Solomon had left the building by Jim Coyle

... All of which suggests the board should probably purchase The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Bible, which says that "most people admit that when it comes to knowing what's between those covers, their comprehension is, well, holey."

So, as a public service, we offer the following handy test.

A notorious tree in the Garden of Eden bore: a) pomegranates b) kiwis c) papaya d) forbidden fruit.

Christ cast the money-changers out of the: a) Wal-Mart b) casino c) payday loan outlet d) temple.

The Tower of Babel was: a) the original Question Period b) the ancient world's tallest free-standing structure c) the birthplace of Don Cherry d) a multilingual construction project gone bad.

Christ fed multitudes with: a) lox and bagels b) super-sized fries c) curry takeout d) loaves and fishes.

Which of the following do not belong: a) The Good Samaritan b) The Sermon on the Mount c) The Raising of Lazarus d) George Bush.

Who called the Bible the source of "practically every good title you ever heard"? a) ABBA b) Madonna c) Liberace d) Hemingway.

extract from: Solomon had left the building - Toronto Star Jan 24, 2008 Jim Coyle

Stressed Greeks turn to e-curses

IOL Technology 14 January, 2008
Greeks fed up with their pesky neighbours, old flames, the government, or society in general can find release in a new Internet site that posts e-curses for free.

"Have you been dumped, harassed or angered? Why not unload with a curse?", offers www.e-katares.com (e-curse.com), which currently has more than 150 entries.

Most postings on the site are from jilted lovers but there are also contributions aimed at Greek taxi drivers — a favourite target — banks, the public sector and even Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

"May his next pasta meal give him salmonella poisoning," one user rants against the premier, whose love of food is a popular barb among opposition media.

In Athens, locals usually relieve stress through a variety of offensive hand gestures, most frequently whilst caught in one of the capital’s trademark traffic jams.

"Studies by (EU statistics service) Eurostat show that Greeks have gone from being positive and relaxed to having the worst stress in Europe — over job uncertainty and the collapse of traditional social structures," sociology professor George Piperopoulos told the daily Ethnos.

NB. same news from other news sources:

• Stressed? Go for e-curse-It's a Mad, Mad World-World-The Times of India


• Greeks find e-curses to be relaxing - Deccan Chronicle / Asian Age

Religion and Violence, a webcast coming up from the National Cathedral

Explore the deep roots of religious conflict as a panel of prominent interfaith theologians illuminates each faith’s vocation as a force for peace—in ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.

Join James Carroll, James H. Cone, Susannah Heschel, and Tariq Ramadan via live webcast from Trinity Wall Street, New York, as they address the paradox of the faithful raising prayers for peace, and discuss stories of religiously fueled violence filling the news. Participate in on-site interfaith discussions guided by local Jewish, Christian, and Muslim facilitators. To learn more about this event visit Trinity Institute. Continue reading

See also an interesting resource: A handbook for Muslim teens

Being a young Muslim in the US got much tougher after 9/11, so a brother-sister
team came up with a book to help peers in their faith.
By Jane Lampman Staff writer of The Christian
Science Monitor

NB. Information courtesy: Al Reynolds

The calendar of commercialism does not reflect our spiritual rhythms

Geoffrey Rowell , Times Online

Extract: "...Christians have not always kept new year on January 1 -that was the Roman new year, and the Church was often very suspicious of it. Only in 1582 did Pope Gregory XIII's reform of the calendar mean that January 1 was generally adopted.

Jews kept the new year at the Feast of the New Moon at the end of September.

England began the new year with the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25, and adopted January 1 only in 1752. Germany began with Christmas, and France and the Low Countries with Easter. The Orthodox East keeps New Year's Day on September 1. " continue reading