tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72171992010-01-08T01:41:10.201+03:00<strong>Fifth-day commentaries,</strong><br>published every Thursday (mostly); included in <a href="http://www.quakerbooks.org/writing_cheerfully_on_the_web.php"><em>Writing Cheerfully on the Web</em></a>Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-33513502836497364852010-01-07T21:35:00.009+03:002010-01-08T01:41:10.212+03:00

С Рождеством ХристовымChristmas blessingsLast night I realized with a pang of guilt that I had forgotten to return the form that Reedwood Friends Church was using to find out the congregation's giving plans for 2010. That pang happened about the same time I read an article, "Help That Makes a Difference: Change our Worldview," by Brian Fikkert. He's the co-author of a book that Nancy Thomas

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-27398460017941512542009-12-31T14:58:00.007+03:002009-12-31T21:15:02.282+03:00

Best wishes for a fruitful and rewarding New Year 2010!A few weeks ago, I read Cathleen Falsani's The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers, an enjoyable summary of theological themes in the Coen Brothers' films.Falsani describes her book's mission this way:Each of their fourteen feature-length films is marked by theological, philosophical, and mythological touchstones that

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-16481353675063336582009-12-24T23:20:00.008+03:002009-12-25T01:30:18.753+03:00

Warmest Christmas greetings to anyone who happens upon this page. My own report will be brief--I'll provide a few interesting links down at the end. But most of this week's space goes to Peter Dyson of St Petersburg, Russia, whose report on the funeral of our late Friend Olga Dolgina moved me very much, and who gave me permission to pass along his words.Olga Dolgina, lookingtoward camera,

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-86920828580704518712009-12-17T22:16:00.009+03:002009-12-18T22:31:06.508+03:00

Barack Obama gave his Nobel Lecture in Oslo exactly a week ago. A day later, I finally got a chance to look at it, and I admit I was very impressed.In terms of content, I think both Joe Volk ("Obama’s Peace: A Now But Not Yet Kind of Thing") and David Brooks ("Obama's Christian Realism") provided excellent commentary, and I agree with most of what both said, although they come from different

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-50967300129049735732009-12-10T23:58:00.004+03:002009-12-11T02:24:23.136+03:00

Back in March 2008, I added a second operating system to this Sony computer I'm using right now. Upon booting up, I could choose between Windows Vista and Ubuntu; most of the time, I used Ubuntu.Last month, I somehow got Ubuntu's security policies so completely screwed up that I had to reinstall the operating system. Instead of downloading a whole new installation disk image, I used a disk that

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-24307035126814803952009-12-03T22:07:00.008+03:002009-12-04T01:09:37.787+03:00

Looking for ourstreet? Ourstreet sign mustbe one of theworld's largest.The title of Martin Kelley's blog post, "That tired old quagmire playbook," says it for me, too. There's a reason that people here can't conceal their puzzlement over U.S. plans for Afghanistan. As the Afghan war museum located fifteen minutes' walk from us testifies, it's a lethal place to exercise imperial designs. I cannot

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-73536225841498336072009-11-26T21:50:00.005+03:002009-11-27T02:17:41.714+03:00

But before that, Happy Thanksgiving Day. Today Judy made an incredible Thanksgiving meal for the teachers at the New Humanities Institute, including turkey, cranberry sauce, a pumpkin bread with a delicious swirl of tvorog inside (a worthy substitute for the cream cheese of the recipe), and cranberry-apple-raisin pie.Yesterday, I used a handout from esl.about.com in two of my classes. The

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-84999340680519988352009-11-19T19:25:00.006+03:002009-11-22T12:39:31.584+03:00

Elektrostal in crisis timesThis unfinished buildingis behind ours; noprogress for months.But this new Dixie grocerystore across the streetfrom us just opened acouple of weeks ago.This week brought two distressing news items, both concerning deaths. Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer and 37-year-old father of two children, died in Moscow, in detention. And a 26-year-old antifascist campaigner, Ivan

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-70943283266985880782009-11-12T21:26:00.013+03:002009-11-27T01:27:23.405+03:00

Oslo albumOslo inner harber--viewfrom Akershus FortressAkershus at duskPride: the polar shipFram, which has sailedfarther north andfarther south than anyother conventional ship.Shame: the wartime homeof Vidkun Quisling, nowthe Holocaust Museum.The office building where Oslo Quakers have their new premises.The Maurer family grave,where several generationsare buried, including theoriginal Johan

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-77801063265666778762009-11-05T23:42:00.005+03:002009-11-13T12:55:26.876+03:00

We're in Oslo for a few days, planning to return to our home shortly with new documents. In the meantime, I'm dealing with my mixed feelings about how things look today in this country where I was born.I've written before about the "wooden Norway" of my early childhood. I certainly have no business wishing that those who live here would still be coping with postwar shortages, but today's

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-58170750652913192752009-10-29T23:22:00.002+03:002009-10-30T02:25:37.987+03:00

There have been a lot of discussions on blogs and other outlets concerning the Russian Ministry of Justice's proposed amendments to the 1997 law "On freedom of conscience and religious association."The amendments propose a normative definition of evangelistic activity: "... activity of a religious association intended for the dissemination of its confessional teaching among persons who are not

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-27953690363752789412009-10-22T22:39:00.009+04:002009-10-24T17:06:41.028+04:00

Institutional Gothic: The buildingwhere the FHM Board met.Our meeting with AVP facilitators--a dedicated, impressive group!(Natasha and Sergei of FHM staffat right.)Odessa: Along the route of Streetcar 5.More of Streetcar 5's route.Streetcar 5 passes these famous fishers.The Arkadia boardwalk, off-season.Train 34, ready to take us back toMoscow.At the Konotop station in Ukraine--nothing but

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-4948454280736444842009-10-15T00:14:00.007+04:002009-10-15T01:41:36.364+04:00

Norwegian parliament on left,Royal Palace at end of street.I was as startled as anyone by the announcement that the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave this year's Peace Prize to Barack Obama. But there is a political logic behind the choice. We can't say exactly what was on the Committee's mind, of course, but I can make some unsentimental guesses.I'm as proud of my background as any typical

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-30425179154965512472009-10-08T23:26:00.013+04:002009-10-09T07:19:56.028+04:00

Art item no. 1: The New Humanities Institute in Elektrostal is holding an international art show for young artists and art students--and you're invited to participate.The art exhibition is on the theme "Interior Space." If it isn't possible to get your drawing, painting, graphic design, or sculpture to us physically, it might be possible to enter electronically. Let me know if you're interested!

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-42277973258855840472009-10-01T17:15:00.007+04:002009-10-01T19:22:11.766+04:00

photo from FWCCSection of the AmericasGordon M. Browne, Jr.1923-2009This post is a tribute to my friend and mentor Gordon Browne, who died last Friday in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Gordon was a writer and English professor, a man who loved his large family, a consistent follower of Jesus, and a servant of the worldwide Quaker family for many decades. During his years as executive secretary of

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-74882779647404176112009-09-24T14:36:00.016+04:002009-09-28T00:35:03.175+04:00

(Above: A Testament of Devotion, translated into Russian by Olga Dolgina,edited by Tatiana Pavlova; availablefrom me or Friends House Moscow)(Above: Fit for Freedom, Not forFriendship: Quakers, African Americans,and the Myth of Racial Justice, availablefrom quakerbooks.org)On the Quaker Classics online reading group, we've reached the chapter on the "Blessed Community" in Thomas Kelly's A

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-39267166323054697482009-09-17T14:20:00.009+04:002009-09-18T00:08:04.792+04:00

City Day in ElektrostalNew Humanitarian Institute's CityDay parade contingent gathersInstitute co-founder Sergei KazantsevParade units form up on Soviet StreetUnited Russia's activists parade pastthe reviewing standPart of the United Russia paradecontingentHoliday souvenir stands lined LeninProspect; Gzhel's stand features aporcelain ChipollinoJudy and I paid ten rubles for this photoopJust

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-62872586380949617212009-09-10T23:27:00.002+04:002009-09-11T12:45:58.546+04:00

Poster in the Moscow Metro quoting Francis Bacon: "Love of themotherland starts within the family." (Source.)This tribute to Elektrostal is a product of the municipal center forpatriotic education (www.egcpv.ru).Although I spent my first years in Norway and Germany, I did most of my growing up in the USA. So my patriotism is American-flavored. In school, we learned American patriotic songs,

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-63961692839266151522009-09-03T14:03:00.009+04:002009-09-07T21:52:59.097+04:00

From electrostal.ru's galleryOne more quick addition to this theme. (See part one, and part two, including comments.)I'm trying to pin down exactly why I'm so uneasy with the tendency among some of us Quaker communicators to be so fascinated by ourselves. Here's what I worry might be going on: We get some kind of unspoken pleasure from being peculiar. And I worry that this gratification will

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-36793885462458166332009-08-28T23:12:00.004+04:002009-08-29T03:32:47.854+04:00

Tonight, thanks to our friend Simon Lemarchand, we finally got to see a Russian cult film that I've heard about for a long time--and best of all, we got to enjoy his English fansubbing.The film is Kin-Dza-Dza!, directed by Georgi Daneliya, and released by Mosfilm in 1986. Two Soviet citizens, Vladimir and Gedevan, encounter a confused alien near a bakery in downtown Moscow. He only needs a bit of

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-72109820706790375602009-08-20T20:10:00.008+04:002009-09-21T13:49:53.284+04:00

Derek Lamson on Tom Fox. . . a continuation of last week's thoughts on publishing Truth. (See here--please read the comments.)Two more points:First: In partial response to what Bill Samuel wrote in his comments, I want to be more explicit about one of my perennial discontents with Quaker publishing: it is so extremely focused on us.Aside from academic stuff, the Christian publications I find most

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-40939348387835412009-08-13T18:37:00.013+04:002009-08-20T22:33:08.339+04:00

Summer in Elektrostalulitsa Mira(Mir Street)Interior of a large cityblock--almost village-likeCorner of Mir and Tevosyan, withInstitute billboardTevosyan Square, with statue ofsteelmaker Ivan Tevosyan, andSchool 13 in backgroundNew decorations in ourcomplex, including theseon the building opposite oursmurals on a utility building... and new play equipmentand flowerbedsWe Quakers have been

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-29143100850822778682009-08-06T11:50:00.000+04:002009-08-06T11:50:00.648+04:00

Last week in our Northwest Yearly Meeting sessions, we were challenged to "go deeper" and we were also asked what our "passion" is.My first thought was--are the "deep" audience and the "passion" audience exactly the same people, or do some respond more directly to one or another of the two words?I've noticed that the word "passion" is very acceptable to some writers, and is on others' lists of

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-71375754325564812892009-07-30T23:27:00.012+04:002009-07-31T20:33:44.416+04:00

Northwest Yearly Meeting sessions came to an end this evening. Also ended: our merciless heat wave that reached 110 degrees F. in Newberg yesterday.Yearly Meeting superintendent Colin Saxton's address on Monday evening was one of the high points for me. Instead of a premature rush for more and better, his hope for us this year is that we will go deeper. Not that we shouldn't aim high, but we need

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-77222442813436917892009-07-23T18:32:00.005+04:002009-07-24T08:01:22.744+04:00

(part one)Vivid memories of my childhood and teenage years as a devoted follower of the U.S. space program came back to me this past week, thanks to observances of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.Those were turbulent years for the world and for our family. Through all the violence and heartbreak (local and global), the astronauts and their colleagues methodically pursued their

Johanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617johanpdx@gmail.com0