I wanted to share this video by my pal, and super-talented video storyteller, Liza de Guia, featuring another dear friend, Jennifer Perillo, from In Jennie’s Kitchen. If you’re a regular on this blog, you know I’ve shared many of Liza’s gorgeous, entertaining videos before, and this one is no different. This video is part of Food Curated’s Why We Cook series, and it shows exactly why I’m such a big fan of both these talented women’s work.
I’ll let the video speak for itself, but I couldn’t agree more with Jennie’s thoughts on fear in the kitchen. By the way, Jennifer has recently published her first cookbook, Homemade with Love, and it’s getting rave reviews. I’ve not read it yet, but will be doing so very soon. If you’re interested in taking a look, you can check it out here. Special thanks to Liza for letting us share her work, and also to Jennie for being a continuing source of inspiration. I hope you enjoy this, and find it as moving as I did.
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I’ll let the video speak for itself, but I couldn’t agree more with Jennie’s thoughts on fear in the kitchen. By the way, Jennifer has recently published her first cookbook, Homemade with Love, and it’s getting rave reviews. I’ve not read it yet, but will be doing so very soon. If you’re interested in taking a look, you can check it out here. Special thanks to Liza for letting us share her work, and also to Jennie for being a continuing source of inspiration. I hope you enjoy this, and find it as moving as I did.
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If that wasn’t enough to get your attention, it’s also topped with eggs poached in the fragrant, brick red broth. It’s like a steaming bowl of breakfast-for-dinner.
Like I say in the clip, there are as many ways to make this as families in Spain, but I really think toasting the bread is key. You’re basically replacing the flavorless water in the bread with olive oil and awesome soup.
Plus, having the olive oil baked into the cubes makes for a better texture in my opinion. Whether you make this tomorrow to celebrate a totally made-up holiday, or wait until you have some stale bread sitting around, I really hope you try this incredibly comforting Spanish soup. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions:
About 6 cups of cubed French or Italian bread
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle on bread cubes
6-10 thinly sliced garlic cloves
2 oz ham diced
1-2 tsp paprika or to taste
6 cups chicken broth
4 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
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by Salman Hameed
I have regularly provided an update on the controversy over telescopes on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii (see here for links to earlier posts). The central issue has been the proposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the volcanic mountaintop held sacred by some groups of Native Hawaiians, and hosts flora and fauna on the candidate list of endangered species. After numerous rounds of permissions, the TMT has been given the final go-ahead:
Hawaiian officials have granted a permit for the planned Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to proceed atop the sacred mountain of Mauna Kea, project officials announced on 13 April.
The move clears the way for construction to start, as early as April 2014, atop the 4,200-metre-high summit. Thirteen telescopes already dot the mountain, but the TMT would be the largest of them by far. The biggest optical telescopes now atop Mauna Kea are the twin 10-metre Keck telescopes.
Development on the mountain is a sensitive subject in Hawaii. In 2011, the state’s board of land and natural resources granted a conditional permit to construct the TMT. Opponents pursued a contested case hearing under a board officer. The new decision confirms the original permit granting and moves the TMT forward for good.Of course, this is tricky subject. On the one hand, this is good for astronomy and the economy of the island. But this comes at the expense of others who feel marginalized in this matter. The TMT folks, it seems, did make an effort to reach out and hold regular town hall meetings to at least listen to the grievances of the local community. However, the history of the US involvement in Hawaii is so messy that it is unlikely that the issue can ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Indeed, the opponents of the telescope have vowed to keep on fighting - but I think the game is over on this matter:
One of the leading groups opposed to building the world's largest telescope at the summit of Hawaii's revered Mauna Kea volcano vows the fight against the space exploration site is far from over, despite a state panel's vote last week in favor of the project.
"We're not going to go away because of one bad ruling," Nelson Ho, co-chair of the Mauna Kea Issues Committee from the Sierra Club's Hawaii Chapter, told Latinos Post. "We're in the early rounds of the boxing match and this is a twelve-rounder."
Hawaii's Board of Land and Natural Resources approved plans for the so-called Thirty Meter Telescope, a collaboration between the University of California system, the California Institute of Technology, or, Caltech, and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy. China, India and Japan have also joined the effort as governmental partners.
According to a report in the Associated Press, the telescope's primary mirror would measure nearly 100 feet (30 meters) long and be able to collect data from an area nine times greater than that scanned by the largest optical telescopes used today.
The Thirty Meter Telescope's images would also be three times sharper than anything currently captured.
That improved range and strength would help researchers see an estimated 13 billion light years away.
The next procedural step for the group spearheading the TMT project is to negotiate a sublease for the site with the University of Hawaii, which itself leases the summit area from the state.
The Sierra Club and a handful of other environmental and Native Hawaiian culture organizations assert the TMT will severely damage the area atop the volcano, which Native Hawaiian traditions hold as sacred, a gateway to the afterlife that once only high chiefs and spiritual leaders were allowed to visit.
At least one ancient burial site is confirmed on the mountain, which naturalists also say is one of the last pristine environments in Hawaii, let alone the world.
When it was planning the since-abandoned Outrigger Telescoping Project on Mauna Kea in the early 2000s, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration completed a study of the environmental impact of astronomical research facilities on the area, which in part concluded, "From a cumulative perspective, the impact of past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future activities on cultural and biological resources is substantial, adverse and significant."Read the full article here.
If interested, you can find earlier posts on the topic here:
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This post was written by Sarah Milstein, co-host of The Lean Startup Conference.
Exciting news: we’ve nailed down dates for The Lean Startup Conference 2013. We’re holding it December 9 – 11 in San Francisco, with sessions at the Nob Hill Masonic Center and the Fairmont Hotel, a half-block away. This is the fourth year of the conference, and we’re acting on feedback last year’s attendees shared with us: as Lean Startup practices have evolved, you want in-depth talks, new speakers with fresh stories, and more time for structured networking and mentoring. So we’ve added an extra day and expanded into two larger venues--giving us the chance to offer hands-on breakout sessions, increase your chances of meeting fellow entrepreneurs with events that let you share ideas and learn together, and create active mentoring opportunities with real experts.
* Although it's impossible to review a video blind (your speaking ability part of what we’re evaluating), we promise to review the written part of your application without being able to see for your name, ethnicity, sex or age. (This is the blind resume screening technique Eric has recommended elsewhere.)
* As you're refining your talk idea, bear in mind this IMPORTANT point: when we refer to "the Lean Startup," we mean specifically the set of ideas that Eric and others have articulated for testing, validating, and learning quickly. It's NOT about running a small company or a shoestring operation (though those can be smart things to do!), and we are NOT looking for talks about how to bootstrap or run a business on the cheap.
* We’re interested in all kinds of Lean Startup stories that other people can learn from. A straight-up story about how you followed Lean Startup principles at your organization and did pretty well with them is not useful for other entrepreneurs. Instead, tell us what you’ve learned. For example, if you’ve done lots of customer development, don’t suggest a talk reporting that; instead, tell us how you now do customer development in an unusual way that others might find useful. Or share what didn't work, or what took you by surprise. Or explain the obstacles you uncovered in applying Lean Startup in a counter-intuitive context, like a regulated industry. Or describe tactics that you’ve refined in an innovative way--say, a new take on A/B testing or continuous deployment.
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Exciting news: we’ve nailed down dates for The Lean Startup Conference 2013. We’re holding it December 9 – 11 in San Francisco, with sessions at the Nob Hill Masonic Center and the Fairmont Hotel, a half-block away. This is the fourth year of the conference, and we’re acting on feedback last year’s attendees shared with us: as Lean Startup practices have evolved, you want in-depth talks, new speakers with fresh stories, and more time for structured networking and mentoring. So we’ve added an extra day and expanded into two larger venues--giving us the chance to offer hands-on breakout sessions, increase your chances of meeting fellow entrepreneurs with events that let you share ideas and learn together, and create active mentoring opportunities with real experts.
While we’ll have announcements before long about our keynotes, our focus right now is finding the other 95% of speakers for this year—most of whom we don’t already know. We know Lean Startup methods are being applied by people around the globe, in startups and established organizations alike, and in sectors of every stripe. This conference has always been about entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs, and most of the work is now being done by people we haven’t heard about. To find the great stories out there that other people can learn from, we’re opening our call for speakers today, and we’re seeking practitioners who are doing the real work, whether they’ve ever spoken at a conference before.
Just like last year, we're committed to having a merit-based speaker selection process. This is different from most conferences, so if you'd like to learn more about it, we've included details below. When you're ready to apply, check out our short application form.
Just like last year, we're committed to having a merit-based speaker selection process. This is different from most conferences, so if you'd like to learn more about it, we've included details below. When you're ready to apply, check out our short application form.
Last year, we made a fairly big deal about looking for speakers outside our own networks. We noted that in previous years, the speakers had been excellent but had been limited to the pool of people Eric knew directly—and that had turned out to be mostly white men. When we broadened our search and aimed to find people based on the merit of their stories (rather than based on their proximity to us), we wound up with a speaker roster comprising approximately 40% women and 25% people of color - without using quotas.
We mention this now because we think that too many people don’t apply to speak at conferences because they make a reasonable assumption that they won’t be accepted. Our past record demonstrates that we’re committed to creating a transparent, merit-based selection process that not only serves applicants fairly but also delivers great ideas for attendees.
So how we can find people we don’t yet know who have very useful experiences we can all learn from? By asking all of you to help us find them, encourage them to apply, and convince them their stories are worth hearing.
Here’s the deal: If you have a Lean Startup experience to share--regardless of whether you’ve ever spoken publicly before--we ask that you propose a talk via our short application form. We require that you submit your idea in the form of a short video, but as the application explains, we don’t care at all about the quality of the video.
If you don't think you're qualified to speak at a conference like this, you're probably wrong! Most of our amazing speakers also feel that way. In fact, this is a well-documented and universal psychological feeling. So we hope you'll consider applying anyway. For new speakers we select, we’ll provide hands-on help developing presentations, plus speaker training.
A few notes:
We mention this now because we think that too many people don’t apply to speak at conferences because they make a reasonable assumption that they won’t be accepted. Our past record demonstrates that we’re committed to creating a transparent, merit-based selection process that not only serves applicants fairly but also delivers great ideas for attendees.
So how we can find people we don’t yet know who have very useful experiences we can all learn from? By asking all of you to help us find them, encourage them to apply, and convince them their stories are worth hearing.
Here’s the deal: If you have a Lean Startup experience to share--regardless of whether you’ve ever spoken publicly before--we ask that you propose a talk via our short application form. We require that you submit your idea in the form of a short video, but as the application explains, we don’t care at all about the quality of the video.
If you don't think you're qualified to speak at a conference like this, you're probably wrong! Most of our amazing speakers also feel that way. In fact, this is a well-documented and universal psychological feeling. So we hope you'll consider applying anyway. For new speakers we select, we’ll provide hands-on help developing presentations, plus speaker training.
A few notes:
* Although it's impossible to review a video blind (your speaking ability part of what we’re evaluating), we promise to review the written part of your application without being able to see for your name, ethnicity, sex or age. (This is the blind resume screening technique Eric has recommended elsewhere.)
* The Lean Startup Conference is a no-hype, no-launch event. Publicists and those seeking PR and media attention should look elsewhere.
* As you're refining your talk idea, bear in mind this IMPORTANT point: when we refer to "the Lean Startup," we mean specifically the set of ideas that Eric and others have articulated for testing, validating, and learning quickly. It's NOT about running a small company or a shoestring operation (though those can be smart things to do!), and we are NOT looking for talks about how to bootstrap or run a business on the cheap.
* Our attendees are entrepreneurs of all kinds - venture backed, bootstrappers, even entrepreneurs in corporate and government settings. We are seeking talks aimed at all segments of our audience: corporate entrepreneurs; educators; government innovators; non-profit and social impact leaders; and developers. The application form lets you tell us if your idea is of particular benefit to folks in these groups.
* We’re interested in all kinds of Lean Startup stories that other people can learn from. A straight-up story about how you followed Lean Startup principles at your organization and did pretty well with them is not useful for other entrepreneurs. Instead, tell us what you’ve learned. For example, if you’ve done lots of customer development, don’t suggest a talk reporting that; instead, tell us how you now do customer development in an unusual way that others might find useful. Or share what didn't work, or what took you by surprise. Or explain the obstacles you uncovered in applying Lean Startup in a counter-intuitive context, like a regulated industry. Or describe tactics that you’ve refined in an innovative way--say, a new take on A/B testing or continuous deployment.
* Do follow the directions in the application form and read them first before emailing questions. Seriously.
* The deadline isThurs, May 9 at midnight PT. It's now Thurs, May 16; we extended the deadline after Kathy Sierra volunteered to provide training for our speakers.
If you work with somebody--particularly a woman, person of color, or anybody else typically under-represented at tech conferences--who has relevant experience to share, please show them this post. Note, too, that we’re looking for speakers from all sectors. Again, here’s the new form. We look forward to learning from you.
* The deadline is
If you work with somebody--particularly a woman, person of color, or anybody else typically under-represented at tech conferences--who has relevant experience to share, please show them this post. Note, too, that we’re looking for speakers from all sectors. Again, here’s the new form. We look forward to learning from you.
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by Salman Hameed
The organization of Turkish creationist, Harun Yahya, is apt at creating controversies in Europe. Be it ads on buses, anti-evolution lectures on campuses, or the mailing of an 800 page creationist tome to public schools in France, Switzerland, etc. The reaction in the media is also predictable: Muslims in Europe are considered backwards and a problem for the broader education system, and Harun Yahya is labeled as the leading proponent of Islamic creationism. This is a win-win situation for Harun Yahya and for those who want to paint Muslims as a problem for Europe as both validate each other's extreme viewpoints.
Now we have Hamza Tzortzis - and his organization Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA). The purpose of the organization is proselytization. Up until a few months ago, I had not even heard of Tzortzis. But then first I heard of the controversy surrounding his "debate" with Pervez Hoodbhoy in Lahore, where Pervez walked out when Tzortzis started accusing Pervez of "hating the Muslim world" (you can watch the YouTube of the whole event here. You will notice that there is not much dialogue, as Tzorzis' goal is simply to incite and provoke. Pervez walks out towards end after Tzortzis' incendiary comment. You can find the incident at around 1:47:30 and after).
Then last month iERA made it in the news big time. At UCL Hamza Tzortzis debated Lawrence Krauss on the topic of "Islam or Atheism: Which makes more sense"? As you can guess from the title, propelled the event into newspapers. The organizers (iERA had rented the room at UCL) decided to have the event gender segregated (or at least divide it in three groups: men, women, and coed) - and that propelled Krauss to initially walkout from the event and Richard Dawkins to weigh in, "Isn't it really about time we decent, nice, liberal people stopped being so pusillanimously terrified of being thought 'Islamophobic' and stood up for decent, nice, liberal values?", and called the segregation as "sexual apartheid". Now, I'm not a fan of gender segregation either, but this is going a bit too far (there is a series of recent articles on the Islamophobia of the New Atheists, and I will be posting on it in the next day or so. In the mean time, you can read Glenn Greenwald's article here: Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus). The UCL ended up banning iERA from hosting events on campus because of their forced gender segregation policies.
the point of these debates is to rile up the base on both sides. But then, a controversy
But now University of Leicester is also investigating an event for gender segregation. The rest of the story is a bit murky for me. The event happened on February 20th (though some reports say that this was related to an event in March) but has been brought to attention by an article in the Guardian just yesterday. It is now covered all over the internet. This is what the article said:
But I hope that the voices that that drive these debates are those that are between the likes of Hamza Tzortzis and the New Atheists.
The organization of Turkish creationist, Harun Yahya, is apt at creating controversies in Europe. Be it ads on buses, anti-evolution lectures on campuses, or the mailing of an 800 page creationist tome to public schools in France, Switzerland, etc. The reaction in the media is also predictable: Muslims in Europe are considered backwards and a problem for the broader education system, and Harun Yahya is labeled as the leading proponent of Islamic creationism. This is a win-win situation for Harun Yahya and for those who want to paint Muslims as a problem for Europe as both validate each other's extreme viewpoints.
Now we have Hamza Tzortzis - and his organization Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA). The purpose of the organization is proselytization. Up until a few months ago, I had not even heard of Tzortzis. But then first I heard of the controversy surrounding his "debate" with Pervez Hoodbhoy in Lahore, where Pervez walked out when Tzortzis started accusing Pervez of "hating the Muslim world" (you can watch the YouTube of the whole event here. You will notice that there is not much dialogue, as Tzorzis' goal is simply to incite and provoke. Pervez walks out towards end after Tzortzis' incendiary comment. You can find the incident at around 1:47:30 and after).
Then last month iERA made it in the news big time. At UCL Hamza Tzortzis debated Lawrence Krauss on the topic of "Islam or Atheism: Which makes more sense"? As you can guess from the title, propelled the event into newspapers. The organizers (iERA had rented the room at UCL) decided to have the event gender segregated (or at least divide it in three groups: men, women, and coed) - and that propelled Krauss to initially walkout from the event and Richard Dawkins to weigh in, "Isn't it really about time we decent, nice, liberal people stopped being so pusillanimously terrified of being thought 'Islamophobic' and stood up for decent, nice, liberal values?", and called the segregation as "sexual apartheid". Now, I'm not a fan of gender segregation either, but this is going a bit too far (there is a series of recent articles on the Islamophobia of the New Atheists, and I will be posting on it in the next day or so. In the mean time, you can read Glenn Greenwald's article here: Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus). The UCL ended up banning iERA from hosting events on campus because of their forced gender segregation policies.the point of these debates is to rile up the base on both sides. But then, a controversy
But now University of Leicester is also investigating an event for gender segregation. The rest of the story is a bit murky for me. The event happened on February 20th (though some reports say that this was related to an event in March) but has been brought to attention by an article in the Guardian just yesterday. It is now covered all over the internet. This is what the article said:
The University of Leicester has launched an investigation into gender segregation at a public lecture held by its student Islamic society.
The talk, entitled Does God Exist?, featured a guest speaker Hamza Tzortzis as part of an Islamic Awareness week. Seating at the event was segregated, with different entrances into the lecture theatre for men and women.
It follows news that a London university, UCL, has banned an Islamic organisation from campus after concluding that it attempted to impose segregation at a debate which also featured Tzortzis.
In Leicester, more than 100 students attended the segregated event, which took place last month. A photograph passed to the Guardian shows signs put up in a university building, directing the segregation.
A message on the group's website says: "In all our events, [the society] operate a strict policy of segregated seating between males and females." The statement was removed after the Guardian contacted the society.
A spokesman for Leicester said: "The University of Leicester does not permit enforced segregation at public events. The university will investigate whether entrances to the hall for this event were segregated by the society and will ensure there is no recurrence of this.
"The University will not interfere with people's right to choose where to sit. If some people choose to sit in a segregated manner because of their religious convictions then they are free to do so. By the same token, if people attending do not wish to sit in a segregated manner, they are free to do so."
He added: "To our knowledge, no-one was forced to sit in any particular seat. If there is evidence of enforced segregation, that would be a matter the university and students' union would investigate."
But a Leicester student told the Guardian he believed segregation was common practice at the society's events to avoid offending those with strong religious beliefs.So reading all this, there a couple of things that come to my mind. Just from this news item, we don't even know if the event violated the university policy or not. But it has already become a big news and commentaries have already implicated Islam - and not even just some Muslims (here is Jerry Coyne's post on this: "Okay, Peter Hitchens, Glenn Greenwald, et al.: do you really think that Islam is no more pernicious than other faiths?"). Some of it reminds me of the way the rejection of evolution by some Muslims (and even that was an anecdotal side-remark by biologist, Steve Jones) became a major story (see an earlier post on this here). But on the flip side, I can also see a group like iERA imposing gender segregation at their events. This matter can serve as a clear boundary against the dominant culture. When the media and the blogs conflate this position with Islam's, the iERA cam then become a default spokesperson. The cycle is then complete. In many ways, this is how Harun Yahya came to represent the Islamic position on evolution - at least in media coverage in Europe.
But I hope that the voices that that drive these debates are those that are between the likes of Hamza Tzortzis and the New Atheists.
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This time things were a little different. I must have listened to a half-dozen examples, and they all were fairly unique. Everything from how I say it, TA-ZEE-KEY, to something that sounded a lot like CHA-CHEE-KEE, which, by the way, is my new favorite way to say it. Just for fun, maybe you all can leave your best phonetic spelling of “Tzatziki” in the comments section, and we’ll see what the consensus is.
Unlike the pronunciation, one thing that everyone will agree on is that this garlicky yogurt sauce is truly of one of the world’s great condiments. This is quite literally delicious on anything savory, and with grilling season upon us, you’ll want this one in your regular rotation. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Make about 3 cups of Tzatziki:
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, grated, tossed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 cloves garlic, very finely minced
juice of half a lemon or vinegar to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill and/or mint
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by Salman Hameed
The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting short piece that points to the International Islamic Centre for Population Studies and Research at Al-Azhar University (tip from Laura Sizer). In some ways, it is a good sign that Al-Azhar has taken a progressive stance on issues like population control, stem cells and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Compared to this, the Catholic Church seems to be set in the medieval times. But on the other hand, I also feel that it is a problem that all of these issues have to be filtered through religious scholars. Indeed, the same university went against the donorship of sperm and eggs for reproduction. Nevertheless, we can applaud the positive steps while being on guard against any regressive actions:
Gamal Serour, founder of the International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research, is well practiced at this balancing act.
Dr. Serour, who is also a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, views his position within al-Azhar as ideal for "overcoming religious obstacles to the improvement of women's health."
When he founded the center, in 1974, many Egyptians believed that contraception was forbidden by Islam, and that family planning was a Western conspiracy to weaken Muslim nations, he says.
"Everybody used to look at this center as the center of kuffar, nonbelievers," Dr. Serour says. It was "the center which is implementing the policies of the West, the center which is working to limit the population growth of the Muslim world."
But "when we gradually produced the information and told people what problems we have, ... you will not believe me, but our religious leaders were much more progressive than we reproductive-health physicians."
Scholars of religion at al-Azhar embraced the principles of family planning and approved most forms of contraception (permanent ones, like vasectomies, are allowed only in cases of medical necessity). They declared stem-cell research and in-vitro fertilization to be in accordance with Islam. On the other hand, they forbade surrogacy and donations of sperm and eggs.
"People in Egypt and the Muslim world, ... religion plays an important role in their life," says Dr. Serour. "You have to be knowledgeable about this. You cannot escape from it, because people ask you: Is it haram [forbidden] or halal [permitted]?"
Rather than viewing the religious framework at al-Azhar as a constraint, Dr. Serour argues that it has bolstered the effectiveness and reach of his work. The population-studies center is among the university's most active research institutes. It operates a clinic for the surrounding neighborhood; carries out training for doctors and outreach to imams; holds clinical trials supported by pharmaceutical companies; and sponsors regional conferences.
And it seems that Dr. Serour is also aware of the potential challenges:
For the time being, Dr. Serour isn't worried that Islamist fundamentalists who might be hostile to his work—many regularly inveigh against the teaching of reproductive health—will gain control of the campus.
"If they got ahold of al-Azhar University, and the al-Azhar institutes, and the office of the grand imam of al-Azhar, there might be a change in policy," he says. "Not because al-Azhar is doing something against Islam," but because they are misinformed about reproductive health and about religious teachings. The only way to change their views, he says, is to educate them.Read the full article here.
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by Salman Hameed
This is very cool! As part of a tribute to Dave Brubeck, Lahore's Sachel Studio plays the jazz classic, "Take Five", with an arrangement that includes a sitar and a tabla. You have to check this out.
From Open Culture:
This is very cool! As part of a tribute to Dave Brubeck, Lahore's Sachel Studio plays the jazz classic, "Take Five", with an arrangement that includes a sitar and a tabla. You have to check this out.
From Open Culture:
Here we have The Sachal Studios Orchestra, based in Lahore, Pakistan, playing an innovative cover of “Take Five,” the jazz standard written by Paul Desmond and performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959. Before he died last year, Brubeck called it the “most interesting” version he had ever heard. Once you watch the performance above, you’ll know why.
According to The Guardian, The Sachal Studios Orchestra was created by Izzat Majeed, a philanthropist based in London. When Pakistan fell under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq during the 1980s, Pakistan’s classical music scene fell on hard times. Many musicians were forced into professions they had never imagined — selling clothes, electrical parts, vegetables, etc. Whatever was necessary to get by. Today, many of these musicians have come together in a 60-person orchestra that plays in a state-of-the-art studio, designed partly by Abbey Road sound engineers.
You can purchase their album, Sachal Jazz: Interpretations of Jazz Standards & Bossa Nova, on Amazon and iTunes. It includes versions of “Take Five” and “The Girl from Ipanema.”
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by Salman Hameed
If you have a chance you should read at least on of the books by primatologist, Frans de Waal. I was introduced to his work with The Ape and the Sushi Master and have been a fan ever since. He works on the origins of morality and is a fantastic writer. His latest book, The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism among the Primates looks at the moral landscape today, including the debates between militant atheism and religion. From a review in Nature:
Frans de Waal's latest book, The Bonobo and the Atheist, is both an exceptionally goodread and a tour de force of scholarship. In it, de Waal states his argument for the evolution of human empathy with the sophistication of a well-grounded, risk-taking scientist who can venture into philosophy.
...
De Waal views extreme strains of atheism as getting “all worked up about the absence of something”, at one point using the fanciful device of a talking bonobo as his mouthpiece (hence the book's title). His view is that religion is undeniably in our bones — even though evidence of primate precursors seems less than substantial. This does not mean that he is pro-religion, however. The Bonobo and the Atheist is permeated with the ethos of secular humanism, using the Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights — a vision of humanity freed from narrow moral constraints — as a touchstone for his arguments.
In his discussion of empathy and morality, de Waal has little time for what he calls “veneer theories” that reduce altruism to 'natural' selfishness. As he shows, human altruism has analogues in a wide range of species, even though sterile ants' care for the offspring of their queen can hardly be labelled empathy. When dolphins assist humans struggling in the water, we may at least suggest some basic similarities. But when a chimpanzee, sharing more than 95% of our DNA, helps an unrelated member of its group to lick a wound it cannot reach, a type of empathy very near the human is surely coming into play.
Many evolutionists favour chimpanzees as ancestral models. Whereas de Waal does look frequently to chimpanzees as exemplars of primate altruism, he champions the less violent bonobo — not least because its habitat, like that of our common primate ancestor, remains the tropical forest, whereas chimpanzees and humans have evolved into ecological generalists.
De Waal looks to mothering and infant care by non-kin, a basic form of empathy discussed by primatologist Sarah Hrdy in Mothers and Others (Harvard University Press, 2011), as the foundation of human altruism and complex cooperation, and as his prime evolutionary building block for morality. He also emphasizes the importance of emotion in moral choices, citing the work of psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind (Allen Lane, 2012). Haidt's empirical investigations of subjects' disgusted reactions to incest demonstrate that when it comes to morality, raw emotions trump rationality.Read the full review here.
Also, see Frans de Waal's TED talk, Moral Behavior in Animals:
And he recently got embroiled in a controversy when he criticized some of the New Atheists. Here is de Waal's response and this also nicely encapsulates his book:
Having heard the protests by prominent atheists against the excerpt published by salon.com (under the inflammatory banner "Has militant atheism become a religion?"), let me say that the role of religion and atheism covers only about 10% of my book. It is an important part, hence the book title, but needs to be weighed against the rest of my message. In order to discuss the biological origins of morality, which is its central theme, I need to get two groups out of the way. One is fundamentalist religion, for which morality comes from God. The other are the neo-atheists who, by labeling themselves rational and everyone else irrational, have closed the door to open and tolerant debate. Calling believers idiots can't possibly be a good discussion opener. This explains my stance against militant atheism (a label that is not mine, but Dawkins' by the way).
My book is about how morality doesn't come from above but rather is an evolutionary product. I speak of bottom-up morality, in line with the ideas of some psychologists (Haidt), philosophers and neuroscientists (Kitcher, Churchland). The book is rooted in my research on monkeys, apes, elephants, and other animals, and my conviction that they show the beginnings of morality. I have written about this before, but now I am bringing religion into the mix. Even though I don't think religion is absolutely critical, it is also not irrelevant. The question how humans would fare without it is hard to answer for the simple reason that religion is universal. There are no societies that are not now and never were religious.
Morality promotes cooperation. It asks us to put our personal interests on the back-burner and work for the common good. It is a complex system that religion and philosophy have tried to capture in simple rules (such as the golden rule or the ten commandments), but these rules provide only imperfect summaries. We like to think of morality as top-down, but this is merely a left-over of the story of God on the mountain top. There is no evidence that it started out as a top-down system. Science is rather coming around to the Humean view of morality guided by intuitions and passions. Looking at other primates, we recognize many of the same tendencies that underlie our morality, such as rules of reciprocity, empathy and sympathy, a sense of fairness, and the need to get along. Monkeys, for example, object to unfair distributions of resources (see the end of my TED talk), and chimpanzees do each other favors even if there is nothing in it for themselves. Bonobos are probably the most empathic animals of all, and the recent genome data places them extremely close to us.
...
Human morality goes beyond all of this, but ancient primate tendencies do play a crucial role. We have been indoctrinated that nature is "red in tooth and claw," and entirely selfish, but we are now learning about conflict resolution, cooperation, empathy, and the like, in our fellow primates. They are far more harmony-oriented than people realize. I don't necessarily call apes "moral beings," but we share with them an old psychology without which we'd never have become moral.
Atheism will need to be combined with something else, something more constructive than its opposition to religion, to be relevant to our lives. The only possibility is to embrace morality as natural to our species. Otherwise atheism will end up in the Big Black Hole that Thomas Henry Huxley created for himself in the 19th Century. He did not believe morality came from God, but also denied its possible evolution. He could not explain where it came from except for saying that we had to fight very hard against our own nature to become moral (which is of course an ancient Christian position related to original sin, and so on). In this, Huxley went against Darwin himself, who did see room for moral evolution, as explained in "The Descent of Man." To debate these important issues we all need to step back, stop shouting, and move beyond unanswerable questions about the existence of God. Atheists should be interested in this debate and I hope they will join in.
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Review: 2000 Stripling Warriors (We'll Bring the World His Truth orHolding Hands Around the World")
0 commentsAlthough I can't find the link, I've been told that this idea originally comes from Christy's Clipart. Whether or not you use the idea, please check out her website. It's great!
You may wish to use the idea to introduce the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth." or "Holding Hands Around the World."
This page shows 100 Stripling Warriors.
Print 20 copies and tape them end to end. You may choose to hang the banner around the room or wind the banner around a paper towel roll and have the children help you unroll it.
Express to the children that this banner represents 2000 warriors. Tell the story as it is related in Alma chapter 56. Stress that not one of these 2000 young men died in battle.
Explain how the songs compare us to the Stripling Warriors when we bravely share the gospel. Ask them to listen for the reference as you teach the song.
(Since I know that nobody wants to spend $40 on ink printing this page, I've made it semi-transparent. If you're a millionaire, feel free to copy the image above and paste it into a Word document instead.)
If you are teaching either song in April or May of 2013, please consider joining our worldwide mail swap.
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Riveting slip and falls notwithstanding, I think the real challenge in that environment would be trying to cook a decent meal. Imagine putting together this delicious, potato-crust-topped cod and spinach casserole in the galley of one of those boats. I actually get woozy thinking about it.
For potato crust:
3 russet potatoes
3 tbsp butter
nutmeg, salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
1/2 cup milk
For the sauce:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cold milk
2 tsp lemon zest
salt to taste
For the rest:
1 tbsp butter to grease dish
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
2 pounds boneless cod filets
12 oz washed baby spinach
juice of 1/2 lemon
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LESSON 136: Honey Bees Are In The News Again, Should We Be Concerned? www.honeybeesonline.com 217-427-2678
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Hello we are David and Sheri Burns here at Long Lane Honey Bee Farms. We are having a blast with honey bees. Beekeeping is downright fun. Our bees are coming out of winter in good shape and we are excited that spring is making an appearance. Last year was our best honey crop ever. More and more new people are entering into the exciting hobby of beekeeping. It amazes me how many people are now starting to keep honey bees because they are realizing the important and vital role honey bees play in pollination so we can have food. We cannot do without our honey bees. For those of you wanting to start beekeeping this year, now is the perfect time. It’s not too late to start keeping bees. We are hear to sell you the equipment needed to keep bees, educate you either through one of our beekeeping classes or our online lessons.
We have these extensive lessons as well as beekeeping videos where you can learn more about beekeeping. We are a unique beekeeping business because we are a total turn key operation. We provide the education (certified master beekeeper) through classes and online lessons and an extensive online beekeeping store to purchases needed beekeeping equipment and supplies, bees, queens and more.
We believe that educated beekeepers have better success. Therefore, we are offering a week long BEEKEEPING INSTITUTE. June 17-21, 2013.
INSTRUCTORS: David Burns EAS certified master beekeeper, Sheri Burns Colony Problem Solver and beekeeper, Charlie Nye Bee Researcher and Bee Lab Manager at the University of Illinois Bee Lab and Alex Wild, biologist, insect photographer and beekeeper. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEEK LONG BEEKEEPING INSTITUTE or Click below to sign up for one or several of our classes that week:
Day 1- Basic Beekeeping Taking Registrations Now
Day 2- Practical Beekeeping Taking Registrations Now
Day 3 - Advance Beekeeping Taking Registrations Now
Day 4 - Queen Rearing Taking Registrations Now
Day 5 - Insect Photography Taking Registrations Now
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Sheri and I are constantly flooded with positive feedback about our hives, queens, bees, classes and business. We are starting a page of customer’s testimonies. Please email your testimony, either how we have helped you on the phone, in person, through these lessons or our hand made hives. Email us at: testimony@honeybeesonline.com If you want, you can even include a picture. Thank you!
Facebook is a great place to hear from us daily and to keep up on what we are learning about honey bees on a regular basis. Not to mention that Sheri and I are just fun to follow :) Follow us on facebook.
Advance Beekeeping Training
I will be holding an Advance Beekeeping Training Workshop near Chicago, Illinois at the Heritage Prairie Farms located at 2N308 Brundige Road, Elburn, IL 60119.
Topics covered will be: Swarm management, splitting hives, rotating hive bodies, queen rearing, specialize equipment, detail inspection techniques, overwintering hives in the north, pests & diseases and more.
This workshop will be on Saturday April 27th, from 9am - 4pm. Call to register: 630-443-5989
Heritage Prairie Farm is located approximately 40 miles west of Chicago along Route 38 or 2.5 miles west of Randall Rd. on Brundige Rd. on the south side of Route 38. Coming from the North or South, Route 38 intersects with the following: Routes 47, 25, 31, 59; and Interstate 355 and 294. For more information or to register call 630-443-5989
LESSON 136: Honey Bees Are In The News Again, Should We Be Concerned?
Honey bees find their way into the news on a regular basis.Now, they are back in the headlines. I normally do not spend much time addressing the various news headlines because there is a certain level of sensationalism. However, I think it’s time to speak to the current issues facing honey bees and what is fact or fiction. But if you don’t want to read everything below, let me say it is my opinion that not much has really changed. I’ve read Rev. Langstroth’s overwinter issues back in the late 1800s and early 1900s and even without mites there were times bee losses were high.
In 2006-2007 bees really hit the news because many large commercial beekeepers were suddenly losing colonies. Speculations soon appeared in the news, from everything from green Martians, farm spray, to cell phones towers. Although portrayed as something never heard of before, very similar disappearances of bees have been reported over the last 100 years. Somewhere after all the dust settled we called it Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD for short. It was a new name for an old problem.
When bees first made their news debut, it was a double edge sword. While we were sad that CCD had caused the loss of many hives something happened that few of us ever expected, a silver lining in the cloud of disappearing bees—they started returning! Let me clarify. While it was true that CCD caused bees to simply disappear from hives, leaving only the queen and a small number of bees left to slowly die, the interest in saving the bees grew rapidly. Honey bees returned to the scene.. Prior to CCD honey bees were slowly being forgotten at best and carelessly being neglected at worst. While a few might not ever miss another stinging insect, most of the population quickly became concerned as to what a lack of honey bees would do to our food supply, especially since we are more in tune with eating healthier foods that bees pollinate.
Responsible citizens armed themselves with suits and hive tools and started keeping bees for the first time. This was tremendous. And the movement is gaining momentum. Bee populations were saved! Now home owners finding bees living in houses and buildings are relying on competent removal experts to carefully remove bees without killing them. Pest control companies have stopped killing honey bees and are referring the matter over to beekeepers to rescue the honey bees. What first appeared bad turned out pretty good.
Are bees really dying? They always have died. Humans have always died. Will bees become extinct soon and we will be left to eat oatmeal and rice? No. That is, as long as responsible citizens continue to take several important steps:
1. Start Keeping Bees
Sheri and I have always had a passion to help more people keep bees because the more beekeepers, the more bees. In the late 1700s and early 1800s John Chapman traveled around planting apple trees. In parts of the Midwest early settlers were required to plant an apple orchard to claim their land. I’ve always admire the life of Jonny Appleseed and his passion to plant apple trees. We need that kind of passion for planting bee hives. Honey bees are amazing creatures and deserve our attention, care and help. If you’d like to become a beekeeper, click here for more information.
2. Stop Killing Every Weed
We should never kill honey bees. If they swarm onto or into our homes, we should seek a skilled beekeeper or a professional removal company to safely remove the bees and place them into their own hive. When hives are poisoned inside of walls and structures, the poisoned honey is robbed out by other healthy colonies and the tainted honey is taken back to other hives where it will continue killing bees. This is very sad and troubling. With bees in decline it would be sad to know how many hives have been killed deliberately or through careless spraying of insecticides.
4. Spread The Word About The Importance Of Pollination Of Honey Bees
I was speaking to someone today explaining that honey bee pollination has a 15 Billion dollar agriculture value a year! He is a Schwann salesman and I told him that if bees are greatly reduced he will only be selling oatmeal and rice from his truck. Without bees there will be little to no vegetables, fruits, beef, no ice cream and on goes the list. Some people view our food as coming from stores and as long as stores sell food we don’t need bees. However, we must educate others that pollination of honey bees is what makes food available in stores.
When bees die, fingers are pointed at farm chemicals, CCD, mites, poor queens and the list goes on. All of these and more can harm honey bees. But let’s not forget the beekeeper. Poorly trained beekeepers and beekeepers who push their bees are the cause of many losses. With increased knowledge and improved management skills beekeepers will keep healthier colonies. We need more beekeepers, but well trained beekeepers.
Sheri and I believe the honey bees will only continue to make a comeback if more and more citizens take up beekeeping. Hobbyist can step forward and make a huge impact on the survival of the honey bee by keeping bees, allowing weeds and flowers to grow, never poison honey bees and sharing the important role honey bees play in pollination.
Thanks for joining us for another beekeeping lesson. We hope you’ll visit our website at www.honeybeesonline.com, buy some hives and get started in beekeeping! It’s not too late. Now is a great time to dive in. Though we are sold out of packages, we’ll provide you with the numbers of reliable package providers that will ship bees to you. We are ready to be your friend and mentor in beekeeping.
See you next time!
David and Sheri Burns
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
www.honeybeesonline.com
217-427-2678
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Flip Charts for this song both with and without words are available below. If you are teaching this song in May of 2013, please consider joining our worldwide mail swap here.
For a copy of the sheet music, click here.
To hear the song, click here.
There are children singing all around the world,
Happy voices ringing out the joyful word,
We are children glowing with the gospel light,
Standing tall, walking strong, choosing right.
There are children leading out in every land,
Who believe in keeping all the Lord's commands.
Like the stripling warriors, we go forth in faith,
For we know that the Lord is our strength.
We are children holding hands around the world,
Like an army with the gospel flag unfurled.
We are led by His light, and we love truth and right.
We are building the kingdom of God.
You may wish to introduce the song using the attention activity found here.
You may wish to introduce the song using the attention activity found here.
For a copy of the flipchart WITHOUT words,
And for a copy of the flipchart WITH words,
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