Today my schedule was jam-packed, and it was quite interesting. But there was an overriding sadness because the Blade management notified some workers that they were being laid off.
It really hurts to see good people lose their jobs because of problems beyond their control, and mostly because of poor management decisions through the years. I only know of a few people who were notified but I'll probably find out tomorrow about the rest. I am hoping that the layoffs will be avoided by the company and workers reaching a settlement. At the same time, I'm kind of thinking that maybe the people who are laid off may ultimately land better jobs for better companies than the Blade. At least, that is my hope.
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I started out today interviewing Sister Nancy Murray. She is an Adrian Dominican Sister from Chicago, living in Adrian, Mich., and her name won't mean anything to most people until you hear who her younger brother is: Bill Murray, actor and comedian. Sister Nancy is an actress herself, portraying Saint Catherine of Siena, a 14th century Catholic saint, in a one-woman play that she will present next week at a symposium at Siena Heights College in Adrian. I'm writing about her and the play for Saturday's religion page.
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I also interviewed Devin Hermanson, who put together a catalog of Mother's Day gifts for World Vision... rather than buy mom some perfume, you can make a donation to teach job skills or set up a small business for a woman in a Third World country. Interesting spin on the proverbial materialism of American holidays -- we'll spend $15.7 billion on Mother's Day gifts and cards this year.
I went home and took a break and then headed over to the Congregation B'nai Israel, a Conservative Jewish synagogue in the Toledo suburb of Sylvania, where clergy from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths discussed their religion's views on holy Scripture.
Rabbi Barry Leff, Father Michael Billian, and Imam Farooq Abo-Elzahab gave very good explanations of the origins and beliefs about the Torah, Bible and Qur'an.
Most interesting was the conversations afterward. I finally met Philip Markowicz, whom I have interviewed by phone several times. He is a Holocaust survivor who had been at Auschwitz and is an incredible human being. He's written a book titled "My Three Lives," which refers to his life growing up, his life in WWII, and his life afterward. He still doesn't have a publisher but he has given copies to his children and grandchildren, and that's probably the most important thing for a book like that although I do hope it gets published.
I also talked with Father Billian for the first time since my book was published in October. I was glad to have the opportunity to talk with him, although we discussed the topic at hand -- religious scripture -- and not my book or anything scandalous.
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I'm reading a book by Bishop John Shelby Spong, called "Jesus for the Non-Religious." This is the kind of topic that makes many Christians squirm, or worse. I interviewed Bishop Spong last week but am just now reading the book. To me, it's astonishing that an Episcopal bishop could say that Jesus is the center of his life but that he doesn't believe Jesus was God. The retired bishop said he believes God moved through Jesus and that's what made him so special. But he rejects most of the Bible as either sloppy or slanted reporting --he rejects the virgin birth, the resurrection, and miracles as contrived to fit prevailing Jewish cultural belliefs of the first century.
Bishop Spong sees his book as a breakthrough to liberate Christianity from false traditions and convoluted thinking that has developed through the centuries.
I personally am not convinced, but I will report his point of view and find someone to provide balance and perspective, thoughtfully, without resorting to jargon, knee-jerk reaction or name-calling.
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A sharp-eyed reader emailed me to ask why the "Jesus Guy's" rosary had an upside down cross. I hadn't noticed but upon closer examination, the reader is right. I don't know if the crucifix was just in a bad position or if it was intentional. I doubt very much that James Joseph is a satanist, but I can't explain that cross. I'll have to give him a call soon and ask.
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Busy day tomorrow, too. Lots of writing to do. And tomorrow night I get to see Chris Botti and his band in concert at the Stranahan Theater. I really like this jazz trumpeter and his is one of the few concerts I have been looking forward to seeing. After 10 years of going to 3 or 4 concerts a week, I don't have as much enthusiasm for live music as I should. I'm a bit jaded. It seems jazz and blues still satisfy, however. I've seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Hubert Sumlin, Frank Morgan, and the Murphys Trio in the last few weeks.
And I've been playing more guitar than usual. I put new strings on my magnificent Washburn acoustic guitar and it is a joy to play. Next I have to restring my Strat.
That's enough blogging for now, don't you think?
Peace out...
Sylvania, Ohio, May 9, 2007.