Monthly Archives: April 2007

Obama, His Minister and the Search for Faith – New York Times

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CHICAGO — Members of Trinity United Church of Christ squeezed into a downtown hotel ballroom in early March to celebrate the long service of their pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. One congregant stood out amid the flowers and finery: Senator Barack Obama, there to honor the man who led him from skeptic to self-described Christian.

Twenty years ago at Trinity, Mr. Obama, then a community organizer in poor Chicago neighborhoods, found the African-American community he had sought all his life, along with professional credibility as a community organizer and an education in how to inspire followers. He had sampled various faiths but adopted none until he met Mr. Wright, a dynamic pastor who preached Afrocentric theology, dabbled in radical politics and delivered music-and-profanity-spiked sermons.

Few of those at Mr. Wright’s tribute in March knew of the pressures that Mr. Obama’s presidential run was placing on the relationship between the pastor and his star congregant. Mr. Wright’s assertions of widespread white racism and his scorching remarks about American government have drawn criticism, and prompted the senator to cancel his delivery of the invocation when he formally announced his candidacy in February.

Source: A Candidate, His Minister and the Search for Faith – New York Times

Death Sentences on Mexicans Draw Scrutiny by U.S. Supreme Court

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April 30 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether dozens of Mexicans on death row are entitled to a new hearing because they weren’t notified of their right to seek consular assistance upon their arrest.

The justices today said they will hear arguments from Mexican national Jose Ernesto Medellin, a convicted murderer facing execution in Texas. State courts rejected his bid for a hearing even though President George W. Bush called for reconsideration of the case, along with those of 50 other Mexicans. Bush acted in 2005, a year after the International Court of Justice concluded the inmates’ rights had been violated.

Source: Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Carbon Calculator – Calculate Your Impact on Climate Change – Carbon Footprint Calculator

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Inevitably, in going about our daily lives – commuting, sheltering our families, eating – each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Yet, there are many things each of us – as individuals – can do to reduce emissions. The choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, and what we buy and throw away can help ensure a stable climate for future generations.

Use The Nature Conservancy’s carbon calculator to measure your, or your household’s, climate impact. The calculator will estimate how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases your choices create each year. … Calculate Your Impact on Climate Change – Carbon Footprint Calculator

GORE SLAMS CANADA’S NEW CLIMATE PLAN AS A "FRAUD" — more environmental news

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GORE SLAMS CANADA’S NEW CLIMATE PLAN AS A “FRAUD”

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, April 29, 2007 – Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has created a furor in Canada over the Conservative Government’s new plan to impose mandatory greenhouse gas emissions targets on industry. The plan supercedes Canada’s legally binding commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.

http://www.ens-newswire.com

DOUBLE HULLED TANKERS FOR HEAVY OIL NOW LAW IN EUROPE

STRASBOURG, France, April 28, 2007 (ENS) – European officials Wednesday signed into law a requirement that only double hulled tankers carrying heavy oil can enter European ports. The law was enacted in response to disastrous oil spills from single hulled tankers the Erika in 1999 and the Prestige in 2002.

http://www.ens-newswire.com

EUROPEAN FLOODS LEGISLATION ATTEMPTS TO MANAGE RISKS

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 28, 2007 (ENS) – A law to manage flood risks across Europe is one step closer to being passed after an agreement reached this week between the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers. Climate change is expected to lead to more intense rainfall and to a rise in sea levels. As a consequence, floods risks are likely to increase across Europe.

http://www.ens-newswire.com

INDONESIAN GOVERNORS CURB LOGGING TO REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE

NUSA DUA, Bali, Indonesia, April 27, 2007 (ENS) – The governors of Indonesia’s three most forested provinces have pledged to jointly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from logging and land clearing to reduce the impact of climate change. Tropical rainforests absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global warming.

http://www.ens-newswire.com

 

Feds Fund Elephant, Gorilla, Turtle Conservation

Toxic Algae Bloom Kills Southern California Birds, Animals

Appeals Court Upholds Dolphin-Safe Tuna Labeling Standard

EPA Air Rule Defies Unanimous Supreme Court Decision

New Coal Mine Methane Venting Technology Tested

Wal-Mart Penalized for Stormwater Violations in Puerto Rico

Buddhists at odds over role of martial arts in Shaolin — former allies deeply divided on physical, spiritual aspects of the misunderstood culture

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Stephen Ho dreamed that he’d be the one to introduce to America an authentic version of one of the world’s most misunderstood religions. He would build a San Francisco temple to be a branch of the legendary Shaolin Temple in China, where Zen was born and kung fu emerged as its most fabled expression.

The San Francisco businessman and longtime Buddhist went to China and asked the temple’s abbot for his assent. In December 2004, the abbot sent Shi GuoSong, an experienced yet youthful Shaolin monk, to be a true and rare face of the ancient faith. The culture portrayed by television and movies as exotic violence would be shown in its true form: a message of peace.

Source: The thorny path to enlightenment

What we believe: Spiritual path of Buddhism leads to enlightenment

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With followers on every continent and monasteries throughout the world, Buddhism is ranked as either the fifth or sixth largest religion on earth. The real question, however, may not be where Buddhism should fall on the list, but whether it should be there at all.

 ”It really depends upon how one defines religion,” wrote Dorothy Figen in an essay on the subject for the Web site BuddhistInformation.com. “If it is thought of as a belief in a supreme being to whom one prays for redemption, security, favors or relief from suffering, then, no, Buddhism is not a religion.

Source: What we believe: Spiritual path of Buddhism leads to enlightenment North County Times – North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News – NCTimes.com – Californian.com

Spotlight is now turned on Buddhism – Deccan Herald – Internet Edition

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It is estimated that 15 percent of the four million foreign tourists coming to India annually make it a point to visit the Taj Mahal. The “great monument to love” fetches us nearly 600 million US dollars in foreign exchange.

But if the efforts of the Tourism Department, aided by inputs from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) proves fruitful, then the Holy Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya might provide us with more tourist revenue (estimated at one billion dollars) than the Taj Mahal.

Buddhism founded in North India is not a religion but a system of philosophy and a code of morality. With 6.6 million Buddhists in its manifold, the country abounds in a plethora of monuments and locales associated with Buddhism.

Today, there are over 500 million Buddhists all over the world especially in the Far East and the South-East Asian countries. Though the sects and beliefs within Buddhism are many, they all look upon these sites in North India with great reverence and Lord Buddha himself had exhorted his followers to be, to make the pilgrimage to India, the birth place of Buddhism.

Source: Spotlight is now turned on Buddhism – Deccan Herald – Internet Edition

For $82 a Day, Booking a Cell in a 5-Star Jail – New York Times

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For roughly $75 to $127 a day, these convicts — who are known in the self-pay parlance as ‘clients’ — get a small cell behind a regular door, distance of some amplitude from violent offenders and, in some cases, the right to bring an iPod or computer on which to compose a novel, or perhaps a song.

Many of the overnighters are granted work furlough, enabling them to do most of their time on the job, returning to the jail simply to go to bed (often following a strip search, which granted is not so five-star).

The clients usually share a cell, but otherwise mix little with the ordinary nonpaying inmates, who tend to be people arrested and awaiting arraignment, or federal prisoners on trial or awaiting deportation and simply passing through.

For $82 a Day, Booking a Cell in a 5-Star Jail – New York Times

Rebuilt Iraq Projects Found Crumbling – New York Times

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In a troubling sign for the American-financed rebuilding program in Iraq, inspectors for a federal oversight agency have found that in a sampling of eight projects that the United States had declared successes, seven were no longer operating as designed because of plumbing and electrical failures, lack of proper maintenance, apparent looting and expensive equipment that lay idle.

The United States has previously admitted, sometimes under pressure from federal inspectors, that some of its reconstruction projects have been abandoned, delayed or poorly constructed. But this is the first time inspectors have found that projects officially declared a success — in some cases, as little as six months before the latest inspections — were no longer working properly. …

Rebuilt Iraq Projects Found Crumbling – New York Times

Dalai Lama offers up teachings

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He discussed suffering, not the physical kind that even animals and insects experience, but the mental and emotional afflictions singular to humans.

It’s important to recognize suffering, he said, speaking primarily in Tibetan, with a translator repeating the teachings in English. But suffering can also be vanquished once one learns the true cause behind it – and accepts that it doesn’t really exist.

“Suffering is to be known,” he said, “but there is no suffering to be known.”

For those without a foundation in Buddhism, it could be a slippery concept to grasp – perhaps similar to how non-Christians struggle when first hearing about the Trinity.

“This is sort of like dropping into grad school,” said Swift, an administrative assistant who was raised Catholic and is now learning about Tibetan culture.

It was hard for some Buddhists, too. “It’s very intense, high-level,” said Alison Lin of San Francisco. ………… San Jose Mercury News – Dalai Lama offers up teachings

Beamed up: Star Trek star Scotty goes to final frontier

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THE ashes of James Doohan, better known as Scotty in Star Trek, were blasted into space aboard a private rocket yesterday from a launchpad in the New Mexico desert.

Doohan’s widow, Wende, said her husband was eager to reach the final frontier: “He would be ecstatic. He would be the one pressing the button. He totally was so into space.”

Doohan, who died aged 85, played the chief engineer Montgomery Scott on the Starship Enterprise and was gracious to the end to “trekkies” who besieged him for autographs and appearances.

Captain Kirk never quite said, “Beam me up, Scotty” – the closest he came to it was, “Scotty, beam me up” – but it became one of the most famous phrases in television. …… Beamed up

Study Examines Role Of Religion In HIV Transmission

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(New York City) HIV-positive people who say religion is an important part of their lives are likely to have fewer sexual partners and engage in high-risk sexual behavior less frequently than other people with the virus that causes AIDS, according to a new study issued by the Rand Corporation.

As a result, people with HIV who have stronger religious ties are less likely to spread the virus, according to the study by the nonprofit research organization.

The study measured religiosity by asking people to report how important religion was in their lives; whether they identified with a particular religious group; whether they preferred being with people of the same religion; and how often they attended religious or spiritual services.

David Kanouse, a Rand senior behavioral scientist and principal investigator on the project, said in a statement by group, that the study did not identify what specific component of religiosity made a difference in sexual activity. However, he said said two factors – moral beliefs and membership in a faith community – may be important. .. 365Gay.com

U.S. Hispanics favor fusing politics, religion

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U.S. Hispanics view religious and political life as intertwined, often worship in ethnic congregations and embrace a spirit-filled, charismatic style of Christianity, a new survey says.

 The trends cross Catholic and Protestant lines and signal significant shifts in the U.S. religious landscape, according to the survey released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Hispanic Center.

When it comes to political loyalties, religion trumps ethnicity: Hispanic Catholics, who make up two-thirds of the Hispanic population, are solidly Democratic. But evangelical Hispanics, at 15% of the Hispanic population and rising, favor Republicans, though by a much narrower margin.

The bilingual survey involved 4,600 interviews from August to October last year. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The survey also found 54% of Hispanic Catholics identified themselves as charismatic, compared with about 12% of non-Hispanic Catholics. Though definitions differ, charismatics generally emphasize an intense personal experience with God and believe the Holy Spirit can work through speaking in tongues, healing and prophecy.

A new way to worship

Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, said this brand of Christianity, mostly associated with evangelicals, attracts Catholics who don’t feel a strong connection with God through the traditional mass.

“This is introducing a new way to worship, a new way of being the church,” Lugo said. “You could call it bringing the fiesta spirit into the Catholic Church.” … U.S. Hispanics favor fusing politics, religion