The CONCACAF Champions League has provided a wealth of new opportunities for MLS teams to cut their teeth on the international stage since its 2008 inception, but as fans of teams lucky enough to be in the tournament will tell you, those opportunities are not the only benefits North Americas premier club competition offers.

Along with the added exposure for the teams, the greatly expanded competition (from eight to 24 teams, including preliminary rounds), has offered MLS fans a new way to travel to places they might otherwise never consider going.

Upon arriving, the first thing I remember was wondering, What the heck am I doing here? Sounders fan John Neuharth recalled after arriving in El Salvador. I had spent the last couple weeks convincing my friends and family that no, I was not crazy for traveling to a third-world country with a history of unrest in order to watch a Sounders match. In reality, the country was a wonderful experience.

By virtue of three straight US Open Cup wins, the Seattle Sounders have been regular participants in the competition since 2010. To book their debut appearance in the competition, the Sounders had to travel to El Salvador holding a slender 1-0 lead over Isidro Metapn in the preliminary round, and a small group of fans made the trip to Central America along with the team.

Once we deplaned, we stayed at the airport for about an hour because we’d heard the team flight was right behind us and we wanted to welcome them with scarves up and some songs, Sounders fan Aaron Reed told to MLSsoccer.com. The looks on their faces were priceless when they realized that we were there.

Though Metapn are based in the northwestern Santa Ana province of El Salvador, their stadium did not meet CONCACAF standards, meaning the game was played in San Salvadors Estadio Cuscatln, El Salvadors national stadium and the largest venue in Central Ameica.

Once in the stadium, though the Sounders fans encountered something completely unlike what theyd seen in away venues across MLS.

We got some light heckling when we first arrived at the stadium, but most people just looked at us like we were from another planet, Reed recalled.

The security guard [who was carrying a gun] led us through three empty sections, each separated from each other with a chain link fence and barbed wire, until we got to our section for the match, he continued. We were in a true terrace. It was large concrete slabs with no seats. There was a moat, a chain link fence and an armed guard between us and the pitch.

Having come from Seattle, the ECS members were no strangers to wet weather, yet they were still shocked at the conditions presented by Central Americas rainy season, where torrential rain is the norm throughout the summer.

See more here:

Supporters Week: CCL gives fans unique way to travel world

At the end of the summer, two students from the North Hall High School class of 2012 will find themselves heading westward to California.

For the next two years, they will travel the nation, even the world, with The Young Americans, a performing group that puts on workshops for the worlds youth.

Mary Catherine Scozzari and Reed Partrick, two recent graduates of North Hall, have been extended an invitation to join the group and are taking the leap.

Im really excited about being a part of it, said Scozzari. Theres not a lot of people that are willing to take this risk. She and Partrick, who have been friends for a long time, have been on the stage since eighth grade and both have a rooted passion for the performing arts.

And both have known since freshman year that The Young Americans was the end goal after high school. When they were freshman, during the 2007-08 school year, The Young Americans visited their school to put on a three-day workshop.

I knew right then thats what I wanted to do, said Partrick. This has been my dream since freshman year. The two both hosted some of the groups performers and after that workshop, both knew what they wanted to do.

You get really close with (the performers) over those three days and they really impact your life, said Scozzari.

Scozzari and Partrick arent the first Hall County graduates or even the first North Hall graduates to join Young Americans. Andrew Fields, who graduated from North Hall in 2009, has been part of the group. So has Rob Whelchel, who graduated from Gainesville High School the same year.

When the Young American group came back to town this year, Scozzari and Partrick auditioned for the group, and both are taking the leap.

They will stay in Corona, Calif., where the group is based out of, and spend the first year training for the shows. After that time, they will audition to go on three-month tours with the group.

More:

North Hall students set to travel the world

The Barnstaple branch of Vacation World, in Joy Street

Tony Gussin Saturday, May 19, 2012 8:00 AM

Vacation World ceases trading as staff are in formed by a mass telephone call.

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THE Barnstaple and Braunton branches of Vacation World have shut down after the travel agent ceased trading.

The news was broken to staff at 9.15am on Wednesday via a conference telephone call.

They were also told they would not receive any pay for their work from May 1.

Originally posted here:

Barnstaple and Braunton travel agents close down

Go here to see the original:

Taste and tale of success

Alex Zaharov-Reutt Thursday, 17 May 2012 19:00

Your IT – Home IT

The Raspberry Pi computer board is the worlds most inexpensive yet incredibly useful, useable, configurable, programmable and extendable credit card sized, ARM powered PC, ready for students, engineers and anyone to unleash new levels of creativity and imagination!

In addition, it offers end users, students, engineers and anyone the ability to write software and make new hardware creations powered by the Raspberry Pi more easily than ever before, thanks to the easily expandability of the Pi hardware.

This means that if you want to add a touch-screen interface to the Pi, you can do it. If you want to use the Pi board as the brains of some kind of robot youre creating, you can do it.

Meanwhile, the Pi is perfect for students and classrooms, re-introducing the programming skills that children in the early 80s were learning in classrooms full of Apple II computers, skills that dont appear to be being taught in primary schools any more.

Indeed, the Raspberry Pi is so full of possibility, I imagine that it may well set off a Woz-like era of creativity once more, getting students, engineers and anyone in front of highly configurable and customisable technology that lets you do anything you want, just as Woz did in the late 70s when he was soldering together the first Apple I computer.

Sure, todays kids wont be soldering together the Pi computer board it comes already full made for the price but instead of kids just using apps that someone else has made, students can easily create their own apps running on their own hardware designs, unleashing new creativity with this being the true promise of the Raspberry Pi era.

Now that the Raspberry Pi has launched in Australia (and around the world), the biggest problem will be getting your hands on one.

Only 10,000 have been made so far, but there are already 300,000 pre-orders, with the floodgates now officially open for anyone to register their interest in buying one as soon as their spot opens up to make a binding, paid-for order.

Excerpt from:

Raspberry Pi to rebirth an era of Woz-like super creativity?

Kontron’s HPEC super computer-like system matches military program needs for high-end processing

Poway, California – Kontron today announced that its high performance embedded computing (HPEC) platform was selected for an Editor’s Choice Award by Military Embedded Systems Magazine. The Kontron 18 blade VPX-based HPEC platform was chosen by the editors for their April-May 2012 issue because of its ability to meet military programs’ needs for high-end processing. This highly integrated HPEC platform was developed to supply an immense amount of power in a small footprint. Military Embedded Systems Magazine editors continually assess innovative new technologies and products as possible Editor’s Choice award recipients.

“Thwarting the old paradigm of military programs sacrificing performance or facing a proprietary technology path, the Kontron HPEC platform delivers 1.44 Teraflops of compute density,” on behalf of OpenSystems Media. “Described as a “supercomputer-like system” by the company, the DSP-suited HPEC platform comprises 18 of Kontron’s VX6060 Core i7 2 GHz (or more) computing nodes including 8 GB DDR3 memory on each board, in addition to 36 tightly coupled processors within the HPEC platform. Several switched fabric interconnects are housed in the backplane. And the 19-inch footprint HPEC platform is suited to radar, SIGINT, sonar, and video processing needs of UAV or aircraft programs.”

The Kontron HPEC Platform Using the strengths of Kontron’s substantial system and board-level platform expertise along with its experience in design and deployment of ruggedized systems for defense programs, the Kontron HPEC platform meets the needs of compute-intensive DSP-based systems. It is a VPX-based super computer-like system that accommodates up to 18 Kontron 6U VPX VX6060′s, powered by Dual Intel Core i7 processor computing nodes, and employs 36 tightly coupled processors. Using an innovative VXFabric approach, which is a simplified API that Kontron developed to help accelerate the design process, Kontron’s new HPEC platform allows high-speed socket-based communication between blades by using multiple switched fabric interconnects within the backplane. The 72 core, 18-blade Kontron HPEC platform provides a breakthrough in compute density, up to 1.44 Teraflops (1.44 Trillion Floating Point Operation per second) in a small 19-inch footprint that delivers the high-performance computing power that is a critical capability for many of today’s military systems including radar, sonar, SIGINT and video processing for various aircraft or UAV programs.

To view the Editor’s Choice Award by Military Embedded Systems Magazine: http://mil-embedded.com/editors-choice/vpx-goes-hpec/

About OpenSystems Media OpenSystems Media has been a leading publisher of electronics magazines, e-mail newsletters, websites, and product resource guides for more than 20 years. OpenSystems Media offers E-casts and Techcasts for engineers and provides interactive tools where engineers can communicate directly with presenters and top industry editors. Current publications include: CompactPCI, AdvancedTCA, & MicroTCA Systems; DSP-FPGA.com; Embedded Computing Design; Military Embedded Systems; PC/104 and Small Form Factors; and VITA Technologies. For more information, visit www.opensystemsmedia.com.

About Kontron Kontron is a global leader in embedded computing technology. With more than 40% of its employees in Research and Development, Kontron creates many of the standards that drive the world’s embedded computing platforms. Kontron’s product longevity, local engineering and support, and value-added services, helps create a sustainable and viable embedded solution for OEMs and system integrators. Kontron works closely with its customers on their embedded application-ready platforms and custom solutions, enabling them to focus on their core competencies. The result is an accelerated time-to-market, reduced total-cost-of-ownership and an improved overall application with leading-edge, highly-reliable embedded technology.

Kontron is listed on the German TecDAX stock exchange under the symbol “KBC”. For more information, please visit: http://www.kontron.com/

To view the Editor’s Choice Award by Military Embedded Systems Magazine: http://mil-embedded.com/editors-choice/vpx-goes-hpec/

PR online: http://www.kontron.com/about-kontron/news-events/kontron+hpec+platform+chosen+by+military+embedded+systems+magazine+for+editors+choice+award.5876.html Americas Richard Pugnier Kontron Tel:+1 (858) 623-3006 richard.pugnier@us.kontron.com

Original post:

Kontron HPEC Platform Chosen by Military Embedded Systems Magazine for Editor's Choice Award

New Generation X9 GPU Platforms Accelerate Research, Scientific, Engineering, Computational Finance and Design Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI), a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and green computing, will showcase its latest graphics processing unit (GPU) enabled X9 server and workstation solutions at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference (GTC) May 14-17 in San Jose, CA. Supermicro’s GPU solutions support Intel Xeon E5-2600 processors and feature greater memory capacity (up to 256GB for servers and 512GB in workstations), higher performance I/O and connectivity with PCI-E 3.0, 10GbE and 4x QDR (40Gb) InfiniBand support (GPU SuperBlade) as well as innovative energy efficient power saving technologies. Supermicro X9 solutions also feature the highest density GPU computing available today. The non-blocking architecture supports 4 GPUs per 1U in a standard, short depth 32″, rack chassis. The SuperBlade can fit 30 GPUs in 7U – another industry first from Supermicro. Combined with the latest GPUs based on NVIDIA Kepler architecture, the X9 platform offers industry professionals one of the most powerful, accelerated and ‘green’ computing solutions available on the market.

“Supermicro is transforming the high performance computing landscape with our advanced, high-density GPU server and workstation platforms,” said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. “At GTC, we are showcasing our new generation X9 SuperServer, SuperBlade and latest NVIDIA Maximus certified SuperWorkstation systems which deliver groundbreaking performance, reliability, scalability and efficiency. Our expanding lines of GPU-based computing solutions empower scientists, engineers, designers and many other professionals with the most cost-effective access to supercomputing performance.”

Supermicro will exhibit its latest X9 SuperServers which provide a wide range of configurations targeting high performance computing (HPC) applications. Systems include the 1027GR-TQF offering up to 4 double-width GPUs in 1U for maximum compute density in a compact 32″ short depth, standard rack mount format. The 2U 2027GR-TRF supports up to 6 GPUs and is ideal for scalable, high performance computing clusters in scientific research fields with a 2027GR-TRFT model available supporting dual-port 10GBase-T for increased bandwidth and reduced latency. The GPU SuperBlade SBI-7127RG packs the industry’s highest compute density of 30 GPUs in 7U delivering ultimate processing performance for applications such as oil and gas exploration. The 7047GR-TRF is Supermicro’s latest high-end, enterprise-class X9 SuperWorkstation with NVIDIA Maximus certification. This specialized system accelerates design and visualization tasks with an NVIDIA Quadro GPU while providing dedicated processing power for simultaneous compute intensive tasks such as simulation and rendering with up to four NVIDIA Tesla C2075 GPUs. The upcoming 7047GR-TPRF SuperWorkstation supports passively cooled GPUs making it ideal for high performance trading (HPT) applications. X9 systems feature dual Intel Xeon E5-2600 family processors, maximized memory and non-blocking native PCI-E 3.0 configurations along with redundant Platinum level high-efficiency (94%+) power supplies.

These select GPU enabled servers and workstations are a sampling of Supermicro’s vast array of GPU solutions. Visit us at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, May 14-17 in GTC Booth #75 to see Supermicro’s latest GPU products. For a complete look at Supermicro’s extensive line of high performance, high efficiency GPU solutions, visit www.supermicro.com/GPU or go to www.supermicro.com/SuperWorkstations to keep up with Supermicro’s evolving line of NVIDIA Maximus powered SuperWorkstations.

About Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its “We Keep IT Green” initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.

SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc.

CONTACT: David Okada of Super Micro Computer, Inc., davido@supermicro.com

Web Site: http://www.supermicro.com

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Supermicro® Highlights Latest GPU SuperServer®, SuperBlade® and …

I used to work on an imaging team at a big insurance company and we were required to store our images with a very particular lossless compression in a TIF file specifically because the law does not hold lossy compression as reliable.

But, regarding jessepollard’s other statements:

“The place you don’t want errors is in the instruction stream.”

That’s not where the errors are. They’re in the calculation results from the non-errored instructions. And then, only in specific types of calculations.

“Images already have errors generated by every lossy compression algorithm.”

True, but also irrelevant.

“Unfortunately, these same errors prevent it from being reliable in court.”

True.

“Also doesn’t work well for facial recognition”

False. Facial recognition is already a fuzzy logic affair. Actually, facial recognition is a perfect example of inexactness in computing and would be a great application for these chips.

Read this article:

A few errors could be key to super-efficient computer chips

Toni Clarke BOSTON Globe and Mail Update Published Friday, May. 18, 2012 12:38PM EDT Last updated Friday, May. 18, 2012 12:56PM EDT

Osiris Therapeutics Inc. OSIR-Q said on Thursday that Canadian health regulators have approved its treatment for acute graft-versus host disease in children, making it the first stem cell drug to be approved for a systemic disease anywhere in the world.

Osiris shares rose 14 per cent to $6.00 in extended trading after the news was announced.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a potentially deadly complication from a bone marrow transplant, when newly implanted cells attack the patient’s body. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and skin rash to hair loss, hepatitis, lung and digestive tract disorders, jaundice and vomiting.

The disease kills up to 80 per cent of children affected, Osiris said. To date there have been no approved treatments for the disease. Canadian authorities approved the therapy, Prochymal, for use in children who have failed to respond to steroids.

Prochymal was approved with the condition that Osiris carry out further testing after it reaches the market. C. Randal Mills, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview that could take three to four years.

Some investment analysts have been skeptical about Prochymal’s future. In 2009, two late-stage clinical trials failed to show the drug was more effective overall than a placebo in treating the disease, though it showed promise in certain subgroups of patients.

Since then, the company has mined data from all its clinical trials to show that in patients with severe refractory acute GvHD those who have more or less failed all other therapies Prochymal demonstrated a clinically meaningful response at 28 days after therapy began in 61-64 per cent of patients.

In addition, treatment with Prochymal resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survival when compared with a historical control population of pediatric patients with refractory GvHD.

The Canadian authorities approved the drug on the basis of that data, the company said.

Excerpt from:

Prochymal approval makes Canada first country to OK stem cell therapy

Osiris Therapeutics Inc said on Thursday that Canadian health regulators have approved its treatment for acute graft-versus host disease in children, making it the first stem cell drug to be approved for a systemic disease anywhere in the world.

Osiris shares rose 14 percent to $6.00 in extended trading after the news was announced.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a potentially deadly complication from a bone marrow transplant, when newly implanted cells attack the patient’s body. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and skin rash to hair loss, hepatitis, lung and digestive tract disorders, jaundice and vomiting.

The disease kills up to 80 percent of children affected, Osiris said. To date there have been no approved treatments for the disease. Canadian authorities approved the therapy, Prochymal, for use in children who have failed to respond to steroids.

Prochymal was approved with the condition that Osiris carry out further testing after it reaches the market. C. Randal Mills, the company’s chief executive, said in an interview that could take three to four years.

Some investment analysts have been skeptical about Prochymal’s future. In 2009, two late-stage clinical trials failed to show the drug was more effective overall than a placebo in treating the disease, though it showed promise in certain subgroups of patients.

Since then, the company has mined data from all its clinical trials to show that in patients with severe refractory acute GvHD — those who have more or less failed all other therapies — Prochymal demonstrated a clinically meaningful response at 28 days after therapy began in 61-64 percent of patients.

In addition, treatment with Prochymal resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survival when compared with a historical control population of pediatric patients with refractory GvHD.

The Canadian authorities approved the drug on the basis of that data, the company said.

FDA submission this year

See original here:

First stem cell drug approved for systemic disease treatment

Indian clinic’s stem cell therapy real?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

For more of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin’s investigation of India’s experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, watch “CNN Presents: Selling a Miracle,” at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

New Delhi (CNN) — Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, has traveled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled. You might think this was a hopeful mission until you learn that an overwhelming number of medical experts insist the treatment will have zero effect.

Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn’t have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life.

His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, are so driven by their hope and desperation to help Cash they’ve journeyed to the other side of the globe and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells.

The family is among a growing number of Americans seeking the treatment in India — some at a clinic in the heart of New Delhi called NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash — who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome — in 2010. “I am helping improve their quality of life,” Shroff told CNN.

After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the U.S.

That’s when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

See the rest here:

Family hangs hope for boy on unproven therapy in India

Read more:

Osiris shares climb on stem-cell therapy approval

Indian clinic’s stem cell therapy real?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

For more of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin’s investigation of India’s experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, watch “CNN Presents: Selling a Miracle,” at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

New Delhi (CNN) — Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, has traveled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled. You might think this was a hopeful mission until you learn that an overwhelming number of medical experts insist the treatment will have zero effect.

Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn’t have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life.

His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, are so driven by their hope and desperation to help Cash they’ve journeyed to the other side of the globe and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells.

The family is among a growing number of Americans seeking the treatment in India — some at a clinic in the heart of New Delhi called NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash — who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome — in 2010. “I am helping improve their quality of life,” Shroff told CNN.

After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the U.S.

That’s when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

Read more from the original source:

Medical success or boondoggle?

May. 19, 2012

From left: Loretto Sr. Delores Kincaide, co-member Kim Klein, and Sr. Maureen Fiedler (Margie Jones)

NERINX, KY. — Todays youth and young adults want what Lorettos already have, Loretto Sr. Delores Kincaide told the Loretto jubilee gathering of hundreds of members and co-members here April 25. A deeper spirituality, a supportive community, and a purpose that will change the world in which they live. Loretto is in a position now to consciously promote expansion by reaching out to these youth and others who desire what we already possess.

Politicians pontificate, the Vatican and hierarchy play politics, but women religious simply keep their eye on the road ahead. They walk the walk, but when they pause, they can certainly talk the talk. And they did at the communitys Symposium on the Future. Kincaide, longtime coordinator of the Loretto Network for Non-Violence, was the first of three speakers whose style ranged from droll to intense, from witty to exhorting, from profound to spiritual.

Loretto has existed to meet the needs of the time with the wisdom of the time. Thats why we were given the gifts of higher education, Third-World experiences and the freedom to live where most needed, Kincaide said. She urged her fellow Lorettines to create a new Earth. To make the motherhouse an institute whose reasons for existence would be to intentionally work on learning together, teaching others about evolutionary consciousness and spirituality. Make the motherhouse a laboratory for sustainability on all levels of living. Draw to the task, she said, the tools and resources of the metaphysical sciences — philosophy, psychology, theology and spirituality — and the physical sciences.

Loretto co-member Kim Klein, zeroing in on the end of Western economic progress as we know it, and the future of Loretto, worked in parallel to Kincaides artful arguments: Make a radical shift in how we conceptualized our economy. She said the capitalist engine of economic growth has, in the rich countries, largely finished its work — though, like radiation, it has a long half-life. To improve todays quality of life, now depends on community and how we relate to each other.

Klein, an Oakland, Calif.-based fundraising consultant for social justice nonprofits, and a co-member for 20 years, said, what we at Loretto know how to do is the most important information in the U.S. today — we know how to be friends, how to offer friendship across generations, across opinions, across nations. The vow of poverty meant that everything is shared, but there are ways of sharing that might involve different promises. We know how to measure community by its happiness, rather than by its product; by its quality, not its accomplishments.

Want to read more about important issues in the life of the Church? A subscription to NCR will keep you up to date and informed.

Interlinking with Kincaides proposal, Klein said, This is our moment. It is not just our challenge — it is our time.

Mother Earth and the effect of climate change is the issue of the 21st century, said the final speaker, Loretto Sr. Maureen Fiedler. Like Klein, Fiedler wove her concerns about climate change — and the lobby to downplay it — into Kincaides vision for a motherhouse center to promote a spirituality to undergird this work. But it has to be an active spirituality, a seedbed for advocacy and action, and it needs to embrace the interfaith dimension.

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Speakers explore what Loretto order has to offer today

VOLUNTEERS are desperately looking for a new home for their not-for-profit womens group in Brunswick East.

The Grove Wholistic Centre for Spirituality needs to leave its premises because the owner has other plans for the site.

The centre, founded in 1991 in a building belonging to the Sisters of Mercy in The Grove, Coburg, moved to the Brunswick East terrace in 1996.

Volunteer Michelle Morris, a counsellor and family therapist, said the centres founders developed a place that would empower and support women in a safe environment.

The centre provides workshops and classes on meditation, music, craft, creative writing and spirituality among ongoing groups.

It offers a place where women can feel safe and have a place as a retreat from the business of life to reflect, explore their creativity, their spirituality and to connect with other women, Ms Morris said.

For women who might be isolated, it gives a sense of connection.

She said they had been able to cheaply rent the terrace with an office, library, waiting area, counselling rooms and a group room.

I am not confident about finding a new space, (but) I am confident that The Grove will go on in some form, Ms Morris said.

If you can help, phone 9383 1993.

More:

Group needs new home in Brunswick East

For my first term in college, the syllabus consisted of intensive study of four classic works of history. One of these was A History of the English Church and People, which was written in the early 8th century by a monk who came to be known as the Venerable Bede.

As I worked my way through this text in the original Latin, I gradually fell in love with the saintly people depicted in Bedes narrative. I already knew Columba, for he is the patron saint of the Scottish Church, honored for bringing Christianity from his native Ireland to Scotland by way of the tiny island of Iona.

But the others Aidan, Cuthbert, Oswald, Hilda, Chad and more were new acquaintances. They have become my companions in the faith, introducing me to the earliest roots of Christian faith in my native land and also to the riches and distinctiveness of the way people worshipped and thought in all the places on the fringes of Western Europe that are associated with Celts.

Cuthbert, in particular, has become a revered soul friend and I have traveled several times to Holy Island, a small barren island connected at low tide by a causeway to the coast of northeastern England, just a few miles south of the Scottish border.

It was here that Cuthbert spent much of his life as abbot, hermit and finally bishop of Lindisfarne, the priory on Holy Island that was founded by Columbas monks. The priory was later sacked and destroyed by Danish invaders, but the monks managed to escape with treasures including the exquisite Lindisfarne Gospels (now in the British Library).

There is a special quality about the island, which seems imbued with the character of those Celtic saints, who were firmly committed to their faith, yet gracious and compassionate.

I am by no means alone in my appreciation for Celtic spirituality. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in the distinct pattern of spirituality reflected in the early monastic liturgies of the Celtic church in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, northern England, Cornwall and Brittany.

A growing number of Episcopal churches now offer what is termed a Celtic Eucharist, often on a monthly basis. At St. Michaels Episcopal Church, we held our first Celtic Eucharist a couple of Sundays ago and it was well received.

The order of worship was similar to our usual liturgy, but the prayers and music reflected the spiritual traditions of the ancient Celtic church. The prayers came from the 8th century and 9th century Stowe Missal, the oldest book from the early Irish Church still extant.

We began with the hymn known as St. Patricks Breastplate, also called the Lorica litany. The word lorica is Latin and means shield or breastplate. Since prayer was viewed as a spiritual shield, an Irish lorica was a prayer for protection against evil. When pagans converted to Christianity in Ireland, these loricas replaced the old incantations.

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WHITTAKER: Celtic spirituality offers unique look at religion

BRUNSWICK Aging, and all the things associated with it, is certainly a leading topic today. International speaker Mark Swinney asks, Could it be that God didnt intend us to age?

Swinney will present his talk, Eternal life, on Monday at 7 p.m. at First Church of Christ Scientist, 288 1/2 Maine St., Brunswick.

Claiming ones identity as Gods offspring brings countless freedoms, said Swinney. As Gods spiritual creations, we dont necessarily need to be slaves to time. We dont need to wait to become fully who we are. Time doesnt have the power to erode who we are, dilute our intelligence, or sap our strength.

Swinneys ideas are based on the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Bible, and as discussed in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.

A practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing, Swinney has devoted more than 25 years both to praying with people and empowering people to pray effectively for themselves. Swinney is a prolific author with more than 250 published articles addressing numerous facets of prayer and healing. He has traveled much of the world speaking about his heartfelt love for God and Christian healing, and is known for his honesty, humor and candid style, according to a news release from the church.

Swinney is a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. He lives in Placitas, N.M.

For further information call 729-0317 or visit www.csbrunswick.org.

Originally posted here:

Spirituality, eternal life subject of talk

Read the original:

Spirituality: Be who God wants you to be

Read the rest here:

Paramahamsa Nithyananda Responds to Critics

Eleven bodhisattvas stand in formation, their heads crowned and their almond-shaped eyes and faces dusted with gold.

The scene could be a reenactment of a painting, or a sculpture in a Buddhist temple or museum. But it’s not. It’s a scene beheld one recent Sunday afternoon at the shopping center in Yokohama’s Noge district and the potential Buddhas are in reality just regular Earthlings.

For the last two years, a Japanese artist named Tetta has been working to re-create the 1,000 more than 800-year-old bodhisattva statues in the Sanjusangendo Hall at Rengeoin Temple in Kyoto using people made up and dressed appropriately and that sunny Sunday she’d brought her workshop to Noge, where 11 volunteers awaited her. “Bodhisattvas are those who are undergoing ascetic training to attain spiritual enlightenment,” explained Tetta, of those frequent subjects of Buddhist art and sculpture. She said some people who have taken part in her workshops have described experiencing “instant enlightenment.”

“Spending hours for the makeup and then walking around the streets with the embarrassing stuff on” is akin to ascetic training, Tetta mooted.

The 29-year-old artist based in Kanagawa Prefecture asked the 11 participants, including a university friend and that friend’s friends at a Yokohama samba school, to meet in a municipal facility in Noge for a workshop on Buddha statues and how to make themselves look like bodhisattvas.

The mortal crew’s transformation to near-Buddhahood began with Tetta giving a lecture on four kinds of Buddhist statues including ones of Tathagata (Nyorai in Japanese), who achieved enlightenment, and bodhisattvas (bosatsu), who are humans on the brink of attaining enlightenment. Tetta explained that each of the 1,000 bodhisattvas in Sanjusangendo Hall in Kyoto has a different face, so her plan is to help 1,000 people to transform themselves into bodhisattva lookalikes, then to photograph them and exhibit the pictures in Sanjusangendo-like lines in the future.

“Today, I want each of you to become one of the 1,000 bodhisattvas,” Tetta declared, adding that so far she has taken pictures of 853 people made up to look the part.

After finishing her lecture illustrated with slides, Tetta showed the group how to start their transformations by painting base cream and powdery foundation on the face of one of their group, a man named Kenji Suzuki.

Suzuki said he joined in because he had seen “The March of Human Bodhisattvas,” an installation-like event organized by Tetta and performed at the Yokohama Triennale last October. “I am interested in Buddhism, but I also thought this workshop would be a rare chance to ‘become’ Buddha,” said the 48-year-old welder.

Next, still using Suzuki as a model, Tetta showed how to apply thick eyeliner around the eyes and then paint in the space between the lines and his eyes in black.

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Artist creates Yokohama bodhisattvas