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Official Organ of an American Muslim in Malaysia

Ailanthus Spotting – Detroit

26 November 2007 3 Comments

Professional photographer Marcus Manley proves once again that you can’t photograph urban decay in Detroit without showcasing our favorite tree, Ailanthus altissima, in this lovely b&w winter shot: As the buildings tumble down, the trees grow up.

[Now that I'm out of the temperate zone, my opportunities for photographing Ailanthus have vanished. Fan of the tree? Send to me your thoughts, clippings and pictures of Ailanthus, the Ghetto Palm, the Tree of Heaven, and I will feature them at ghettopalm.bingregory.com.]

3 Comments »

UmmFarouq said:

Just wanted you to know I was sad your name was absent from the SouthEast Asia blog category w/ Brass Crescent.

Not that you weren’t nominated!

Take care.

# 3 December 2007 at 10:12 pm

Bin Gregory (author) said:

Thanks, sister, I appreciate that. Just goes to show you how huge the islamic blogging world is. I’d never heard of half of the nominated blogs, but there are some very good ones. Also, I was happy to see the one Malaysian candidate, The Other Malaysia, which is a terrific website that I read constantly. I would have nominated it myself if I had considered it a blog. Any Bin Gregory consolation votes can be directed there.

# 6 December 2007 at 10:04 am

Irving said:

Happy New Year to you and your family

May Allah bless you with health, happiness, joy, and ever increasing love and wisdom. Ameen.

Ya Haqq!

# 1 January 2008 at 6:55 am

Leave your response!

Agripleasure # -
An article about Three Roods Farm by Garrison Benson.

When Dr. Greg uses the verb "observe" (which is often), he means a willful action, not a passively received effect. Once, for instance, we delivered a cartload of dead leaves to the adolescent chickens, to "stimulate their instincts," and Dr. Greg suggested that we observe them. We sat in silence for ten minutes (that’s a third of a TV show, for most of us) watching the chickens stand still and nervously eye the leaves. "Well," he said eventually, "We can come back later."
Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can't be Jammed # -
Interesting critique of consumerism, counter-culture and the culture-jamming movement:

So here we have the paradox of anti-consumerism. The major remedy of the consumer society which has been adopted almost without question by the Left and by the radicals more generally has been one of the most powerful forces driving consumer capitalism. The Adbusters sneaker is just the latest and most extraordinary example. This is also why counter-cultural rebellion is not a threat to the system, but rather has become the system.[Update: link fixed]

[Via]

Vaguely related in ways I can't fully articulate to themes in Yursil's ongoing series on Suburban Capitalist Islam.
Brass Crescent Awards # -
Eid Mubarak, Selamat Hari Raya Korban! The 6th Annual Brass Crescent Awards have been announced. Congratulations to all the winners. If you haven't subscribed yet to Islam in China, Muslimah Media Watch and Seekers Guidance, you ought to do it right now. I'm very happy to be mentioned along with Folio, Al-Miskeenah, and the Manrilla, honorable people all. Keep your eyes on TalkIslam and AltMuslim to take part in the contest next time. Thanks to everybody who voted.