Potluck » People

Virtual choir, real music

Ron Dauphin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:30:46 +0000

The internet can bring people together in very interesting ways. This virtual gathering of choir geeks is the result of auditions through webcams for music selected and conducted on video. Those selected recorded their parts following the direction of the video-conductor and a very minimalist piano part. There wasn’t much to work with at all, yet the finished product is delicate and somewhat haunting.

Background here.

[via Daily Dish]

New on the Blogroll: Walking with God

Ron Dauphin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:59:41 +0000

On the right side of this blog page is a list of other blogs that I follow and recommend. My friend Bill Mills has started a blog that is sure to be an interesting read. He’s an Eastern Orthodox priest, author of several books (including one coming out next spring), and a wanna-be archeologist. His blog is called Walking with God, a title which reflects his expertise in Christian spirituality.

Bill became a good friend during my spring journey to the Holy Land. I joined a small group of travelers from our Holy Land pilgrimage who went with Bill to visit the Bet She’an National Park, an ancient Roman and Egyptian city. Bill’s enthusiasm for history greatly added to my experience there.

Check out his blogposts through the link provided here.

Walking with God (williamcmills.blogspot.com)

After the trailers, where?

Ron Dauphin — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:33:06 +0000

A boy stands in the FEMA Diamond travel trailer park May 23, 2008 in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. FEMA federal trailer parks that house many Hurricane Katrina victims are set to close May 31, prompting fears that people will be forced into residences they can’t afford or will be left homeless. Most residents will receive a federal subsidy to move to apartments, but affordable rental housing is scarce in some areas like New Orleans and Baton Rouge. By Mario Tama/Getty Images.

[via The Daily Dish]

The R Word

Ron Dauphin — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:50:51 +0000

It’s a horrible word and a horrific act. Rape is violence, without a doubt, and yet it is confusing to those of us who have never had to deal with it or its after effects. Confusing because the violence is sexual in nature and, in my mind anyway, violence and sex are polar opposites.

To my knowledge no one close to me has ever experienced such violence. But clearly a large percentage of rapes are never officially reported or prosecuted, so I’m sure that a large percentage are never told. Survivors who speak of their experiences do so with great courage and emotional strength. There are issues of “fault” and “blame” and “shame” that quell the telling. There are men who are abused as well as women. There are family members who perpetrate crimes on family members. Such things are hard to speak of.

Sunday’s Plain Dealer had a special section (now online) which detailed the rape of a Cleveland woman–a reporter, in fact, who tells her own story. I saw the section in the Sunday paper and set it aside to read later, but not really sure if I’d get around to it or not.

On Tuesday I picked it up. Author/survivor Joanna Connors walked me through the thoughts, the fears, and the pain of her own experience while exploring the life of her attacker as well. The writing is compelling. The sharing is an outpouring of the trauma and fears and hopes of this gifted writer and survivor. The photos helped share the story too, in a way that aided the story without being too graphic in themselves. It’s a story I would commend to your reading.

That night, I went to the first rehearsal for “Sing Out! For the Rape Crisis Center”. It’s a fundraising event, a concert of Cleveland area leaders who form a choir for one sell-out performance. I’m in it because a church member invited me, and I thought “eh…why not?” But, having read the first hand story of brutality and survivorship, I now think of it as a very good way to make a difference.

It felt good to use my voice to offer songs of hope on behalf of those who may feel little hope. The concert will raise a lot of money for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center which uses the funds to provide free care and counseling to those in need. Fourteen thousand persons were served last year; two thousand more than the year before. There’s a lot of pain out there, and it is pain that lasts for a lifetime. Somebody’s got to give voice to hope. I’m glad I can help in a small way.

The singer across the pew from me was Joanna Connors, using her own voice in new ways to offer hope for others.

[photo via Cleveland.com]

About the banner

Ron Dauphin — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:35:45 +0000

I was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers and the amount of food collected at Olmsted Falls’ annual “Turkey Hunt” food collection for the needy. Tables were piled with canned and boxed foods that will go to needy families in time for Thanksgiving. It was a well organized and inspiring kind of event, both ecumenical and intergenerational, and I couldn’t resist snapping photos. The banner is cropped from a larger picture, below, that shows people in action. For more photos of Turkey Hunt 2007, click here.

Their faces tell the story

Ron Dauphin — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 03:01:27 +0000

Vacation Bible School had a great lift-off today. Can you tell that the kids were enjoying themselves, even while they were learning about scripture and prayer?

More photos, click HERE.

Can you spot the fake?

Ron Dauphin — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:34:23 +0000

BBC has posted a self-test to determine if you can tell a fake smile from a real one. Some people pride themselves on being able to read others. I got 16 out of 20 correct, but I guessed on a few. Try it yourself here.

The happy (and real) smiler above? My daughter Katie.

[via The Daily Dish]