text:
1st Supreme Court Gun-Rights Battle In 10 Years May Transform Legal Landscape
By Nina Totenberg • Dec 2, 2019
Susan Walsh / AP
Originally published on December 2, 2019 3:33 pm
Guns: when and how to regulate them. It's one of the biggest issues across the country. But the U.S. Supreme Court has rarely weighed in on the issue. In modern times, it has ruled decisively just twice. Now it's on the brink of doing so again.
With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, there now are five conservative justices who may be willing to shut down many attempts at regulation, just as the NRA's lock on state legislatures may be waning.
For the past decade, the court has been wary of gun cases. In 2008 the court ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is an individual right. Two years later, the court said that right applied to state laws, not just federal laws regulating gun ownership and use. Since then, however, there has been radio silence as the justices have turned away challenges, one after another, to gun laws across the country. Until now.
On Monday the court hears arguments in a case from New York, a city and a state with some of the toughest gun regulations in the country. Several gun owners and the NRA's New York affiliate challenged the rules for having a handgun at home. They contended the city gun license was so restrictive it was unconstitutional.
Specifically, they said the state law and city regulations violated the right to bear arms because they forbid handgun owners from carrying their pistols anywhere other than seven firing ranges within the city limits. That meant that pistol owners could not carry their guns to a second home, or to shooting ranges or competitions in other states nearby. The lower courts upheld the regulations as justified to protect safety in the most densely populated city in the country.
But when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the gun owners' appeal, the state and the city changed the law to allow handgun owners to transport their locked and unloaded guns to second homes or shooting ranges outside the city.
"Won't say 'yes' for an answer"
With those changes, the first question Monday will be whether the case is moot and should be thrown out because New York has already given the gun owners everything they asked for in their lawsuit.
"This is an instance where it appears the petitioners won't say 'yes' for an answer," says James Johnson, counsel for the city of New York.
But former Solicitor General Paul Clement, who represents the gun owners, counters that the amended regulations still give the city too much power to regulate.
"The city of New York never expressed any doubt about the constitutionality of these regulations when they were winning in the district court and the court of appeals," argues Clement. "And then lo and behold, all of a sudden the city decides you know maybe we don't need these regulations after all."
And, he observes, the city is still defending the original regulations.
The city is indeed doing that because the justices refused in October to throw the case out on mootness grounds, opting instead to hear the mootness arguments today, along with the direct challenge to the regulations themselves.
Defending nonexistent laws
That does put the city in a weird position. The city is forced to defend regulations that are no longer in place, and that it claims it has no intention of reviving.
"It's our position that by justifiably restricting the ability to carry firearms broadly on the streets of New York, it contributes to making the city safe," says Johnson.
And there's the rub. What did the Supreme Court mean in its 2008 decision when it said that the right to bear arms is an individual right? Back then, Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the five justice court majority, framed the right most explicitly as the right to own a gun for self-defense in one's home.
Moreover, the opinion contained a paragraph of specific qualifiers that, according to court sources, were added to Scalia's opinion at the insistence of Justice Kennedy, who provided the fifth vote needed to prevail in the case. The court said, for instance, that its opinion "cast no doubt on" longstanding bans on "carrying firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or bans on dangerous and unusual weapons."
"It will make a difference that Justice Kavanaugh is on the court."
But Kennedy — who insisted on that limiting language — has now retired, replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And Kavanaugh, as a lower court judge, wrote in favor of expansive gun rights.
"I do think it will make a difference that Justice Kavanaugh is on the court," says the gun owners' Clement.
He notes that not only does Kavanaugh have a record sympathetic to broad gun rights, but that the new justice was constrained by the court's precedents when he sat on the lower court.
"Now he can interpret the Constitution in a different way in his new perch," says Clement. "He's somebody who I would think is going to be receptive to arguments that the Second Amendment fully protects an individual right and is not strictly limited to the home."
Manhattan: 1.6 million residents in 23 square miles
New York argues that the history of gun ownership dating back to Colonial times shows that in this densely populated city, the law forbids the discharge of firearms on "any street, lane, alley, garden or other places where people frequently walk." And by 1784 the state regulated the storage and transport of gun powder, too.
Today, as the city observes in its briefs, the city is far and away the most densely populated city in the country, with 27,000 residents per square mile. Manhattan alone packs around 1.6 million residents into 23 square miles, and that population doubles every weekday with commuters. These people, plus tens of thousands of tourists, move through through the city's crowded streets, traveling "to, near and around a staggering concentration of sensitive places such as schools, daycare centers, government buildings, playgrounds and places of worship" — all places that the Supreme Court seemed to say in 2008 are legitimate places to ban guns.
Countering that argument, lawyer Clement maintains that the Founding Fathers never intended the right to own a gun to be limited to the home. At the very minimum, he notes, our Founders allowed gun owners to carry their firearms from one place to another.
Libraries are not lethal
Like any good advocate, Clement is offering the justices alternative routes to a gun-friendly ruling.
"They could say the Second Amendment is not limited strictly to the home and therefore this regulation has to go," says Clement. Even that, he would see as a major victory.
The alternative and broader ruling, he says, would treat the right to own a gun in the same way that limits on free speech are treated. With considerable suspicion.
"I don't think anybody would think that if the city of New York said, you know we have seven perfectly nice libraries in the city of New York and there's really no reason for any of you to go to libraries in New Jersey," posits Clement. "Everybody would recognize that that's clearly a First Amendment problem."
Johnson, the city's lawyer, dismisses that analogy, noting that libraries have no "lethality."
"It kind of falls on me"
And that's something at least one of the individual plaintiffs on the gun-rights side thinks. Retired NYC bus driver Efrain Alvarez is one of the three individuals joining the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association to challenge this law.
"If a bad apple grabs a gun and he does something stupid, it kind of falls on me because I'm part of what's going on," Alvarez said in an interview with Reuters. In that same interview, he said he admires the NRA but sometimes disagrees with its policies.
Alvarez has had his handgun license suspended twice in the past decade. Most recently the city confiscated 45 firearms, including five handguns, from a steel vault in his back bedroom. But he likely will get them back, as he says he has accepted a plea deal from the Bronx district attorney that would drop the most recent charge against him if he is not arrested for six months.
None of this is actually related to the current Supreme Court case. The 64-year-old bus driver is a gun enthusiast and hunter who told Reuters that he joined the lawsuit because he thought it was ridiculous that he could own a handgun but not be able to travel with it to compete.
Lawyers for Alvarez and the lawyers on the other side know that if the Supreme Court rules on the merits of the now-defunct regulations, it will be a very big deal for one simple reason: It will be only the third decision on gun rights in modern times, and it will inevitably lay down some new guidelines for lower courts to follow when gun regulations are challenged.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
When and how to regulate guns is one of the biggest issues across this country, but the Supreme Court has rarely weighed in. In 2008, it ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is an individual right. Two years later, the court said that right applied to state laws, not just federal laws regulating gun ownership and use. Since then, however, there has been radio silence as the justices have turned away one after another challenge to gun laws across the country, until now, as NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports.
NINA TOTENBERG, BYLINE: The case before the court today comes from New York, a city and state with some of the toughest gun regulations in the country. Several gun owners challenged the rules for having a handgun at home. They contended the city gun license was so restrictive, it was unconstitutional. Specifically, they said the state law and city regulations violated the right to bear arms because they forbid pistol owners from carrying their guns anywhere other than seven firing ranges within the city limits. That meant that pistol owners could not carry their guns to a second home or to shooting ranges or competitions in other states nearby. The lower courts upheld the regulations as justified to protect safety in the most densely populated city in the country.
But when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the gun owners' appeal, the state and the city changed the law to allow handgun owners to transport their locked and unloaded guns to second homes or shooting ranges outside the city. With those changes, the first question today will be whether the case is moot and should be thrown out because New York has already given the gun owners everything they asked for in their lawsuit. James Johnson is counsel for the city of New York.
JAMES JOHNSON: This is an instance where it appears the petitioners won't say yes for an answer.
TOTENBERG: Lawyer Paul Clement, representing the gun owners, counters that the amended regulations still give the city too much power to regulate.
PAUL CLEMENT: The city of New York never expressed any doubt about the constitutionality of these regulations when they were winning in the district court and the court of appeals. And then lo and behold, all of the sudden, the city decides, you know, maybe we don't need these regulations after all.
TOTENBERG: And he observes the city is still defending the original regulations. The city is, indeed, doing that because the justices refused in October to throw the case out on mootness grounds opting instead to hear the mootness arguments today along with the direct challenge to the regulations themselves. That does put the city in a weird position, defending regulations that are no longer in place and that it claims it has no intention of reviving. Again, New York's lawyer James Johnson.
JOHNSON: It's our position that by justifiably restricting the ability to carry firearms broadly on the streets of New York, it contributes to making the city safe.
TOTENBERG: And there's the rub. What did the Supreme Court mean in its 2008 decision when it said the right to bear arms is an individual right? Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the five justice court majority back then described it as the right to own a gun for self-defense in one's home. Moreover, the opinion contained a paragraph of specific qualifiers that, according to court sources, were added to Scalia's opinion at the insistence of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who provided the fifth vote needed to prevail in the case. The court said, for instance, that its opinion cast no doubt on longstanding bans on carrying firearms in sensitive places, such as schools and government buildings, or bans on dangerous and unusual weapons. But Kennedy, who insisted on that limiting language, has now retired, replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And Kavanaugh, as a lower court judge, wrote expansively about gun rights.
CLEMENT: I do think it will make a difference that Justice Kavanaugh is on the court.
TOTENBERG: The gun owners' Paul Clement notes that not only does Kavanaugh have a record sympathetic to broad gun rights, but he was constrained by the court's precedents when he sat on the lower court.
CLEMENT: Now he can interpret the Constitution in a different way in his new perch. He's somebody who I would think is going to be receptive to arguments that the Second Amendment fully protects an individual right and is not strictly limited to the home.
TOTENBERG: New York argues that the history of gun ownership dating back to colonial times shows that in this densely populated city, the law forbid the discharge of firearms in any street, lane, alley, garden or other places where people frequently walk. And by 1784, the state regulated the storage and transport of gunpowder. Today, the city notes, New York is the most densely populated city in the country. Manhattan alone packs around 1.6 million residents into 23 square miles. And the population doubles every weekday with commuters. These people, plus tens of thousands of tourists, move through the city's crowded streets, thus creating a staggering concentration of sensitive places, such as schools, day care centers, government buildings, playgrounds and places of worship, all places that the Supreme Court said in 2008 are legitimate places to ban guns.
Countering that argument, lawyer Clement maintains that the Founding Fathers never intended the right to own a gun to be limited to the home. At the very minimum, he notes, our founders allowed gun owners to carry their firearms from one place to another. Like any good advocate, Clement is offering the justices alternative routes to a gun-friendly ruling.
CLEMENT: They could say the Second Amendment's not limited strictly to the home and therefore this regulation has to go.
TOTENBERG: The alternative and broader ruling, he says, would treat the right to own a gun in the same way that limits on free speech are treated - with considerable suspicion.
CLEMENT: I don't think anybody would think that if the city of New York said, you know, we have seven perfectly nice libraries in the city of New York and there's really no reason for any of you to go to libraries in New Jersey, I think everybody would recognize, no, that's clearly a First Amendment problem.
TOTENBERG: New York's lawyer, James Johnson, dismisses that analogy, noting that libraries have no lethality. But both sides know that if the Supreme Court rules on the merits of the now-defunct regulations, it will be a very big deal for one simple reason. It will be only the third decision on gun rights in modern times. And it will inevitably lay down some new guidelines for lower courts to follow when gun regulations are challenged.
Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Politicians Send Spammers Holiday Gift - InternetNews.
I consider myself a Christmas kind of guy, but if there's one group of people for whom I can extend no genuine holiday cheer, it's spammers.
If only our politicians felt the same way. Unfortunately, they were in a giving mood this week as Congress on Monday passed the Can Spam Act of 2003. The bill now heads for the Oval Office, where President Bush has vowed to sign it.
The legislation allegedly is aimed at controlling the increasingly annoying and costly practice of spamming, in which millions of e-mail boxes are assaulted each day with a ceaseless barrage of unsolicited, sometimes offensive and almost always deceptive come-ons. The Federal Trade Commission is charged with enforcing the Act.
But there are enough holes in the bill to bury every confidential e-mail you've ever received from the widow of a Nigerian prince. The bottom line is that there is nothing here that promises to reduce the amount of spam bombarding your in-box or your network.
The main flaw in the Act is that it allows unsolicited commercial e-mail -- otherwise known as spam -- to be sent as long as it includes an opt-out option, a valid subject line and a working return email address.
That's not exactly prohibitive. Indeed, rather than punish or even curtail the act of spamming, what the bill actually does is legitimize it, as industry observers pointed out in a recent Datamation article.
"This piece of legislation is telling people that as long as they don't lie, spam is all right," said Ray Everett-Church, chief privacy officer of the ePrivacy Group, a Pennsylvania-based company that makes anti-spam software.
As things stand now, a lot of spammers don't lie. But they sure do spam. This bill won't change anything for them.
What about those shadier spammers? The Can Spam Act of 2003 makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail to intentionally falsify header information in unsolicited commercial email (UCE). There also are civil penalties numerous other spamming practices primarily designed to harvest more e-mail addresses.
And for a federal offense, "up to a year" in jail seems like a slap on the wrist compared to Virginia's anti-spam state law, under which two men who were indicted this week face up to 20 years in prison.
The war against spam is a tough slog, and I don't pretend to have any magic bullets. (If I did, I'd be planning my IPO right now.) But as much as I would like the Can Spam Act of 2003 to work, I know I can look forward to many more opportunities to purchase herbal viagra pills for myself and my friends.
But that's OK, because I'm a Christmas kind of guy.


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text:
Вади́м Вади́мович Жук ( 15 квітня 1991) — український футболіст, захисник «Десни».

Біографія
Вихованець «Княжої» (Щасливе). На професійному рівні дебютував 27 лютого 2009 року за молодіжний склад ФК «Львів» у грі з дніпропетровським «Дніпром». Після вильоту клубу з прем'єр-ліги влітку 2009 року молодіжний склад заявили у другу лігу, де команда виступала під назвою «Львів-2». Там за сезон Вадим провів 19 матчів у чемпіонаті та п'ять у кубку ліги.

Узимку 2010/11 внаслідок скрутного фінансового становища «Львів» полишили багато основних гравців, тому колектив змушений був запросити до основної команди молодих футболістів, серед яких був і Жук. Перший матч за основну команду провів 20 березня 2011 року у домашній грі проти «Кримтеплиці» (Молодіжне). Всього протягом року за «левів» провів 32 матчі у першій лізі та один у кубку.

На початку 2012 року перейшов у чернігівську «Десну», разом з якою в сезоні 2012/13 виграв другу лігу і з наступного сезону знову став виступати в першій лізі. Всього провів за команду 89 матчів в чемпіонаті (1 гол) і 6 у національному кубку. Наприкінці червня 2015 року був на перегляді в новачка прем'єр-ліги «Олександрії», але відразу ж повернувся до складу «Десни», яку зрештою покинув у лютому 2016 року.

Наприкінці березня 2016 року став гравцем «Гірника» (Кривий Ріг). У червні того ж року перейшов до складу сербського «Спартака» (Суботиця).

Досягнення
 «Десна»:
 Бронзовий призер Першої ліги України: 2017/18
 Переможець Другої ліги України: 2012/13
 Срібний призер Другої ліги України: 2011/12

 «Полтава»:
 Срібний призер Першої ліги України: 2017/18

Примітки

Посилання

 Профіль гравця на офіційному сайті ФК «Металіст 1925»

 Вадим Жук у програмі «Мова футболу» 235 випуск // 12.11.2018 // відео

Українські футболісти
Футболісти «Львова»
Футболісти «Львова-2»
Футболісти «Десни»
Футболісти «Гірника» (Кривий Ріг)
Футболісти «Спартака» (Суботиця)
Українські футбольні легіонери
Футбольні легіонери в Сербії
Футболісти «Сум»
Футболісти «Полтави»
Футболісти «Металіста 1925» (Харків)
Футболісти «Полісся» (Житомир)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Austin and Mikah were an absolute blast to work with. Their love is so sweet and adorable and I couldn't help but smile while I was taking their pictures. We went up by Sundance up the Alpine Loop and had a great time! I love, love!


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You are currently in > Just a blog about Indonesia > Fuel protests turn violent
Fuel protests turn violent
JAKARTA - Protests against the fuel price hike again turned violent here as university students taking part in two separate demonstrations clashed with police. Students from the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) and Jayabaya University, both in East Jakarta, became involved in running battles with the police in front of their respective universities, resulting in at least five people being injured.
The altercation at UKI erupted after the students and police apparently lost patience with each other. Stone-throwing students were greeted by tear gas and warning shots. Police were seen chasing students who fled into the UKI campus, causing panic among pedestrians. A photo journalist was also injured in the violence at UKI. Antara reported that Reuters photographer Dadang Tri was injured after being struck by police as he was photographing a policeman firing tear gas.
Apparently perturbed that his face might make the front pages of the morning newspapers, the policeman and his colleagues then set upon the photographer. Among the students who were injured was one who was hit by a rubber bullet in the face. Similarly, police also had to fire warning shots and tear gas to break up a student protest in front of the Jayabaya University campus.
The latest incidents were manifestations of the tension created by the government's decision to raise fuel prices by 30 percent last week. The fuel price hike immediately prompted public minivan drivers to demand an increase in fares. Faced with the prospect of stranded commuters being unable to get to work, most local administrations quickly capitulated to these demands.
But the fuel price hike has also prompted rises in the prices of various consumer goods, the effects of which are quickly being felt by the public. The protests could continue as students have pledged not to give up the struggle. The University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM-UI) said on Thursday that it was seriously considering a protest move against the fuel price hike.
BEM-UI chairman Wisnu Sunandar told journalists that they were weighing up the move, but indicated that they were in contact with "a network of BEMs from other universities that have similar plans over the fuel price hike." Among these were student executive bodies from the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, along with Muhammadiyah University and Trisakti University in Jakarta.
"We'll soon meet to discuss plans for a possible joint rally," he said. Meanwhile in Central Jakarta, around 30 activists marched along main thoroughfares on Thursday calling for the public to join protests against the increase in fuel prices. The protesters distributed leaflets to passers-by as they marched from Jl. Salemba, opposite the University of Indonesia campus, to the Kampung Melayu bus station and back to Jl. Matraman, where they dispersed peacefully.
The protest was conducted in an orderly manner and traffic along the busy roads was only slightly affected. The leaflets they handed out called on the people to organize themselves and to join a planned mass rally, the date of which has yet to be announced, to the House of Representatives. The protesters claimed they belonged to the Anti-New Order People's Front, a coalition of 19 organizations including the Jakarta chapter of the Democratic People's Party (PRD).
They called for the confiscation of the assets of Golkar, the ruling party under the New Order regime, and for them to be used to aid the poor, including paying for the fuel subsidy. In Semarang, Central Java, about 100 people grouped in the Semarang People's Forum (FBRS), staged a rally outside the provincial council, rejecting the fuel price hike and calling on fellow residents to strike.
They unfurled banners and delivered speeches expressing their concerns over the government's decision. The demonstrators also alleged that the security forces' were continuing to use repressive measures to curb protests. "The security forces should be on the public's side instead of serving as a government tool to repress those opposing government policy," protest coordinator Wahyu Saptiaji told reporters. The role of the police in clamping down on the various protests has increasingly come under the spotlight, with President Abdurrahman Wahid himself criticizing the methods used by the police in handling the protests.
Posted in Protests @ 21 June 2001 00:01 CET by Jeroen · · permalink

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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News & Submissions 5/22/2012
As long as the grass grows and the poverty shows
During the election cycle we tend to ask: What does America mean; where are we going? And then someone decides to check on the Indians to find out the answer, as though Indians represent America's soul hidden in the attic. And of course politicians have long stood next to their "souls" and posed for pictures on the campaign trail.
Within the last year, Diane Sawyer and "20/20″ did a special on the sorry conditions at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and the New Yorker featured a grim photo essay on Pine Ridge too. The New York Times published a piece on brutal crime at the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and another on the deep financial problems at Foxwoods, the Pequot-owned "world's largest" casino in Connecticut. Indians make the news, but the news isn't really news, it's just a way for the country take its temperature. Read full story from latimes.com
Indian Benefits: Misnomer and Propaganda
Contrary to popular belief, especially among non-Natives, American Indians did not simply relinquish their rights to lands, waters, and other natural resources. Indeed, as a result of historic negotiations and treaties between the U.S. government and tribal nations, federal agencies are obligated to provide specific rights, services, and protections as payment for the basic wholesale exchange of the land mass of the United States.
Misnomer—the use of a wrong or unsuitable term to describe something.
The United States contractually owes tribal nations. "Indian benefits" is a misnomer for the debt owed to Native peoples. The federal government pledged through laws and treaties to compensate for land exchanges accomplished through the forced removal of tribal nations from their original homelands. Unfortunately, payment is commonly expressed as "benefits." This term—benefits—implies giving assistance, subsidy, or even charity, rather than deserved reimbursement. The Department of Interior even describes the obligated recompense for American Indians as benefits on its webpage. Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Catholic groups sue over federal contraception mandate
(CNN) – The University of Notre Dame and "a diverse group of plaintiffs" filed lawsuits Monday challenging the federal mandate that religious employers offer health insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and birth control services, Notre Dame spokeswoman Shannon Chapla said.
The Notre Dame suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Northern Indiana, is one of a dozen filed Monday by 43 separate Catholic institutions in different federal courts around the United States, Chapla said.
The lawsuits are efforts to "vindicate the country's constitutional and traditional commitments to religious freedom and pluralism," Notre Dame law professor Richard W. Garnett said in a university statement. Read full story from cnn.com
Andy Gipson, Mississippi GOP Lawmaker: Gays Are Still Sinners, But I Don't Want Them Dead (Source – huffingtonpost.com)
Truce between Obama and Romney on faith?
Washington (CNN)– A political truce may be brewing between the Obama and Romney campaigns on the issue of the candidates' faith and religious practice. An all-out war over such issues nearly erupted last week, but neither campaign would take up arms. Read full story from cnn.com
Local Pastor Calls For Death of 'Queers & Homosexuals' (Source: YouTube -catawbavalleynoh8)
Beautiful Minds: Richard Dawkins (Source: YouTube – Tr3Vel0cita)
Is there a difference between a religion and a cult? (Source: YouTube – Tr3Vel0cita)
Blogspot:
Ghost Theory - L.A.'s "Haunted" Hospital Becomes Senior Living Home
The Llewellyn Journal - Are You Haunted?
Unreasonable Faith - Marriage Compromise and a Counteroffer
The Wild Hunt - Pagan Community Notes: Solar Cross Expands, Mandragora, Pagan Values, A Wicker Tree Conversation, and More!
Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.
If you're interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!
Tags: Andy Gipson, Catholic, contraception, Cult, faith, Haunted, Indian, L.A.'s Haunted Hospital, Native American, Obama, Pagan, Religion, Richard Dawkins, Romney
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Arts & Entertainment:
'With this broom, I thee wed': offbeat family inspires play
'I now pronounce you wife and wife."
Canadian singer-songwriter David Hein, 36, heard those words about 18 years ago when his divorced mom married her lesbian partner. At the time, same-sex marriage wasn't legal, but the pair have since made it official.
Hein's mom came out as a lesbian when he was a teenager. Around the same time, she recommitted to her Jewish faith. Her bride, though, was a Wiccan — a modern-day pagan.
So the non-traditional ceremony in the musical romantic comedy My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is straight from life, says Hein. He co-wrote the warm-hearted show with his wife, Irene Sankoff, to salute his offbeat family and celebrate the idea that love knows no gender or religion.
"There were Jewish elements of the wedding, and Wiccan elements," he says. "They stood under a chuppah and they smashed a glass, but they also had their hands bound… and jumped over a broom and a cauldron of water." Read full story from winnipegfreepress.com
More ways social issues and religion will shape 2012 election (besides same-sex marriage)
(CNN) – Everyone knows the 2012 presidential race is about jobs and the economy. As likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney said a couple weeks ago: "It's still about the economy, and we're not stupid."
But have you noticed how the culture wars keep intruding into this it's-all-about-the-economy election?
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama voiced personal support for same-sex marriage, launching a new wave of national debate around the issue. A day earlier, North Carolinians voted to amend their constitution to ban gay marriage and other legal arrangements for gay couples.
It's a one-two punch of reminders that social issues with deep religious reverberations still matter. Read full story from cnn.com
Legalizing gay marriage is good for public health, studies show
President Obama said Wednesday that he now supports gay marriage. In an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News, he explained that for him, it's an issue of fairness: "It's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated."
But studies show there's another reason to favor gay marriage – it's good for public health.
A study published in February by the American Journal of Public Health found that gay men in Massachusetts were in better physical and mental health after that state became the first to recognize same-sex marriage in 2003. Researchers examined the medical records of 1,211 gay and bisexual men who went to "a large, community-based health clinic" in a "large metropolitan city" and compared the patients' use of medical services before and after the law went into effect. Read full story from latimes.com
How the Olympics were born
Approximately 28 centuries ago, a festival emerged in the ancient Greek district of Elis (the northwestern area of the Peloponnesian peninsula). Quite how it developed is not entirely clear. It may have had something to do with funeral ceremonies; or perhaps it was the result of increasing political competitiveness (and a touch of neighbour envy) among early Greek city-states.
The ancient author Pindar assures us that Hercules himself started the whole thing as a gift to his father Zeus. Be as it may, this Greek festival was given the name of Olympic Games, and you could say it grew to become a big hit.
The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia, a site controlled by Elis, every four years. Like today's Games, they were considered a pretty special event. Ancient Greeks travelled from all over the known world to watch or take part in them. The atmosphere was riotous. Thousands-strong crowds cheered, heckled and gasped as they followed the competitions. Read full story from sport.uk.msn.com
Obama: Christ and the Golden Rule informed support of same-sex marriage (Source: washingtonpost.com)
President Obama threw his support behind same-sex marriage Wednesday after years of "evolution" on the issue, and invoked Christ and the Golden Rule in detailing how he has changed.In an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, the president painted his endorsement of same-sex marriage as an outgrowth of his Christian beliefs:
Teresa MacBain on CNN 'Faces of Faith' with Randi Kaye (Source: YouTube – TheClergyProject)
Paranormal spirits put twist on Boston pole dancer's classes (Source: bostonherald.com)
Capital Witch – Welcome to the Capital Witching Hour
Fern's Fronds – Earth Religions
Unreasonable Faith - Amendment Two
The Wild Hunt – The Closing of a Pagan Community Center
Tags: Atheist, Capital Witching Hour, faith, gay marriage, Olympics, Pagan, Religion
News & Submissions 1/5/2012
This is What the U.S. Would Look Like Without Environmental Protections (PHOTOS)
In the early 1970s, an amazing photojournalism project called Documerica captured a polluted nation in the midst of establishing its first major environmental protections. Documerica was sponsored by the fledgling E.P.A., which hoped to document and examine the extent of the country's environmental troubles. A team of talented photographers was assembled to shoot, in breathtaking, uncompromising detail, the unchecked air pollution, contaminated waterways, hazardous coal mines, and some truly disturbing waste issues across the U.S. Read full story from treehugger.com
New Native American Studies Program in Maryland
To fill an unmet need in Maryland the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) at Catonsville recently started offering a Native American Studies program.
According to the program's coordinator, Stephanie A.L. Molholt, there are currently no Native American Studies programs in the state of Maryland so this one "meets a compelling need."
She said the program enhances and furthers the school's mission "by linking CCBC to under-recognized and under-served communities in Maryland and the U.S." Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Read more:http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/05/new-native-american-studies-program-in-maryland-70672 http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/05/new-native-american-studies-program-in-maryland-70672#ixzz1ibFh0wxe
Firebombs Targeting a Mandir and the Hindu Community in New York
(CHAKRA) A group representing American Hindus (Hindu American Foundation) condemned a series of firebomb attacks that occurred at five separate locations late Sunday night in New York. Four of the firebombs targeted locations in Jamaica, Queens, including a Hindu temple housed within a residential property. This event was broadly ignored by mainstream media outlets and while no damage or injuries resulted from the attack, the temple's priest, Ramesh Maharaj, who also lives in the house, believed the firebomb was intended to cause significant harm. A security camera outside the temple caught the attack on camera and helped police create a description of the suspect. Ray Lazier Lengend, a 40-year-old New York man of Guyanese descent, was arrested yesterday. Reportedly, he confessed to all five attacks and cited "personal grievances with each location." Read full story from chakranews.com
Cuba's Santeria priests predict upheaval, but no end of the world, in 2012
HAVANA — A body of top Afro-Cuban priests is predicting a year of change and upheaval in 2012, but the group says fears the world will end are wrong.
In their annual New Year's forecast, the priests warned the world could see more earthquakes and increased global warming, and they cautioned that people should also be vigilant against matrimonial discord.
That may not be a very cheery message, but it's a lot better than the fire-and-brimstone prophecies that that some have attributed to the Maya, whose calendar cycle ends on Dec. 21, 2012. The priests say they see a spiritual end to old things, but not a physical end to the planet. Read full story from washingtonpost.com
AFA defends cost of worship area for Pagan cadets
The U.S. Air Force Academy has been taking fire for building an $80,000 Stonehenge -like worship area for a handful of Pagan and Wiccan cadets.
Yet the academy can justify building Falcon Circle for outdoor, earth-centered spirituality — and the price tag, spokesman Don Branum said today.
The $80,000 figure includes $26,500 spent on erosion control on the east side of the hill where Falcon Circle is situated, Branum said.
The academy did spend $51,484 on creating Falcon Circle, dedicated in 2010, for a small group of cadets — only three in Fall 2011 semester — who identify themselves as Pagans.
"The Air Force Academy did it because it's the right thing to do," Branum said. Pagan soldiers, he said, also have served and died for their country.
It's not a waste of money, said Col. Robert Bruno, the academy's senior chaplain. Read full story from denverpost.com
Reality checks available at Bloomfield library
've been reading a book called "Buddhism Plain and Simple" by Steve Hagen. The early chapters explain that the problem most people have is their failure to pay attention. They feel disconnected from the reality of their own lives.
This is a simple concept, but it's hard to grasp. Two other books I read last month illustrate that fact clearly. Eric Weiner's "Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine" is light and funny. Debbie Nathan's "Sybil Exposed" is terribly sad.
In many ways, Weiner reminds me of myself. He is a man who lives largely inside his own head. He is also a gastronomic Jew.
I was in college before I realized that the religious observances of my family had more to do with food than faith.
Weiner was a successful writer with a wife and child when agonizing stomach pains sent him to the hospital. While he was waiting for test results, a nurse asked him a chilling question.
"Have you found your God yet?" Read full story from northjersey.com
Pair On Trial Over Boy's 'Witchcraft' Murder
A 15-year-old boy who died from "unspeakable savagery and brutality" was attacked by relatives who believed he was a sorcerer involved in witchcraft, a court has heard. Read full story from sky.com
Bishop in The Grove – Questioning Paganism… Again.
Pagan + Politics – What the GOP's Religion-Heavy Platform Means to Pagans
The Pagan Household – The Pagan In Me
Unreasonable Faith – And All Religion's False
The Wild Hunt – Buncombe County School Blinks in Pagan Inclusion Test
Tags: Buddhism, Chakra, E.P.A., Environment, faith, God, Hidu, Native American, Pagan, Paganism, Religion, Santeria, Stonehenge, Wicca, witchcraft
Avowed Witch Hunters To Hold Harvard Conference
As reported today on MSNBC, a Wiccan TSA employee accused of witchcraft has been fired. As described below, listed apostles of a global evangelical movement that claims to fight witchcraft will, on April 1-2, be holding a conference at Harvard University.
While Salem has garnered all the attention, the real peak of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's witch craze was in what is now North Andover, where two dogs were tried and executed for witchcraft. It's been a few years now since witch hunting was in vogue in Massachusetts, but the upcoming Social Transformation Conference to be held at Harvard this April 1-2 could help rekindle the practice. Footage from a November 2009 evangelical conference held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village near Honolulu shows scheduled Social Transformation Conference speaker Dr. Pat Francis up onstage, her voice cracking with intensity, shouting out "In the name of Jesus we break the power, of witchcraft power, every witchcraft power, we drive you out!" Read full story from dailykos.com
Archeology:
The Talbot Vervel
Shropshire Council's museum service has acquired a remarkable find by local metal detectorist, Frank Taylor – a small hoop and shield that gives us a glimpse into the life of the Earl of Shrewsbury around 380 years ago.
Although small, this hoop and shield are inscribed with the name IOHN TALBOT (John Talbot) and emblazoned with a hound or 'talbot passant' which was the family crest of the Earls of Shrewsbury. The design and style of the lettering suggests that the owner was probably Sir John Talbot, 10th Earl of Shrewsbury (1601-54). Read full story from pasthorizons.com
'Camelot': A Timeless Story Becomes a Forgettable TV Show
Why do we like King Arthur so much? For T.H. White, author of the Once and Future King series, Arthur's court was a place to explore utopian governance. Mark Twain saw him as fodder for a satire of modern technology in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. And in The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley pushed him to the side in a feminist reinterpretation of the battle between Christianity and paganism that's perhaps the most effective distillation of the story's continuing draw. The story of a man elevated by birth and good fortune to unite a fractured land, only to break it again in the name of Christian quest, is infinitely adaptable. Read full story from theatlantic.com
Lifestyle & Religion:
Mystic uses star signs to tame problem pets
Fiona Celeste, 43, believes that animal behaviour is dictated by the zodiac in the same way as humans.
Gemini dogs are sociable and enjoy travelling, Virgos enjoy their creature comforts and appreciate peace and quiet, and Scorpios make great police dogs because they are inherently nosey.
Fiona is using her unique skills to diagnose and resolve behavioural issues with pets and charges £35 for a reading. Read full story from swns.com
Dark Green Religion and Stephen Colbert's Quest for a New Faith
Religion scholar to the stars and fellow HuffPost blogger Steven Prothero was back on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report this week. His mission: to help Stephen Colbert, who had given up Catholicism for lent, to find a new religion.
Amusing as the banter was, unfortunately, they never really got to an answer. So, I thought, what about the phenomenon I focused on in my book Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future? How would it shape up as a candidate? More importantly, is it funny enough, or better yet, sexy enough, to convince Colbert? Read full story from huffingtonpost.com
Surge in Satanism sparks rise in demand for exorcists, says Catholic Church
The web has made it easier than ever before to access information on Devil-worshipping and the occult, experts said.
Exorcism is the subject of a six-day conference being held this week at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, which is under the Vatican's authority.
"The internet makes it much easier than in the past to find information about Satanism," said Carlo Climati, a member of the university who specialises in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism.
"In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism. The conference is not about how to become an exorcist. It's to share information about exorcism, Satanism and sects. It's to give help to families and priests. There is a particular risk for young people who are in difficulties or who are emotionally fragile," said Mr Climati. Read full story from telegraph.co.uk
Ireland's last witch trial investigated
The intriguing tale of Ireland's last witch trial has been re-investigated ahead of the 300th anniversary of a case that saw eight Co Antrim women found guilty of possessing a teenage girl.
The story of the Islandmagee witches has generated little historical re-examination in the last three centuries.
But Dr Andrew Sneddon from the University of Ulster intends to change that with a reappraisal of the trial, which took place 300 years ago tomorrow.
After being convicted at a court in Carrickfergus, the eight Presbyterian women were sentenced to a year in prison and each put in the public stocks four times on market day. Read full story from rte.ie
Paranormal:
Haunting: House at Willow Pond
House at Willow Pond was built in 1898 in Piqua, Ohio, and was recently investigated by Doorways Investigation Group – and now the subject of a video series.
Current owners know of two deaths that occurred inside the house. Today they see ghostly children running around a nearby pond. They talk about the paranormal experiences going on in the house today. Read full story from examiner.com
Ray Comfort interview – The Atheist Experience #702 (full episode) (Source: YouTube – TheAtheistExperience)
Freeman's Reviews – Review of Swami Panchadasi's Clairvoyance and Occult Powers
Hecate's Corner – Daily Inspirations
The Pagan Household – Wand Making with Children
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all and have a great week!
Tags: "Camelot", Atheist, Earl of Shrewsbury, Exorcists, faith, King Arthur's Court, Psychic, Religion, Satanism, The Atheist Experience, The Talbot Vervel, wiccan, Witch, Witch Hunters, Witch Trials, witchcraft, Zodiac
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS – Japan Disaster Relief (Click to Donate)
Pagicon - Friday, March 25th through Sunday, March 27th, 2011. Doubletree Park Place in St. Louis Park, MN.
Festival Invites Public to Stand With Japan – Beginning at 6:30pm on March 24, people will gather at Sylvan Theater (15th Street and Independence Avenue, SW) before walking the Tidal Basin. All donations received throughout the fundraising effort will go directly to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation Site, benefiting the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund.
Paranormal research session to air tonight
MILLERSBURG — Ghosts who reside in the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg apparently had their say Saturday, shutting down a planned live Internet stream of research being conducted in the house by the Central Ohio Paranormal Research Group.
However, there is good news for ghost hunters.
Saturday's session, which Mark Boley, director of the Holmes County Historical Society, said again revealed "lots of activity," will be available for viewing tonight on the Internet.
Beginning at 8 p.m., the session will be available at the web site www.centralohioparanormalresearchgroup.com/Livewebstream.html. A chat room also will be available. Read full story from timesreporter.com
The First Pocahontas May Have Been a Viking
Genes from the Beotuk, a long-extinct branch of Canada's aboriginal peoples, have shown up in samples of 80 people from Iceland, a team of anthropologists and geneticists has revealed.
A study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology indicates that a woman of that line may have been brought to Iceland by the Vikings 1,000 years ago, the Montreal Gazette and other media outlets reported on Thursday. The study was conducted by researchers from Iceland and Spain. Read the full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Diary reveals the horror of the Witchfinder General trials
A 350-year-old notebook which describes the execution of innocent women for consorting with the Devil, has been published online by The University of Manchester's John Rylands Library. Puritan writer Nehemiah Wallington wrote passages on his attitudes to life, religion, the civil war as well as the witchcraft trials of the period. Read full story from pasthorizons.com
Coast home to 500 witches: psychic
A FAMOUS TV witch says the Sunshine Coast is a sacred and magical haven to as many as 500 practising witches.
Stacey Demarco, a judge on the 2009 psychic Australian television show The One, said the region had a variety of covens and had attracted them because the Coast's earth had a "deep and powerful energy".
Ms Demarco, voted Australia's 2009 psychic of the year, will be on the Coast this weekend to teach one of her invitation-only workshops for "intermediate" witches. Read full story from bollinaadvocate.com
Research Firm to Study Tribes' Economic Impact on California
A coalition of American Indian organizations in California hired a prominent research firm to analyze tribes' contribution to the state's economy, states a California Nations Indian Gaming Association news release.
Beacon Economics, a consulting firm based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, will measure the economic impact of tribes by examining Indian-owned casinos, businesses, tribal government programs, purchases of goods and services and charitable donations, amongst other things.
"This study is an important undertaking by tribal governments," said Daniel Tucker, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. "It's significant that CNIGA, the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations and the California Association of Tribal Governments are participating, as it will provide a more complete picture of how tribal economic development and self-sufficiency are benefiting California taxpayers." Read full story from indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Red Cross warning over Japan tsunami donation scam
The Red Cross has warned prospective donors who want to give money to the Japan Tsunami Appeal to beware scam emails purporting to be from the charity.
A spokesman for the charity said: "There are some fraudulent emails circulating claiming to be raising money for the Japan Tsunami Appeal. These may request that you donate through companies like Western Union or Money Bookers, which we would never do. If you suspect an email is fraudulent please do not open any attachments or click on any links. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
'Thorn from Jesus's crucifixion crown' goes on display at British Museum
It was plundered in the Fourth Crusade, sold to French royalty and has spent the past 200 years in safekeeping at a British public school.
Now a relic claimed to be a thorn from Jesus's crown is to go on display at the British Museum.
And while no one can doubt the item's rich history, there is less evidence to support the claims of its provenance. Read full story from dailymail.co.uk
A change of faith (Source CNN)
38% of Americans Believe Japan Disaster a Sign From God (Source – YouTube: Atheistmediablog)
Question & Answer Session with Thai Buddhists (Source – YouTube: gyalwarinpoche)
Ghost Theory – 'American Idol' Singers Flee Haunted Mansion
The secret life of he American working witch – Pagans who Inspire – Pagans who Inspire
The Wild Hunt – Pagan Community Notes: Pagan Japan Relief Project, Paganicon, Our Pagan Heart, and more!
Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all and have a great day!
Tags: American Idol, Buddhism, Dalai Lama, Devil, faith, ghost-hunters, ghosts, God, Haunted Manion, Jesus, Native American, Pagan, Paranormal, Pochahontas, Psychic, Red Cross, Religion, Viking, Witch, Witchfinder
Healing for Japan – A Sacred Mists "Window of Time" Global Event
In an effort to organize a healing event that involves Sacred Mists members as well as inspire others around the world to participate, we have set aside a window of time that will provide us all the ability to take part in the event wherever we are in the world and at any time that is most convenient for us to do so. During this window of time, we ask that you take as much time as you are able to send healing, …strength, and focus of will to those in Japan affected by this tragedy.Click here for more information.
Many faiths, one goal: Teens ask, listen and learn
Local teenagers, more than 100 of them, gathered at a Charlotte church on Sunday to share the basics – and dispel the stereotypes – about their various religions.
The meeting, organized by Mecklenburg Ministries' Interfaith Youth Council, began with the high school students forming into circles outside and then … playing games.
Depending on the circle, they hopped around on one leg, performed the moves of a Ninja warrior, clapped and sang, joined hands to form twisty tunnels, and, in classic "Duck, Duck, Goose," tapped someone on the head, then ran as that someone gave chase. "Ice-breakers," organizers called these get-acquainted games. Read full story from charlotteobserver.com
Witchcraft accused flee
THE Tzaneen municipality in Limpopo is frantically trying to locate two families who allegedly fled from a temporary shelter after being accused of practising witchcraft.
The municipality had offered the families shelter at a farm near Tzaneen after they were banished from their villages two weeks ago.
Though the buildings on the farm are dilapidated, the municipality had erected tents to accommodate the affected families.
In the first incident the Shipalanas from Julesburg village were banished after the head of the family was suspected of practising witchcraft following the mysterious death of a local person.
The Shipalana family was temporarily housed on Adam's farm, while their problems with the community were being attended to by municipal officials.
But the Shipalana family allegedly spent one night in the tents. They are now nowhere to be found. Read full story from sowetanlive.co.za
Colorful, meaningful craft rich in European tradition
Bonnie Balas of Uniontown remembers pysanky, the traditional decorated eggs common in eastern Europe, as an expression of her Carpatho-Russyn heritage.
For nearly 30 years, she has kept the art form alive by teaching it to others at St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church in Uniontown.
Balas, a special-education teacher, was inspired to learn to make pysanky by one of her student's mother, who also took the course.
"I had seen pysanky occasionally as a child," she said. "I wanted to learn about this part of my Carpatho-Rusyn heritage."
She then began making pysanky to raise money for St. John's. The Rev. Eugene Yackonick, who then led the St. John's parish, encouraged her to teach the art to other people. Read full story from pittsburghlive.com
Signs, signs, everywhere signs: Seeing God in tsunamis and everyday events
It's only a matter of time—in fact, they've already started cropping up—before reality-challenged individuals begin pontificating about what God could have possibly been so hot-and-bothered about to trigger last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. (Surely, if we were to ask Westboro Baptist Church members, it must have something to do with the gays.) But from a psychological perspective, what type of mind does it take to see unexpected natural events such as the horrifying scenes still unfolding in Japan as "signs" or "omens" related to human behaviors? Read full story from scientificamerican.com
Richard Wiseman Paranormality Interview (BBC Breakfast)
Tags: faith, God, Healing for Japan, Omens, Paranormality, Religion, Richard Wiseman, Signs, witchcraft
"Black Death" a treat for medieval history buffs
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – You can't quarrel with that title, "Black Death." The film is black all right, pitch black, and death is everywhere.
The story is set in 1348, after all, when the plague began to sweep through Europe, decimating its populace by as much as half and spreading panic to every corner. Yet what a strange land for a horror filmmaker to pitch camp in since he has little to add when horror is a fact of everyday life.
Sure enough, Christopher Smith ("Creep," "Severance") plays with the notion of necromancers and demons lurking within the pestilence, but winds up retreating into a kind of historical morality tale told with documentary flourishes and a grim attraction to violence and cruelty.
All of which leaves "Black Death" without a reliable audience. Horror film buffs like to giggle as much as scream but there're no giggles here. To its credit, the film doesn't indulge in visual-effects devilry as a very similar plague film, "Season of the Witch," did just two months ago. So it's up to medieval history buffs to fill the theaters when it opens on Friday. Lots of luck.
The coincidence of storylines between "Season of the Witch" and "Black Death" is rather striking and in every instance Black Death is the superior film. In both films, the church, seeing its grip on the population severely loosened by this inexplicable plague, sends Christian knights into a remote region to determine if witches, demons or non-believers are the source of this frightening scourge. Read full story from reuters.com
Bulgarian Mayor: 'Dog Spinning' Ritual Harmless Folklore, Not Barbarian!
The "dog spinning" ritual practiced in a southeastern Bulgarian village is misinterpreted by the society and the international community, according to Tsarevo Municipality Mayor Petko Arnaudov.
In dog spinning, which is practiced in Brodilovo, a southeastern Bulgarian village, at the beginning of March, a dog is suspended above water on a rope.
The dog is turned repeatedly in a given direction to wind the rope, then released so that it spins rapidly in the opposite direction as the rope unwinds, until the dog falls into the water. The locals claim that the dog is not supposed to be physically hurt.
This ancient ritual of pagan origin is performed in order to prevent rabies and is a part of the traditional Kukeri rituals. Read full story from novinite.com
Blair launches new faith films contest for youth
Last year, Tony Blair ran a film contest for young people, inviting them to make films about faith.
His Faith Foundation was overwhelmed by the response: hundreds of entries, from Jews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs and humanists, on five continents around the world.
Buoyed by the success of the first "Faith Shorts" film contest, Blair is now doing it again.
He was impressed not only by the quality of the films, he said, but what they said about the people who made them.
"I think the fascinating thing about young people and the films that they sent us about faith… is that for them their faith isn't just about a personal relationship with God, it's also motivating them to do things, to get active, to have a purpose in life," he told CNN. Read full story from cnn.com
Muslim-Christian clashes in Cairo leave 11 dead
Clashes between Muslims and Christians in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, have left 11 people dead and more than 90 wounded.
The clashes broke out on Tuesday night as thousands of Christians protested against the burning of a Cairo church last week. The church was set on fire after tensions escalated over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple's families.
Security and hospital officials said six Christians and five Muslims died from gunshot wounds and 94 people – 73 Muslims and 21 Christians – were wounded. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
"An inoffensive, vanilla Christianity"
Paris, France (CNA) — Addressing a gathering of European church officials on March 4, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver warned that many contemporary Christians have reduced their faith to a convenient "form of paganism," which cannot compete with the widespread "idolatry" of modern consumer culture.
Archbishop Chaput offered his observations at a conference in Paris honoring the late Cardinal Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger, a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was the Archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005.
The Denver archbishop described Cardinal Lustiger as "an unsentimental realist" who dared to speak about disturbing trends in the Church and society – including a lack of faith among professed Christians, leaving a vacuum that would be filled by other "gods" such as sex and money. Read full story from calcotholic.com
Fort Bragg says atheist concert was treated the same as Christian group
Fort Bragg's garrison commander said Tuesday he supports an atheist concert on post, but the concert's organizer said the colonel's refusal to allow it on the Main Post Parade Field or to provide funding effectively canceled it.
Sgt. Justin Griffith was planning an event called Rock Beyond Belief for April 2 on Fort Bragg. British atheist Richard Dawkins was to be the keynote speaker in a day that included other speakers and bands, Griffith said.
Rock Beyond Belief was, in part, a response to Rock the Fort, a concert sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that was held on the parade field in September.
In a letter dated Sept. 22, Lt. Gen Frank Helmick wrote in response to protests of Rock the Fort that Fort Bragg would be "willing to provide similar support to comparable events sponsored by similar nonfederal entities that address the needs of the soldiers on this installation."
Col. Stephen Sicinski, the garrison commander, and Griffith disagree over whether Fort Bragg is holding true to that statement.
Sicinski said he has received overwhelmingly negative feedback since the concert's cancellation, and he believes that in part is because people aren't aware of the facts.
"It disheartens me a little bit to think that we're being misrepresented," Sicinski said.
Sicinski said Fort Bragg's market analysis determined that Griffith's event would draw, at best, hundreds of people. Events at the parade field need an expected crowd of 5,000 or more, Sicinski said. On March 1, Sicinski wrote to Griffith that the event could be held at the Main Post Theater or the York Theater. Read full story from fayobserver,cin
Why won't pagans accept trans women?
At a pagan gathering in February, the Pantheacon in San Jose, California, trans women were excluded from a Dianic ritual in honour of Lilith. Many of the defenders of this position – the veteran witch Z Budapest, for example – argue from an essentialist position ("you have to have sometimes in your life a womb, and ovaries and moon bleed and not die") but also by an appeal to tradition, which is a bit rich from a religious standpoint invented or at best recreated within the past 50 years.
Most of the really bad things that happen to trans women could happen to all women – rape, murder, unequal pay. Some of them happen to trans women more, proportionately; when there aren't many of us to begin with, a murder rate worldwide of one every two or three days is something we notice.
So being snubbed or made to feel unwelcome in women's space really is not all that important. After all, some hostile feminists will say – have always said – there are so few of us, why are we demanding all the time that we have this conversation? As if excluding us were not starting that conversation pretty definitively. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Early humans began in southern Africa, study suggests
Modern humans may have originated from southern Africa, an extensive genetic study has suggested.
Data showed that hunter-gatherer populations in the region had the greatest degree of genetic diversity, which is an indicator of longevity.
It says that the region was probably the best location for the origin of modern humans, challenging the view that we came from eastern Africa.
The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Africa is inferred to be the continent of origin for all modern human populations," the international team of researchers wrote. Read drull story from bbc.co.uk
Tags: Atheist, Black Death, Christian, Demons, faith, Film contest, Folklore, Horror Films, Medieval, Muslim, Pagan, Paganism, Pantheocon, Season of The Witch, sog Spinning Ritual, tony Blari, Witch
An interview by Raymond Buckland by Bernadette Montana
It is with great pleasure that I post this interview today! Raymond Buckland has always been a huge influence on me, and is someone who has helped to shape our wiccan community today. Read full story from sacredmistsblog.com
Merlin Stone Memorial Sept. 24th
On April 10th, Z Budapest has called for a global remembrance of Merlin Stone. Here's what Z posted to her Facebook account:
After i have considered the possibility that we all do a ritual for Merlin Stone at the same time, found it not doable. What we should do is a Parenthalia, find it in my "Grandmother of Time" or "Holy Book of Women's Mysteries" books.
A dumb super to celebrate her life.
I talked to Lenny (Merlin's life-partner) again today, asked what her favorite foods were. She was a vegetarian; she liked quesadias, and black coffee – no milk, no sugar.
So if you get together, serve strong black coffee and eat something vegetarian.
Lenny is sending me a box filled with her pictures, memorabilia, unpublished articles. Bobbie will put it up on her page (here on the MerlinStone.net site) and include it in the Merlin Stone Projects we are doing with your help. It seems her daughter is getting her royalties, so that's all cool.
Counting 49 days and nights from the 25th of Feb, till 1oth of April – she is sleeping. On that day, we should all have a party in her honor to celebrate her rebirth on the other side. This elevates the soul.That's what we can do – elevate her soul. Read full story from merlinstone.net
Faith and yoga in Roanoke: Is yoga compatible with Christianity?
Christians stand on mats at a church hall on Roanoke's bustling Williamson Road, stretching their arms to the heavens and bending to their toes. They lay their palms on the floor, the soles of their feet perfectly flat. Chants spill from a stereo.
It looks and it sounds like the downward dog — but it isn't. This group meets Saturday mornings to bend into poses they call the Tallit, not the Big Toe, and the Dove, not the Pigeon.
A debate over yoga's compatibility with Western religions has torn through exercise and meditation studios across the United States in recent months, with conservative Christians denouncing yoga as pagan and demonic. Yogis respond that it isn't. In between, some Christians practice yoga on weekdays and go to church on Sundays. Read full story from roanoke.com
New book Secret Symbols about West Wycombe Caves released
A PUB landlord has completed 'a kind of Da Vinci Code journey' through the notorious Hell Fire Caves – and written a book to dispel some of the myths surrounding the West Wycombe tourist attraction.
Eamonn Loughran, 42, has published 'Secret Symbols of the Hell Fire Club' after living for 20 years on West Wycombe Road and looking up at the Dashwood Mausoleum every day.
He says the much-published 'history' of the Hell Fire Club adds up to little more than gossip, adding: "The idea that Sir Francis Dashwood dug these caves simply to get drunk and worship the devil is absolute rubbish.
"There were a lot of very bad books written about the club from early 1900s onwards, mostly by journalists who sensationalised the stories."
Rumours of black magic, satanic rituals and orgies surrounded Dashwood's club when it was around in the 1750s and 60s. Read full story from bucksfreepress.co.uk
The Sacred Practice of Understanding Religious Difference
Last week I piled my books and student papers in my bag and headed out to The Flying Joe, a local coffee shop where the excellent mocha takes some of the pain out of grading undergraduate and seminary papers. While my visits there are inconsistent, I do notice the regulars, and the baristas obviously have taken the time to learn the details of every order, including mine.
Learning those details takes a good listener, someone invested in bringing you back for another espresso hit. It is a practice that takes patience. And it is a practice that I require of students in my world religions and non-religious worldviews classes. One of their assignments is to step outside of their bubbles and interview someone of a different worldview. They are required to return their report to the original interviewee for input before they submit it to me for their grade, which encourages them to present the view fairly. The kicker for many of them is that they cannot proselytize during their interviews, forcing them to listen and to get the details right about the other person's views. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com
The Salem Witches conduct a Ritual to Heal and Bind Charlie Sheen (source YouTube – ChristianDay)
Meet America's top exorcist, the inspiration for 'The Rite' (source cnn)
Road trip to 'doomsday' (source cnn)
Tags: 'doosday', Apocalypse, Bernadette Montana, Black, Charlie Sheen, Christian, Christian Da, Demonic, Devil, Exorcist, faith, Father Gary Thomas, Hell Fire Club, Merlin Stone Memorial, Pagan, Raymond Buckland, Religion, Ritual, Salem witches, Satanic rituals, The Rite, wiccan, Yoga, Zbudapest
International Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2
Coming out to someone is a decision only you can make and it's a decision best made when you are ready to do so. IPCOD encourages Pagans who are ready to come on out!
There are benefits, personally and for our religious community as a whole, as more Pagans come out. Some of these benefits include the reduction of anxiety caused by living a double life and creating a climate of greater acceptance for all Pagans. Read full story from pagancomingoutday.com
Bountiful a 'cult,' says polygamous leader's brother
The isolated polygamous commune of Bountiful, B.C., is a "cult" where religion is used to control residents and take away their rights, says the brother of one the community's leaders.
Truman Oler, whose brother James leads one of two divided factions within Bountiful, left the fundamentalist Mormon community in southeastern B.C. several years ago and has rarely seen his family since.
Oler, now 29, testified Tuesday at a B.C. court case examining Canada's anti-polygamy law, describing a community where children are taught from an early age that anything less than complete obedience — including entering into polygamous marriages– would mean an eternity in hell.
"My thinking about Bountiful and the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) has evolved the longer I have been away from the community," Truman said in a written affidavit filed in advance of his testimony.
"I now think that the FLDS is like a cult and that it is damaging for children to grow up in that environment. The FLDS does not permit anyone free choice. You are told what to do." Read full story from ctvbc.ctv.ca
Savannah officials reject ghost film in cemetery
The Syfy TV channel wants to shoot an epsiode in a Savannah cemetery, but city officials won't approve the idea.
Producers want to film an episode of "Fact or Faked," which would examine a tourist's 2008 claim that he filmed a ghostly image of a boy running through the cemetery.
Acting City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney and Jerry Flemming, director of cemeteries, say they're following city policy on the use of cemeteries.
"The municipal cemeteries are not for sensational or entertainment purposes. Any tours or events marketed as haunted, paranormal, or involving ghosts, spiritualists or mediums are strictly prohibited from any of the municipal cemeteries," the policy states.
Aldermen Tony Thomas, Mary Ellen Sprague, Clifton Jones and Larry Stuber agreed the sanctity of the cemetery and the respect owed to the deceased and their families has to be considered. Read full story from ajc.com
Faith & Religion: 'Living Library' allows the curious to explore other faiths at Ann Arbor event
In small circles inside the Social Hall at the Temple Beth Emeth/St. Clare Episcopal Church in Ann Arbor, "patrons" leaned in close to hear "living books" like Doug Jackson talk about their religious experiences.
As part of the Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County's "Living Library" program last Sunday, representatives from various religions and faiths shared their experiences and answered questions while maintaining the feel of a traditional library.
"My first patron asked about my life, the success and failures in my own practice of Christian Science," said Jackson, representing the First Church of Christ, Scientists.
Each representative was given a call number and patrons were allowed a 20-minute checkout.
"It's nice for me to hear the variety of paths people have taken," said Mark Salzer of Ann Arbor Township.
Salzer, who attends a Mennonite church, was conflicted as to whether he wanted to look into the Pagan or Universalist faiths next after having heard about Science of the Mind. Read full story from annarbor.com
An act of faith, desperation or protest: Self-immolations through time
(CNN) — Night had fallen when the men heard the sounds on the mountain. First it was a chime, then a recitation of verses, followed by the crackle of wood burning. They scrambled to the summit to see what was happening.
There, seated with his palms together and facing west, was their friend. Flames leapt around the peaceful man, engulfing him. It was just as he'd intended.
The year was 527.
This story of Daodu, a Buddhist monk, is told in James Benn's "Burning for the Buddha: Self-Immolation in Chinese Buddhism." Benn, an associate professor of religion at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, writes that the act of setting one's self on fire dates back in Chinese Buddhist tradition to the late fourth century.
But no matter how old, self-immolation still leaves people horrified, riveted and moved. Read full story from cnn.com
Psychotherapy and the healing power of narrating a life
An important part of the psychotherapy process, as I understand it and have practiced it, involves constructing a narrative of one's life.
This may seem like a curious task given that we all know or should know the story of our lives. We've been imagining the movie to be made from that story forever, right?
Well, that may be true of some us, but a surprising number of people actually don't have a coherent story: something that hangs together, makes sense, and has some internal consistency. The story may have large, important chunks missing. Or the narrative is fragmented and chaotic. Sometimes the story is there but it is self-condemnatory and unfair.
A woman who was raped at the age of 16 was telling herself that she consented to sex with a man much older than she was, someone she barely knew. She thought of herself as a slut. All the adults in her family would agree (if they knew the story): a 16-year-old is a grown-up and responsible for her actions. Read full story from scientificamerican.com
India must face up to Hindu terrorism
For far too long, the enduring response of the Indian establishment to Hindu nationalists has rarely surpassed mild scorn. Their organised violent eruptions across the country – slaughtering Muslims and Christians, destroying their places of worship, cutting open pregnant wombs – never seemed sufficient enough to the state to cast them as a meaningful threat to India's national security.
But the recently leaked confession of a repentant Hindu priest, Swami Aseemanand, confirms what India's security establishment should have uncovered: a series of blasts between 2006 and 2008 were carried out by Hindu outfits. The attacks targeted a predominantly Muslim town and places of Muslim worship elsewhere. Their victims were primarily Muslim. Yet the reflexive reaction of the police was to round up young Muslim men, torture them, extract confessions and declare the cases solved. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Russians seek omens and foretell husbands in winter ritual
MOSCOW — On winter nights set aside for fortune telling, young Russian women drip hot wax, throw shoes out of the window and crumple newspapers, hoping to foresee their future husbands and careers.
In a ritual vividly described in 19th century literature and still alive today, Russians tell fortunes in the evenings between Russian Orthodox Christmas (January 6-7) and the festival of Epiphany on January 19.
While fortune-telling is practised between Christian holidays, it is frowned upon by the Russian Orthodox Church, which sees it as a remnant of paganism. Read full story from google.com
Church letter warns against mandatory reporting of child sex abuse
Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) — Irish victims of sexual abuse are "disgusted" by a newly revealed letter in which a Vatican official expresses "serious reservations" about requiring bishops to report suspected abuse by priests to police, they said Wednesday.
Abuse survivors will question the cardinal leading a special papal delegation to Ireland about the letter, they said.
"We are disgusted by details revealed in the letter. Many of our members just can't take this in and have been deeply affected by the revelations," Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse spokeswoman Margaret McGuckin told CNN. Read full story from cnn.com
Yoga For Unity Flash Mob (source YouTube – YogaForUnity)
Unreported World: Witches on Trial (source YouTube – TrVelocita)
Tags: Broom Closet, Buddhism, Christian, Cult, faith, Hindu, interfaith, IPCOD, Muslim, Omens, Pagan, Paganism, Polygamous, Psychotherapy, Religion, rituals, Self-immolations, Unity, Wicca, Witch, witchcraft, Yoga
Haiti one year on: "living in a tent is not really a life"
The angelical voices of a choir dressed in pristine white singing hallelujahs do not match the hellish scenery that surrounds them: piles of debris, an acid stingy smell of rotten rubbish, women crying while waving their hands at the skeleton of what used to be the country's main Catholic church, Cathédrale Notre Dame de L'Assomption, thanking God for still being alive, but some also blaming him for plunging the Caribbean country into an abyss.
Exactly a year ago the earth grumbled violently, killing 230,000 people and flattening the cities along the centre of an impoverished country that is now no more than a mass of rubble and twisted iron. Today, broken Haitians are commemorating their losses following their hearts and their faiths. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Faith: Local community responds to hate by celebrating religious freedom day
This year, many in Ann Arbor will celebrate our local religious diversity and freedom through community service, discussion, and learning about other faiths as they mark Religious Freedom Day on Jan. 16. While these activities affirm respect and inclusion, they come in response to bigotry and harassment.
When Bryan Weinert saw the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in September of last year, including the stabbing of a New York cab driver for being Muslim, vandalism of mosques and a burnt Qur'an left outside a mosque in East Lansing, he felt that it was important for the community to respond.
Weinert, who serves as the board president for the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ), explains, "I saw the hatred, the animosity and the violence, and I thought, 'This isn't how we should be treating members of our community.'" So ICPJ began working with local faith leaders, the Ann Arbor City Council and others to respond to the anti-Muslim activities and promote a community that welcomes and respects all. Read full story from annarbor.com
Phelps won't picket girl's funeral
Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church won't picket the funeral of a 9-year-old girl killed in Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., in exchange for getting airtime on two radio stations, a church spokeswoman said Wednesday morning.
Church members earlier had announced plans to picket the funeral of the girl, Christina Taylor Green, who was one of six people killed during Saturday's shooting spree that also wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.
However, Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokeswoman for the Westboro church, said KXXT-AM, a 50,000-watt radio station in the Phoenix suburb of Tolleson, Ariz., and Canadian station CFNY-FM, 102.1 "The Edge" in Toronto, offered to give the Topeka church airtime to discuss its views in exchange for its members not picketing the girl's funeral. Read full story from cjonline.com
Interview with P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, Founder of Ekklesía Antínoou
I was fortunate enough to spend some time this past week with Pagan author P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, a scholar, devotee of Antinous, and author of the book The Phillupic Hymns through Bibliotheca Alexandrina and The Syncretisms of Antinous through The Red Lotus Library. He's been doing some fascinating work in reviving the cultus of the God Antinous within contemporary Reconstructionist Paganisms, so I was very happy when he agreed to answer a few questions.
This interview took place on November 7, 2010. Read full story from patheos.com
Alcohol poisoning, not avian flu, killed Romanian birds
Birds that were thought to have died from avian flu in Romania instead apparently drank themselves to death.
Residents of Constanta in eastern Romania found dozens of dead starlings on the outskirts of the city on Saturday.
They alerted authorities, fearing the birds had died from avian flu.
But local veterinary officials decided the starlings had died after eating grape 'marc' – the leftovers from the wine-making process. Read full story from bbc.co.uk
Casting a spell on the government
THERE'S been a lot of talk about the rising popularity of paganism and witchcraft in Wales.
So here's their chance to do something about VAT and all those hidden taxes.
Simply consult their Romanian sisters like Bratara Buzea, who, although she sounds like a Mafia hitman, is actually the Queen Witch of that country. For years Romanian witches have gone about their eerie business untaxed. Read full story from walesonline.co.uk
Religion is not needed to teach morality
The question: Should schools require Christian worship?
I asked my nine-year-old son, who attends an ordinary – though high-achieving – primary school in Clapham, what the "collective worship" mandated by English law in his school assemblies consists of. He reports that his assemblies feature a hodgepodge of broad brush-stroke outlines of a variety of religious festivals – Diwali, Eid, harvest festival – mixed in with basic moral messages about things like bullying (bad), being kind (good) and the dangers of Facebook (many). God, he was pretty sure, has never been mentioned and nothing he would describe (within his admittedly limited experience) as "worship" has ever taken place. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Why people abandon religion
The question of why some people lose their faith and what to do about it has long vexed those who don't – check the Old Testament for some heated discourse on the topic. Recent polling indicates that the trend toward secularism has increased – even in the United States, one of the most religious countries in the world. The results of the latest American Religious Identification Survey (Aris) reveal that the "nones" – people whose stated religious affiliation is "none" – have grown from 8.1% in 1990, the first year the study was conducted, to 15% in 2008.
A November 2010 article in Christianity Today sought to discover why, and cited "moral compromise" as the first reason, meaning that people leave religion because they want to do things religion forbids, such as have premarital sex. Other reasons include intellectual doubts and being hurt in some way by a church.
Recognising the necessity of understanding specific reasons for specific departures, I propose an overarching reason for why people abandon religion: they leave when the tension becomes too great between what they want and need, and what religion tells them they should want and need. Read full story from guardian.co.uk
Jared Lee Loughner apparently sought community online at Abovetopsecret.com
The Web site Abovetopsecret.com is a place where odd ideas are welcome: Its discussion threads ask questions about UFO sightings, evidence of God, and "How do you kill an alien zombie?"
But it became an unwelcome place for a new user, who joined the site in early 2009 and called himself "Erad3." Now – based on the language in his postings, and information about where he logged on – the site's operators believe Erad3 was accused Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner, 22.
"I'd go with 99 percent," said Bill Irvine, chief executive of the site's parent company, when asked how certain he was that Erad3 and Loughner were the same person.
The story of those postings – now compiled online at Abovetopsecret.com – adds new detail to the story of Loughner's apparent unraveling. Read full story from washingtonpost.com
Skull pulled from box renews Bradenton mystery
BRADENTON – Police here are trying to solve a mystery over how an unidentified human skull sat in a box in their property room for more than 35 years until it was discovered last week.
And they have virtually no records to indicate to whom it belongs or what happened to the person.
In late 1974, someone found a human skull submerged in 4 inches of water in an area vaguely described as "near Bradenton."
The skull was apparently sent by the Bradenton Police Department to the FBI and back again to the local agency's evidence room, where it was wrapped in newspaper, put in a box, marked with the word "SKULL" and forgotten.
Until last week. Detectives, sifting through old evidence to see if any of it could be used to crack cold cases, found the box, and the skull, and are now trying to figure out to whom it belongs. Read full story from heraldtribune.com
Authorities handling fallout of breaking up polygamist cult
One year after police raided the Tel Aviv headquarters of a suspected polygamist cult that involved some 40 children and 20 women, welfare authorities say they are still dealing intensely with the fallout and rehabilitation process of the cult members as they return to live a normative life.
According to information published Tuesday by the Welfare and Social Services Ministry, the 20 wives and 40 children of the yet-to-be convicted cult leader Goel Ratzon continue to receive a wide range of welfare services, including constant psychological monitoring.
"The Goel Ratzon affair is a clear sign that we have a policy of zero tolerance to cults and other groups that prey on vulnerable women and children," Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog said in a statement Tuesday. Read full story from jpost.com
Jewish groups respond to Palin's use of 'blood libel'
Several Jewish groups are criticizing Sarah Palin's use of the term "blood libel" in her video statement on the Arizona shootings. The phrase traditionally refers to false anti-Semitic myths about Jews using the blood of Christians, often children, in their rituals.
[Defining terms: What is "blood libel"?] Read full story from yahoo.com
Sarah Palin attacks 'blood libel' over Arizona shootings – video (source the guardian)
Voodoo priests killed in Haiti (source cnn)
Tags: 'blood libel', Alcohol poisoning, avian flu, Christian, Cult, Dead birds, Diwali, Eid, Ekklesía Antínoou, faith, Haiti earthquake, Human Skull, Jared Lee Loughner, Muslim, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, Pagan, Paganism, Reconstructionist Paganisms, Religion, Sarah Palin, UFO, Voodoo, Westboro Baptist Church, witchcraft, witches
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