Saturday Haiku: Celestial Conjunction

above the rooftops

a bright evening star and

a smile of a moon

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Photo: A crescent moon in conjunction with Venus
Credit: Kalyam Varma at http://kalyanvarma.net/journal/2004/05/21/the-moon-next-to-venus-tonight/



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Friday Funnies: Nobody's Fool

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Image: Detail from "Stańczyk during a Ball at the Court of Queen"

Artist: Jan Matejko
Medium: Oil on canvas

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Songs of Social Consciousness: You Don't Own Me (Lesley Gore)

Sometimes the raising of social awareness takes us by surprise. A friend recently brought it to my attention that this pop radio hit from 1963 played an important role in bringing feminism into the public consciousness. The popular song forced those of us living in "a man's world" to see that we must recognize the personhood of all, regardless of gender. The song proclaimed to the world that women are not simply objects to support the male ego. Next week: another song that raised our social awareness.

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Saturday Haiku: Moonlit Journey

a journey unfolds

crossing the bridge in moonlight –

steady, hopeful steps

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Image: Takinogawa River
Artist: Kawase Hasui
Medium: Woodblock print



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Friday Funnies: Doctor's Advice

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Monday Music: Barbara Allen (Joan Baez)

From Far Out magazine:

In 1958, while honing her craft, a 17-year-old singer going by the name of Joan Baez took to the stage at the iconic ‘Club 47’ in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The venue, which became the epicentre of the folk music scene around the area from 1958-1968, would see the likes of Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, Tom Rush, Joni Mitchell and more kickstart their careers from their intimate stage.

Joan Baez would be the name that sticks out following her breakthrough show in the late 1950s. The footage, which was once considered lost, was restored by American Masters who created a feature film celebrating fifty years of Baez in Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound.

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Typing in Bodoni Font

Giambattista Bodoni (Wikipedia photo)

This is a test run for Bodoni typeface. I learned today upon reading the latest post on The Writer’s Almanac, that today is the birthday of the Italian printer, Giambattista Bodoni, born in 1740.  According to The Writer’s Almanac, “He came from a family of engravers, and by the time he died, he had opened his own publishing house that reprinted classical texts, and he had personally designed almost 300 typefaces. His typeface Bodoni is still available on almost any word processing program.”

According to an article in Wikipedia, “Bodoni achieved an unprecedented level of technical refinement, allowing him to faithfully reproduce letterforms with very thin ‘hairlines’, standing in sharp contrast to the thicker lines constituting the main stems of the characters. He became known for his designs of pseudoclassical typefaces and highly styled editions some considered more apt ‘to be admired for typeface and layout, not to be studied or read.’ His printing reflected an aesthetic of plain, unadorned style, combined with purity of materials.”

So today, for the first time in my recollection, I type in Bodoni font. It is in celebration of a life I previously knew nothing of, in recognition of a typeface that had eluded me heretofore, and in the free use of a typeface tool at my fingertips made possible by some amazing digital technology. It is a technology unforeseen by Giambattista Bodoni, even as he made use of and elaborated upon the new technology of his day.

He left his mark on moveable type, and his mark endures today by way of electronic technology. Here is hope that all of us may, in some small way, leave our mark, regardless of what typeface we use.

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Saturday Haiku: Signs of Spring

the redbud blossoms

are early heralds of spring

but the robin waits

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird



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Friday Funnies: Reality Check

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Cartoon by Tom Gauld



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Lessons Learned from an Epidemic

The coronavirus outbreak in China has brought a heightened awareness of the need to protect ourselves from contagious disease in this day of increased travel when we are more connected globally than ever before. The CDC has issued guidelines to help the public to prevent the spread of the respiratory illness for which there is no vaccine.

I am reminded of the scare of the SARS epidemic of 2003. SARS was frightening because it was swift, deadly, highly contagious, and there was no vaccine available.  

My late friend, Jerry Moye, lived in Hong Kong at the time, teaching at the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary.  During that SARS outbreak, Jerry described to me the safety measures that were being taken. Schools were closed, public outings were limited. Everyone tried to protect themselves from contamination. Jerry told me that the Chinese church that he attended decided to continue with limited Sunday worship, with no children’s programs, and opening the church only for those adults who were well and wanted to come. Jerry made the comment about what a sight it was to see the choir members singing while wearing surgical masks. 

That comment about church and surgical masks provided me with some insight about how we relate to one another which I elaborated upon in my poem, Unmasking the Mask.

Unmasking the Mask

  

In spite of the epidemic

The people gather on Sunday morning.

Singing hymns and greeting one another

Through surgical masks,

They are determined to carry on.

The sight of all those masks in church

Seems odd at first,

But we always wore the mask.

Sometimes an outsider,

Or a prophet,

Would challenge us

Using words like,

"Hypocrite,"

"Socialite,"

"Plastic saint."

Most of us

Allowed each other

The saving of face

By ignoring the mask.

Now, every mask is out in the open

Like flags of solidarity.

In the clear light of the epidemic

We see that sometimes a mask is needed

For protection.

There is always a risk,

Epidemic or not,

When we draw close to one another.

When we know it is safe,

We will remove the mask.

Until then

We will grant each other the right

To speak through the mask.

We all know

That touching and knowing

Are better than proximity,

That proximity

Is better than isolation.

We will venture as close as we can

And grant each other a safe place.

Mask or no mask.

                                     ~ Charles Kinnaird

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Monday Music: Foreign Affair (The Manhattan Transfer)

"Foreign Affair" was written by master songwriter, Tom Waits. He recorded it in 1977, his gravelly voice and pensive style leaving his own distinctive mark. In 1979, The Manhattan Transfer recorded the song on their album, Extensions, giving it an anthem-like quality. It is one of the stand-out tracks on that album.

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Saturday Haiku: Moonlit Harbor

boats come to harbor

in the light of a full moon

 women sing glad songs

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Image: "Manazuru Harbor"

Artist: Tsuchiya Koitsu (1879-1949)

Medium: Woodblock print

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Friday Funnies: All the World's a Stage

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Potluck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church

Today's essay is a repeat from 2011 to remind myself of the importance of a compassionate response. ~ CK 

“Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”
                                                     ~ I Corinthians 8:9 (RSV)

I like to consider myself a “progressive” Christian. (Actually, I’m one who still likes the word “liberal”, even though that wonderful word has become tainted and misconstrued by decades polarizing debate. Using the “L” word nowadays is like raising a battle flag, making thoughtful discourse all but impossible.) It was a heart-felt religion that launched my faith journey. Continuing along the path, with the help of many fine thinkers and writers, I came to understand the importance of intellectual honesty and social justice. Many a time during my student days I was frustrated by some of my more conservative friends and colleagues. These were people who could quickly get their panties in a wad over some theological issue. One of my good friends at the time, sensing my irritation, said to me, “You know, Charlie, in many ways our fundamentalist friends are like the weaker brethren that the Apostle Paul talked about.” He was right – it seemed that the faith of many of my fundamentalist friends was easily threatened.

Living in a Pluralistic Society

St. Paul begins that “weaker brethren” passage in I Corinthians 8 with an impressive argument for liberty in faith. He talks about the problem some people had in his day, living in a pluralistic Greco-Roman society, about eating meat from the marketplace that had been offered to idols. Paul essentially says that for thinking people of faith, this is not a problem. If idols have no basis in reality, eating meat that was offered up in religious ceremonies is not going to have any negative effect on the Christian consumer. Sounds like a good way to get along in a pluralistic Greco-Roman society. Then the apostle frames the whole situation in a way that creates a problem for me. He says that even though he has no problem with eating meat from the Pagan Meat Packing and Processing Company, he will refrain from the practice if it causes someone who is weaker in the faith to stumble.

Here is my difficulty: if my fundamentalist friends are the weaker brethren, why should I have to refrain from offending them? How long should I be expected to coddle these spiritual babes instead of challenging them to a more authentic faith? Then I ask of St. Paul, was he being pastoral in the nurturing of souls, or was this just some sort of early Christian cop-out, saying, “I really know better than this, I am a sophisticated thinker. However, for the sake of the organization, I’m not going to rock the boat if people are going to get upset over the issue.” So am I to cave in to the loudest and weakest of my comrades, or am I to take a stand for a better way, a nobler path?

There is another problem I have. I tipped my hand earlier when I said I like the word “liberal.” When one admits to being a liberal, there is an element of having one’s mind made up. I need to realize that I can get my liberal panties in a wad just as quickly as my fundamentalist friends can get their conservative briefs askew. The term “progressive” is probably a better concept. “Progressive” implies a journey. It seems to say, “I haven’t arrived, but I’m moving forward.”

The Compassionate Response

When it comes to dealing with the “weaker brethren,” I have to remind myself of the words of a wise old friend of mine. He pointed out that sometimes conservative ideas are in ascendancy while at other times more liberal views hold sway. “I have no control over the politics of the masses.” he told me, “but I do have some control over my response to things.” He said that he tries to observe without attachment, and then he tries to let compassion guide his response to things.

Be compassionate? That puts the onus back on me. It also gives me a new perspective. This is not an easy path, the one that St. Paul advocates and that my compassionate friend speaks of. On the other hand, I have to remember that I know people with much more rigid views than mine who will do whatever they can to help someone in need.

Putting people ahead of opinions is one way to stay grounded. Putting forth progressive viewpoints is one way to move ahead. Putting it all together requires some diligence, diplomacy and compassion. It calls for all of us to do a “gut check” before we meet on that potluck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church.



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Monday Music: Pete Seeger's "Wimoweh"

Pete Seeger, born May 3, 1919, died January 27, 2014, I eulogized him here at the time. In thinking again of his passing, here is one of his signature songs.

"Wimoweh," originally known as "Mbube" was first recorded in South Africa by Solomon Popoli Linda. Pete Seeger's folk group "The Weavers" had a chart-topping hit when they recorded it in 1952.

It was my privilege to finally see the folk singer in person back in 1985 when he came to do a benefit concert at Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, Alabama. My wife and I attended and it was quite a memorable event. Pete Seeger would have been around 65 and he gave a dynamic performance. I still remember how he turned the entire audience into a choir singing in parts the refrain to "Wimoweh" while he bellowed out those high notes!

Here he is with Arlo Guthrie at Wolf Trap on August 8, 1993, He would have been 73 at this point. This time his grandson, Tao Rodriguez, is hitting the high notes.

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Saturday Haiku: Moon and Evening Star

when a waning moon

is graced by the evening star

ancient hope rises

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Photo: "A beautiful conjunction between the Moon, the very bright planet Venus, and the easily recognizable open star cluster of the Pleiades from central Italy on the morning of June 24, 2014." Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca.
Found at Universe Today: Space and Astronomy News



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