Monday, December 24, 2007

On Spiritual Enrichment in Orlando: Breakdown on the Weekend

"View of The Rosen Centre Hotel from the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando Florida," uploaded on May 9, 2007 by dasroofless on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
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A report in on the Orlando Baha'i conference from srwn2 - The well-preserved 26 year old. -gw

Well, for the first time in years, I had a great birthday! This year it coincided with a Baha'i conference being here in Orlando, so not only did I get monetary enrichment from my family :) I also got spiritual enrichment. Here's a breakdown of my weekend starting with Thursday, the first night of the conference:
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Posted by GWD at 6:22 AM 0 comments

Sunday, December 23, 2007

On A Curious Coincidence and A Gritty Story: Hagood Mill Corn Enjoyed by Washington Baha'is, Too

Apparently a recent blog entry, namely, the one about Mutale and Jarrett, was grist for the mill for my friend Tim. It got him thinking about a Naw Ruz celebration a few years back. Gritty story. -gw

George -
Wow, I have to hand it to those cute/scary puppets at Disneyland : It really is a small world after all. I read on your fascinating blog about a Zambian woman finding a mill in Pickens, SC, which provides good quality coarsely-ground corn, also known as grits. Well, George, my dear friend (I'm curious to see how much you edit this. That's right, I'm curious, George .) you have eaten those very grits! It was at my home on March 21, 2004, at our annual Naw Ruz breakfast . It seems that a guitar-making acquaintance of mine was volunteering at the Hagood Mill in Pickens, SC, at that time, demonstrating instrument making and other traditional crafts. The mill is operated in conjunction with the local museum. He sent me a package of their grits, which are indeed excellent. I attach a photo of Harold at the mill as well as one of me serving the grits and one of you singing "Zipidee-Do-Dah." Indeed, it was a memorable "grit-together."

- Tim

{Photos in order: "small world hyenas," uploaded on March 22, 2005 by pamusc93 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic; Mutale and Jarrett at the mill, http://mutsal.blogspot.com/2007/12/year-in-big-usa.html; "curious george," uploaded on April 24, 2007by youngdoo on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic; rest of the photos are from Friend Tim, of the Guild of American Luthiers - that's Tim serving the grits.}

[I will amend this post with these comments received by email today 12/27/07. -gw

Dear George,

My father and Jack Folger started restoring Hagood Mill in 1973. The Folger family had given the mill to Pickens County in the hopes that it would get Pickens away from the Civil War and into the world community. I promised Mister Folger and my dad I would do my best to keep their dream going. Well, it sure does get frustrating sometimes, but every once in a great while I accidentally come across something that seems to make all the trouble worth while.

My dad told me that the only thing he accomplished in WWII was helping to kill a quarter million old men, women, and Children. He believed his hands had to be good for something that would bring peace to this world. I am glad he succeeded. Hagood Mill is one of the few places in Pickens County where people of all races and religions are welcome, and it has been a long hard road getting it open to the public.
Glad there are people out there enjoying the grits of our labor.

Harold Wayne Turner

P.S. It is truly a small world with two kinds of people good and bad. Thank our creator for the good and the bad. He gave them the mind to think for themselves if they only would. ]

Posted by GWD at 4:42 PM 0 comments

On Greetings from Beijing and a New Website: Music to My Ears

An email from Marc (in white shirt in photo) from China and a hot tip on some great music and a new website by Elika Mahoney. -gw

Allah'u'abha George!

How are you? It must be pretty cold in Washington, are you still going hiking and canoing? Hiking and canoing...that sounds soooo nice, as I live in one of the most polluted cities in the world! But Beijing offers quite a few perks like no where else ... and possibly some of greatest service opportunities of our time.

Elika Mahony recently opened up this site http://elikamahony.com. In her email to me she says..

You can hear samples from my new CD, 'Fire and Gold' which is set for release in January 2008. Please visit and write on my blog page or drop a note in the guestbook - I would love to hear your comments. Be sure to view the new video that my friend May Main so kindly created for me on the homepage. Be on the look out as I will soon be putting up a free song on the website.Please feel free to share the website and news of 'Fire and Gold' with your friends.

Happy viewing!
Warmly, Elika
Hope all is healthy and happy in Tacoma! ...
Best wishes, Marc
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Posted by GWD at 3:45 PM 0 comments

On Baha'i Views Visits and Views: Check

Baha'i Views 30-day Moving Average of Visits
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Check. -gw
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Bahai Views 30-day Moving Average of Page Views
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Check. -gw

Posted by GWD at 3:15 PM 0 comments

On locle999 on Religious Unity on del.icio.us: Who is this Masked Man?

"Gold and cartonage funerary mask of an Alexandrian Man Ptolemaic Period Egypt," photographed at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California, uploaded on September 29, 2006 by mharrsch on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.


I am a great admirer of locle999 on del.icio.us. I don't know who he or she is. The bookmark sharing site del.icio.us doesn't provide identifying information about its users. Only if the user self-identifies via chosen name can you tell. dragfyre on del.icio.us is dragfyre of Doberman Pizza blog fame, who is dan jones of Buzznet, for example -- an old site for him, I know, but it's still up there.

As far as as I can tell, locle999 is the most prolific of the users of del.icio.us who search "Baha'i." Whether I have acknolwedged him or her or not, he has been my source for excerpting from for many of the non-blog websites I have featured, and some of the blogs, too. Why? Because he finds good stuff. How about these almost consecutive bookmarks on the subject of religious unity.... -gw
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Posted by GWD at 8:16 AM 0 comments

Saturday, December 22, 2007

On Practicing Buddhist Meditation in the Lotus Temple: So Baha'i

Wiliam is Buddhist. It is important to him to be able to practice his Buddhist meditation everywhere he can. -gw


如今各种宗教大抵相安无事，和谐相处，最典型的当数首都新德里的 Baha’i Worship House，这个莲花造型的场所允许不同宗教信众自由进入修行打坐，只要不妨碍他人……
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Today almost all religions live in peace, harmony, the most typical of the capital New Delhi when the Baha'i Worship House, the shape of a lotus different places to allow free access to religious believers practice Buddhism meditation, provided that they do not hinder others……

"A budding lotus flower,"
Uploaded on September 4, 2007 by Swamibu on flickr,

Posted by GWD at 8:11 PM 0 comments

An Encounter in Cyprus: My teacher, as a Baha'i, has always seemed more suited to the devotional path than the occult

The blogger of Ninth's Place is torn between a devotional path and the occult, but he knows what suits his teacher who is a Baha'i. -gw

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looked up to see my old teacher from secondary school amusedly peering down at me. Interestingly enough, he actually is a Capricorn and one of the most spiritual people I know. I have been learning from him since I was 12 years old, and since I moved back to Cyprus last year, I have spent much time with him - most recently in a Baha'i study group that he leads.

He had actually met the Magus, before the latter's death in the '90s, but had not been drawn to the metaphysical teaching Sathi offered beyond a certain point. My teacher, as a Baha'i, has always seemed more suited to the devotional path than the occult. Whereas I am torn between the two, trying to boost my knowledge/experience of both these days.

A little venting venue to provide the angst-ridden with some quality schadenfreude
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On a side note, Abdu'l-Baha wrote in A Traveler's Narrative that Baha'u'llah was suspected of being involved in the occult. -gw

For eleven years and somewhat over, Bahá’u’lláh abode in ‘Iráq-i-‘Arab. The behavior and conduct of the sect were such that [His] fame and renown increased. For He was manifest and apparent amongst men, consorted and associated with all parties, and would converse familiarly with doctors and scholars concerning the solution of difficult theological questions and the verification of the true sense of abstruse points of divinity. As is currently reported by persons of every class, He used to please all, whether inhabitants or visitors, by His kindly intercourse and courteous address; and this sort of demeanor and conduct on His part led them to suspect sorcery and account Him an adept in the occult sciences.

Posted by GWD at 7:38 PM 0 comments

On Soaking Up Spirituality: Baha'is at the Orlando Conference

Rabbani Charitable Trusttrying to get there.... trying to get there... trying to get there. im at a Baha'i conference in Orlando Florlda... hoping to soak up the spirituality like a sponge of some sort.


Oh, yes, the 2007 Bahá'í Conference on Social & Economic Development is underway this weekend! -gw

Posted by GWD at 6:44 PM 0 comments

On Life and Death: The Truth we seek is like a shoreless sea

Perhaps you see the common theme. It is to do with the shorelessness, the unlimited nature of the Transcendent.

"Barney Leith, "Shoreless oceans of incorruptible wealth," Barnabas quotidianus

I just read with great interest Barney's post "Shoreless oceans of incorruptible weath." Like Barney and his wife, my wife and I are doing a Ruhi Book 1 in our home and are also in the third section, "Life and Death." Like Barney with a study circle participant, I've gotten into "some pretty deep stuff" with Rashid, a man I am currently doing home-visits with. Rashid lost his wife several years ago, an event that has influenced his spiritual journey profoundly and has come up frequently in our conversations. I will share Barney's post both with Rashid and our circle participants here. I am sure they will find the several sources he has drawn together of great interest, too. His reference to Baha'u'llah's "shoreless oceans of incorruptible weath" brings up this quote for me. -gw

"The Concourse of the Birds," painted by Habib Allah.
The Truth we seek is like a shoreless sea,

Of which your paradise is but a drop.

This ocean can be yours; why should you stop

Beguiled by dreams of evanescent dew?

The secrets of the sun are yours, but you

Content yourself with motes trapped in its beams.

Turn to what truly lives, reject what seems --

Which matters more, the body or the soul?

Be whole: desire and journey to the Whole.

Farid ud-Din Attar, "The Conference of the Birds"

Also see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/magic_fly/564096386/

Posted by GWD at 5:43 PM 0 comments

On The Story of Baha'u'llah: Luminous Realities

This is the book my wife is currently reading in preparation for our pilgrimage in ... 2009. And here is the author's blog. -gw

Posted by GWD at 11:25 AM 0 comments

Friday, December 21, 2007

On Mutale and Jarrett Livin' in the USA: We arrived a few days before Christmas

Around this time in millions of homes in this country Christmas letters arrive looking back at the events of the year. Here is a lovely Livin' in the USA Baha'i version of this venerable tradition. -gw

A year ago today, Jarrett and I came to the United States from Israel, not to visit, but to stay. A lot has happened in the last year. We arrived few days before Christmas, and went to Charleston to spend Christmas with dad's side of the family. I was new to most of the things, but the good part was my new family who welcomed us so well, and I felt right at home. We feel so blessed to have such a loving and caring family, and they have made my transition smooth. ...

I have seen seasons come and go... and yes, I have experienced the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn/fall) in that order, and for the first time have seen snow:)... My favorite seasons, I think are spring and fall, and I like winter only when it snows:) I have enjoyed visits to different places, mountains, falls, beaches - so beautiful.
In February, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary with our family and friends. Everything was so beautiful and we had such a wonderful time. The day after our anniversary, we took off for our honeymoon and spent a week at the beach.

Over the whole year I have grown very close to so many people, Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, auntie Mildred, auntie Dee and uncle Herb, uncle Stanley, and on mom's side, auntie Debby, Starr and Chad and Kia and Zane, auntie Joyce and uncle Roger, uncle David and auntie Arzella, and Cousins Timothy and T.J. It has really been so good to be embraced by my new family. ...

I love and miss my family back home and I manage to call them at least twice a month. We have figured a cheaper way of calling Zambia and it works well for us. ...

I have also gotten to know a new Baha'i community. The community here is very small, but the friends are all so loving and make me feel really special. I have been able to do somethings with the children, but I am still learning how I can best serve the community.

I have developed a good taste for different types of food, and I am glad I can get food from other countries too. Once in a while we visit the Pita House for a good filafel (it reminds us of our time in Israel), and when people ask what my favorite American food is, I tell them Mexican and Chinese - funny ha!... but don't get me wrong, we still enjoy and love our nshima (Zambian staple food made from corn), and we eat that few days a week. We were so excited when mom mentioned about a mill in Pickens county where we could buy fresh corn meal.

Today, on the one year anniversary of my arrival in the United States, I got my drivers licence - how cool!, and I am so excited. So now with that I have the ability to drive a car by myself, the next year is sure to bring more interesting new adventures.
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{Re-posted with permission}

Posted by GWD at 8:16 PM 0 comments

On Where to Go for Baha'i Podcasts: Your Computer

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There are 100,000,000 iPods in the world, I've heard. May every iPod have a Baha'i podcast on it or two. From
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I am reminded of where to go for Baha'i podcasts. -gw

A Baha'i Perspective - Weekly hour-long interviews from Massachusetts
Ask a Baha'i - 30 minute interviews produced in Oregon
Emerald Coast Bahais - Produced by Baha'is in Florida

Posted by GWD at 8:15 PM 0 comments

On Bahainine: Baha'i Blog Aggregator to the World

Have you checked out Bahainine for the best of Baha'i blogs, photos, and videos lately? It is up and running at full speed. Bahainine is a blog aggregator, which provides links to Baha’i blogs from around the world. Click over anytime and have 9 immediate choices of interesting blog posts in 6 different categories: News stories, news, core activities, reflections, music & culture, and life, plus 9 choices of both photos and videos. Wow! -gw

Best Baha'i Blogs, Photos and Videos
on Bahainine
Bahainine is an initiative that a group of us started in 2006. The goal of Project Bahainine is to increase awareness of the Baha'i blogosphere and to facilitate the creation and discovery of the Baha'i inspired content. As part of this project, visitors of this site can browse, search, discover and rate their favorite blogs, photos , videos and podcasts and view the most popular content.

Posted by GWD at 8:14 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 20, 2007

On Educational Discrimination Against Baha'is in Iran: Closed Doors

Tonight's new Baha'i video on YouTube. -gw



A short on the educational discrimination Baha'i students in Iran are being subjected to...closed doors - 01:10
Added: 8 hours ago
From: greenrider9
Age 20
Spain
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"closed doors"
Uploaded on August 31, 2007 by - luz - on flickr

Posted by GWD at 10:45 PM 0 comments

On TYBU: We are all leaves of one tree and the waves of an ocean alone

"A back alley church, Bas Congo,"Uploaded on February 23, 2006 by FredR on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
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Thanks, Language Tools, but I think there is a better English translation. -gw
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Ce site présente toute l'information des activités de T.Y.B.U.
This site provides all the information activities TYBU
Toutes les chansons écrites, composées et chantées par le groupe de Rap-RBN d'inspiration baha'ie...
All songs written, composed and sung by the group Rap-RBN inspiration Baha'i ...
mercredi 19 décembre 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Qui sommes-nous?
Who are we?
Nous sommes les TYBU (Prononcez : ti way bi you), c'est un acronyme anglophone qui veut tout simplement dire : Les jeunes baha'is dans l'unité.
We are TYBU (Say: ti bi way you), this is an English acronym which simply means: Young Baha'is in the unit.
Cet acronyme résume en très peu de mots notre identité et notre mode de vie.
This acronym summed up in very few words, our identity and our way of life.
Nous sommes un groupe BAHA'I de musique.
We are a group BAHA'I music.
Notre style c'est le RNB, Slow, Zouk, Reggae,etc.
Our style is the GNI, Slow, Zouk, Reggae, etc..
Ce groupe est né au mois d'Août 1999 au cours d'une campagne d'enseignement.
The group was set up in August 1999 during a campaign of education.
Nous avons dit que nous sommes baha'is; cela peut paraître bizzarre si nous n'expliquons pas cetteidentité.
We said that we are Baha'is, it may seem bizzarre if we n'expliquons not cetteidentité.
Nous sommes des croyants en Dieu dont le fondement est l'unité dans son sens originel, une unité basée sur la justice, etc.
We are believers in God whose foundation is the unit in its original sense, a unity based on justice, and so on.
Nous croyons qu'il exisqte Un seul Dieu et Une seule Religion, qui se renouvelle suivant le dégré de compréhension de l'Homme...
We believe it exisqte One God and One Religion, which is renewed after the degree of understanding of Man ...
Nous en parlerons plus tard.
We will talk about this later.
Notre musique est focalisée sur la présentation des enseignements retrouvés dans la Foi Baha'ie.
Our music is focused on the presentation of the lessons found in the Baha'i Faith.
A ce jour, le TYBU vient de sortir depuis le 26 Octobre 2007 son tout premier opus qui s'intitule " NOUVEL ORDRE MONDIAL ".
To date, the TYBU has been released since October 26, 2007 its first opus entitled "NEW WORLD ORDER".
Dans cet album, TYBU fait un état de lieux sur la situation qui prévaut actuellement dans le monde : Les guerres, les injustices, etc.
In this album TYBU made a state places on the prevailing situation in the world: wars, injustice, and so on.
A tous ces maux, ce groupe propose des pistes de solutions pour sortir le monde de cette crise....
In all these ills, the group proposed solution to exit the world of this crisis ....
Publié par The Youngs Baha'is in Unity... à l'adresse 17:23:00
Published by The Youngs Baha'is in Unity ... at 17:23:00
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Posted by GWD at 9:20 PM 0 comments

On Artistic Versions of Baha'i Holy Places: Colored Pencil

These site offerings by Larry Stevens ("I'm a welder by trade") have been up on the net since 2001 or before. -gw

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Uploaded on February 20, 2007 by Tasumi1968 on flickr
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Posted by GWD at 8:44 PM 0 comments

On Early Experiences of the Baha'i Faith: Planet Baha'i Discussion

I found this on my del.icio.us network. -gw


Planet Baha'i #8526.1
save this
by locle999 to Choice ... 3 hours ago


I found The Book of Certitude on one of my software programs and read a quarter of it on a Saturday afternoon. I returned to it around midnight or so on Sunday morning and finished the remaining three quarters in about four hours. Needless to say, a whole slew of emotions overwhelmed me. I felt a strong spiritual presence that was better than drugs. At the same time, there was depression, anxiety, fear, excitement, strength and courage, cowardliness, etc, etc.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/planetbahai/messages/?msg=8526

Posted by GWD at 5:29 PM 0 comments

On Very Mery Links: Baha'i Blogs Multiply

MultiplyLogo http://meryjoon.multiply.com/

Very Mery links. -gw
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Tags: amigos, amigos en esmeraldas, baha'iwordcentre, citas bah
á'ís, con amigos, love, my family, pop latino, shoghi effendi, son muy buenas todas, un video muy hermoso, v_marimba, video, video2, videobaha'i2, ya baha'u'l-abha
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[For the links to work and to access this site, as with MySpace and Facebook, one must first register on the Multiply site. It is quick and easy to do. -gw]

Posted by GWD at 12:13 PM 2 comments

On the Draft Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly of the UN: Behind Brazil's Abstention

Povo de Baha
Thank you Marco for finding this story within a story and sharing it with us. Marco's marvelous blog is the Portuguese-language Povo de Baha. -gw

You probably read the news about the draft resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the UN. It was published yesterday on BWNS


There was a curious thing about Brazil, who abstained during the vote.

On the web page of the Department of Public Information of the UN General Assembly I found this:

"The representative of Brazil said she had abstained from the vote because her Government supported the consolidation of the Human Rights Council as the main United Nations body to promote and protect human rights. The Council would create an enabling environment to address human rights violations, in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue. However, she noted the situation in Iran with some concern, particularly the lack of free expression, violence against women and the practice of cruel punishment. Her Government was also against the use of the death penalty on people under 18 years of age.

"In addition, she said Brazil disapproved of acts of discrimination against the Baha’i community, including imprisonment on issues of conscience and restrictions on some members of that community to the right to work and education. She expected the Iranian Government to deepen its dialogue with the Human Rights Council and other United Nations human rights mechanisms. Iran’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination were welcomed."
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For more information:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/gashc3909.doc.htm

This is an interesting thing in a sense that Brazil avoided political games around the Council of Human Rights (and reaffirmed if wanted to work properly). But at the same time, that did not stop them from censoring Iran about the situation of the Baha’is.

Baha'i greetings from Lisbon, Marco Oliveira
http://povodebaha.blogspot.com/

Posted by GWD at 12:07 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

On New YouTube Baha'i Video Postings: Latinos, Heros, and the Mother Temple of the West

Posted to YouTube during the past 24 hours. -gw

La Fe Baha'i : Latinos in the Baha'i Faith Pt. 3
La Fe Baha'i : Latinos in the Baha'i Faith Pt. 2
La Fe Baha'i : Latinos in the Baha'i Faith Pt. 1
Presentation video of fellow Latino Baha'is and the Baha'i Faith
BahaiNationalCenter
07:01, 09:47, 09:44

Mother Temple of the West ~ A Meditation
of the House of Worship in Wilmette, IL, set to a Native American flute soundtrack
BahaiNationalCenter
05:50

If I Could Be Where You Are
A memorial tribute to 15 gentle and blameless souls who were among the first to be executed by the Islamic authorities after Iran's 1979 revolution for serving their Faith. They were the dearly loved "spiritual cream" of Iran's Baha'i community, serving as their duly-elected governing leaders and their loss A memorial tribute to 15 gentle and blameless souls who were among the first to be executed by the Islamic authorities after Iran's 1979 revolution for serving their Faith. They were the dearly loved "spiritual cream" of Iran's Baha'i community, serving as their duly-elected governing leaders and their loss is deeply mourned to this day.
yunanimuse
05:20

Posted by GWD at 10:23 PM 0 comments

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