A Christmas Greeting From a Muslim Daughter

By: Kari Ansari
The Huffington Post @ IslamiCity 12/22/2010

Extract:

When I became a Muslim thirteen years ago this month, I left behind the Christmas traditions my family celebrated every year of my childhood. My mother was able to transform our Southern California home into a Winter Wonderland as soon as we walked in the door; it may have been 75 degrees and sunny outside, but inside we felt we were in a Currier and Ives world of red velvet beribboned pine boughs, twinkling lights and beautiful music. I loved it. The Christmas season and our small traditions remained the same no matter how many years passed. My mother worked extremely hard to build warm, and loving holiday memories, and I sincerely cherish them.Like many American homes, there wasn't much Christ in my family's Christmas. There would always be some discussion surrounding the reason for our celebration, but we didn't attend church services or talk too much about what my parents believed. The beautiful nativity on the mantle, hand-painted by my grandmother, was flanked by tasteful, secular decorations. This led to a kind of vague confusion between the miraculous birth of Jesus, and the magical feat of Santa Claus zipping around the world in one night.

Nostalgia not withstanding, thinking about Christmas is now far more meaningful to me on a spiritual level than it was when I was young. The fact that Muslims accept and believe in the virgin birth of Jesus has been a golden thread that links my childhood Christmas memories to my very fulfilling adult life as a Muslim. continue reading @ IslamiCity

Give Respect and Get Respect - Excellent insights

Here is what I found on the subject of Respect [image courtesy: www.slumdogging.com]:
“Hey you! RESPECT Me!!!” …(No! It doesn’t work that way now)

Kinds of Respect:

RESPECT FOR CULTURE

RESPECT FOR THE NATION

RESPECT FOR SUPERIORS

RESPECT FOR RELIGION

RESPECT FOR PARENTS AND ELDERLY

Can spirituality control scams?

by Gautam Chikermane on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, Hindustan Times Blog

Bottom line (extract):

If we have to fight this out as a nation, I think we’ll have to do with our spirit. The spirit will infuse our minds with a force that we once carried. It will dust off the ennui our bodies have been steeped in for decades now and perhaps open new doors to freedom.

Earlier this month, I was tailing the Dalai Lama as his shadow for the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. Among the many things he said, I pick up one here. Buddha was a great soul, he said, and Buddhists have a great religion. But the Buddha could not protect Tibet from China, he said. Action was needed, we need to act.

In the deep silence of his presence, I found his words hugely inspiring. Could the spiritual destiny that once belonged to us, be the vehicle for India’s redemption?

On the same shelf:

Google for more on spirituality & scam

Corruption needs to be uprooted: Baba Ramdev, DailyIndia.com - Vipul Kumar Shah - 23 Nov 2010

Seven big Indian corruption scandals
REUTERS - India has been rocked this year by a series of corruption scandals that have embarrassed the ruling Congress party, rattled markets and delayed reform bills as the opposition stalls parliament.

The country, 87th in Transparency International's rankings based on perceived levels of corruption, is no stranger to scandals.

Here are some of the biggest in the last two decades:
1. 2010 -- LOAN BRIBERY CASE
2. 2010 - TELECOMS LICENCE ROW
3. 2010 - COMMONWEALTH GAMES
4. 2010 - HOUSING SCAM
5. 2009 - SATYAM
6. 1992 - SECURITIES SCAM
7. 1986 - BOFORS GUN DEAL [also @ Deccanchronicle.com ]

Newsweek has named Obama "god of all things" on its cover

Image @ Kauai's Hindu Monastery; Read more here: Newsweek Has Obama Channeling Lord Nataraja? or here
The picture of Lord Nataraja, here:
Extract:
"The latest issue of popular American news magazine Newsweek has on its cover page US President Barack Obama in the pose of Lord Nataraja.

In its November 22, 2010 issue, Obama has been shown by Newsweek on its cover page with multiple arms balancing several policy issues while raising his left leg mimicking the cosmic dance of the Hindu deity; considered a manifestation of Lord Shiva. Continue reading: The Times of India

On the same shelf:

NEWSWEEK: India: A Delicate Dance, by John Barry Oct 30, 2010

Obama on the cover of Newsweek as SHIVA the DESTROYER, [SHIVA the DESTROYER in the "Dance of Death"; SHIVA is also depicted in front of CERN Laboratory in Geneva.]

Being religious improves happiness, Dan Buettner

Finding the Happiest Place on Earth
Mon Nov 8, 9:31AM PT - ABC News @ Yahoo! News Video
Dan Buettner traveled all over the world to find the best places to live.

"Unraveling the story of each "hotspot" like a good mystery, Buettner reveals how he discovered each location and then travels to meet folks who embody each particular brand of happiness. He introduces content, thriving people in Denmark, in Singapore, in northeastern Mexico, and in a composite "happiest place in America." In addition, he interviews economists, psychologists, sociologists, politicians, writers, and other experts to get at what contributes to each region's happiness.

Buettner's findings result in a credible, cross-cultural formula and a practical plan to help us stack the deck for happiness and get more satisfaction out of life. According to Buettner's advisory team, the average person can control about forty percent of his or her individual happiness by optimizing life choices. These aren't unreasonable demands on a person's lifestyle, and they often require only slight changes. They fall into three categories that make up the way we live our lives: the food we eat, the way we exercise, and the social networks we foster. It's all about nourishing the body and the spirit. Heeding the secrets of the world's happiness all-stars can help us make the right choices to find more contentment in our own lives and learn how to thrive."

Bottomline:
page 145... Indeed, worldwide research shows that religious people are happier than nonreligious ones.
page 166 ... religious people tend to be happier than nonreligious people, …
page 225 …study done on the connection between religion and well-being, shows that the two go hand in hand.

On the same shelf:

There’s more to the story when reporting on religious violence
by Samiaji Bintang, Common Ground News Service 23 November 2010

Wind could have parted Red Sea for Moses: Report - thestar.com

Toronto Star, Sep 21 2010
Extract:
“The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that’s in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in.”

Religious texts differ a little in the tale, but all describe Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt ahead of a pharaoh’s armies around 3,000 years ago. The Red Sea parts to let Moses and his followers pass safely, then crashes back onto the pursuers, drowning them...

“This land bridge is 3-4 km long and 5 km wide, and it remains open for 4 hours,” they wrote in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE.

“People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts,” Drews said. “What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws.”
continue reading

See also on the same shelf:

Moses parting the Red Sea: it could have happened. Probably didn't, but could have