Misryeen! Today, we are all Egyptians!" or in written form:

النهارده احنا كلنا مصريين :)

"Secret of Kells"

Finally, I watched the Secret of Kells last night after blogging about it last March [thank you Netflix & Wii!]

The movie was amazing. The animation was the most beautiful I've ever seen in a movie. The story came alive. The way the story unfolds is captivating, and brings the illuminations from the actual Book of Kells truly alive. No spoilers here, but WOW - the overlay of history, religion and the natural landscape are just incredible.

It reminds me of another Canal+ collaboration: "Azur & Asmar" (US title: Princes' Quest). So gorgeous, and another fantastic story which entwines history, culture and extraordinary Persian-style tile work designs.

On my Mind

Last night I watched War Dance, a beautiful documentary about children in Northern Uganda, on a recommendation from a dear friend. I know a little bit about Uganda from a blog I read, "the Journey", but I had no idea how gorgeous the landscape is. Both the movie and the blog start with pretty simple ideas: children from the war zone preparing for a dance competition, a missionary taking in abandoned girls and forming a family through adoption. But the messages of hope, resilience, love and strength that pour out of both are astounding.

I also got my alumnae magazine in the mail over the Thanksgiving holiday. One of the features was on the recent conference that was held there: "Heritage and Hope: Women's Education in a Global Context". Reading the article, the speakers all seemed to have some good things to say. And then I came to the highlights from Nicholas Kristof's Keynote:

Kristof expressed his distress over the political polarization between US Christian evangelicals and secular feminists, particularly in the area of reproductive health that prevents them from joining forces to combat such abuses as human trafficking.
"There are a lot of Christian evangelical groups in Sudan and Congo that have done fabulous work," he said. "At the end of the day, everybody believes passionately that 14-year-old girls should not be kidnapped and locked up in brothels."
Squeamishness over talking about sexuality also concerns him. "One of the impediments to girls' staying in high school that most people have learned about only in the last decade is the difficulty of managing menstruation," he said. "Girls never raised it with school authorities or aid workers before because the subject was taboo. If you can keep a girl in high school by providing her with sanitary pads, that is such a cheap intervention." pg 25, Alumnae Bulletin, November, 2010

That stopped me cold. He is SO RIGHT. I feel that polarization a lot. As a liberal Christian, I can see both sides of each coin. And meanwhile, there is work that all of us could be doing. We can't do everything, perhaps, but we could do something, instead of arguing amongst ourselves. Right? What can I do? What can we do? What do you think?


P.S. There are [of course] a bunch of non-profit organizations that have sprung out of the above-mentioned projects. Half the Sky, out of Nicholas Kristof's work, Shine Global which supported War Dance, and Amazima Ministries which grew out of "the Journey". Go check them out, and see if they appeal to you. Maybe these groups are the way forward for action.

I want to see this movie

The Secret of Kells reviewed on NPR.

Under the Hagia Sophia

Found this link in my daily blog-reading and am amazed [thanks bldgblog for your awesomeness, as always!]. It just sounds SO COOL! Like Jacques Cousteau meets Indiana Jones. Or Steve Zissou!

Anyway, on one of my visits to Turkey, we stumbled across an excavated-but-abandoned archaeological site which had been flooded. The doorway arches loomed out of the water, and frogs were splashing around. I felt like I'd found Atlantis or something. But tunnels under the Hagia Sophia sounds so Byzantine!! [get it?]

I can't find the upcoming film of the expeditions at the site on IMDB yet, but according to the Hürriyet article,

His 50-minute documentary, “Ayasofya’nın Derinliklerinde” (In the Depths of Hagia Sophia), will compete at international festivals starting in the fall.

Love Conquers All?

Fair warning: this post is LONG!

So, All, I have finished reading the Twilight Saga. I will say that it would have happened sooner if I'd bought the last book when I first saw it at the Last Word used book shop, here in Philly. Instead I waited 'til I was ready to read it and then had to wait 2-3 weeks or so until another copy arrived. I have to say, though, that the Last Word is definitely the place to get used books. They remember you, and what you want, and are great about continually getting new stuff in.

With that endorsement out of the way, here's what I thought: The Twilight books are not the best-written books ever. If I read the words "perfect," "sculpted," "stone" or "cool" in reference to a vampire again, I think I'll gag.

What I liked best about Twilight was the description of Bella's crush on Edward. It reminded me so much of the crushes I've had, and the way I felt when the object of my affection was near me, or touched me. That electric, inept feeling was so clear. What's NOT so clear is why Bella is in love with Edward, "in LUST" yes, that's obvious. But it was also very easy to understand why the story was so chaste, given the fact that Edward is a vampire. It was refreshing to see feminine desire described, and played out, even if there was a fair amount of repression that had to happen so that nobody died. Edward seems like the logical extension of Anne Rice's character, Louis de Pointe du Lac, from "Interview with a Vampire," as a vampire who feeds only on animals, not humans, to survive. I also think the choice of Rob Pattinson was inspired, even if it means that poor (human) Rob will be hounded to the ends of the earth forever because of it.

Out of the whole series I liked New Moon best, because I loved the character of Jacob. I admire steadfastness as a trait, and Jacob is nothing if not loyal. I think he gets pretty shafted throughout the story, but he's my favorite character.

I thought Eclipse was really just a bridge to the last book. It was nice to see the characters of Edward and Jacob have a rapprochement, but really, it read like a comic book, without pictures of gorgeous vampires and werewolves.

And then there's Breaking Dawn. It's interesting, because here I am, in my late 30's, with children in my life, and if I were writing about vampires, is this also where I would end the story?

SPOILER:
Bella becomes pregnant with Edward's child. It's a very difficult pregnancy - how could it not be, really - and several people consider ending the pregnancy. Bella, however, joins forces with her former nemesis, Rosalie, in order to keep the fetus alive. The delivery is gruesome, and in order to save Bella, Edward must turn her into a vampire with his venom. Bella becomes the vampire she always wanted to be, is married to Edward, and has a half human-half vampire daughter. I thought it was a pretty convenient plot device, but in a "Hollywood ending" way, Jacob "imprints" on Reneesme immediately, and so will always be protective of and present in Reneesme's life, in whatever form that needs to take - caretaker, friend, lover, husband, etc.

My first thought when I finished reading Breaking Dawn was that the idea I was meant to take away from this saga was that "love conquers all." Bella becomes a vampire after many struggles and transforms from a truly awkward human to a truly amazing, powerful vampire - she was klutzy, even for a human, as a human, and has an extreme super power for a vampire, as a vampire. Even though I think Bella was taken in by Edward's (and the rest of the vamps') camouflage (attractive looks, smell, strength, sound, etc.), she never seemed to really analyze what she was doing until Rosalie confronted her. She was mesmerized by Edward, and I thought in a shallow way just wanted to become a vampire so she could be with him forever. She never really seemed to consider the real consequences until it began to affect her physical relationship with him.

Edward "made a deal" with her that he required her to marry him. Once married, she understood the awesomeness of sex, and most especially, sex with Edward. So, she started making deals of her own - more years as a human, more sex, before ending her life (e.g. becoming a vampire). And he agreed, because he never wanted her to become a vampire in the first place. It's interesting to me how her awakenings happen through physical means. And that her human sexuality is what makes her powerful (even though she is completely in the thrall of Edward and his family, and is entirely defenseless if another vamp is nearby). It's when she becomes pregnant that the paradigm shifts again. Everyone is concerned about the "monster" she is carrying. And she starts acting, in my opinion, like many pregnant women - forms an attachment with the fetus, takes care of it as best she can, even if she starts doing weird stuff. [The whole thing about her pregnancy diet is gross, so I won't go there.] Interestingly, that section of the book is told from Jacob's point of view, so, it's not as intimate, but of course, he's upset during her pregnancy because she's in so much pain. There IS an inordinate amount of time in the whole saga when Bella is suffering physically, and it gets a little tiring to read through.

But whether it's a plot device, or it's really the "message" of Twilight, Bella becomes powerful through her child. She would have died because of the baby, but now she's immortal. She can hold her own with Edward now in bed (no limits once she's a vamp). She discovers that she's got a vampire super-power, which she hones quickly in order to save her family. Is this the new "coming of age" story for young women?

I sort of jest. But, seriously, I think it's interesting that the woman who wrote these books has kids and is in her 30's. As you may know, I am struggling with my upcoming (big) birthday. And I'm trying to make sense of my "self" so far. I realize that my youth is gone. And while I am happy with my life, and my family, I sometimes struggle with day-to-day responsibilities and commitments, and I wonder what the future will have in store for me. What I can relate to in Bella's story, is the desire to have "a perfect forever." I wish and hope that my family will be safe and happy and whole forever, and Bella is able to achieve that. She is a strong lover and mother. She becomes MORE sexy with motherhood, and powerful in ways that are hard for even vampires to fathom. It's a nice fantasy for a character who started out so average and normal. What do you all think?? Leave me a comment or two.

There are other critiques to be made, and I have copied some of them below, all from Wikipedia's Breaking Dawn site:

Breaking Dawn has received generally negative reviews. Publishers Weekly stated that the main problem was that "Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily--in other words, grandeur is out."[10] In an article by The Associated Press journalist Sara Rose posted on NewsOK.com wrote that fans of the series would love "engaging characters, great humor, a distracting obsession with beauty, focus on the minutiae of emotions", however "casual readers may be disappointed with a lot of build-up and little action."[11] The Independent called the book, "shockingly, tackily, sick-makingly sexist" and said that "Bella Swan lives to serve men and suffer." [12] Entertainment Weekly graded Breaking Dawn with a D, criticizing the birth scene and Bella's "unwavering passion for Edward" and having no other goals.[13] The Washington Post also responded with a negative review, making comments such as, "...Meyer has put a stake through the heart of her own beloved creation," and, "Breaking Dawn has a childbirth sequence that may promote lifelong abstinence in sensitive types."[14] However, an article in The Daily News Tribune, a small town newspaper, Margaret Smith says of Breaking Dawn "You too might fall in love with its suspense and moving sensitivity -- and with the unlikely couple struggling to find light within their world’s heart of darkness."[15]

Half Way Through....

So, all, I'm half way through the Twilight Saga, and I gotta say, I'm hooked.

I started out a firm supporter of "Team Edward", but at this point, am fully behind "Team Jacob," I don't see how that feeling will "wane", but you never know.....

Dude. It's intense. :)

UPDATE:

Check it out: Adult Swim encapsulates the series for us... funny.

Vampires for Oxfam!

I think this has to be the best Oxfam ad EVER. Especially given my new obsession [the Twilight movies]. I found this at the Twilight fan blog. Hold onto your hats, people, because this may rival my LotR obsession, which was truly all-consuming for several years there. Hmm. I think it has to do with the eye-candy.

I'm Bitten

Those of you who know me, know that I have a massive soft spot for vampire lore, especially when translated to film. But I just saw "Twilight" and am hooked. I will now need to read the series.

I have a lot of ideas about the concept of vampires, but will need to think Twilight through a little more before I talk about them here. I have to say, I agree with the Gawker review [which I can't seem to find right now! ugh] which said, "it was the hottest non-sex of the year." I'd have to agree.

So, people, this is what Netflix is for. More on vampires later....

Film Review: "Taking Root"

Hi All. I went to see Taking Root last night. It's an Independent Lens production for PBS about Wangari Maathai of Kenya. She started the tree-planting Greenbelt Movement in Kenya to help the environment, and ended up defending democracy and human rights. It's an amazing and inspiring story that she wrote about in her book, Unbowed: A Memoir. But the film adds a whole new dimension because you can see what she was talking about. It's very moving, and I recommend it highly.

You can also check out the Action Guide which was put out by the film-makers. The movie totally has the activist in me clamoring to get my hands dirty. PHS was a co-sponsor, along w/Penn's African Studies department. The PHS Tree-Tenders program was featured and reminded me, once again, how awesome it is to live in such a green city.

The movie will air in Philadelphia on WHYY on Friday, April 24th at 10 p.m. Check it out!

Weekly Blog round-Up

An awesome discussion of atheist bus ads on Vegas Cohort, via Friendly Atheist via Emerging Pensées (I know, the trail of bread crumbs confused me too!)

Understanding Science: A sorta wonky site about Science and how it helps our lives. But some good explanations there.

Inauguration Lunch menu! I wish I could taste this food! I love the idea of the cherry chutney, with wine selections listed too! I also can't wait to see the changes to this page!

The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing To Say On Every Dubious Occasion, by Hyacinthe Phyppe [Edward Gorey, Mel Juffe] found on: Buzzfeed

Slumdog Millionaire won big at the Golden Globes. This Sojourner's article explains why, w/clip at the bottom.

At right, Noli Mi Tangere - Beautiful from Art Blog by Bob

Scientists to Obama: FDA has been corrupted
from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth by Chris in Paris

Won't it be a positive change to have science matter again during the Obama administration? From the AP:

In an unusually blunt letter, a group of federal scientists is complaining to the Obama transition team of widespread managerial misconduct in a division of the Food and Drug Administration.

"The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the scientific review process for medical devices at the FDA has been corrupted and distorted by current FDA managers, thereby placing the American people at risk," said the letter, dated Wednesday and written on the agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health letterhead.

The center is responsible for medical devices ranging from stents and breast implants to MRIs and other imaging machinery. The concerns of the nine scientists who wrote to the transition team echo some of the complaints from the FDA's drug review division a few years ago during the safety debacle involving the painkiller Vioxx.

The FDA declined to publicly respond to the letter, but said it is working to address the concerns.

In their letter the FDA dissidents alleged that agency managers use intimidation to squelch scientific debate, leading to the approval of medical devices whose effectiveness is questionable and which may not be entirely safe.

"Managers with incompatible, discordant and irrelevant scientific and clinical expertise in devices...have ignored serious safety and effectiveness concerns of FDA experts," the letter said. "Managers have ordered, intimidated and coerced FDA experts to modify scientific evaluations, conclusions and recommendations in violation of the laws, rules and regulations, and to accept clinical and technical data that is not scientifically valid."

Couch surfers welcome, but small-space campers requested! via TreeHugger

Awesome points made by Snuffy, as usual. This time, about Christianity. I have to say, I can't say it any better than she does.

Another beautiful image from Idle Speculations of my fave - John the Baptist baptizing Jesus.

This NYT article is noticeably vague about what this "tough-guy" pastor actually preaches about the role of women, other than that he's mainline Calvin. I don't think I would agree with him, nor be a member of his church, but I share his frustration w/the pansy-@$$ version of Jesus that's out there in full effect.

While I celebrate Obama's inauguration, Russel Means makes the case for the Native American Indian (well, AIM) point of view - Food for thought, to be sure.

I never thought I'd agree w/the CEO of Walmart in my lifetime, but I think he's on to something. Something good for America and Americans. Via AmericaBlog.

Intrepid food fans, check out how easy it is to make sauerkraut! Via Boing Boing.

Water under NYC via bldgblog - and London's lost rivers to be uncovered! from TreeHugger.

Awesome "Jesus for the Working Person" image by Art Young on Art Blog by Bob. I am learning from Bob that I am a big fan of the "Ashcan School."

Via TreeHugger - Google launches the transit map layer to its Google Maps. About time - but this will be helpful fo shizzle. But dag! Philadelphia is not one of the cities included on the first round. Bummer.

Gourmet going down!?! This is terrible news to me. [sniff!] Via Queenie Takes Manhattan.

An awesome riff on what we wish would happen if Bush were actually sent to prison for his crimes from 23/6.

Mr Darcy-Obama at the White House, from Huff Po. I still think it's a stretch - would Obama ever be as RUDE as Darcy? I guess I'll never know. But, at least someone out there is making the comparison.

From Iraq Veterans Against the War - this depresses me no end. When will the soldiers get a break?!

Robert Crumb's book of Genesis via Boing Boing. Huh. Will it be religious-arty enough for me??

And, finally, Jesse's Tree from Idle Speculations.

Brief Weekly Round Up

Isn't this language map beautiful? Thanks to Book of Joe for the link.

I'm sad to know that Odetta died. I listened to Odetta for the first time with my friend Lenore, freshman year. I miss her. And I'll miss Odetta. What a great voice!

Megan Powell mentioned a Swedish Vampire Movie on her blog. Sounds good!

Here's a Google book about Vegetable gardening during WWI. Perhaps we should take note in these dire times. I think I found this link at Boing Boing, but I can't remember. My bad.

Pure Awesomeness from the Fug Report.

My new favorite movie is Slumdog Millionaire. You gotta see it!

As always, I love Idle Speculations for the BEAUTIFUL religious Art. I don't know how Terry does it, week after week. But wow! My favorite Religious Art blog out there. Now I want to visit this church (La chapelle de la Vierge, Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, Poitou-Charentes La Rochelle). Go to the blog to see more!

And, in closing, I'm sorry I missed this before Thanksgiving day, but how awesome is it to see WKRP again? I ask you. Thanks to BlogHer for the link to Hulu.

brief round up

I'm going to do a fire drill in our home this weekend. Ever since September 11th, and even moreso after Katrina, I am a huge believer in disaster preparedness. I felt like I had it under control, but we really haven't been practicing enough. I'm getting on it. [based on my score (ironically, "9/11") I'm "a survival expert".]

And, not that I care what NYT Op Ed Columnists think [take THAT David Brooks!] but this at least caught my eye. I am not at all sure that Maureen Dowd has it right - Barack Obama as Fitzwilliam Darcy?? But, I'm going to mull it over. I am, of course, an un-abashed Edmund Bertram lover.

In other news:

Congrats to Lakshmi and Sam on the adoption of their beautiful baby George. We love you!

And, this is wahnsinn, I know but:

Way to go, Dogg! I'll give ya some love!

Batman

I hear it's awesome. A friends of mine went three times in two days, including a 5:00 a.m. showing. That's a little wahnsinn, but hey, it's Batman!

I will be going on hiatus again soon.

image from "Cupcakes Take the Cake" blog.

Happy Mid Summer!

Happy Midsummer, All!

As you might have guessed by now, I am trying to revive celebration of St John the Baptist's Day in our household. I've hung the Finnish Flag. I'm planning to have friends over for (vaguely) Scandinavian meal of fish, cucumber salad (and probably some other cold salads), with home made strawberry ice cream for dessert. I'll let you know how it turns out.

In other news, there's a great review of Jesus for President at Emerging Pensees. I think I'll add it to my wish list.

There are some amazing "issue" posters done by people all over the world here. Go check them out. Powerful stuff. These are about global warming, but there other themes include water scarcity, human rights, child mortality, STD's and more.

And another "green" item I have to share is: I just watched Hulk last night, by Ang Lee. And I was blown away. I had no idea I would like it. Granted there were commercials, and so it went on forever (which I've read was a criticism of the movie when it came out in the theaters too), and the whole Nick Nolte thing was annoying. BUT, the underlying message about the green monster in all of us was right on. Specifically, what I imagine it must be like for men to feel rage (I'm not a man.) Bruce Banner's description of how he felt as the Hulk was amazing. I don't know that much about testosterone, but it seemed like the movie described how it feels to be a guy, both enraged, and calm - gave me some insight. I thought Eric Bana did a fantastic job (though I pretty much dig Eric Bana in whatever he does!)

P.S. Hungry For Change Bake Sale for Obama at the Clark Park Farmers' Market tomorrow.

News and Weird News

This news reminds me of one of my favorite movies: Map of the Human Heart with Jason Scott Lee (no relation to Bruce Lee). [He's so hot!] Anyway, great news. Great movie.

Other great news from the BBC is that Burundi, the world's poorest country, is clearing away ALL the gazillions of mines in their country. A mammoth undertaking, apparently. This way, at least, the people will be able to farm again. And maybe the sweepers (sappers?) will be able to go to other countries to help them rid themselves of mines.

Which brings me to what I'd call, "news of the weird" from my home state. Boing Boing reports on an chicken bomb in Simsbury, CT. Simsbury?? Whatevs. Living on the the other side of Talcott Mountain may not be so bad after all.

Good Church Design posted these covers of "individually packaged" books from the Bible. I must say, the cover images got me to buy each of the four Gospels individually back when they came out. Stark, but not depressing. They really do fit in your pocket(book?) and feel more manageable than lugging the whole Bible around just to read Mark, let's say. Not, of course, that I've made it all the way through Mark yet. Matthew, check! The rest, not yet. But I'm really impressed, both by the designs of the covers, and by GCD blog. It's a really beautiful blog - go check it out!

In other news, even while the diplomats are in a tiff (link), the sailors are doing the right thing - having a sandwich competition. I wish there were more photos as part of the article, but from what I can tell, these are fantastic. In honor of Victory Day.

And in a further move to shrink the world, and encourage us to all get along, tomorrow is Pangea Day. I saw Control Room and LOVED it. The part about the "spontaneous mob that pulled down Saddam's statue" was amazing and chilling. War is hell. It's true. But the propaganda machines are diabolical. Seeing inside what happens in newsrooms (around the world) is frightening. And empowering. If we know that's the lay of the land, maybe we can do something about it. Right?

Catacombs

So, the photo of the skulls in the Paris Catacombs might not be the most comforting image in the universe, I grant you. But I really am fascinated by the Catacombs, both those in Paris, and those in Rome. And that interest morphs into appreciation for regular cemeteries also. Some people don't like graveyards and think I'm morbid. But I think they are such a tangible, and beautiful connection to our past. They are pleasant places to spend some time, have a picnic even, as our ancestors from the 19th century did.

My first introduction to catacombs was in Rome when my cousin and I did one of the tours along the Appian Way. The Roman catacombs were more a place of clandestine worship and meeting for the early Christians who were persecuted in those days. They knew they could gather under the radar, underground, and keep out of the way of the authorities, so this is where they met. And when their few members died, they could bury them there as well. Some of the catacombs had previous spiritual significance from the earlier Pagan practitioners, so the two uses sort of blended together. I felt a little claustrophobic inside, and was so relieved to be able to step out on the Appian Way afterwards and get some fresh air. Though, that was another mind-blowing experience in itself, to be standing on paving stones that had been there for over 2,000 years, and used as a road pretty much their whole existence. Amazing!

Later I got a chance to see the Catacombs of Paris, which was pretty amazing. These were not as old, dating only as far back as the 1700's. The Parisian catacombs were the new resting place for thousands and thousands of displaced bones moved from other, older, over-crowded Parisian cemeteries. It's a pretty gross idea what the workers had to do that moved all these bones into the new "ossuaries" ("bone depositories"). They had to dig up the old graves, clean out the bones, move them to the catacombs, sort of keep track of where they were from (in a general sense) in the old cemetery, label them, and then organize them into sturdy, somewhat decorative patterns in caverns that may or may not have been sturdy. There became a brotherhood of these workers. And they began to have initiation rites into the brotherhood, emphasizing that once you were accepted, you would not be left behind with all these already-dead people. The work conditions were not great, of course. The caverns they were filling in with bones had once been quarries for stone for all the magnificent buildings around Paris. But that meant that some of the cavern rooms were not that strong and could collapse. There was also the danger of getting some kind of disease from the "fresher" of the skeletons. So the workers built these little chapels where the initiations could happen. The tour guides say they were pretty religious ceremonies, based on Catholic blessings. And I wish I could remember if there was a patron saint invoked or not. But these chapels still feel safer (and drier!) than the rest of the place.

One of the things that drew me to one of my favorite movies, Delicatessen, (besides the wicked dark humor) was the scenes in "les egouts" or the sewer system that also runs under Paris. I really want to take a tour of the sewers, or at least check out the museum. Apparently the guidebook, Paris Secret, is excellent.

All of this leads me to my appreciation of cemeteries. I've been to Père-Lachaise and admired the graves in New Orleans, both of which have magnificent grave markers. I like that there is so much emotion in the carvings and inscriptions (check out the AWESOME virtual tour of Père-Lachaise!). That there is such a presence of and reverence for death. It's comforting in a way. That these people in these tombs won't be forgotten, even if we don't actually know who the people are inside them. I like the cemeteries in Philadelphia. They also have the grand monuments and the feeling of the closeness of death since they boomed in the 19th Century as well.

I could go on and on. Maybe more to come in a future post.

Friday Fun

Saw this and got stoked for summer cinema. With the Dark Knight AND Prince Caspian coming this summer, what more could I ask for? Aaahhhh, Christian Bale..... [sigh].

For some fun with a meme (from Emerging Pensees):

What is your _________ name?

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car):
Dido Mazda

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):
Butterscotch Slide

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal):
Blue Hippo

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name):
Woosa

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Green Tea

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
Elmer Herbert Herbert Elmer [for real]

8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
Chanel Chocolate

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Mirizzi Morgantown

10. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Midsummer Iris

11. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now):
Cherry Socks

12. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Toast Linden

And finally, it must be that time of year... or maybe because it's been a cool spring here in Philly, I am re-obsessed with the BBC production of Jane Eyre, and the splendiferous Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester. [Angie needs to get my dvd back to me!] Again, with the [sigh].

Well, all, have a great weekend.