Recipes and Essays

21 Grams

21 Grams

Here’s a beautiful film, visually lush, sparse and gritty in parts. It probes death and forgiveness, revenge and remorse. “21 Grams” would be great for inclusion in church retreats. Make sure you have very good sound equipment so you can enjoy the score that lends 

Francesca Talenti and Emily Dickinson

Francesca Talenti and Emily Dickinson

Francesca Talenti made a one-minute video in 2000 that has a poem by Emily Dickinson, “I Reason,” as the audio. It is a haunting combination of intellectual clarity and transcendental searching. It provokes mediating about 9/11 with implied questions, deep questions. You can see this 

Democracy Now

Democracy Now

am back, but will probably be absent more than present here for the rest of the year. Just to say that I was inspired yesterday, listening to “Democracy Now” with Amy Goodman. But more on that some other time. Today on our community radio station, 

test

test

This is a test after some changes to the configuration of the weblog. This was due to a severe spam attack that required to delete more than 1000 commentaries. Hope things will be better and without added trouble Bye Alberto Just in case someone needs 

been away

been away

This long silence will continue for another week. I’ve been travelling in areas where it is difficult to get online. Ad�n

Chicana Poetry

Chicana Poetry

“Printed Revolutionary” by Maribel Ledesma reminds me this morning of the power of art. Ad�n

Ornamention on web pages

Ornamention on web pages

This highly decorative personal page is full of information about Ecuadorian Catholic religious practices. What strikes me is the frequent use of animated gifs, coloring and ornamentation that is European-American rather than indigenous Ecuadorian. This is especially evident on this “Rosary” page that explains how 

News Bias is In

News Bias is In

A Report released by the Pew Research Center, “News Audiences Increasingly Politicized,” provides a helpful insight into the way that US news audiences are coalescing around cable outlets that suit their tastes and political biases. I found a column by Robert J. Samuelson highlights the 

Sonic Arts and Hearing Impaired

Sonic Arts and Hearing Impaired

I am constantly impressed by the number and quality of media arts centers across the US. These centers are dedicated to community and the aesthetics of beauty and justice. In Seattle, serving the Pacific Nortwhest, is Jack Straw Productions, devoted to sound art. They’ve just 

Church Online European Conference

Church Online European Conference

I’ve just returned from a fantastic holiday in Provincetown, MA. There is an interesting report on the ninth European Christian Internet Conference, ECIC IX, Cluj, Romania By Sean Hawkey As churches are finding it increasingly difficult to get ‘bums on pews’, an emerging new breed