Author Archives: Maštíŋčala Sáŋ

Our Lady of Maytag

Posted on May 14, 2011 | 3 comments

High upon a hill in San Francisco sits the famous concrete Catholic church Our Lady of Maytag. It is designed in homage to that sacred, time-honored symbol of our faith…the washing machine agitator.
-AidanAbroad

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Posted in San Francisco, Spirituality, WORLD WIDE: Gay around the Globe!

Action Alert: Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill up for a vote tomorrow

Posted on May 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

This infamous piece of legislation, which would introduce a death penalty in Uganda for people found guilty of homosexual conduct, is up for a vote tomorrow.

Life is already bad in Uganda for LGBT people – all of my LGBT friends from there have had to flee from their lives, and have some of the most horrifying, brutal stories of any LGBT refugees I know.  The Gay Highwaymen did a story on David Kato’s murder in Uganda earlier this year.

Want to do something about it? Credo Action has introduced this petition, which it will deliver to the president of Uganda. AllOut.org has another petition, as well as instructions for how to call your country’s representative in Uganda. Please consider signing, calling, and voicing your concerns about this legislation.

-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Activism, Africa, Crime, Human Rights, SCANDAL: Politics, Crime, Revolution and More., Uganda, WORLD WIDE: Gay around the Globe!

Jewish Moscow: Chabad sanctuary, a queer man’s view from the women’s balcony

Posted on May 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

In Orthodox Judaism, the men are separated from the women during prayer. They sit behind a mechitza (partition) or, in this case, in a balcony…which may actually be the best seat in the house. This custom is, at least in part, because of the idea that the sight of a woman would arouse a man and take his mind away from prayers.

So where does that leave a frum faygeleh (religious gay man)? I’m not quite sure…many possibilities. I snuck up into the balcony during a non-service time, and snapped this shot of what would normally be the women’s view.

-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Europe, Men, Russia, SCANDAL: Politics, Crime, Revolution and More., Spirituality, Subcultures, Travel, WORLD WIDE: Gay around the Globe!

Jewish Moscow: staircase at Chabad shul

Posted on May 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Staircase, spiraling across the 4-floor complex that serves as a community center for ultra-orthodox Jews in Moscow. Lots of men with great beards here, though it would be rude to snap a picture…

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Posted in Beards, Europe, Facial hair, Men, Russia, Spirituality, Travel, WORLD WIDE: Gay around the Globe!

Jewish Moscow dispatch #3: Chabad shul

Posted on May 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Disco star of David? No, this is the ceiling of the sanctuary of the Chabad synagogue in Moscow. More pix to follow…
-AidanAbroad

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Follow up on yesterday’s MLK Quote: part fake, part real.

Posted on May 4, 2011 | 1 comment

An update on the quote I posted here yesterday:

 “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

which was attributed to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is in fact partially a King quote, and partially attributed to Twitter user Jessica Dovey. CNN reports that

Beginning with “Returning hate for hate …,” the last three sentences are in fact, a King quote from his book “Strength to Love.” But the first sentence, and arguably the one most pointedly apropos to the bin Laden aftermath, is not. […]

Twitter user Jessica Dovey would later say the partial misquote originated with her. She posted a link to her Facebook page, on which it appears she wrote the first sentiment and followed it with the King language — in quotation marks and followed by the attribution “MLK jr.”

Moral of this story: Be careful what you tweet, and don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Uncategorized

Martin Luther King: On the Death of One’s Enemies

Posted on May 3, 2011 | 7 comments

I found this quote especially appropriate today:

‎”I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

–Martin Luther King, Jr.

Words of wisdom…worth considering.

-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Afghanistan, History, SCANDAL: Politics, Crime, Revolution and More., Spirituality

Teacher shaves for first time since Sept. 11, 2001

Posted on May 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Interesting article in SF Chronicle today: a schoolteacher from Washington State shaved his beard for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. He made a vow not to shave until Osama bin Laden was caught. This is what 3,454 days of beard growth looks like.

-AidanAbroad

Photo: Dan Wheat / AP

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Posted in Afghanistan, Beards, Facial hair, Men, SCANDAL: Politics, Crime, Revolution and More., Strange News

Authentic Caucasian Food

Posted on April 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Authentic Caucasian food, served at the Chabad in downtown Moscow by handsome, dark-eyed waiters from the Caucuses.

What do Caucasians eat, exactly? Chopped salads. Spicy chicken. Fresh herbs. Ground lamb. Flaky pastries for dessert.

Tasty.

-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Food, Russia, Spirituality, Subcultures, Travel

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Report from Jewish Russia

Posted on April 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

I recently visited Eastern Europe – Warsaw and Poland – to learn more about what Jewish life is like there. I will post photos from my trip here, so stay tuned.

This is the first one: a map from the Jewish Community Center in Moscow. Each light represents a Jewish community somewhere in Russia.
-AidanAbroad

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Posted in Europe, History, Russia, Spirituality, Subcultures, Travel