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    Good company Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 12 Sep 2007
    Did you know there are only three countries in the world that have not officially adopted the metric system? They are (drumroll) the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar. I don't know what Liberia's excuse is. More on Myanmar later. (Britain and Ireland and probably many other countries are part-time metric users.) I love the odd globes on that first link. The one on this page represents our fearless Leader's view of the world, by the way. (Just don't go quizzing him on the state capitals! More »
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    The Camden 28 Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 11 Sep 2007
    Just saw a great documentary on PBS, The Camden 28, about activism, Vietnam, and the draft, all against the sad backdrop of Camden, New Jersey, where some of the worst race riots in American history took place in the summer of 1971. (Also interesting stuff about the Catholic Left.) The draft really did a lot to mobilize anti-war feeling. Government jackbootism was much more blatant in that era -- now we have subtler means of control, and the current conflicts are designed to be more palatable and easier to bear / ignore for the American people as a whole. More »
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    Four Legs Good Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 10 Sep 2007
    Painter Gregg Chadwick -- see his painting "The Sound of Bells" (40" x 30" oil on linen 2005) at right -- has a show at the Arts Club of Washington (DC) running until September 29th. Press release here. Chadwick is a friend of our friend The Worst Horse. More »
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    Fragments of News Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 10 Sep 2007
    Here's a post on Buddhism and Psychology found accidentally on Digg. (Brains of meditators were compared with typical brains and interesting things were found, etc.) And here's a German theologian talking about why Germans like Buddhism more than they like Christianity: Buddhism, in the West, is perceived as being free from dogmas, as a religion without many rules. It is a religion that's turned to the inside and that emphasizes meditation. More »
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    It Was, Then It Wasn't Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 07 Sep 2007
    I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time the Blessed One sat reflecting on the various evil, unskillful qualities that had been abandoned [in him] and on the various skillful qualities that had gone to the culmination of their development. Then as he realized the various evil, unskillful qualities that had been abandoned [in him] and the various skillful qualities that had gone to the culmination of their development, he on that occasion exclaimed: Before, it was, then it wasn't. Before, it wasn't, then it was. It wasn't, won't be & now isn't to be found. [Udana (Exclamations) VI.3, from Handful of Leaves 4, An Anthology from the Khuddaka Nikaya, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, © 2003] More »
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    Symbols, Punks, Geeks Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 29 Aug 2007
    When I type "Buddhist" into Google, the wise and witty search engine promptly suggests "Buddhist symbols" as the search I should perform. I wonder why? I blame Body Vows. When you think "Buddhist Punk," you may picture Brad Warner or Noah Levine. But Google Images thinks of this. Buddhist Geeks is interviewing artist and Naropa professor Robert Spellman. Cool. - Philip Ryan, Webmaster More »