Pete Seeger was born on this day in 1919… Read more

Our country is in a terrible state. That’s pretty obvious. Many of my friends think it is the culture and blame the Republicans and Democrats equally. I do not think this is so. The problem, best I can tell, is that the Republican party has been captured by an insane ideology that repudiates the last hundred years of social advancement and wants to pull us back to the gilded age. But under that gilding was a terrible soul rot, with... Read more

On this day in 1900, Casey Jones died trying to make up time driving the Cannonball Express… And, no, this isn’t the Dead song… Read more

BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON Longing, Denial, Murder & Dreams of Homeby James Ishmael Ford 29 April 2012 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down, and we wept when we remembered Zion. In the midst of it all we hung our harps upon the willows. They that carried us away captive required of us a song. They wanted us to sing of joy. “Sing to us,” they demanded, “one of the... Read more

But I love this commercial. (Perhaps it is helpful to know I’m married to a librarian. But, then, perhaps not…) Read more

Nine and a half minutes with one of the signal Zen teachers in the West. Read more

A couple of weeks ago a friend forwarded this poem by Thomas Merton. I’ve been saving it to share. Now seems the time. It’s called “A Psalm.” I’m unclear where it was first published. When psalms surprise me with their music And antiphons turn to rum The Spirit sings: the bottom drops out of my soul. And from the center of my cellar, Love, louder than thunder Opens a heaven of naked air. New eyes awaken. I send Love’s name... Read more

The Bard of Avon was baptized on this day in 1564, the first official record of his life. One may assume he was born days or perhaps weeks before. I find the various theories about how the plays and poems were in fact written by other people endlessly interesting. And not just because it becomes the fodder for fun films… It would appear the bottom line is that a man from pretty much nowhere with a limited education and as... Read more

But a pretty good one, I think, to play a favorite clip from a favorite movie. On this day in 1792, the very same day that the first person was executed by guillotine, what would become the French national anthem slipped from the pen of Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. And so on to that lovely clip… Read more

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