As news of the this blog has spread through word of mouth (usually my own) through the 20037 (or 20052, depending on how soon you want your mail to arrive), a very common question I've been asked is "Why a blog?"
At first I used to respond with generic ideas like "it's modern!" or "it's easy to access!" or "it easily disseminates ideas," but after reading a quote from an interview of Pete Seeger, I am confident in this medium's ability to encourage thought and perspectives on peace as a means of communication for people the world over.
In an interview regarding a 2007 documentary about Pete Seeger, Chud.com's Jeremy Smith (11/9/2007) asks Seeger about his reaction to seeing his family and friends comment on his career. Rather than answer the question by explaining emotions and opinion, he instead talks about the value of communication and his inability to express himself using only words.
"I've tried to write about these things with just words, and words can mean different things to different people. And I've told a lot of people that the human race won't be here unless we use all the different means of communication that are possible, whether it's pictures or music or food or dancing... as well as words." (Chud.com, "Exclusive: Pete Seeger 'Pete Seeger: The Power of Song' 11/9/2007).
One of the great benefits of using a blog, is that while most of the blog may be composed of words and comments and posts, one is encouraged to use multimedia, and if it can't be put directly on the blog, one can connect the readers to where they can find it.
So, despite (or perhaps in spite of) the monotony of a day job, below you can find some links to some oddball items that brought me a little peace (or hope for peace) today!
I firsrt saw Pete perform this song with Tao Rodriguez-Seeger and Guy Davis at the Lincoln Center's Out of Doors: 25th Annual Roots of American Music, but I just found another performance they had done of it earlier in 2008 on Letterman- dig in, and don't forget to sing along! "Take it From Dr. King"
If anyone would like to compliment my new haircut (which I know is on everyone's minds, or technically, just my own), check out Buzzing 4 Change, a unique and "hair-raising" (hahaha) way of raising funds (and locks of hair) to donate to people suffering from cancer.
Lastly: in honor of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), I present to you "De Bunker," an interactive temporary exhibit near the City Hall of Amsterdam. Inside, one is presented with multimedia shows presenting dilemmas for which people have to decide how they would have acted under Nazi occupation. By forcing visitors (it's in Dutch and is meant for Dutch citizens) into situations other Dutch faced (starting with whether to allow a boy wanted by the Nazis into your house or not), the exhibit is an important education tool for a country where only 1 in 6 living citizens experienced World War Two. The exhibit finished in Amsterday earlier this month.
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