Posts Tagged ‘Book of the dead’

News & Submissions 11/03/2010

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

All Christians ‘targets,’ Iraqi militant group says
Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) — All Christians in the Middle East are now “legitimate targets,” al Qaeda in Iraq announced Wednesday, as the group’s deadline for Egypt’s Coptic church to release alleged Muslim female prisoners expired.

An audio message released Monday gave the church 48 hours to disclose the status of Muslim women it said are imprisoned in Coptic churches in Egypt. Read full story from cnn.com

Christian holiday celebrations are out of date
John Philips (Write Back, November 1) states that Christianity “cleverly sanitised” pagan festivals in spring and mid-winter into Easter and Christmas.

While these festivals may have been “sanitised”, it was not that “clever”. Many of the pagan rituals remain in these festivals, including the use of evergreen decorations, such as holly, ivy, mistletoe and pine trees. Read full story from belfasttelegraph.co.uk

5,000-year-old practice comes around again
Unlike a maze, which includes dead ends and tall walls that are meant to confuse, a labyrinth traces a single path that leads inexorably to the center. It has ancient roots in pagan pre-Christian beliefs, Celtic traditions, and even Wicca, and many consider it a spiritual journey to walk one. Read full story from philly.com

Chief Oshkosh controversy brings back painful memories
OSHKOSH, Wis. – The decision by the mayor of Oshkosh, Wis., to use the name and image of Chief Oshkosh to promote beer drinking in his tavern highlights long-standing cultural dissonances between Natives and non-Natives. Though less than one percent of the population of Oshkosh is Native American, its proximity to the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin has made the mayor’s promotion a focus of the ongoing controversy over how and by whom names and images of Native American leaders may be used. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Mexicans Seek Charms, Potions To Ward Off Bad Luck
The Sonora Market near the center of Mexico City is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways that wind between overstuffed stalls where the air is thick with sage smoke. One entire section is known as the mercado de brujeria, or the “witchcraft market.”

In a country facing tough times, Mexicans come to the market to buy potions, herbs and charms that supposedly will bring good luck and protection. Read full story from minesotapublicradio.org

Journey Through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead – review
Statues are speaking at the British Museum. The dead are coming to life. The statue in front of me is a small painted wooden figure of the god Osiris, just over half a metre high, in a glass case in one of the first rooms of this engrossing exhibition. It is instantly striking, because of the bright green of its face and hands, but its verbal eloquence lies hidden inside. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Carving a contemporary tribute to history
NIWOT, Colo. – Annual Nostalgia Days festivities in this community north of metro Denver recall the past for the area’s original descendants as well as for those whose 19th century ancestors settled here.

An eagle capture was depicted in a massive carving dedicated at the high point of a celebration for area residents and Northern Arapaho tribal members from the Wind River Reservation, in Wyoming. Noted Arapaho leader, Niwot (Left Hand), gave the town its name and brokered a temporary peace with white settlers in the gold rush era. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Sacred Spaces: inside a Buddhist fire rite ceremony (source cnn.com)

News & Submissions 10/24/2010

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

Ad Watch: Extremely Graphic Abortion Ad Airs in D.C. Metro
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer reports:   An anti-abortion candidate running for D.C. delegate to the U.S. House is airing what is arguably one of this election cycle’s most provocative TV campaign ads, featuring extremely graphic images of aborted fetuses.

The 30-second ad for Missy Smith will air 24 times on local broadcast network affiliates across the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It is so explicit that it’s preceded by a 15-second warning that was added by the stations’ administrators. Read full story from abcnews.com

Book of the Dead: Scroll down and learn how to die like an Ancient Egyptian
When it comes to scary monsters, the ancient Egyptian Devourer is always going to be hard to top. With the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion and the hindquarters of a hippo, it is certainly more exotic than the average Halloween outfit. And, though it sounds risible now, for centuries in Egypt the grim fear of meeting this evil, “cut’n'shut” beast on the other side of death helped to shore up an entire system of belief, a system shared by pharaohs and artisans. In fact, the devourer played a key part in one of the most intriguing tenets of faith humankind has yet come up with: The Book of the Dead. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Crosses of Lafayette
The Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center, Grandparents for Peace and the Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group joined Mr. Heaton to support the project. Volunteers erected 300 crosses on Veterans Day in 2006, and by Feb. 26, 2007, there were more than 2,000. The site is the property of Louise Clark, 85. Read full story from nytimes.com

A face for the USDA in Indian country
WASHINGTON – The United States Department of Agriculture Office of Tribal Relations will be celebrating its first year of operation this November.

The USDA took a giant step last fiscal year when it elevated Native American programs to the Office of the Secretary and made the Office of Tribal Relations responsible for government-to-government relations between the USDA and tribal governments. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com