English
This is so funny...I just took a test on what kind of American English I speak. Technically speaking, I speak a hybrid form of Enligh that has its roots in both British and American English, and I found the results to be quite amusing. Here's it:
Your Linguistic Profile:
50% General American English
40% Yankee
5% Dixie
5% Upper Midwestern
0% Midwestern
http://www.blogthings.com/amenglishdialecttest/
Mississippi Burning
I have followed this case for a while: the infamous murder of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Mississippi by local Klansmen including a sheriff deputy and a Baptist minister (!), in a fateful morning in 1964.
At first, the local authorities as well as their powerful patrons in Washington D.C., including Senator James "Big Jim" O. Eastland (D-MS), a most notorious segregationist and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, tried to cover this up. Senator Eastland personally called President Lyndon B. Johnson telling him that "them three kids" who disappeared that summer probably were sipping soda-pop somewhere in Chicago, laughing their ass off when the whole Nation has been rallying after their cause: namely, the right to vote for citizens of African ancestry.
But of course people knew that this was a big pack of lies. FBI stepped in, and J. Edgar Hoover sent more than a hundred agents down to Mississippi, where they finally found the body of the victims. Arrests were made, and the case was tried in a U.S. District Court, in a trial presided over by an avowed segregationist judge, the "Hon" William Cox (U.S. v. Cecil Price, et al)
At first the District Judge, being a good white supremacist himself who belived that the black witnesses to this case were "a bunch of chimpanzees," tried to throw the case out, until politicians from the North, like Senators Everett Dirksen (R-IL), Jacob Javits (R-NY) and Congressman Peter Rodino (D-NJ) tried to have him tried and impeached in the Senate. The U.S. Supreme Court also stepped in to reinstate the indictments. The 19 conspirators was finally charged for violating the civil rights of the 3 victims.
After a fairly lengthy trial, seven of the accused were convicted, nine acquitted and three received hung-verdicts. The convicted were sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison. The "Hon" Judge Cox remarked "They killed one nigger, one Jew, and a white man. I gave them all what I thought they deserved."
The interesting thing is the mastermind behind all these, the Baptist minister, was never convicted, because a woman in the jury claimed that she could never convict a preacher (!)
But don't worry, the State of Mississippi is reopening this case this year, and the 81 year old minister is on trial again. Jim Hood, the Attorney General of Mississippi, will personally persecute him in Court. Yes, yes, we are not satisfied, and "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." (Martin Luther King Jr., citing the Prophet Amos)
Here's the link to a press interview given by the Mississippi AG:
http://www.ago.state.ms.us/news/index.php?use=jan10-2005
Visitations
This past weekend has been a very Friendly one. On Seventh Day I went to my friend Martin Kelley's house in Hammonton, New Jersey. Several young Friends from New England, New York and Pennsylvania had decided, under the promptings of Amanda of New York (http://ofthebest.blogspot.com), to gather together in Martin's place in worship sharing. To me the conversations generated much light.
Most of these folks are bloggers. There are Amanda, who maintains the blog "Of the Best Stuff, but Plain," Rob, of "Consider the Lilies" (http://consider-the-lilies.blogspot.com), Jeff, who doesn't run a blog but who contributes extensively to many of these weblogs; Ryan, of "Snorkeling in the Ocean of Light" (http://snorkelinglight.blogspot.com); and Christina, who works at the American Friends Service Committee and William Penn Charter School.
The focus of our conversation focuses on the reinvigoration of the liberal East-Coast branch of the Society of Friends. We chatted about everything from the informal education early Friends received from each other to how necessary it is for Friends to be gunuinely friends with each other as well.
On the next day (which was a First Day), I went to visit Friends in Lancaster. This time we worshipped in the Downingtown Friends Meetinghouse, which is a historic structure. After worship, we shared a fellowship meal in the adjacent mess-hall. The purposeful silence/stillness during the meeting of worship was very refreshing and it relieved me of all outward tensions. I spoke a few words on detachment and charity. I am still perplexed by how difficult it is for us to love one another. It is such a demanding exercise! "For love is as strong as death; Passion cruel as the grave;" (Song of Songs 8:6)
Philadelphia Orchestra concert
I just went to a Philadelphia Orchestra concert with my friend Jim Snyder the urologist. It was an absolutely amazing feast for the ears, the senses and the soul. To quite a few of the musicians, all of whom have been a part of the Philly Orchestra family for more than 30-40 years, tonight was their last public performance, as they will retire immediately after this season. I have never seen such an occasion, where the Orchestra received standing ovation from the entire audience.
The piece they played include an English Horn concerto by a contemporary composer who was present in the audience (!) as well as Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. Neither my friend Jim nor myself (despite being amateur musicians ourselves) actually knew what an English Horn is, and it was after a brief introduction by the soloist that we realized that an English Horn is "neither English nor is it a 'horn.'" It is instead an Oboe/Clarinet-ish woodwind instrument, sometimes used interchangeably with the Oboe (back in older days, the Oboeist would basically pick up the English Horn in an orchestral performance and play a passage whenever it is needed.)
Can you believe that?
College is finally over!!!!!!!!!!!! I just had my last final today. It was a statistics exam on probability theory. Geez...I can't believe this...it's finally over. Everything is over now!
Also, I got an internship offer from Dr. Rogers Smith, one of the most prominent political scientists of his generation, as well as chairman of Penn's political science department. I think I will be working on some statistical analysis about the performances of teachers institute programs in New Haven and over the nation. So I'll be in Philly during July and August.
