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mail me at iphillips@gmail.com
eat my RSS/XML.
see myspace
Blogging di Napoli
I haven't blogged in over a month. I feel sad to neglect a blog that I started over five years ago. Maybe this fall I will begin to write again.At the moment, I'm sitting in my friend Francesco's house in Naples. Since the house is situated on top of a mountain, I can see the catacombs, the Mediterranean Sea, and the volcano on the other side of Naples. It is absolutely beautiful. The temperatures are very hot - almost 38 degrees celcius, but Francesco's house has air conditioning. Since our arrival last night, Fra's mother has cooked twice. Carbonara, Parmagiano, Carpese, and Pepperoni - all delicious.
The last few days I was in Rome where I met up with Francesco and Alessandro, two friends from my university, and before that I was in Munich and Zurich. As I've travelled in Europe for the first time in a year, I'm struck by the life in the streets. American streets mediums of transportation, but the streets of Europe seem to be the life of the cities. Young people congregate in the streets to talk, to eat, to drink, and to live. I miss the life in the streets when I'm back in America.
Manolete
I want to see Manolete, the new film staring Adrien Brodie and Penelope Cruz. The trailer is here. I quite like Tauromachie - the art of bull fighting, even though I've only been to one bull fight. The culture surrounding it - often Gypsy - is amazing. I love the wine, the cheese, the sevillanas, and the way people dance in the streets.I also want this shirt.
Islam in Denver
When I lived in Belleville, Paris, the Muslims living in the apartment next to me were quite religious and I often heard the "Allaabu Akbar" prayers from next door. This wasn't strange, since I had traveled in Islamic countries before. In fact, it seemed normal for Europe and Asia. But I had never lived near many Muslims in the US. Perhaps this was because I lived in a small mountain community, but I think it was fairly normal for the US.Today, only a few years later, Muslims are more and more common in the United States. A few minutes ago, a fully veiled woman walked past my house pushing a stroller. I'm not sure where she was from, but she could have been pulled directly out of the grand bazaar in Istanbul. At first, it didn't even strike me as odd ... But with more reflection, it is a bit shocking. Here in the heart of the US - conservative haven for white Christians - I'm surrounded by Muslims. Here are few experiences I've had since I moved to Denver:
- Ozgun, my former Turkish roommate, was culturally Muslim.
- Many of my class mates are Kuwaiti, Saudi, and Bahraini.
- I frequent several clubs in downtown Denver that are owned by Lebanese and Saudis.
- I eat kebabs, hummus, and other Muslim food at local Muslim owned restaurants regularly.
- On Monday night, I went to a chicha bar where I talked with "Bob" from Tripoli. Though Libya is often regarded as one of the most anti-American states, Bob told me that there is a large Libyan community in Denver. On a side note, he said that all of his university classes in Tripoli were taught from American text books... I found that ironic.
- My recently played music includes Abd al Malik, Cheb Khaled, Killa Hakan, and Neset Ertas - all Muslim artists from Turkey, Algeria, and the Congo.
None of this really seems out of the ordinary ... And I'm living in Denver - smack in the middle of the US. Until now, US interest in Islam and Muslims has been focused on issues in the Middle East: investments in Dubai, the war in Iraq, concern about Iran, Middle Eastern oil prices, etc. Europe on the other hand, is culturally confronted by Islam at home. Mosques, Arabs, Pakistanis, Berbers, and kebabs have been commonplace for years, and the clash of cultural complications are evident. Recent discussion about the film Fitna is one clear example.
I wonder if (or when) the US will have to deal these issues. Will Islamic culture slowly be integrated in American culture, or will there eventually be a clash? Will we have to fight the threat of internally based terrorism (like in Europe)?
Any thoughts?
Labels: culture, denver, the middle east
Latin (United States of) America
“You can build all the walls you want, but this country is going to have a Hispanic majority by 2050. ” - Inspired by the California Department of FinanceFrom Fast Company
Labels: culture
Sin City: Denver
I just read an interesting article in Forbes magazine entitled America's Most Sinful Cities. The article divides sinful cities into the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Denver makes the list twice.
Apparently, Denver is the most lustful city in the United States and the fourth most greedy. The sales of over-the-counter contraceptives and condoms in grocery markets and convenience stores is 189% higher than the average American city. Denver also has one of the highest percentages of ultra rich. According to the article, .69 people per 100,000 people are on Forbes richest 400 - quite high if you think about it.
What the fact that Denver is one of the "most sinful" cities mean to us as citizens? How should Christians react to this? Personally, I think of CT Studd: "Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." Living in Denver doesn't feel like camping out a "yard from hell", but it isn't the Methodist stronghold it once was. I wonder how churches would respond to this article? How are they addressing the issues at hand?
Huckabee, God Politics, and God Tube
Warning: This post was written in my management class ... so coherence is not guaranteed. ;) Thnx.I just read an article in Wired magazine about a recent comment by Huckabee about GodTube and Christians. Here is the quote:
Well, the reason GodTube is an important part of the election process is because this myth that Christians ought to keep to themselves in the church, and never get outside -- that's like saying, let's never let the salt get onto things that are spoiling. Let's never let the light actually show up in a dark places to illuminate the path...
So GodTube is helping to be that bridge to get people from the world of the spiritual into the mission field of politics. [sic]
I agree with Reverend Huckabee's idea. I agree that Christians shouldn't keep the salt in clean places or the light in bright places, but I don't see how his example fits the moral. I'm not familiar with GodTube, but the whole concept bothers me. If Christians shouldn't hide in the Christian places, why should we upload our videos to an (exclusively) Christian website? Even the name GodTube is a cheesy knock-off of better, nonChristian website (YouTube). It reminds me Christian Rock, it's a genre created to imitate the world, but it ends up being redundant and uninnovative.
Though I like some of Huckabee's ideas about health and immigration, it worries me that Americans are considering electing a man who can't even figure out how to practically apply his own values.
On Sunday, I spoke with a pastor about Huckabee. Like many American Evangelicals, the pastor said he wanted one of the Republicans to win the election. I asked him about Huckabee, and he implied that he liked some of his ideas but was a bit concerned about his fiscal policy. When I asked him what he thought about a pastor leading the world's only superpower, he said that it didn't bother him. I'm not sure I agree. Maybe it's a result of spending too much time discussing policy with Europeans, but I'm not sure that having a pastor as president is a wise country.
In the developed world, I notice that people are becoming more critical of fundamentalist religion. According to a recent article in the Economist, religion will play a more important role in the twenty-first century than in the twentieth century. Beneath the title, the heading reads: "Faith will unsettle politics everywhere this century; it will do so least when it is separated from the state". I agree. In the past, when politics and religion have mixed, the results have been biased, bigoted, and sometimes even bloody.
As the world becomes skeptical of religion mixed with politics, electing an ordained minister in the United States is unwise. Many of the United States most important roles involve diplomacy and international relations. Would an ordained president who refers to the political world as a "mission field" have questionable motives in Muslim countries? It seems likely to me. I'm a son of a missionary and have worked as a missionary: I certainly believe in reaching out in mission fields, but the President of United States should not have secondary motives. Why? Because of precedence. If the United States can elect a fundamental pastor, why shouldn't Iran be led by an Imam? Or Afghanistan by the fundamentalist Taliban? Further, the war against terrorism could easily be interpreted as a war against Islam.
Anyway .. I should focus on class again. It's getting interesting. ;)
A Quarter of International Studies
At school, I meet lots of international studies students. The University of Denver is known for its department of international studies, and when I was in high school, I wanted to study some sort of international studies or relations. So sometimes when I meet students studying this, I feel jealous. While I sit through classes about CIO's, CFO's, and business law, they get to learn about international policies and different cultures. Yet this quarter, God gave me amazing friends and an incredible experience.
It started with my roommate. I met Ozgun Zeki Celenk on Facebook. He was still in Turkey, and he had posted something about looking for a roommate in Denver. I responded, and we moved into my house in September. I wasn't quite sure what to expect: he was a long haired Turk who listened to metal and talked a lot about poker. Talking afterwards, he said he had his own fears - I was a white American from a very religious Christian family studying business. Yet over the quarter, we became brothers. He taught me to play poker. I made salsa, and he cooked Turkish sausage. We talked about everything from music to religion, and genocide to marriage. Ozzy was just amazing.
Ozgun had met all of the exchange students at Denver during orientation. Soon he introduced me to them, and our friends included people from all over the world. Since we were the only two students who have a house instead of a dorm, our place became an international lounge. An average night would involve a couple of Italians, several English people, a few French, two or three Turks, a Korean, a German or two, a guy from Luxumbourg, and sometimes a few of my Latino friends. Sometimes twelve or thirteen nationalities would be represented at my house! For example, in the picture above ten nationalities are represented.
Sometimes I find it ironic to meet these white American students learning international studies from white American professors. They seem to be tourists. Though I didn't have classes on international policy or diverse cultures this quarter, I lived in a mélange of cultures and our discussions were in many languages and were always about international issues.
Instead of learning about the issues involving the US Congress and the supposed Armenian genocide from professors, I discussed the issues with a Kurd, two Turks, and an Armenian. Instead of learning studying how difficult it is about to build an European Union - why not discuss it with students from all over the Europe?
In a recent conversation with my good American friend Max, we noted that out of the entire student population at the university, we had stumbled upon the best group of friends. The diversity made our conversations interesting, and we constantly learned new traditions from cultures around the world. Friends - Thanks for hanging out this quarter! :D
Unfortunately, since most of the students were on exchange, they have now gone back to their home countries. Though it's sad to say goodbye, I think that I'll see most of them again. I feel like I have a home in a dozen countries around the world, and good friends scattered around the globe. Thanks guys. You're amazing.
Cuarto de Julio
Happy Belated Fourth of July!
My day was full of parades, funnel cakes, a BBQ at my house, boats, and fireworks. Frisco's celebration is always great, and yesterday was no exception. The parade was too long, but it's always a good chance to catch up with high school friends, people I used to work with, and other people who show up for the party.
Last night they had a band playing at the Frisco Marina before the fireworks. I was on a friend boat, and since I had never heard of the band, I didn't pay too much attention. But when I went back to find a friend, I heard a familiar beat.
The band was apparently a Santana cover band, and they were playing Maná´s Corazón Espinado. I was a bit shocked - since when do Mexican bands get covered on the 4th of July? In my amazement, I ran up to the stage, and started dancing to one of my favourite songs. America is changing, and I like it. :D
(The last time I danced to Corazón Espinado was in Nîmes with BR ... They played it after a bullfight. Vive Guadalajara! jaja...)
The Feria in Nîmes
I wanted to post a quick summary of my time in Nîmes two weeks ago. I went with Beair to Nîmes to celebrate la Feria. Apparently, la Feria is an ancient festival that began hundreds of years ago. Today it revolves around La Corrida, the bullfight which takes place in the Roman arena in the center of the city.
The city of Nîmes was founded during the Roman times, and it's rich history includes the invention of denim. (de Nîmes -> denimes -> denim) It's current population is around 200,000, but during la Feria the population swells to nearly a million people! Since only about 20,000 people attend the actual bullfight, most people come for the festivities surrounding la corrida.
Most of the city streets are closed to motorized traffic, and they are full of people searching for food, wine, and music. Many houses turn into tapa bars and restaurants, inviting people to come into their houses for the party. They call these bodegas. It's very difficult to enter the more trendy bodegas, and you have to be invited to have a chance to get in.
The picture of me above was taken on the wall of the arena at the end of a bullfight, but our actual seats were right above the presidency, where we could see and hear the details of the fight. These were my first bullfights, and I wasn't sure if I would like them. I was afraid of the gore and blood. But after seeing a couple of fights, I'm very impressed. The matador literally dances with the bull, and all the positions and moves are fluid and beautiful. The combination of the movements with the bright colors is exciting, and the contrast between the small man and the massive toro is astounding. I can see why so many artists are attracted to la corrida.
Above is Beair in one of the bodegas. It's call Le Poète, after it's founder who was apparently a poet. It's build in a labyrinth of underground rooms connected by narrow passage ways. The music was almost exclusively flamenco, and most of the people had no trouble dancing la sevillana. To Beair's right is a very influential politician. (Deputée) She was a friend of Beair's father, so we followed her and entered the bodegas with ease.
The streets of the city were packed with people even at three or four in the morning. People danced in the streets! The diversity of music was astounding: one street would play loud house music, and the next would play eighties French music. One bodega we ate at played Maná. :D I danced to Corazon Espinada in the rain ... haha!
I stayed with Beair's family in a villa just outside of Nîmes. I'm pictured above with Séverine, Beair's sister-in-law. As you can see we enjoyed delicious food and wine. Every meal seemed like a three-star feast with four or five courses!
Traveling Beair is great because of his passion for culture, art, and people. He always has a clever story and an interesting fact. We had a great time in Nîmes ... Thanks, Beair. :) I'll never for that weekend. Nos vemos en Mexico.
(Photos by Beair)
Working with the ASF
I just got back from ten days volunteering with the American Students Fund in Baltimore. Above, you can see LJ and Amanda - two people I worked with.
ASF is a character education program that encourages young people to exhibit good character. I worked mostly in a school called Dunbar, in inner city Baltimore. We launched the TSS-13 initiative, which stands for 'Think ... Speak ... Stand for the School's Thirteen Character Traits". The student body has chosen thirteen different core values they want to focus on. After a student assembly, the students began to start each class with a three minute focus on character. They talk about why they feel the trait is important, and how to show character practically.
Above are two students (some what dip-set, no?) presenting respect. They had written a poem/rap about practical respect. My role was largely technical. I worked on video, and filmed the student assembly and some of the student presentations. I also spent a lot of time sprucing up the website.
I stayed with my family in Maryland, so I got to spend a lot of time with my cousins, my grandma, my aunt, and uncle. It was a fun ten days, but I'm glad to be back in Colorado. In the last three weeks, I have slept two nights in my bed ... And I've only been to two classes. Anyway ... I should probably start catching up on homework. ;)
Latino Power
I was looking through the recent Oscar nominations, and I was (pleasantly) surprised to see all the Latinos nominated this year. Spanish is less and less of foreign language in mainstream culture, and in the US, it's becoming more and more the other main language.In English class, my professor said that 'foreign' words are italicized. This rather offended me. What is foreign? Spanish isn't a foreign language in the US, and since half the babies born today, it may well be the first language of the half the student population in twenty year.
The fact that Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, Adriana Barraza and Guillermo Arriaga (all Mexican) were nominated for main awards shows that in the arts, Latino culture is gaining influence. Plus there's Almodóvar and Penelope Cruz (Spanish) who also have a film that received a nomination.
Last year, I started to notice how important Latino arts in the world. Gasolina was played at every party in Paris, and everyone seemed to have mastered reggaeton grinding. La Camisa Negra was constantly on the radio, and every girl wearing a black shirt loved to dance to the song. ;)
Here in the US, a girl from Chihuahua recently told me that in the middle school 'Ahora a los gringos le gusta RBD'. Even preppy Mexican pop music is gaining popularity.
Anyway ... Just a muse on Latino culture.
Quote of the Day
I was surfing myspace, and found the blog of Travis Randall, a guy I met in Azerbiajan a long time ago.quote of the day from Travis Randall ...
On Americans:
a people who spend the whole week shopping but don’t care how they dress.
A Lonely Generation
After celebration yesterday, we went to eat pizza at Old Chicago for Becka's birthday. I was the first person to arrive. Though I don't frequent the restaurant, I do know several people employed there. I said hi to Lexy, the hostess, and then I wandered over the bar where I talked to the bartender, Lance, for a few minutes. I spotted a couple of police who I've translated for before at a table across the restaurant, so I went over and exchanged jokes with them a few minutes ...This is the advantage of living in a small mountain community: wherever you go, you run into people you know. Amazingly, as I wrote about in my last post, this doesn't just happen in on a local level, but I even run into people on a global level. I tend to meet a lot of people, and so I may have an advantage over some people ... but I seem to be acquainted with a lot of people. I have two hundred phone numbers in my phone and over two hundred fifty contacts on my msn ... Yet despite all the text messages, im, and acquaintances, I still feel lonely a lot.
Loneliness. Last night at housechurch we talked about Psalm 26:
Turn to me and be gracious to me,Someone said that we are probably the loneliest generation in history. Though it would be hard to prove, I believe it. It's odd to think that with almost seven billion people alive, we are a lonely generation. Urbanization and globalization have connected us with billions of individuals ... But we're lonely.
For I am lonely and afflicted.
I have a theory that the easier technology makes communication, the harder it is to build intimacy. I have gmail, AIM, msn, italk, myspace, a blog, a thousand text messages monthly, and two mobile phone numbers ... But I still feel alone. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to live in a small village in the American West a century ago. I would have a few neighbours, and maybe a small town within an hour's ride by horse. Though I wouldn't have friends and acquaintances around the world, maybe I would have a few deep friendships and know a people at a really deep level.
I don't mean to complain. The grass is always greener on the other side ... But I think that our generation is lonely. We hide it well with masks of 'friends' and through messages sent thru every medium ... But we're still lonely. Turn to us, and be gracious, God.
World Connections
My hostess sat me a two-top tonight, and told me that they were Spanish speaking. I went up to the table to explain the menu and to get a drink order, and they said that they were from Mexico. We chatted a bit, and they were a bit surprised that I spoke Spanish. As I opened their bottle of wine, they mentioned that they were from Puebla, a city south-east of Mexico City.
After dinner, I discovered that they were neighbors of my good friend Edurne! Edurne and I met in Paris last spring, and hung out a lot the last few months we were in Paris. How odd is it that I meet the neighbors of my friend from Mexico, who I met in Paris, in Frisco, Colorado?
:D
I love it.
Labels: culture
Ancient Churches
I haven't written for a few days. Between the overload of homework and the underload of interest in my life, there's been good reason for the lack of blogging.I've been reading the journal of William Dalrymple from the mid-nineties. As he travels the Middle-East he writes about his encounters with the ancient, dying Christian civilizations. The journal is called From the Holy Mountain, and I've found it interesting. I read another personal account of living in the Middle East this summer called From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman. Darymple takes the religious perspective of a pilgrim. His writing reflects the fact he is a historian. Friedman, an acclaimed journalist, takes a more political approach. Though they are different, both books are fascinating.
I'd love to spend a few years traveling a region like the Middle East. I would learn Arabic, and try to speak with the diverse groups of people that live there. The region is inhabited by luxocrats and aristocrats, but also by many people who still live in undeveloped poverty. The contrast, the classes, the cultures, and the many religions fill the region with mystery.
Dalrymple's book is relevant to the current situation in Lebanon. The Maronites, one of the largest 'Christian' communities in existence, is exiting Lebanon as I type. By the time my children visit the Middle East, will their history be erased along with the Coptics and the Syrian Orthodox? Will there only be a few remnant villages in the mountains in what was once a Maronite state?
Labels: culture, muse, the middle east
French Jetset in the 1830's and Mexican Mariachi Classics
It's 0h01, and I still have to write two papers and read a play by Shakespeare before 8h00 when I have class in Brokenridge. I'm listening to Mujeres Divinas and Amor Eterno by Vicente Fernández. As I listen to my Mexican mariachi music, I'm writing a paper in French about Honoré de Balzac's Père Goriot - an story about Parisian high society in the 1830's.It stuck me as an odd combination ...
Hipsters...
As I'm sure all Americans have noticed, the hipster years are here. Even in Summit County, the hipsters are starting to take over the coffee shops and the comfortable couches. The hipsters and hipster values and hipster fashion (or the lack of) and hipster hangouts and hipster art. They're (wrongly) called the new bohemians, and they're in your neighbourhood too. It's all so wrong and frustrating.Here's what I mean:
- Frugal? They're almost always from rich American suburbia, but hipsters act like they have no money. They shop at thrift stores to save money and drive around beater cars. But they're from rich communities in the richest nation of the world. Frugal? Maybe so ... but why do rich people act frugal? If you have money, spend it, and pass it on to the rest of us.
- Artsy? The arts are always very important to hipsters. They love to discuss film, music, théâtre, and the beaux-arts. Yet for all there artistic snobbery, they rarely know good art, and are not well educated in it.
- Indie? AAaa.. the cornerstone of all hipstistic values: indie. Personally, I enjoy some indie music and indie art. I'm listening to Duchess Says, an indie group from Quebec. But the problem with taking indie as a value, is that it's inconsistent. People boast that they listen to only indie music, but as soon as an indie band is well known enough (and good enough) to start selling music, they're not longer indie. In rejecting pop(ular) music, hipsters refuse to acknowledge that the rest of the world has good tastes too.
- Fashion? Fashion always comes up when you talk about hipsters, doesn't it? Yet, you'll never see a hipster at a Charles Anastase or Elie Saab show... They're fashion is always anti-pop and retro. That's fine, but I wish they'd show a little bit of creativity and come up with something original.
- Political? Hipsters all seem to fairly liberal thinkers. Or at least think of themselves as so. Yet they rarely seem to take action on anything, and their view points are never concrete.
Hipsters... Previous generations rejected their parents generations, but the hipsters reject their own. They criticize everything popular, rejecting what other people like simply to be 'indie' and retro.
But the tide is turning against these hipsters. This fall there are two movies about queens. Marie Antoinette and Queen are both getting rave reviews - despite their obviously anti-hipster content. Even Americans are starting to wear glamourously large Prada glasses, and soon the hipster values will be out. Out with the hipsters, the luxocrats are here to stay.
It's interesting to note that the French refer to people as bourgeois-bohème or BoBo. This refers to the new rich, which is more bohemian. I wonder if a similar group will emerge in the US.
Labels: culture
Moving to the Country
Check out this video by Fasty Freddi Felson. (I love the alliteration!) I found a link to it on Marc's blog. I met Marc last year. He's very solid, and seems to have a very prophetic ear. He's an amazing networker - he knows everyone. He's also in-tune to what God is doing and very tall. I rarely meet people who make me feel small: Marc is one of the few.Anyway, the video is about moving to the country to start monasteries. The video shows the Ramsdorf monastery called Convers. Markus - a fellow 24-7er - is the leader or ... err ... abbot. He's really cool, tho I do miss his long hair. Markus seems to be a very dynamic leader, but at the same time a deep thinker. He's cool.
Back to the point: I too have noticed the trend Marc writes about. Many young Christians are moving to the country to live out community. But I have a concern. The global culture is very urban. Urbanization is nothing new, but it's continuing at rapid rates - especially among younger populations. Should the church be moving away from the people? As follewers of Jesus, hould our migration movements counter the worldly ones?
I do see the reasons for this move the country. IF is sometimes said to be monastic, and we're certainly not in an urban context. One of the reasons we can experience such a high level of community is because we live in a small town and can easily and often be together. An urban lifestyle is busy and often stressful. There is a lot of distraction. In Paris they say, 'C'est speed'. Friends often live on opposite sides of the city, work long hours, and go out a couple of nights a week. This naturally leads to more of a meeting based, weekly schedule. A rural lifestyle where people live together (or close to one another) facilitates organic community.
But I think that we need dynamic, organic community in the cities too. Why is it so hard? How come there are so few examples of deep community in urban community?
