failure and success, empathy and imagination

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

humans and animals

Sita Sings the Blues

You should watch it and that is all that I will say.  Streaming video here or download it here.

I’ve been doing these for awhile, but I should probably explain the “interfaith dialogue” series a bit.  Basically they are short videos with an interesting combination of incongruous parts, sometimes humorous, sometimes not.  An excellent interfaith dialogue is something that combines two very different cultures or ideas so well that we learn more about both.

This video is one of my favorites, a Charlie Chaplin film clip from 1940 that nevertheless is absolutely perfect for youtube.

The first incongruous combination is obvious — making Hitler climb the drapes and prance around the room with a balloon is easy comedy, though certainly much easier now than in 1940.

But what elevates it is Chaplin’s almost supernatural grace. Especially see the moment at 2:09 when he jumps onto the table.  He seems to float without effort and land without a sound, mirroring the fluid motion of the balloon, which becomes the only dance partner that could ever do him justice.  It’s this combination of the sublime and the ridiculous that makes the clip so magical.

Freestyle Rap Battle Translated

Watch the whole thing for the surprise ending.

It’s best to wrap your savior up in cellophane.

Tags: interfaith dialogue, tom waits