In addition to the recent disgusting anti-gay electioneering of Hiram Monserrate, including his appeals to local religious communities with the knowledge religious people tend to be at least as intolerant and hateful as he is, here are two examples found on the Internet of heterosexism in Jackson Heights, one of which is admittedly related to Monserrate’s failed campaign.
• Gay Jackson Heights resident David Maddux described an altercation with a Monserrate worker at local eatery Espresso 77, 35-57 77th Street:
While sitting outside in the glorious sun, a person with a fistful of Monserrate flyers approached us and offered one. We declined, saying, “Never!” and “He’s a bigot!” I don’t understand Spanish well, but know enough to comprehend when a mouthful of gay slurs is levied at me. There was no mistaking her vehemence. And her hatred. First time that’s happened in decades. (David Maddux, “Re: Special Election to replace Monserrate,” post on Jackson Heights Life, 16 March 2010.)
• And a micro-’blogger published this bit of hatred presumably after visiting the neighborhood: “Deres a lot of transvestites in jackson heights its disgustin.” (Anthony García, MrR0ttenApple micro-’blog, 8 March 2010.)
Speaking of 77th Street, local community development corporation Chhaya, 37-43 77th Street, has a sign with their name written in five scripts:
See the picture of it that accompanies the article Seema Agnani, “Bringing Basements to Code,” Urban Omnibus, 10 March 2010.
- ছায়া n. shadow; image; shade. [Bengali]
- छाया (nf) shade; shadow; … [Hindi]
- چھایا chhayá, H. n. f. Darkness; shade. [Urdu]
▴ …had almost forgotten about this video. —17 October (VIDEOBLAST on Dailymotion, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …wants to offer an egg roll to Mr. Goldstone. Mr. Goldstone, we love you. —16 October (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ Pop singer Ayan is a Mountain Jewess from Azərbaycan, and she is singing here about “Abşeronun üzümü,” grapes from the Abşeron area of the country. I wish I had found this adorable video in the spring as it’s in celebration of the Novruz Bayramı, the new year’s celebration on the Persian calendar. (Note the dish on the table with the eggs, sprouts, desserts etc.) —16 October (Samir Babakishiyev on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ Zohar Argov {זהר ארגוב} was a tragic figure from his rise to stardom in the field of Mizrahi music to his drug use, arrest on rape charges and subsequent suicide. —16 October (REVIVOMAN on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ The remainder and majority of my pictures of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association Diwali Mela (دیوالی میلہ), Jackson Heights. —14 October (Facebook, Jackson Heights Life|FriendFeed)
▴ …thinks the daughters of gay people can help get the movement’s priorities in order. (Thanks to the group I Still Think Marriage is the Wrong Goal.) —13 October (Queer Kids of Queer Parents Against Gay Marriage!, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ —12 October (RT on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ —12 October (mabuse74 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ The first installment of my pictures of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association Diwali Mela (دیوالی میلہ), Jackson Heights. —12 October (Facebook, Jackson Heights Life|FriendFeed)
▴ …took 280 pictures yesterday. —12 October (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …daily states he’s gay in his Facebook profile and came out before National Coming Out Day existed, but will nevertheless commemorate it. —11 October (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mPjX7ntR.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.
▴ My video of my friend Peter’s birthday celebration at Caja Musical, Elmhurst. —24 October (I on YouTube, Facebook and Facebook, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of my friend Peter’s birthday celebration at Caja Musical, Elmhurst. —24 October (Facebook)
▴ …isn’t usually concerned with the world of sport, but…. —23 October (explosm.net, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee happy hour at Bar los Recuerdos, Jackson Heights, and subsequent socializing at Friends’ Tavern, Jackson Heights, and Caja Musical, Elmhurst. —23 October (Facebook)
▴ —22 October (Ecomukti on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ More of my pictures of autumn in New York City. —22 October (Facebook)
▴ Sexy Jew. Thanks, Chap. —22 October (SexyManFan on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ Hear the endangered Cypriot Maronite variety of Arabic in this two-part documentary in Greek (with English subtitles). Look for the link to part two when part one is over, and please excuse the religious content. —21 October (gskordis on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed) {Already embedded in a prior article.}
▴ …has a pre-existing condition. —21 October (OK Go!, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ —20 October (davey wavey on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ —20 October (ErialC on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ My video of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association Diwali Mela (دیوالی میلہ), Jackson Heights. —19 October (I on YouTube and Facebook, Facebook|FriendFeed)
• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mO3WQFNI.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.
▴ My pictures of the vigil, Hudson River Park Pier 45, and “optional mass,” the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, in memory of Jorge Steven López Mercado, Greenwich Village, 22 November 2009. —28 November (Facebook)
▴ …thanks Glenn for a sensational meal last night with such traditional Thanksgiving foods as gumbo and kašk u bâdenjân (کشک و بادنجان). —27 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …is too old to know or care about the distinctions between the “Pokémon,” “Digimon” and “Kakimon” (קאַק אים אָן). —26 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …came to the conclusion, after insufficient research, that the Czech word kavka (jackdaw) is not related to a name for the Caucasus, Kavkaz. —21 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ Pictures of the Jackson Heights Food Group at 친구네분식 ★ 포차 Friend’s Restaurant and the Cuckoo’s Nest, Woodside. —21 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …wonders which animal you are. —19 November (The Onion, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
☠ And another violent attack on a gay youth…. —19 November (khou.com, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
☠ Another outspoken and non-conforming gay youth has been brutally murdered. We’re fighting for our lives here, people. —18 November (The Baltimore Sun, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ Pictures of “The Fur Ball” at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, Greenwich Village. —17 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …finds this song cute but annoyingly repetitive. But who cares? Look at the wigs in the video instead. (Thanks to Bunny’s ’blog.) —17 November (greymanfilms on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …thinks the logo for this snow cone (“gola” گولا) company looks a bit familiar. —16 November (Go·gola India, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ Pictures of Jeff’s (and Laura’s and Chet’s) birthday at Best Fuzhou Restaurant 松柏園福州小吃, Chinatown. —14 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …is glad a télévision series like Nova can teach him about Homo erectus. —14 November (Nova on PBS Video, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …appreciates photography and videography all the more because some art is inherently ephemeral. —13 November (xogml69 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ This is my kind of bar: lots of food and puns available. —12 November (English Whirled Wide on Facebook, Facebook)
▴ My pictures of the premier meeting of the LGBT Equality Coalition of Queens, Bayanihan Filipino Community Center/Philippine Forum, Woodside. —10 November (Facebook)
▴ …envisions a reworking of last year’s hit song into an acoustic Central European–style version called “Polka Face.” —9 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …commemorates the victims of Kristallnacht and thinks something similar could probably happen even nowadays. —9 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …wonders how many of his friends noticed the egregious grammatical errors he made in his last two posts. —7 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …thinks this article has some inaccuracies but nevertheless exemplifies some key reasons I [sic] moved to the neighborhood. —7 November (New York Globe, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …dreamed he had a cat painfully clinging to each of his feet that would scratch and claw all the more if their removal was [sic] attempted. —6 November (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …sometimes just needs some fun pop music. —6 November (seeme96 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of New York Bear Den at the Diversity Center of Queens, Alliance Building, Jackson Heights. —4 November (Facebook)
▴ …finds it ironic that brown boobies have white chests. —4 November (Wikipedia, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of Halloween at View Bar, Chelsea, as well as some other costumed folk en route. —2 November (Facebook)
▴ My one hundred ninety-one pictures of signs of autumn in Jackson Heights. —2 November (Facebook)
• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5m93okSuT.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.
Compiled below are my writings on my own and others’ Facebook walls 18–31 May 2009. My comments on other users’ posts are presented here out of context.
☞ Like Facebook but unlike Twitter, FriendFeed and Jaiku allow threads of comments on micro-blog posts. —19 May, 12:17 (MP1, Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
✝ Quirky religious music video. (Thanks to Bunny’s ’blog: http://www.ladybunny.net/blog/2009/04/god-will-fuck-you-up.html .) —20 May, 10:15 (YT via LBB2, Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
▴ Elyaqim thinks this Jewish birthday party got completely out of control, and is exhausted just having watched the video. —20 May, 17:56 (YT3, Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
▴ I had not seen this cartoon in years. I love the way Bea Benaderet screams her head off. This must have been fun in the recording studio. —20 May, 22:36 (YT4, J.O. on Fb.)
✡ While I may not agree with every last point made, an interesting article about the marginalization of Mizraḥim in the absorption of Jewish immigrants to Israel. {Israeli Policies of Immigration and Immigrant Absorption: The Role of the Institutional System in the Social, Economic, and Cultural Integration of the Mizrahim, by Ksenia Polouektova.} —22 May, 11:31 (CEU5, Fb.|FF)
✴ Five words: “Marie’s creamy Italian garlic dressing.” —22 May, 13:34 (Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
• I was buying jar after jar of the blue cheese, but Met Food was out of it today, and I noticed the Italian garlic has only one gram of carbohydrates per serving. And green salads have so few Calories compared to almost any side dish or main dish that having a high-calorie dressing almost seems reasonable. —15:34
▴ 今日 Anyone else want to go? —24 May, 08:00 (PT on Fb.6, Fb.)
[After a friend commented on my pictures of architectural sculpture in Jackson Heights.]
▴ If you mean the ones in front of the house on 72nd Street, I’m not sure. They could be flower bulbs, cabbages or even acorns. The ones in front of the building on 35th Avenue are gargoyles. —24 May, 21:14 (Fb.)
▴ On my recent trip to the New York Botanical Garden, I had such fun with the word “rotunda.” —25 May, 13:32 (YT7, S.W.S. on Fb.)
▴ We can commandeer a table in a JH restaurant. النعمت has great albeit bland food. ڈیرہ has spicier food, but it’s a little loud. —25 May, 23:44 (Fb.)
▴ Elyaqim Mosheh Adam could have sworn the sign hanging on the bank said “Free chicken” instead of “Free checking.” “Always thinking of something to eat!” —26 May, 13:36 (Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
❖ If rendered in Katakana, the slogan of a theoretical airline, “The right way to fly,” would be identical to that of a theoretical cooking oil, “The light way to fry.” —26 May, 18:41 (Fb.|FF)
[After a friend commented on my picture of the Jackson Heights Food Group.]
▴ We all decided to go out for dessert, but by the time we made it to Lety’s, there were only three of us (Karen, Rachel and I). One by one or two by two, everybody else…deserted us. —29 May, 11:18 (Fb.)
§ After a friend of mine said he thought the Bukhari Jews were from someplace near Hungary, I wanted to promote the awareness that Buxoro (Bukhara بخارا) is in fact in Uzbekistan, Central Asia. —29 May, 12:31 (Wikipedia8, Fb.|FF)
[After a friend commented on my link.]
▴ There is certainly some rhetoric in that particular article, but not as much as your summary suggests. If you “have never read such hyperbole,” I suspect you’re immune to the outlandish hyperbole coming from the liberal/centrist homophile groups like LLDEF and HRC. Have you seen their gay marriage statements?! They conflate gay marriage with the very survival of our community and its interpersonal relationships. They state gay marriage is our ultimate issue to rationalize the obscene amounts of money being funneled into it when gays are still losing jobs, facing homelessness and drug addiction, and losing our lives. Hyperbole is not just the domain of the left and right. —29 May, 13:53 (LaGAI9, FF)
▴ If it is symbolic and not actual, bourgeois gays need to be told what they’re doing wrong. If they are defining their politics so individualistically as to marginalize huge segments of their own community, they should not make a movement out of it, least of all not one filled with so many lies that are needed to make it smell good. —14:19
◍ My likely destination tonight. Anyone want to come with? —30 May, 19:18 (DHD on Fb.10, Fb.)
▴ Elyaqim Mosheh Adam was nearly busted by the disco police. —31 May, 15:42 (Fb.|FF, Jk.|FF)
1. Steve Rubel, “Friendfeed Is the Next Great Blogging Platform, Here’s Why…,” Micro Persuasion, 23 January 2009.
2. John R. Butler, “The Hand of the Almighty,” Surprise!, self-published, 2003, reproduced as the soundtrack of “God Will Fuck You Up!,” Turpis Haereticum channel of You Tube, 3 September 2007. Thanks to Lady Bunny, “God Will Fuck You Up!,” Lady Bunny Blog, 21 April 2009.
3. Performance by Avrom Tolmasov, Rustam Samarkandi and Yasha Barayev of the song “Sarı köynək,” as “Avram Tolmas, Rustam, Yasha Baraev,” MIKEPRODJ77 channel of YouTube, 11 February 2008.
4. Little Red Riding Rabbit, Warner Bros. Pictures, 1944, reproduced as “Little Red Riding Rabbit Video by Crystal MySpace Video,” gdrobert channel of YouTube, 2 March 2009. Thanks to J.O.’s posting on Facebook.
5. Ksenia Polouektova, Israeli Policies of Immigration and Immigrant Absorption: The Role of the Institutional System in the Social, Economic, and Cultural Integration of the Mizrahim (MA thesis, Jewish Studies Program, Central European University, 2001).
6. Event page for “Passport to Taiwan 2009,” New York, 24 May 2009, created by the group Passport to Taiwan, Facebook. The earliest recorded activity on the page was 20 May 2009. I wound up not attending the event.
7. Radio Free Vestibule, “Bulbous Bouffant,” Sketches Songs and Shoes, Borpo, 1994, reproduced as soundtrack of “Bulbous Bouffant—The Vestibules” with cartoon animation by Spencer James Parks, 2006, spejampar channel of YouTube, 11 September 2007. Thanks to S.W.S.’s posting on Facebook.
8. Wikipedia, s.v. “Bukhara,” 23 May 2009 revision of the article.
9. Kate Raphael and Deeg Gold, “Gay Marriage: Civil Right or Civil Wrong?” (a.k.a. “Gay Marriage Opiate of Masses”), Lesbians and Gays Against Intervention (LaGAI) Web site, April 2004. Reproduced as “Marriage Is Still the Opiate of the Queers,” UltraViolet, April–May 2004.
10. Event page for “Double Headed Disco,” New York, 30–31 May 2009, created by Double Headed Disco, Facebook. The earliest recorded activity on the page was 13 May 2009.
A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5hcFqQPtD.
On Thursday, 13 March, I was in Apna Bazar Cash and Carry, a market here in Jackson Heights, and I was surprised to hear a Hindi/Urdu version of the 1996 Egyptian song “Nûru‐l‐ʻayin” (نور العين), composed by Nasser el-Mizdawi (ناصر المزداوي). The video of the recording by Amr Diab (عمرو دياب), with the original Arabic lyric by Ahmed Sheta (أحمد شتا), can be seen on YouTube here, here, here, here and elsewhere.
The staff in the store were of no help identifying this later version for me even though they were playing it. A little research on the Internet revealed it was “Mohabbat hō nā jāyē,” a song from the 2001 Indian film Style. The Urdu/Hindi lyric, according to the Indian Movie Directory and Bollywoodlyrics.com, is by Abbas Tyrewala.
The switch from Arabic to Urdu/Hindi was not only a change of language but of language family, from Afro-Asiatic to Indo-European, yet the first repeated word of the chorus manages to be from the same root in both. In the Arabic original, the chorus repeats “Ḥabîbî ḥabîbî ḥabîbî…” (حبيبي حبيبي حبيبي…), and in the Urdu/Hindi version, the chorus repeats “Mohabbat mohabbat mohabbat…” (محبت محبت محبت…), both of which come from the two-letter Semitic ḥ-b (حب، חב) root which refers to love. The Hebrew word for love, אהבה (ahaḇâ), may come from the same root as well even though a hēʼ (ה، ه) is where the ḥêṯ (ח، ح) should be. According to Edward Horowitz, “Sounds made in the same part of the mouth or made in the same way, tend to change with one another” (How the Hebrew Language Grew, [New York: Jewish Education Committee Press, second printing 1961], 237, also available with Google Book Search). The ḥêṯ and hēʼ are both gutturals and prone to interchange. The example he gives is the Hebrew pair מחה (māḥâ, “wipe, rub”) and נמהה (nimhāh, “was worn out”) which are from the same root despite the ḥ/h exchange (246).
Versions of this article are reproduced at webcitation.org/5eUbMEWbi and 5eUcD08Sg.
