From Democracy Now: “The First Third World Encyclical”: Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana drafted the encyclical. In his long-awaited encyclical on the environment and climate change, Pope Francis has called for swift action to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the… Read More Pope Francis: They Cry of the Earth, the Cry of the Poor
From Democracy Now: Report: Non-Muslim Extremists in U.S. Kill Far More Than Muslims A new tally has confirmed white supremacists and other non-Muslim fanatics have killed far more people in the United States since 9/11 than Muslim extremists. The report by the research center New America finds, since 9/11, white supremacists, antigovernment extremists and other… Read More US: White, Anti-Gov Extremists Kill More Than Muslims
Emptiness, emptiness, emptiness. It just goes round and round, like a dog chasing it’s tail. There’s no end of thinking about what it means, even though lately I’ve gotten ever clearer on exactly what it does mean. (See http://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/Nagarjuna/Dependent_Arising.htm for the sharpest explanation I have come across yet). But so what? What does this all… Read More Emptiness, Suffering, Beauty and Truth
Some members of Nalandabodhi Halifax are participating in a Fire Puja at a graveyard in the North End of Halifax tonight. I don’t know why they’re conducting Fire Puja in a graveyard, and I’m not going to speculate. Pretty heavy stuff. And a bit spooky. What might one encounter in a graveyard? Ghosts? Spirits?Vampires?
‘Shocking’ revelation finds $5.3 trillion subsidy estimate for 2015 is greater than the total health spending of all the world’s governments Damian Carrington @dpcarrington Monday 18 May 2015 14.30 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 19 May 2015 11.14 BST Fossil fuel companies are benefitting from global subsidies of $5.3 trillion (£3.4tn) a year, equivalent to $10 million a minute every… Read More IMF: Fossil Fuels Subsidy $10 Million per Minute
[“Laudato Si” is from the great Canticle of the Sun by Francesco d’Assisi, Italy Pope Francis alluded to this poem in the title of his encyclical.] Canticle of the Sun —Francesco d’Assisi Highest, all-powerful and bounteous Lord To you belong praise Glory and honor And every blessing. You are transcendent And they belong only to… Read More Brother Sun, Sister Moon
In this Guardian UK editorial, Giles Fraser says that Pope Francis’ encyclical on capitalism and the environment reads like he stole a few chapters from Naomi Klein’s book This Changes Everything. I just finished reading Klein’s book. Not only does Francis ring the same bells as Klein, but he ends up sounding more Buddhist than most Buddhists… Read More Pope Francis: Buddha or Naomi Klein?
