Monthly Archives: July 2008

Saudi Interfaith Openness All For Show?

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At an interfaith summit in Spain sponsored by his country, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said, “the world’s religions should not fight, but unite to face common problems,” including crime, drug abuse, racism, and terrorism.  Only one Israeli was invited to the conference, however, and no Palestinians.

The idea may be laudable, but according to NPR’s Morning Edition, critics are saying that the entire conference is “only meant to make Saudi Arabia look good in the West.” While many are hailing the speech as a step toward religious harmony, some believe that the conference should have been held in Saudi Arabia to address the country’s climate of religious oppression.

Do you think there’s value in emphasizing common ground between religions? Or do you agree with Genevive Abdo, who writes that interfaith discussions are simply a distraction from the important and difficult questions surrounding religions and politics?  Discuss it here…

Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

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Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

In considering “extraordinary claims” ( alien visitations, ghosts, Atlantis, gods and so forth), it is necessary to be rigorous in examining assertions about their existence. For the purposes of this discussion, UFOs operated by aliens will do nicely. The principles apply to ALL similar situations.

Hyperpolitics

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How social networking is changing — and will continue to change — the world.

Somewhere in the last few months, half the population of the planet became mobile telephone subscribers. In a decade’s time we’ve gone from half the world having never made a telephone call to half the world owning their own mobile.

Edge 252

Poles say a heartfelt no to Chopin DNA testing

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THE Polish government has refused a request from scientists to DNA test the heart of composer Frederic Chopin to determine how he died.

Like a religious relic, Chopin’s heart rests in a Warsaw church, untouched since it was preserved in alcohol after his death in 1849 at the age of 39. …
Poles say a heartfelt no to Chopin DNA testing – Scotsman.com News

Last Lecture Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies

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Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor whose last lecture became an Internet sensation and bestselling book, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

INSERT DESCRIPTIONDr. Pausch, whose proudest professional achievement was creating a free computer programming tool for children called Alice, was an improbable celebrity. A self-professed nerd, he pushed his students to create virtual reality projects, celebrated the joy of amusement parks and even spent a brief stint as a Disney “Imagineer.’’

Last September, Dr. Pausch unexpectedly stepped on an international stage when he addressed a crowd of about 400 faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon as part of the school’s “Last Lecture” series. In the talks, professors typically talk about issues that matter most to them. Dr. Pausch opened his talk with the news that he had terminal cancer and proceeded to deliver an uplifting, funny talk about his own childhood dreams and how to help his children and others achieve their own goals in life
Last Lecture Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies – Well – Tara Parker-Pope – Health – New York Times Blog

Webcast of Buddhist Retreat

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Konchong Norbu, an American Buddhist monk living in Mongolia, is on retreat in the US this month. He shares the following on his blog, Dreaming Of Danzan Ravjaa

Update: Hey, here’s something cool I just discovered. They’re offering live webcasts of practices and teachings from the retreat! Click here for schedule and broadcast site.

Buddha in Suburbia

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Newtown, CT (USA) — This is what we know: There were more than 60 cars parked on a 10-acre property where four Cambodian Buddhist monks live in Newtown on April 13, the closest Sunday to the start of the Astrological New Year.

That’s all the neighbors knew when they took pictures of the rows of cars and complained to the town’s Land Use Office. It’s all Zoning Enforcement Officer Gary Frenette knew when he issued a cease-and-desist order to the society, telling the monks to stop “religious services” at the site—you have to have special exemption to do that in a residential zone in Newtown.

That’s what we know. This is what’s being debated: Did the Cambodian Buddhists converge there for a worship service, or to socially visit the monks—and is there any difference in the eyes of Newtown?

Buddha in Suburbia