Comments:
You have got to be freaking kidding me. Â These folks cannot be serious. Â I am sure in some delusional way this makes perfect sense, but it is unbelievable. Â A total mind-F#$$% of a population. Â I am now a believer…Little Kim is really “the man”.
The evidence of America’s obesity epidemic is all around us. But the problem is particularly acute among African-American women.
About half of African-American women in the U.S. are obese, compared to 30 percent of white women. Black women not only carry more weight, but they start piling on extra pounds years before their white counterparts.
So when does it begin, this excess and unhealthful weight? Research suggests the problem starts early, and it may have a lot to do with when girls give up regular exercise.
Source: NPR
My Comments:
O boy…this is one that is near and dear to my heart and falls squarely in my lap. Â As father of a little Nubian Princess, I have to really keep a vigilant watch for this. Â My daughter, Cheyenne, is the consumate girly-girl. Â She likes to dress up and the slightest idea of exertion sends her in the opposite direction. Â Being someone who is very health conscious, I have to make sure I set the proper example for this little girl; it is not as if she won’t have enough challenges in life to contend with already.
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian Christian cleric facing death for the crime of apostasy against an Islamic faith he never held, has been given a temporary stay of execution. Iran’s top judge, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, instructed presiding Judge Ghazi Kashani to delay carrying out capital punishment for a year in order to give time for Mr. Nadarkhani to recant Christianity and become a Muslim.
The Iranian regime may be responding to international pressure. Mr. Nadarkhani’s case has become a prominent cause for the religious-rights community. His story was first reported by Christian and Iranian dissident websites, then by Western media outlets. On International Human Rights Day, Dec. 9, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on “every government to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally, including Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly [a Vietnamese Catholic priest], and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo [dissident writer in prison in China].† Continue reading by clicking source link…
Source: Washington Times
My Comments:
Again, I am blown away by this all or nothing approach of religion. Â A few days ago, it was the terribly upsetting act by the “central” Sunni Islamic state of Saudi Arabia, in the execution of one of its citizen for the practice of witchcraft… Â Can you believe that witchcraft. Â At the very least ex-communicate her, send her away, but killing her. Â Now here we go again with the “central” Shia state of Iran, getting ready to execute a man because he professes Christianity. Â Aren’t Christians, like Jews people of the book, according to Islamic scriptures? Â Then what is this all about. Â Again, why not excommunicate him and send him away? Â Why would God or any god for that matter require such a sacrifice? Â This is disturbing. Â This is not to say that this blatant and callous approach to humanity is limited to the Islamic faith; it is no secret that is can be found well beyond the borders of these two countries. Â My heart breaks with these stories…
Standing just over 2 feet tall, Jyoti Amge of Nagpur, India, was confirmed Friday as the world’s shortest living woman.
Guinness World Records, known as the global authority on record-breaking — albeit odd — achievements, flew to India on Amge’s 18th birthday to take final measurements and confirm the new record. The title previously belonged to Bridgette Jordan, 22, of the United States, who measures 2 feet, 3 inches tall.
Amge’s birthday was celebrated at a party in Nagpur with cake and guests from her hometown as well as Guinness representatives from London. Amge, wearing a purple sari and celebratory henna, stood proudly next to a copy of the 2012 Guinness record book and her official certificate, which was almost as big as Amge herself. Â Click source link below to continue reading…
Source: CNN
My Comments:
Given the fact that the most populous countries are both Asian – China and India, respectively, I would expect such extremes to come from either. Â At any rate, 2 feet is rather small. Â I can’t help but start wondering how all things human could fit in such a small package. Â I have lots of questions on this… Â Â
Title: The Evolution of God by Robert Wright
Summary:
In this sweeping narrative, which takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright’s findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy.
He explains why spirituality has a role today and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism but to future harmony. Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking reexamination of the past and a visionary look forward.
My Comments
At first blush, this could be a big turnoff for the believer, but I would caution against it.  Now, lest I lead you a stray, the topic is not too far from what is to be expected.  It does deal with  possible explanation of the God-idea, but it is not definitive in any respect.  So if you believe, this will probably not change your mind, it will or may give you a slight pause and some other things to thing about on your spiritual journey.  I for one found the book very much engaging, well written and very much accessible.  I really loved the attention to details, no slight facts were overlook and one got the sense that the author was being careful in not being patronizing.  I very much recommend this to believer and non-believers alike.
Grab it from Amazon