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Good in the world, in spite of.
Aug. 29th, 2010 02:34 amIn spite of the constant presence of those who choose to stand in the schoolhouse doorway trying to halt the progress of equality, I am encouraged that same-sex marriage may well be a national right in a not-too-distant future. A recent poll shows that a majority of RI now favors same-sex marriage, and keep in mind that RI is percentage-wise by far the most Catholic state in the country.
In spite of relentless polls showing what percentage of Americans now believe Obama is a Muslim (and by extension, believe that somehow this makes one less qualified as an American), it's nice to be reminded that us rational folk realize that different religions aren't the enemy; crazy fundamentalists are the enemy. That's why you see things like a rabbi taking up a collection for a mosque.
In spite of the much-publicized decline of American literacy, of appreciation for things of a literary ilk, and of language more eloquent and flowery than an ABBRV.TXT MSG, I just attended the final day of Pittsfield's WordXWord Festival, a week-long celebration of the spoken word. Taylor Mali, although not performing this year, was present and helped curate a few of the events, the highlight of which was tonight's spoken word performance by national slam poetry champion Rives.
And in spite of my persistent self-doubt, and my inability to memorize things, I managed to win the festival's poetry slam tonight. Alas, no video or other link of record available, but it was a good crowd and a good time. EDIT: Actually, now I at least have a link for you.
In spite of relentless polls showing what percentage of Americans now believe Obama is a Muslim (and by extension, believe that somehow this makes one less qualified as an American), it's nice to be reminded that us rational folk realize that different religions aren't the enemy; crazy fundamentalists are the enemy. That's why you see things like a rabbi taking up a collection for a mosque.
In spite of the much-publicized decline of American literacy, of appreciation for things of a literary ilk, and of language more eloquent and flowery than an ABBRV.TXT MSG, I just attended the final day of Pittsfield's WordXWord Festival, a week-long celebration of the spoken word. Taylor Mali, although not performing this year, was present and helped curate a few of the events, the highlight of which was tonight's spoken word performance by national slam poetry champion Rives.
And in spite of my persistent self-doubt, and my inability to memorize things, I managed to win the festival's poetry slam tonight. Alas, no video or other link of record available, but it was a good crowd and a good time. EDIT: Actually, now I at least have a link for you.
