From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 20–26 December 2009.

▴ Pictures of my Flushing adventure to 중국집 Chinese House Restaurant, 한양마트 HanYang Mart, 旺角 Corner 28 and Golden Mall. —26 December { }

▴ My pictures of the 2009 North American blizzard in western Queens. —25 December {}

▴ …feels this guy is sexy but not much of a singer. Merry Christmas only to those from Catholic or Protestant families. —24 December (The Kai Chronicles on YouTube) { , }

▴ Qazax (Kazak) tənbur/qopuz/lute soloist with a pretty video. —24 December (larealitegothique on YouTube) { }

▴ Nate “Blunty” Burr discusses his Australian pronunciation and inadvertently mentions Mountain Jews. —24 December (Nate “Blunty” Burr on YouTube) { }

▴ …no longer allows any Facebook friend to see photos in which he is tagged if the privilege isn’t reciprocated. Those affected feel relieved. —23 December { }

▴ …wishes all his friends a happy HumanLight. —23 December (Wikipedia) { , }

▴ …had a meal yesterday that could not have been as delicious as the friends who joined him. (Not to imply he ate the friends, as he did not.) —22 December { }

▴ …received so many birthday notes on his Facebook wall that he must click “Older Posts” thrice to see them all. He thanks all the authors. ♡ —20 December { }

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mfQa3SrJ.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.

More of the Acne Lions Truck.

While seeking pictures of other things on Flickr, I uncovered three more pictures of the “Acne Lions” truck, all by the same prolific photographer, ddc95.

Photograph by ddc95.Roosevelt Avenue and 63rd Street, Woodside, 26 April 2007. ────────

Photograph by ddc95.Roosevelt Avenue and 70th Street, Woodside, 16 June 2007. ────────

Photograph by ddc95.37th Avenue and 73rd Street, Jackson Heights, 27 July 2007. ────────

Previously: “The Acne Lions Truck,” 17 January 2009.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mcbV956r.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 13–19 December.

▴ …tightened the light bulb on the last day of Ḥănukkâ {חנכה} and wishes the audio quality of this last-day video were better. —18 December (cutegal85 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ —18 December (TurkishStylo92 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ …thinks God is incredible, and loves wordplay. —18 December (Bigot Blog, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …is owed thirty cents by Delish…Halal. —18 December (my photograph, Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …enjoys nature photography. —17 December (guardian.co.uk, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …ate so much salad his jaw aches. —17 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ My pictures of the Jackson Heights Food Group’s eating Eastern European cuisine at U Dzika {and then donating clothing, Jackson Heights, and subsequent meal, Shangri-La Express, Elmhurst}. —16 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed, Jackson Heights Life|FriendFeed)

▴ My further pictures of winter in Jackson Heights. —16 December (Facebook)

▴ …dreamed that, when he investigated the noises he had heard, he saw a chimpanzee climbing the fire escape. —15 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
☺ Sundown today began my birthday on the Hebrew calendar (28 Kislēw {כסלו}). Yes, I was born during Ḥanukka. —14 December (See Sound Squiggle on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …didn’t much care for their Europeanized pronunciation until Dudu Zar {דודו זר} started singing. Happy Ḥanukkâ to all! —13 December (dayingale on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …dreamed he was in what was promoted as a huge store but was essentially a big train car that traveled from one shopping center to another. —13 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mSYosNVG.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.

Google Voice automated transcript fun.

Photo: Elyaqim Mosheh Adam.Words do not always come easily. Roosevelt Avenue at 63rd Street, Woodside, 8 December 2008. ────────

Google Voice provides transcription of voice-mail messages, but not always accurately. Here are some of the better errors I received.

☏ “He went and got into a story.”
Actually “I’m heading back into Astoria….” —7 November message from M.J.M.

☏ “This is Tom. After about. Oh calling.”
Actually “This is Tom Approbato calling.” —8 November message from T.A.

☏ “Hey, my kid plan.”
Actually “Hey, Moyşe. It’s Glenn.” —24 November message from G.D.

☏ “…I should be on that by surprise course….”
Actually “I should be going there by subway, of course…”
• “…I’ll just pick it gravitates.”
Actually “…I’ll just take a grab at it.” —28 November message by A.C.

☏ “…I’m actually writing 7 my home station.”
Actually “I’m actually right in front of the Murray Hill station….” —20 December message from S.S.

☏ “…[S]ort of Tuesday.”
Actually “All right, I’ll see you soon.” —21 December message from A.G.V.

☏ “…[R]ecapped now. …I can look for you sitting down off the the The that.”
Actually “We’re in a cab now. … I will look for you sitting down, or I’ll ask at the desk.” —21 December message from A.G.V.

☏ “You know I wanna rewind I can’t get you when….”
Actually “You know I worry when I can’t get you in….” —28 December message from my mother.

☏ “I’m interested in room 2….”
Actually “…and the rest of the group too.” —29 December message from B.P.

☏ “…I am missing you. Happy New Year and help you when it’s slow and hobbies.”
Actually “…I am wishing you a happy new year and a healthy one as well. Okay?”
• “…[W]henever i know why can’t do it on my Sammy and please take a hope to talk to you on the president and next year, depending on my cell.”
Actually “…I’m doing it right now while I can to all my family and friends. Okay? So you take care. Hope to see you and the rest of the gang next year depending on my schedule.” —31 December message from E.B.

Related

• David F. Gallagher, “Pushing the Limits of Google’s Speech Recognition,” Gadgetwise, 29 June 2009.
• Vincent Paquet, “Towards better transcription. Period.,” Google Voice Blog, 7 August 2009.
• Jessica Dolcourt, “What’s your funniest Google Voice transcription flub?,” Crave, 29 October 2009.
• Google Voice Screwups, 31 October 2009 on.

Previously: “Jott’s error: ‘One drink with her to go necked(?)’.”

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mS84iVvp.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

C. Aswath, 1938–2009.

I learned from Wikipedia that Indian composer and singer C. Aswath (ಸಿ. ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥ) died yesterday, and I had never even heard of him. I don’t understand the Kannada language, but this song composed by Upendra Kumar from the 1983 movie musical Kamana Billu (ಕಾಮನ ಬಿಲ್ಲು) is obviously about life in the big city.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mPzXLN7Y.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 11–17 October 2009.

▴ …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.

Atheism as opposed to cognitive dissonance.

Photo: Elyaqim Mosheh Adam.Making reasonable choices is an essential part of life. (Trade Fair, 75-07 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights, 14 August 2009.) ────────

Atheism as opposed to cognitive dissonance.

Is atheism a choice? … I’m inclined to say no. While it’s a conscious effort that leads us to seek out the truth through study and reflection, we can’t decide ahead of time what the evidence will say. Evaluating evidence is in the domain of our subconscious. … In my conception of belief—confidence that something is true—it’s very difficult to argue that my atheism is a choice. … ¶ Theists often seem quite capable of talking themselves into belief without evidence. I find this to be delusional. But it explains why religious believers often think that our atheism is a choice: if they put evidence aside to believe, they assume we can, too. …[T]his is begging the question—in essence, I’m simply asserting that I’m incapable of accepting something as true without evidence.

—Jesse Galef, “Is Atheism a Choice?,” Friendly Atheist, 2 December 2009.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5mOvM1XmV.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Jaiku and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 18–24 October 2009.

▴ 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.

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, November 2009.

▴ 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.

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 2–12 December 2009.

▴ …is again drawn to thinking about oil on this holiday, but in a different context than usual. —12 December (Tigrzeye516 on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …wishes all an oily Ḥanukkâ. חג חנכה שׂמח!‏ ‎—11 December (yogev cohen on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

☠ Another anti-gay assault in Jackson Heights. —10 December (New York Post, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ My pictures of New York Bear Den at the Diversity Center and อรุณี Arunee Thai Cuisine, Jackson Heights, 6 Dec. 2009. —9 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …is considering taking this health advice. —9 December (English Whirled Wide on Facebook, Facebook)

▴ My pictures of the Roosevelt Avenue Taco Cart Crawl in Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Corona. —8 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …had forgotten how both economical and good a meal at a diner can be: main dish, salad, soda, potato, vegetable and dessert for ten dollars. —8 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …didn’t go out dancing tonight because he was still a bit sick, but the pneumonia‐like rales disappeared in time to make him wish he had. —5 December (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …thinks linguistics and affected queenliness are a good combination. —5 December (--- M I S T E R D U N CAN---- IN ENGLAND ---- 2009 --- on YouTube, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …appreciates the camaraderie of opponents of religious fanaticism. (Thanks to Andrés.) —4 December (Yale Daily News, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …found a photograph of his used without credit (i.e., stolen) in an article about Jackson Heights. —4 December (কিছু বলার নাই, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ …appears in some pictures in this article about the Roosevelt Avenue Taco Crawl. —3 December (Interactive Journalism, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

▴ My pictures of my friend’s birthday celebration at Kiku (菊) Sushi, 235 Ninth Avenue, Chelsea, 23 November 2009. —2 December (Facebook)

▴ …had an innocuous mooning photograph (with a bare posterior) removed by Facebook. As he has commonly seen much more revealing and erotic pictures on Facebook, he suspects some “friend” reported it. —2 December (Facebook)

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lyuHCCeo.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.

The vigil and mass for Jorge López M.

Photos: Elyaqim Mosheh Adam.

Not surprisingly, I was running late for the vigil here in New York City for Jorge López who was the victim of a ghastly murder in Puerto Rico. His story greatly moved me, but I was nevertheless victim of my own difficulty managing time. While hurrying down Christopher Street toward Pier 45, I encountered a new friend I had met at the most recent Fur Ball who was walking the opposite direction. I didn’t think I was all that late, but his walking companion gave me the impression the whole event might have been over, and my friend informed he himself left because he was bored.

Little of the vigil had elapsed when I arrived. I had missed speeches by some people I know, but I listened to the remaining speakers, many of whom were able to move the crowd to sadness or anger and others who read woodenly from scraps of paper or their mobile devices. I felt a little guilty that I spent so much time socializing with friends I had not seen in a while, but times like these can call for us to reaffirm our bonds of friendship. I felt a lump in my throat when my friend Karlo had difficulty maintaining composure describing how a gay youth activist and volunteer had become a pile of body parts.

One of the things that moved me most was seeing the vigil participants leave together and move en masse down Christopher Street while still holding their lighted candles. The mass afterward at the Church of Saint Luke in the Fields had been clearly marked as “optional” in all the literature, and maybe it would have been best had I not attended. It had its good moments, particularly hearing Dionne McClain‐Freeney, former head of the Center’s Youth Enrichment Services program, performing on the piano, but overall was far too religious for this atheist. I did however encounter some more friends and had some particularly good photo opportunities.

After saying my tearful goodbyes to everyone who seemed to want to rush home, I went to View Bar to join the crowd watching the American Music Awards, but there were only about ten customers present.

Atop this article are my seventeen best pictures, but I took over one hundred fifty. All my pictures of the vigil and mass can be seen in their Facebook photo album. I also found many other pictures on Facebook of the event, and I wish to be informed of any I have missed: See albums by A.G., C.B., C.D., D.D., E.P., E.X., J.McG., J.N., J.N., L.C., M.D., M.D.B. and N.O. Photo sets on Flickr are by David Badash, jasminegrapes, Raymond Perfetti and Vernon W.

Thus far, I have located sixteen videos on YouTube that document the vigil, and they are all on my playlist. There is also at least one video on Facebook.

Related:

• David Badash, “NYC Vigil for Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado,” The New Civil Rights Movement, 22 November.
  
• “Hundreds attend New York vigil for Jorge Steven Lopez and Jason Mattison, Jr.,” Boy in Bushwick, 22 November.
  
• James Withers, “Photos from NYC rally for Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado and Jason “Jaysen” Mattison Jr.,” 365Gay, 22 November.
  
• Meredith Traina, “NYC Vigil For Puerto Rican Hate Crime Victim,” WPIX, 22 November.
  
• Mike Dreyden, “Remembering… Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, the Vigil,” Mike Dreyden Blog, 22 November.
  
• James Withers, “Vigil for crime victims,” 365Gay, 23 November.
  
• Natasha Ghoneim, “Alleged Hate Crime In Puerto Rico Resonates In West Village,” NY1, 23 November.
  
• Oren Yaniv, “Candlelight vigil for gay teenager brutally murdered in Puerto Rico,” Daily News, 23 November.
  
• Phillip L. Vélez, “Jorge Steven López Mercado,” Velez’s View, 23 November.
  
• Daryl Hannah, “GLAAD Co-Sponsors Vigil for Jorge Steve Lopez Mercado,” glaadBlog, 25 November.
• {Update, 1 December} Joseph Alexiou, “Remembering Jorge Steven Mercado, a vigil,” homo-neurotic, 24 November.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lczOFbpM.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

Hodgepodge, 2009 November 26.

• The botanical dictionary Plant Names in Yiddish די געװיקסן־װעלט אין ייִדיש (‎2005), by Mordkhe Schæchter (מרדכי שעכטער Mortxe Şexter) is now available online free. (Lorna Sass at Large, Apodion.net, Languagehat)

• My beloved friend Andrew Jónás, whom I mentioned in previous articles, died of a cerebral hemorrhage just prior to Yôm Kippûr. I miss him. ☹ (Cheer New York, Mike Dreyden Blog)

• Importing my Facebook events into Google Calendar was one of my best decisions. (SBDC via Lifehacker)

• My old friend has turned out to be a responsible parent who recognizes poor parenting when she sees it. (The Swamp)
(See also a discussion of a child-choked business in my neighborhood.)

• Today’s right wing is fundamentally different than it was sixty-five years ago. (Daily Kos)

• Sometimes an article just nails it: a great atheistic essay in the form of a point-by-point reaction to another article. ([R]eason [S]cience [M]etal)

• Ḥummuṣ is mistakenly perceived to be specifically Islamic rather than generally Near Eastern. (Holy Taco via Robguy 4.0)

• The plight of an ethnic minority of course also affects their music. (Deutsche Welle on YouTube, via Aktiveytor)

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lZlMdAMV.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

Fragile Jewish Diaspora languages.

Photo: Antropoturista (tomke_lask).View from a window of a synagogue in Quba (Qıbə), Azərbaycan. ────────

An article (Tom Colls, “The death of language?,” BBC News, 19 October 2009) made me think about the eventual deaths of various Jewish languages. Hebrew as an everyday spoken language is often rightly cited as an example of a triumph in the revival of dying languages, but often overlooked are the Diaspora languages that Hebrew rather intentionally displaced, many of which are now in decline or even seriously endangered. In a comment on the article, M.D. noted

The flip side of the revival of Hebrew…is the probably imminent demise of Yiddish and Ladino (Judaeo‐Spanish), two previously vibrant Jewish languages…. The movement to transform Hebrew…into the national language of Israel had as much to do with 19^th‐century Zionist romanticism as anything else. Yiddish and Ladino were considered ghetto languages by Zionist intellectuals, and so not only not worthy of preservation, but deserving of oblivion. [T]he speaking of languages other than Hebrew (but especially Yiddish) was actively discouraged.

My own two ethnic Diaspora languages, Yiddish (ייִדיש) and Juhuri (ז׳אוּהאוּראִ) are both listed in UNESCO’s Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger as “definitely endangered.” Yiddish is spoken by more than three million people including many children, but is apparently in decline, and the overwhelming majority of Ashkenazim worldwide have no fluency in it. Juhuri has fewer than 100,000 speakers, and while I have no concrete information, I suspect it is gravely endangered outside of insular populations in the Caucasus. Mountain Jewish children and young adults across the globe are probably more likely to speak Russian, Hebrew, Azeri or English than Juhuri. It might even qualify as “severely endangered” were it not considered a dialect of Tati rather than a language unto itself.

Related: Steve Caruso, “The death of language?,” The Aramaic Blog, 21 October 2009.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lTR3zWI3.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), and Jaiku (and FriendFeed).

From Facebook Wall to Surface Web, 25–31 October 2009.

▴ …likes this video a little too much. Thanks, Shemuʼel (and Elaine, Peter etc.). —26 October (C.O’C. on Facebook; Facebook)
▴ …is compiling a list of people who removed him as Facebook friend and has so far reached 28 (not counting two whom he’d never met, four who later requested to be friends again, and the many who rejected his request in the first place). Many were vital community contacts he had met once or twice; others were friends whom he loved and who he thought loved him. He acknowledges, however, he takes Facebook too seriously. —27 October (Facebook) (Update: As I continue to remember and notice people, there are now forty-one on the list.)
✡ “Just call me ‘Dreydl’ (דרײדל),” said the active partner in the relationship, “because I’m a top!” —27 October (Facebook)
▴ …still loves Mr. Goldstone and wants to give him an egg roll, but not everybody feels that way. —29 October (MuzzleWatch, Facebook|FriendFeed, Jaiku|FriendFeed)
▴ …loves a gruesome Halloween recipe. —30 October (not martha, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ …also enjoys viewing (as opposed to taking) aerial photography. —30 October (instantShift, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ …learned what is orange and sounds like a parrot. —31 October (Jokes.com, Facebook|FriendFeed)
▴ …is finally dressing to go out for Halloween. Thank goodness for that extra hour we’ll get. —31 October (Facebook, Jaiku|FriendFeed)

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lMeVltKW.
• Additional comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed.

Park(ing) Day came to Jackson Heights.

Photo: Hrag Vartanian.

Had I read at all about the coming of “Park(ing) Day” to my neighborhood on 18 September, I probably dismissed it as not being relevant or interesting. More than likely I confused it with the unfortunately similarly named “It’s My Park Day” which I avoided because of its emphasis on families and children. If I anticipate crowds of screaming, running children, I scream and run the opposite direction. If I expect throngs of babies in strollers, I stroll someplace else.

Photo: Haci Richard.

That day turned out to be a busy one for me anyway. After staying up late at Elevate meeting guys on whom I developed crushes, I probably slept right through Park(ing) Day before marking the Jewish new year by running out to LGBT Night at Asia Society’s Leo Bar. The front door of my apartment building was also barricaded at the time due to construction that necessitated my coming and going via the service entrance. Due to all these poor excuses, I did not attend.

Photo: Hrag Vartanian.

Despite my lack of attendance, a small, temporary park called “Stone Soup Park” was nevertheless assembled across parking spaces in front of our Aqua Clara Laundromat, the location chosen because of the participation of the Laundromat Project who “bring art programs to where our neighbors already are: the local laundromat” and thereby “aim to raise the quality of life in New York City for people whose incomes do not guarantee broad access to mainstream arts and cultural facilities.”

Photo: Hrag Vartanian.

That art program was The Photo Booth Without Borders by local artist Carlos Martínez (site, micro-’blog, Facebook) who was sponsored by the Laundromat Project’s Create Change Public Artist Residency Program to develop artwork specific to the neighborhood, and whose fascinating installation did this by “recording participants’ personal stories and taking photographs of them interacting inside the booth.” (I assume “Create Change” to be a double entendre that also refers to the coin-operated laundry.) Live music was even performed by tango trio Mi, Miha & Me.

In addition to the movie above, Carlos also made one about the creation of the piece, and Hrag uploaded two videos (1, 2) shot at the event.

In retrospect, I wish I had attended, but at least there was one gay, Near Eastern person present enjoying and documenting the event: Hrag Vartanian, whose pictures adorn this article. Pictures and videos by Haci Richard are also online, but they seem to confirm my worst fears that it became an occasion for parents to dominate such a small space by stuffing so many children and strollers into it that childfree adults cannot enjoy themselves.

Photo: Haci Richard.

Updated, 11 December 2009: I found an additional set of photographs by L.M.
Updated, 29 December 2009: And two more by C.C.F. and C.M.

Related:

• Cristina Furlong quoted by Lindsey Lusher Shute, “Queens residents make Park(ing) Day soup,” Park(ing) Day NYC, 15 September 2009.
• Lindsey Lusher Shute, “Jackson Heights Plans Community Photo Album on Park(ing) Day,” Park(ing) Day NYC, 16 September 2009.
• “Carlos Martinez’s Photo Booth Without Borders opens at Park(ing) Day in Jackson Heights, Queens,” The Laundromat Project, 19 September 2009.
• Hrag Vartanian, “‘Photo Booth Without Borders’ Documents the Faces & Stories of Jackson Heights During Park(ing) Day,” Hrag Vartanian, 21 September 2009.

• A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5lGRAyesX.
• Comments on this article may be available on FriendFeed, Facebook (and FriendFeed), Jaiku (and FriendFeed), and even Jackson Heights Life (and FriendFeed).

Hodgepodge, 6 November 2009.

• An article about Dr. Tina Strobos’ hiding Jews during World War II specifically noted the ethics of atheists. (The New York Times via J.K.G. on Facebook)

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said with nonchalance. “Your conscience tells you to do it. I believe in heroism, and when you’re young, you want to do dangerous things.” ¶But such an outlook has an origin, what Donna Cohen, the Holocaust Center’s executive director, calls “learned behavior.” Dr. Strobos comes from a family of socialist atheists who took in Belgian refugees during World War I and hid German and Austrian refugees before World War II.

• The Coalition of Reason advertises atheism in the New York City subway system, but alas in Manhattan stations only. (City Room via J.B. on Facebook)

• The Institution for the Secularization of Islamic Society (ISIS). (Center for Inquiry)

• Hear the endangered Cypriot Maronite variety of Arabic in this two-part documentary in Greek. (YaLibnanTV and YaLibnanTV on YouTube, via جبل اللغة, via Languagehat, also available at gskordis and gskordis)➥ (Facebook/FriendFeed, Jaiku/FriendFeed)

A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5l5kCWl1K.

Hodgepodge, 2009 October 11.

• Are senior citizens too old to refer to themselves as “questioning” their sexuality? [JATGAB]

• Macintosh OS X font and keyboard layout for Malayalam. [MM via MM]

• The Yiddish word זעמל zeml (“roll”) is apparently of Semitic origin, as are the English words simnel and semolina, all being cognates with the Aramaic סמידא səmîdâ (presumably *ܣܡܝܕܐ in Syriac script) and Akkadian samidu. [ב״ל via ב״ל via LH]

• Tuesday, 29 September, I ate the lunch buffet at Mehfil (महफ़िल محفل) (site, Y + Wp.) where I saw some of Masterji and an episode of Jugni chali Jalandhar (site, Wp., Fb.), both very silly.

• “I didn’t ask for Poland Spring! I don’t drink Poland Spring!” My articulate friend and former co-worker Laverne Cox on Maurice Runea: The Show. [RC on V, via OLCB]

• This photograph of the Jackson Heights Food Group was taken back in January by our server at Delhi Heights with my camera and posted online by me. (See Facebook.) Months later, the picture wound up on John’s Queens, NY, Blog incorrectly credited to the group founder, Jeff Orlick. Sorry, wrong Jew. (See also JT, JT and JHL.)

A version of this article is reproduced at webcitation.org/5kVeJ4Yn9.