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According to a Pew Forum report, entitled “Faith in Flux,” most people who decide to leave their childhood religion say they did so before the age of 24. This indicates that development in understanding of religion and religious practices is a key factor in determining whether or not young adults will stick to their religion, switch religions or simply distance themselves from religion in general, like approximately 16 percent of Americans today. This makes it clear that the role of a religious education teacher is crucial in a young adult’s life.
In the Holy Quran, which addresses itself to humankind, not just Muslims, the importance of learning is emphasized in the angel Gabriel’s first words to Prophet Muhammad, iqra, meaning “read/recite.” His first command to the Prophet was to educate himself about his Creator, and one of his first descriptions of God was “the Most Generous, who taught by the Pen, taught Man that he knew not” (96: 3-5). Learning is integral in a person’s life in order to fulfill his or her purpose in life, which is to worship

It’s not easy to worship a distant G-d. Often He feels so heavenly, so uncommunicative, so incompatible with mortals.
You might have never realized it, but when we reach out to G-d we always do it in one of two ways, what I call the “meaningful” and the “transcendental.”
A meaningful religious experience is one that resonates with you as an individual. It could be words of Psalms that reduce you to tears, the shrill of a shofar blast that stirs an awakening inside you or a moment of ecstasy as you walk your child to the Chuppah. Meaningful moments are always inspired by some sort of understanding or general appreciation of what you are

The commencement address at Colgate University, May 15, 2011:
In the fall of 1966 I arrived here as a freshman with a copy of the student handbook in my pocket. It described a tradition called the “Colgate Hello.” You were supposed to wear a maroon beanie and say hello to everyone on campus. Colgate was still all male and lily-white. The idea of tweedy young men in weird hats saying “hi” to each other on a campus in the woods was, well,

On a family vacation from Wisconsin to Dauphin Island, Alabama, we stopped at Lincoln’s home in Springfield, IL to take a tour. In the front parlor, there was a photograph of Honest Abe hanging on the wall. He was standing out in front of his house next to a young basswood tree. I asked the docent if the tree in the photograph was the same as the old basswood standing out in front of the

Canada's TMX Group, operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange, has received a domestic takeover bid to rival the group's proposed merger with the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

The bid came from from a group of Canadian banks and pension funds.

TMX said it would consider the bid while still seeking shareholder and regulatory approval for the LSE deal.

Recent months have seen a spate of merger talks between the world's leading stock

The four artists included in this edition of “On Seeing” each address ecology and our deepening environmental concerns. Their approaches vary from temporary sculptures and installations dependent on the cycles and processes of nature to patient documentations of the intersection between humans and our environment. Each has developed a powerful body of work that poses questions while drawing both functional and metaphorical connections to the natural world.
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John Grade, Host, Cellulose, seeds, rice pulp, capsicum paste, 12 x 12 x 1.5 feet, 2007-2008, Sited in Kaibab National Forest, AZ.
Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, John Chamberlain: Art Auctions Highlights, May 9-13 (PHOTOS)
Top 5 Films To Watch At Cannes Film Festival 2011
Haiku Reviews: X-Rays, iPigs & Ann Landers (PHOTOS)
Kanye West And Jay-Z Perform At MoMA’s Party In The Garden Benefit (VIDEO)
Busch Gardens Named Most Beautiful Amusement Park (PHOTOS)
Sustaining a Pro Bono Design Practice: A Chat with A Very Nice Design Studio (PHOTOS)
John Grade, Host, Cellulose, seeds, rice pulp, capsicum paste, 12 x 12 x 1.5 feet, 2007-2008, Sited in Kaibab National Forest, AZ.
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From the first time I learned of John Grade’s work, he seems to have continually developed new and fascinating projects bridging his art practice and commitment to preservation and the environment. Those pictured here include Host, one of many of Grade’s works that is in part sculpted by the environment (in this case, local birds), and The Elephant Bed, graceful forms made, as is typical of Grade’s process, from biodegradable materials; at the end of this exhibition at Fabrica in Brighton, UK, the works were carried through the streets and deposited in the English

Always digging deeper into what women over 50 are really thinking (and not just depending on the academic reports and studies, many of which are frightfully discouraging), I asked women on Facebook and Twitter to reveal that one thing that keeps them awake at night, that single nagging worry that haunts their sleep and has the potential to overshadow their generally positive outlook on life.
Conventional wisdom might say that women over 50 are most concerned about how they look, how many wrinkles they have and how young they appear. In fact, there’s big business in convincing us that these should be our focal points. As I’ve written before, women often feel invisible and unimportant once they are over 50, but that isn’t a gut-wrenching fear; it’s an observation, and one that most women I know shrug off with a knowing

“Man finds nothing so intolerable as to be in a state of complete rest, without passions, without occupation, without diversion, without effort. Then he feels his nullity, loneliness, inadequacy, dependence, helplessness, emptiness.”
–Blaise Pascal
Why is it so hard for us to tolerate emptiness in our minds? The prevalent belief that action always equals progress may be a contributing factor. We perceive emptiness as an undesired state, something to be feared. We feel uncomfortable with those moments when our minds seem devoid of any creative or productive

If you heard about the White House poetry event this past Wednesday, you probably heard about it for the wrong reasons. The decision to invite hip-hop artist and actor Common to read poetry drew a surprising amount of furor from the right. Former Bush senior advisor Karl Rove and Fox News host Sean Hannity, among others, offered their in-depth analysis of Common’s lyrics, coming off like a couple of flustered freshmen in a poetry workshop. I suppose such strange distractions are to be expected in the weeks after your political enemy kills Osama bin Laden, but the Common silliness was unfortunate, as it tarnished what was otherwise a great day for

We all have flashes of inspiration. Sometimes they appear as quiet whispers in the night, as fleeting thoughts in the morning shower or as huge “a-ha!” moments. The question is: Are you giving enough attention to the clues that your inner voice is sending? How can you get more attuned to the inner directives? Here are three ways to get started.
1) Knowledge Is Power
Socrates said it best: “Know Thyself.” This includes understanding what makes you feel alive, what captures your imagination, and also what comes naturally to you. Knowing your strengths is a huge

This week, talk radio pundits, desperate to turn the conversation away from the success of the bin Laden mission, worked themselves into a faux lather over The Obamas inviting Common to appear at a White House poetry night. Thankfully, the Ghost of Sister Souljah Moments Past did not make an appearance at the event. Elsewhere, troubled marriages grabbed the headlines, with news of Arnold and Maria’s separation, the Senate Ethics Committee’s scathing report on John Ensign’s sordid conduct, and thrice-wed Newt Gingrich’s announcement that he was running for president.
read full news from www.huffingtonpost.com

Mike Huckabee, former governor of the US state of Arkansas, has announced that he does not plan to stand in presidential elections next year.

Mr Huckabee had been seen as a strong contender for his party's nomination. He lost out to John McCain in 2008.

But he told viewers on his show on Fox News: "All the factors say go, but my heart says no."

Several high-profile Republicans have declined to run in the 2012 elections or have yet to make an announcement.

Sarah Palin, who was the Republican nominee for vice-president last time, has not said whether she will stand.

President Barack Obama announced in April that he intended to stand for another

About a week and half ago it came to my attention that US Fish & Wildlife Service is considering the aerial spraying of one of the most deadly poisons to wildlife, brodifacoum, as part of the South Farallon Islands Non-native Mouse Eradication project. The aerial disbursement of loose pellets of rat poison over an area designated as a wildlife refuge will result in unnecessary and extensive loss of wildlife, and the long-term affects of dumping a toxic pesticide on this fragile ecosystem are unknown.
On Thursday of this week, US Fish & Wildlife Service held a public scoping meeting in San Francisco to discuss this proposal and take comments from the public. I looked forward to this meeting and prepared the following letter to US Fish & Wildlife.
Oddly enough, at this public scoping meeting I was not allowed to read the comments I had

The head of the IMF, Dominique Strass-Kahn, is being questioned by New York police over an alleged sex attack on a hotel maid, say reports.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken off a plane at John F Kennedy airport minutes before it left for Paris.

Police said he had not been charged.

The married former French finance minister is also a leading Socialist Party politician and is considered a possible candidate in the 2012 presidential election.

He is due to attend a meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels on Monday to discuss the bailouts of Portugal and Greece.

A spokesman for New York's Port Authority said they detained Mr Strauss-Kahn at the request of the New York Police Department

No time to page through thousands of eBay listings? Then just sneak a peek at my weekly eBay roundup of top vintage clothing finds.
This eclectic mix of designer and non-designer vintage clothing and accessories caught my discerning eye because of their uniqueness, contemporary feel or highly collectible nature.
As always, buyer beware! Be sure to read the listings closely and contact the sellers with any questions.
Today’s selections include pieces by Thierry Mugler, Yves Saint Laurent, Courreges and Christian Lacroix. Be sure to check out the whimsical Hermes handbag and the fabulous Bakelite necklace.
Which item is your favorite? Leave me a comment below to let me know and please take a minute to rate your favorite slides.
GET READY, GET SET, BID!!!
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Weekly eBay Roundup of Vintage Clothing Finds
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More information on all this week’s finds at Zuburbia. Keep clicking for this week’s vintage clothing finds.
Michael Kors Plays Host To Book Party
Our Moms, The Style Icons (PHOTOS)
Weekly Roundup of eBay Vintage Clothing Finds (PHOTOS)
Westminster Abbey Hosts The Royal Wedding Ceremony (PHOTOS)
It’s a Royal Affair
‘Lotus Eaters’ Premiere: Who Was Best-Dressed? (PHOTOS, POLL)
More information on all this week’s finds at Zuburbia.
read full news from www.huffingtonpost.com

So, spoiler alert, turns out that Clark Kent becomes Superman. Who knew, right?
With its series capper airing on the CW last Friday night after a strictly-enforced “No Fly Zone” spanning ten years, two networks, and two-hundred-plus episodes, Smallville closed the loop on Clark Kent’s journey toward the red, blue, and yellow future that we all knew awaited him, and in the process brought the curtain down on the longest-lived incarnation of the Man of Steel in any medium other than the comic books that birthed him. While some questions were definitively answered, others were left frustratingly opaque, and in the end, the Smallville closer exemplified the challenge faced by any show that ends its run after as much time in the trenches, whether MASH or Cheers or anything else: it’s not just about giving the characters narrative closure, it’s also about giving the audience emotional closure.
And for Smallville — which more than any other show I can think of was all about its finale from the moment it began — the stakes on both fronts were perilously high, not least of which because an entire audience has come of age right alongside star Tom Welling on his decade-long trek from boy to man to superman. While I may have dipped in and out of that audience over the years, there’s no question that when Smallville premiered in October of 2001, the decision by creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to re-envision the quintessential super-heroic paradigm as a conflicted teen coming to terms with a legacy and destiny he doesn’t undersand was a stroke of genius that not only paid immediate audience dividends, but also gave renewed currency to the Superman

What does loyalty to God entail? This vexing virtue is essential to every relationship we have that matters — it is the bond that holds together love, friendship, family, community and faith. But because we have so many loyalties, they are always coming into conflict with one another. It’s bad enough having to choose whether, as E.M. Forster put it, to betray one’s country or one’s

May is National Mediterranean Diet Month, so what better time to think about adopting healthy food habits that have been shown incontrovertibly to benefit just about every conceivable portion of your life and physical well-being — cognitive abilities, disease prevention, and heart health to name just a few. Start by getting your very own copy of the Med Diet Pyramid from Oldways, an awesome nonprofit back East that according to their website is “changing the way people eat through practical and positive programs grounded in science, traditions, and delicious foods and drinks.” Then head out to your favorite market for a bottle or two of the linchpin of the Med Diet: olive oil.
Humans have been pressing those little green ovals to produce oil for over 10,000 years. Native to the Mediterranean region, the olive tree has been an integral part of many cultures, influencing and representing cuisines, religions, and societies. But only in the recent past have we discovered just how potent this green-gold elixir is, and the amazing role it plays in fighting disease and increasing longevity for those who enjoy its fragrant deliciousness.
Seriously, I could fill a dozen pages extolling the manifold benefits of olive oil, and not even begin to scratch the

Sometimes the visual dynamic of New York, and Manhattan in particular, can be too much — too much a jumble, or a clash of priorities and styles — a cavalcade of dissonance. But sometimes, something comes into view that re-orders the environment so much so that it both jars the visual ecology and redefines it.
That happened yesterday when I saw three large brightly colored metal shipping containers stamped CHARACTER PROJECT on the front and back sitting in various public spaces in Manhattan.
Plopped down into high trafficked public pavilions, these boxes captured the attention and altered the impact of the space they occupied. But because they are there as pop-up movie theaters, meant to feature eight shorts commissioned by the USA Network and RSA Films (Ridley and Tony Scott’s company), they did more than visually affect the street dynamic — they became site-specific gallery spaces as well.
Having started yesterday, Friday, May 13, this cinematic experience can be found in Manhattan throughout this weekend, continuing today (Saturday, May 14) to tomorrow (Sunday, May 15) from 10am-10pm at three locations: Gansevoort Plaza (9th Ave between Gansevoort and Little W 12th Streets); Flatiron Plaza, Broadway between 22nd & 23rd Streets and South Street Seaport (Fulton between Water and Front

Like most people, I recognize that I am going to die someday. Unlike most people, I have a lot of life insurance.
I’ve come to the conclusion that we really need more life insurance agents. Too many people need more insurance than they

For many years I held in my heart the idea that I am a serious human being, concerned with higher issues, especially those involving my country. Thus it was that I avoided watching American Idol. But because I have a beloved friend who is hooked on it, I made the mistake this season of tuning in so I would have something to talk to her about besides how dispiriting everything is. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but as big a young talent as I have ever seen, in the clunky, funky form of a rocker named James Durbin, whose energy and palpable sweetness actually made it bearable to listen to Heavy

This past week saw the late night hosts moving on from wall-to-wall Osama bin Laden jokes. Though there were plenty of intriguing discoveries about bin Laden once the contents of his compound started coming to light. Fox News and Sarah Palin grasped at straws for a new bogey man and the best they could come up was “vile rapper” Common.
read full news from www.huffingtonpost.com

Recently, I received some hate mail from a white supremacist. It’s a rare, but not unprecedented occurrence.
Her sentiments were ignorant and bizarre, of course. And clearly, they in no way reflect the opinion of most Americans. I wondered, however, how many individuals would agree with one of her statements, which was that white people are being oppressed.
In fact, CNN recently investigated this

A meal worthy of the gods.
For the next two days, Oakland’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension is hosting their annual Oakland Greek Festival. Besides being a gathering of some of the East Bay’s most enthusiastic Greek residents, the festival is home to some of the best Greek food in the Bay Area.
Yesterday I hit up the festival’s opening day. I was completely bowled over by the amount of food available — up for grabs were every possible Greek delight you can imagine, prepared by local cooks. Within the culinary booths, you’ll find everything from whole lamb on a spit to flaming cheese (seriously — stand back when they set it on