Wars have plagued civilization since the beginning of time and especially in the aftermath of World Wars I and II, the call for nations to disarm, or at least hold their armies at bay, has intensified. The desire to take a peaceful route to the resolution of conflicts is echoed in the will of Alfred Nobel, and in the voices of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, whose Nobel Lectures are presented as highlights this week on Nobelprize.org.
“After carefully considering the facts of this case, along with the
recommendations from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, I believe the
right and just decision is to commute Foster’s sentence from the death
penalty to life imprisonment,” Gov. Perry said. “I am concerned about
Texas law that allows capital murder defendants to be tried
simultaneously, and it is an issue I think the legislature should
examine.” Death Penalty: Death Penalty Blog
Zarathustra or Zarthost is also referred to by the name Zoroaster in western texts. He was believed to have lived during 600 B.C. in Persia, which is the region covered by modern-day Iran and Iraq. Current estimates have revised this date to anywhere between 1500 B.C. and 1000 B.C., or even earlier. This makes Zoroastrianism one of the oldest monotheist world religions. Information About Zoroastrianism
WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2007 (ENS) – Attacks against government observers monitoring commercial fishing fleets doubled in one year, an indication of rising tensions on the high seas, according to agency figures released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER.
Observers on fishing vessels track the catch to manage quotas and report any harm to marine mammals and other marine species.
But even as reported incidents increase, the government agency responsible for the monitoring program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, has stopped keeping track of incidents. NOAA Fishing Observers Suffer More Attacks at Sea
Gee, I wonder why?
Whole Grains Found to Protect Against Diabetes (CME/CE)
BOSTON — Whole grains may help prevent type 2 diabetes, with consistent results across studies, researchers said.
[more]
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Nephrology/Diabetes/dh/6533
Genes Promoting Lung Cancer May Not Normalize When Smoking Stops (CME/CE)
VANCOUVER,
British Columbia — For some genes involved in the development of lung
cancer, smoking may be forever, according to researchers here. [more]
http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/LungCancer/dh/6530
(Washington, D.C.) — Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today
condemned the scheduled August 30 execution of Kenneth Foster,
who was convicted of a murder he did not commit and has consistently
denied knowing would occur. The human rights organization
has mobilized its international membership to urge the Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Rick Perry to grant
clemency.
Foster was sentenced to death in 1997 for the murder of
Michael LaHood under Texas’ controversial “law of parties.”
This law abolishes the distinction between principal actor
and accomplice in a crime and allows both to be held equally
culpable.
“This is a new low for Texas,” said Larry Cox,
executive director of AIUSA. “Texas has the most far-reaching
‘law of parties’ in this country, further marking it as
the death penalty capital of the United States. In essence,
Kenneth Foster has been sentenced to death for leaving his
crystal ball at home. There is no concrete evidence demonstrating
that he could know a murder would be committed. Allowing
his life to be taken is a shocking perversion of the law.”
In the early hours of August 15th, 1996, Mauriceo Brown,
DeWayne Dillard, Julius Steen and Kenneth Foster stopped
outside the house of Michael LaHood. Brown got out of the
car, robbed LaHood, and then shot him. To convict Kenneth
Foster of capital murder under the law of parties, the prosecution
had to prove that there was a conspiracy between him and
Brown to rob LaHood, and that Foster should have anticipated
that murder might have occurred during the robbery. At the
trial Brown testified that there had been no discussion
of robbing LaHood before he got out of the car.
Dillard testified at a state appeal that after the shot
was heard, Foster had appeared surprised and panicked. Steen
signed an affidavit in 2003 stating that, “There was
no agreement that I am aware of for Brown to commit a robbery
at the LaHood residence. I do not believe that Foster and
Brown ever agreed to commit a robbery. I don’t think
that Foster thought that Brown was going to commit a robbery.”
Brown was executed on July 19, 2006. Neither Steen nor
Dillard, the two other accomplices, was prosecuted for LaHood’s
murder. Yet, as the evidence stands today, their and Foster’s
culpability in the crime appears to be the same.
Contact: Wende Gozan at 212/633-4247
or Brian Evans at 202/544-0200 x496
Texans are apparently still living in the Wild West of the 19th Century. Time to catch up, killers.
ZEN Green Tea Liqueur
ZEN Green Tea Liqueur is a unique blend of the finest Japanese green tea leaves, premium herbs and natural flavors. It is also the first super-premium green tea liqueur ever introduced in America. The fresh and original taste of ZEN Green Tea Liqueur, which is primarily derived from the ceremonial Japanese Green Tea, results from the use of the finest ingredients available. The perfection inherent of the final product is the result of time-honored Japanese traditions of quality and craftsmanship combined with a modern sense of elegance and style. ZEN is available in finer bars, lounges and restaurants across the USA. ZEN is stylishly packaged in a tall, elegant 750ml bottles priced at a MSRP of $29.99.
The last of the five Buddhist moral precepts enjoins against the use of intoxicants. On the personal level, abstention from intoxicants helps to maintain sobriety and a sense of responsibility. Socially, it helps to prevent accidents, such as car accidents, that can easily take place under the influence of intoxicating drink or drugs. Many crimes in society are committed under the influence of these harmful substances. The negative effects they have on spiritual practice are too obvious to require any explanation.
I’ve been poking around some atheist sites today. It has been interesting.
Anyone who has read about “Me” knows that I am likely to be one of the last to find fault with apostasy, and let me say at the outset that I do not. What I do find interesting, however, is a seeming need on the part of some folks to beat a dead horse.
Most of the sites I visited — and I will not insult the doubtless well-meaning habitués thereof by naming the sites themselves — are populated by people who seem not to be satisfied with freedom from their god-ridden states but, rather, compelled to restate their theses over and over again while being patted on the back by their peers.
In some cases — Oh, rapture! — a theistic apologist will wander onto the stage and want to debate. Despite the fact that debating logically with a theist amounts to taunting a cripple to throw down his crutches and walk (and is just as pointless) they readily rise to the bait.
Isn’t that Old Time Religion jerking their strings just as it always did? It seems to me that all this amounts to making a 180° turn and charging back down the same old ruts, beating a dying dogma all the while. Why not strike off on a new course and leave the pathology in the dust? I suggest that is the healthier way to go.
When I de-converted
from being a lifelong believer in god, the idea of being alone with my
thoughts troubled me. I’d spent all my life believing that god could
hear all my thoughts, and I could talk to him about anything. Losing my
faith was like losing a friend, albeit a friend who never existed.
I thought a lot about morality. If no one could hear my thoughts or know my intentions, what did that mean? If there was no punishment for my actions save what the Law would execute on me, what was my guide to right or wrong? My Morality Rumination « evanescent
With so many college students going off to school now,we’ve created a special report called “The College Student’sGuide to Identity Theft: What every college student must knowabout identity theft.” Although perhaps the last thing on most college students’minds when they think about college is identity theft, infact, it is a huge problem. We recommend that after you checkit out, you send the link to this guide to the collegestudents in your life.
http://www.scambusters.org/identitytheft/collegestudentsguide.html
Mira Tweti recounts the remarkable life of Zen pioneer Alan Watts, the intellectual virtuoso who taught us to forage along the dharma path, “tasting the berries and greeting the blue jays…”
The Buddha called the workings of karma one of the “four unconjecturables.” We could drive ourselves crazy speculating on how it will play out, he said (Anguttara Nikaya 4.77).
Still, who can resist the urge to try and suss out the exact consequences of their behavior—or other people’s? What have you been dying to know about karma but afraid to ask? Dying to ask but afraid to know?
In 1993 Tricycle created Change Your Mind Day, an afternoon of free meditation instruction,
as a way of introducing the general public to Buddhist thought and
practice. Tricycle decided to hold the teachings out of doors, as in
the time of the Buddha, in the hopes of welcoming people who otherwise
might shy away from the formality of a zendo or gompa. We booked a hill
in Central Park and put up fliers around town.
A few hundred
people showed up for the first Change Your Mind Day, a pleasant mix of
newcomers and seasoned practitioners. Seven Buddhist teachers from
different lineages gave instruction. Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass
performed “Do the Meditation Rock.” Maggie Newman got the crowd up on
their feet to do twenty minutes of tai-ch’i. A lone shakuhachi ended
the day as the sun began to set behind the trees.
Change Your Mind Day has since grown into a worldwide event.
Some gatherings are large, attracting thousands of people, while others
may consist of just a handful sitting together and reading guided
meditations from a variety of Buddhist traditions (see the Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kit).
But whether attended by many or few, the event is always powerful,
connecting thousands of silent sitters around the globe. Please contact
Tricycle for more information.
Mike Rogers was ahead of the curve on the Larry Craig story. Back in 2006 he located a gentleman who had been cruised by the Idaho senator in DC’s Union Station.
Anti-gay closeted pols have provided Mike with fertile ground — witness the exposure of former Virginia U.S. Rep. Ed Schrock (you can hear recordings of Schrock’s calls to a male sex pickup phone line) and California U.S. Rep. David Dreier.
Mike says this about Craig at Proud of Who We Are: Pam’s House Blend …always steamin’!
