Sinister: Wow! Obama's related to a Rabbi!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Wow! Obama's related to a Rabbi!

Wow!

Barack Obama's cousin (once removed) is the Rabbi of a predominantly black synagogue on Chicago's southwest side. Who knew?

This is a fascinating examination of his cousin's congregation.

Why So Sinister?

Why sinister? Well, it started as a kind of private joke - I'm left-handed, and being left-handed makes one sinister. Dexter is right, sinister is left. Ambidextrous means you're able to write well with both hands. Ambisinister means you can't write well with either hand. Hey, that's not fair. Tarring us sinister folks with handwriting incompetence? Also, "bend sinister" is a thing in heraldry that denotes bastardry. Again...hey. So I'm taking back the word sinister. What I offer as a writer is a unique perspective guided by a brain that might see the world differently than you do. A sinister mind is a creative mind - a mind that can see beyond the conventional and warp it slightly to make it a little weirder - and therefore, maybe give it a little more oomph.