University of Bristol Launches 600-Teraflop Supercomputer – TOP500 News

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The University of Bristols newest supercomputer, Blue Crystal 4 (BC4), is three times faster than its predecessor and promises to accelerate the work of more than 1,000 researchers and engineers.

Targeted for applications in paleobiology, biochemistry, physics, molecular modeling, life sciences, and aerospace engineering, BC4 will provide 602 peak teraflops of raw computing horsepower. Early testing indicates application performance for simulations and advanced analytics in these domains has trebled compared to its older sibling, Blue Crystal Phase 3.

According to Dr. Christopher Woods, EPSRC Research Software Engineer Fellow at the University of Bristol, research that used to take a month, now takes a week, and what took a week, now takes only a few hours.

"We have researchers looking at whole-planet modeling with the aim of trying to understand the earth's climate, climate change and how thats going to evolve, as well as others looking at rotary blade design for helicopters, the mutation of genes, the spread of disease and where diseases come from, he added.

The new system was also used to support a 1.8 million study looking into the evolution of the Ebola virus, and how its impacting diagnostics and treatment. Dr. David Matthews, Senior Lecturer in Virology at the University of Bristol, who led the Bristol component of the study noted that Blue Crystal was a critical tool for that research.

We used it to analyze raw data on the Ebola virus in 179 patient blood samples to determine the precise genetic make-up of the virus in each case, he said. This allowed the team to examine how the virus evolved over the previous year, informing public health policy in key areas such as diagnostic testing, vaccine deployment and experimental treatment options."

BC4 is a Lenovo NeXtscale cluster powered principally by 14-core Intel Broadwell Xeon processors. Each node is equipped with two of these processors, along with 128 GB of memory. The system also has 32 GPU-accelerated nodes, each of which includes two NVIDIA P100 Tesla processors. A visualization node equipped with NVIDIA Grid vGPUs is provided as well. Inter-node connectivity is supplied by Intels Omni-Path fabric, running at 100 Gbps.

The plan is to replicate applications running on the older Blue Crystal machine on BC4 in order to allow researchers to scale up their codes, as well as develop new ones. Due to the similarity in architecture, applications are expected to migrate easily.

BC4 was installed in 2016 and is currently ranked 301 on the TOP500 list. It was officially launched at a special symposium in Bristol on May 24, 2017.

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University of Bristol Launches 600-Teraflop Supercomputer - TOP500 News

Researchers measure the coherence length in glasses using the supercomputer JANUS – Phys.Org

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May 31, 2017 Janus II FPGA modules. Credit: janus-computer.com/galery-janusII

The JANUS supercomputer has enabled researchers to reproduce the experimental protocol of equilibrium dynamics in spin glasses. The success of the simulation connects theoretical and experimental physical developments using this new generation of computers.

One common characteristic of certain systems such as polymers, supercooled liquids, colloids or spin glasses is that they take a long time to reach equilibrium. They are determined by very slow dynamics at low temperatures. The dynamic is so slow that thermal equilibrium is never attained in macroscopic samples. This type of dynamic is characterised by a correlation or coherence length that indicates that particles situated at a shorter distance are highly correlated.

Theoretical physicists can calculate this microscopic correlation length by simulating a large number of particles and following their individual behaviour in a supercomputer. These kinds of studies cannot be carried out experimentally because it is impossible to track all the particles of a system, but it is possible to calculate a macroscopic correlation length by applying external fields on the system that modify the energy barriers between the different states.

Thanks to the JANUS II supercomputer, researchers from Spain and Italy have refined the calculation of the microscopic correlation length and have reproduced the experimental protocol, enabling them to calculate the macroscopic length. The success of the simulation confirmed that both microscopic and experimental (macroscopic) length are equal.

"This study provides a theoretical basis for studies in these physical systems, and the results obtained allow us to directly connect theoretical developments to the experimental ones. We took spin glasses as a reference, because they are cleaner to study as a reference system," explains Juan Jess Ruiz Lorenzo, a theoretical physicist at the UEx and one of the authors of this study which has been published in the magazine Physical Review Letters.

JANUS computer

The JANUS II computer is a new generation of supercomputer located in the Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems. "Thanks to this 'dedicated' computer, we are able to simulate one second of the experiment, within the range of the experimental times," says Juan Jess Ruz Lorenzo. JANUS II is a dedicated supercomputer based on reconfigurable FPGA processors.

The researchers have reproduced a landmark experiment on the Janus I and Janus II supercomputers that measures the coherence length in spin glasses. The coherence (correlation) length value estimated through analysis of microscopic correlation functions is quantitatively consistent with its measurements via macroscopic response functions

Explore further: Revealing the fast atomic motion of network glasses with coherent X-rays

More information: M. Baity-Jesi et al, Matching Microscopic and Macroscopic Responses in Glasses, Physical Review Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.157202

Journal reference: Physical Review Letters

Provided by: University of Extremadura

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Researchers measure the coherence length in glasses using the supercomputer JANUS - Phys.Org

Machine Learning on Stampede2 Supercomputer to Bolster Brain Research – The Next Platform

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May 31, 2017 Donna Loveland

In our ongoing quest to understand the human mind and banish abnormalities that interfere with life weve always drawn upon the most advanced science available. During the last century, neuroimaging most recently, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan (MRI) has held the promise of showing the connection between brain structure and brain function.

Just last year, cognitive neuroscientist David Schnyer and colleagues Peter Clasen, Christopher Gonzalez, and Christopher Beevers published a compelling new proof of concept inPsychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. It suggests that machine learning algorithms running on high-performance computers to classify neuroimaging data may deliver the most reliable insights yet.

Their analysis of brain data from a group of treatment-seeking individuals with depression and heathy controls predicted major depressive disorder with a remarkable 75 percent accuracy.

Making More of MRI

Since MRI first appeared as a diagnostic tool, Dr. Schnyer observes, the hope has been that running a person through a scanner would reveal psychological as well as physical problems. However, the vast majority of MRI research done on depression, for example, has been primarily descriptive. While it tells how individual brains differ across various characteristics, it doesnt predict who might have a disorder or who might be vulnerable to developing one.

To appreciate the role the software can play, consider the most familiar path to prediction.

As Dr. Schnyer points out, researchers might acquire a variety of scans of individuals at a single time and wait 20 years to see who develops a disorder like depression. Then theyd go back and try to determine which aspects of their neuroimaging data would predict who ended up becoming depressed. In addition to the obvious problem of long duration, theyd face the challenge of keeping test subjects in the study as well as keeping biases out.

In contrast, machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, takes a data analytics approach. Through algorithms, step-by-step problem-solving procedures, machine-learning applications adapt to new information by developing models from sample input. Because machine learning enables a computer to produce results without being explicitly programmed, it allows for unexpected findings and, ultimately, prediction.

Dr. Schnyer and his team trained a Support Vector Machine Learning algorithm by providing it sets of data examples from both healthy and depressed individuals, labeling the features they considered meaningful. The resulting model scanned subsequent input, assigning the new examples to either the healthy or depressed category.

With machine learning, as Dr. Schnyer puts it, you can start without knowing what youre looking for. You input multiple features and types of data, and the machine will simply go about its work to find the best solution. While you do have to know the categories of information involved, you dont need to know which aspects of your data will best predict those categories.

As a result, the findings are not only free of bias. They also have the potential to reveal new information. Commenting on the classification of depression, Dr. Schnyers colleague Dr. Chris Beevers says he and the team are learning that depression presents itself as a disruption across a number of networks and not just a single area of the brain, as once believed.

Handling the Data with HPC

Data for this kind of research can be massive.

Even with the current studys relatively small number of subjects, 50 in all, the dataset was large. The study analyzed about 150 measures per person. And the brain images themselves comprised hundreds of thousands of voxels, a voxel being a unit of graphic measurement essentially a three-dimensional pixel in this case, the image of a 2mm x 2mm x 2mm portion of the brain. With about 175,000 voxels per subject, the analysis demanded computing far beyond the power of desktops.

Dr. Schnyer and his team found the high-performance computing (HPC) they needed at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), hosted by the University of Texas at Austin, where Dr. Schnyer is a professor of psychology.

TACCs machine, nicknamed Stampede, wasnt some generic supercomputer. Made possible by a $27.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and built in partnership with Dell and Intel Corporation, Stampede was envisioned and has performed as one of the nations most powerful HPC machines for scientific research.

To appreciate the scale of Stampedes power, consider its 6,400 nodes, each of them featuring high-performance Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors. A typical desktop computer has 2 to 4 processor cores; Stampedes cores numbered 522,080.

Top left panel Whole brain white matter tractography map from a single representative participant. Bottom left panel A hypothetical graphic application of support vector machine algorithms in order to classify 2 categories. Two feature sets can be plotted against one another and a hyperplane generated that best separates the groups based on the selected features. The maximum margin represents the margin that maximizes the divide between groups. Cases that lie on this maximum margin define the support vectors. Right panel Results of the SVM classification accuracy. Normalized decision function values are plotted for MDD (blue triangles) and healthy controls (HC, red squares). The zero line represents the decision boundary.

Moving Onward

In announcing Stampede, NSF noted it would go into full production in January 2013 and be available to researchers for four years, with the possibility of renewing the project for another system to be deployed in 2017. During its tenure Stampede has proven itself, running more than 8 million successful jobs for more than 11,000 users.

Last June NSF announced a $30 million award to TACC to acquire and deploy a new large scale supercomputing system, Stampede2, as a strategic national resource to provide high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities for thousands of researchers across the U.S. In May, Stampede2 began supporting early users on the system. Stampede2 will be fully deployed to the research community later this summer.

NSF says Stampede2 will deliver a peak performance of up to 18 Petaflops, over twice the overall system performance of the current Stampede system. In fact, nearly every aspect of the system will be doubled: memory, storage capacity, and bandwidth, as well as peak performance.

The new Stampede2 will be among the first systems to employ cutting edge processor and memory technology in order to continue to bridge users to future cyberinfrastructure. It will deploy a variety of new and upcoming technology, starting with Intel Xeon Phi Processors, previously code-named Knights Landing. Its based on the Intel Scalable System Framework, a scalable HPC system model for balancing and optimizing the performance of processors, storage, and software.

Future phases of Stampede2 will include next-generation Intel Xeon processors, all connected by Intel Omni-Path Architecture, which delivers the low power consumption and high throughput HPC requires.

Later this year the machine will integrate 3D XPoint, a non-volatile memory technology developed by Intel and Micron Technology. Its about four times denser than conventional RAM and extremely fast when reading and writing data.

A Hopeful Upside for Depression

The aim of the new HPC system is to fuel scientific research and discovery and, ultimately, improve our lives. That includes alleviating depression.

Like the Stampede project itself, Dr. Schnyer and his team are expanding into the next phase, this time seeking data from several hundred volunteers in the Austin community whove been diagnosed with depression and related conditions.

Its important to bear in mind that his published work is a proof of concept. More research and analysis is needed before reliable measures for predicting brain disorders find their way to a doctors desk.

In the meantime, promising advances are happening on the software side as well as in hardware.

One area where machine learning and HPC are a bit closer to reality, in his terms, is cancer tumor diagnosis, where various algorithms classify tumor types using CT (computerized tomography) or MRI scans. Were trying to differentiate among human brains that, on gross anatomy, look very similar, Dr. Schnyer explains. Training algorithms to identify tumors may be easier than figuring out fine-grained differences in mental difficulties. Regardless, progress in tumor studies contributes to advancing brain science overall.

In fact, the equivalent of research and development in machine learning is underway across commercial as well as scientific areas. In Dr. Schnyers words, theres a lot of trading across different domains. Googles Deep Mind, for example, is invested in multi-level tiered learning, and some of that is starting to spill over into our world. The powerful aspect of machine learning, he continues, is that it really doesnt matter what your data input is. It can be your shopping history or brain imaging data. It can take all data types and use them equally to do prediction.

His own aims include developing an algorithm, testing it on various brain datasets, then making it widely available.

In demonstrating what can be discovered with machine learning and HPC as tools, Dr. Schnyers powerful proof of concept offers a hopeful path toward diagnosing and predicting depression and other brain disorders.

Categories: Analyze, HPC

Tags: Brain, Stampede2, TACC, Xeon Phi

Unifying Oil and Gas Data at Scale

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Machine Learning on Stampede2 Supercomputer to Bolster Brain Research - The Next Platform

Florida Tampa Stem Cell Therapy | PRP | Knee | Joint …

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Featured in the News Across the Nation: Dr. Dennis Lox, an Expert in Sports & Regenerative Medicine, Discusses Knee Stem Cell Therapy, Hip Stem Cell Therapyand Ankle Stem Cell Therapy in Florida and California.

UPDATE: 09/20/2016 Since Natasha Merangoli Stem Cell Treatment on her Ankle, she isgraduating from High School and now has a College Soccer Scholarship.

Ronnie Dean Coleman treated with Stem Cells by Dr. Lox is a retired American professional bodybuilder and the winner of the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title 8 years in a row and is regarded as the greatest bodybuilders.

Derrick Dewan Brooks is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League for fourteen seasons. Twice recognized as a consensus All-American.He alsochose Dr. Lox for Stem Cell Treatment.

Nick DeFrancesco

Nick DeFrancesco a 14 year old Wrestler from New Jersey suffered from Hip Avascular Necrosis and had to usecrutches for months due to his pain. His Orthopedic Physicians recommended a total hip replacement surgery, due to his pain and loss of activity level.

Nick decided to try Stem Cell Treatment instead with Dr. Lox and after two years wanted to show the world how well his Stem Cell Treatment worked and sent us this AMAZING VIDEO to showhow impressivehisresults were. Click Here to see the full story and watch his impressive video.

Since 1990, Dennis M. Lox, M.D. has been helping patients increase their quality of life by reducing their pain. He emphasizes non-surgical treatments and appropriate use of medications, if needed.

Many patients are turning to stem cell therapy as a means of nonsurgical joint pain relief when their mobility and quality of life are severely affected by conditions like osteoarthritis, torn tendons, and injured ligaments. Dennis M. Lox, M.D. specializes in this progressive, innovative treatment that may be able to help you return to an active, fulfilling life.

Each week, Dr. Dennis Lox receives inquiries from aroundthe worldregarding stem cell therapy.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE FOR YOU LOCAL OR INTERNATIONAL

Visit our Press Room

Stem cell therapy for joint injuries and osteoarthritis is suited for many individuals, fromprofessional athletes to active seniors. Adult mesenchymal stem cells, not embryonic stem cells, are used in this procedure, which is performed right in the comfort of Dr. Loxs state-of-the-art clinic. The cells are simply extracted from the patients own body (typically from bone marrow or adipose/ fat tissue), processed in our office, and injected directly into the site of injury. Conditions that can be addressed with stem cell treatment include osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, knee joint issues (such as meniscus tears), shoulder damage (such as rotator cuff injuries), hip problems (such as labral tears), and tendonitis, among others. For many patients, a stem cell procedure in the knee, hip, shoulder, or another area of the body relieves pain, increases mobility, and may be able to delay or eliminate the need for more aggressive treatments like joint replacement surgery.

If you have questions about adult stem cell therapy for joint injuries and arthritis, how the procedure is performed, and how the stem cells work to repair injured joints and tissues, Dr. Lox would be happy to educate you about the entire process.

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Florida Tampa Stem Cell Therapy | PRP | Knee | Joint ...

Texas on track to become first state to explicitly back stem cell … – STAT

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L

awmakers in Austinhave approved a billauthorizing unapproved stem cell therapies, puttingTexas on track to become the first state to explicitly recognize the experimental treatments.

The measure now heads to Governor Greg Abbott, who has signaled his support for it.

For years, clinics across the country have been offeringexperimentalstem cell therapies for patients with chronic conditions or terminal illnesses, but no state has given them legal validation. Instead, clinics have largely operated under the radar of regulatory authorities, toutingtreatments for a range of injuries and diseases.

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Many scientists, meantime, have warnedthat unapproved stem cell therapies can be not only ineffective but harmful outside limited and closely watched clinical trials.

Infant gets experimental stem cell injection to try to repair his heart

The Texas measure was finalized Monday before the end of the Legislatures session. Senators added amendments that would require the treatments to be delivered by a doctor at a hospital or ambulatory medical center and with the approval of an institutional review board, which reviews research that involves human participants. Another amendment would allow patients to sue should the treatment go awry.

Advocates who opposed the measure as it was introduced said they were still uneasy with aspects of it, but that they hoped the amendments would add protections for patients.

If the legislationbecomes law, it will go into effect Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, two other measures focused on patient access to experimental therapies often called right-to-try policies failed in the Texas Senate after being approved by the House.

One would have aligned Texass right-to-try laws with similar statues in almost three dozen other states by allowing clinics to charge for unapproved treatments. Texas is the only state that bans patients from paying for investigational therapies, according to the Goldwater Institute, a libertarian think tank that supports many right-to-try laws.

A separate measure would have pushed Texass right-to-try law beyond the others. It would have expanded statelaw so that people with chronic conditions not just patients with terminal conditions could access experimental treatments. In Texas and every other state, the statutes limit access to patients with terminal illnesses, although the definitionof those conditions varies from state to state.

Andrew Joseph can be reached at andrew.joseph@statnews.com Follow Andrew on Twitter @DrewQJoseph

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Texas on track to become first state to explicitly back stem cell ... - STAT

MS patients await governor’s signature on bill allowing adult stem … – WOAI

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by Michael Locklear, News 4 San Antonio

Stefanie Cowley of Helotes testified in favor of the bill. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, was told she was a no-option patient in 2011 and in 2014, she began the therapy that required her to travel to Mexico. (Photo: Sinclair Broadcast Group)

SAN ANTONIO Some terminally and chronically ill patients are eagerly awaiting the governors signature on a bill they believe will help thousands of Texans.

HB 810, known as Charlies Law, would allow access to adult stem cell therapy for certain sick people.

Stefanie Cowley of Helotes testified in favor of the bill. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, was told she was a no-option patient in 2011 and in 2014, she began the therapy that required her to travel to Mexico.

Cowley said a Houston company, Celltex Therapeutics, does a mini-liposuction, extracting a few tablespoons of her fat, then prepares the hundreds of millions of stem cells. She then travels to Cancun so a private hospital there can set up an hour-long IV to return the stem cells to her body.

These are your healing cells, she said. These are if you cut yourself, they're your healing cells that go towards that spot to repair.

That took my pain levels down from 8-9-10 daily to 2-3-4, Cowley said.

Charlies Law would presumably allow her to access the treatment entirely within Texas, which could become the first state in the country to do so.

Cowley said other conditions such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and even autism could benefit from the treatment, although stem cell researchers caution that large-scale successes have not yet been reported.

David Eller, CEO and Chairman of Celltex Therapeutics, released the following statement:

@MichaelLocklear | mlocklear@sbgtv.com

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MS patients await governor's signature on bill allowing adult stem ... - WOAI

Finding spirituality at the movies, in Vancouver – Vancouver Sun (blog)

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Marjorie Suchocki, author of a dozen books and jury member at international film festivals from Berlin to Montreal, will be discussing spiritual themes in Chocolat and other movies in Vancouver in July.

One of North Americas leading progressive philosopher-theologians who also happens to be an internationally renowned film specialist will be in Vancouver in July.

Marjorie Suchocki author of a dozen books and jury member at film festivals from Berlin to Montreal will be showing a variety of movies and reflecting on their philosophical, human and spiritual significance.

Before describing more of her work with films, its of note that Suchocki will also be teaching a course at Vancouver School of Theology titled Practicing Gods Presence:A Theology of Prayer. It runs from Monday July 17 to Wednesday, July 19.

This course explores the practical and theological effect of taking the omnipresence of God seriously, says Suchocki. She doesnt accept that God is a kind of divine dictator, with omnipotent power to do whatever He wants.

Instead, as co-director of Californias Center for Process Studies, she talks about how the divine is present in every moment of experience, luring all living things toward creative transformation and the common good.

(Navigate this website to register for the three-day course on prayer at VST, which is on the UBC campus. Or phone 604-822-9031.)

The more public event with Suchocki offers a chance to watch and discuss films on the evening of Friday, July 21, and during the day of Saturday, July 22.

Suchockis two-day film event is titled Does God go to the movies?

It will take place at St. Andrews Wesley United Church at Burrard and Thurlow in downtown Vancouver, where Rev. Gary Paterson and Dan Chambers often discuss films in their sermons.

Suchocki will show excerpts from and discuss the spiritual themes in three films, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Chocolat and Troubled Waters. (Go here for more information and to sign up.)

The movie, Troubled Waters, will also be shown in part and probed for its spiritual content.

Suchockis most recent book is Through a Lens Darkly: Tracing Redemption in Film. It explores the movies of six directors, including Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, the Coen brothers and Woody Allen.

Suchockis visit is co-hosted by VST and the West Coast Centre for (r)Evolutionary Theology, which in 2016 brought philosopher-theologians John Cobb, Jay McDaniel and Tripp Fuller to Vancouver.

SIDEBAR 1: Seeing spirituality in the movies

Each spring Paterson, past moderator of the United Church of Canada, and his colleague at St. Andrews Wesley, Rev. Dan Chambers, lead an Oscar series of sermons on movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Heres Paterson (who is frequently heard on CBC radio):

Fewer and fewer people are going to church these days, but that doesnt mean theyve stopped asking the big questions about lifes meaning

Instead, I would suggest, they do their theology at the movies. Oh, they wouldnt call it that perhaps, but many films are indeed addressing spiritual questions, and inviting people to do some serious wrestling about purpose, ethical decisions, the good life.

Some films explicitly centre on religious issues like this past years Hacksaw Ridge or The Silence. Other films make use of what I call an alternative spirituality where you catch glimpses of and borrowings from the great faiths, that resonate, perhaps, with people who are spiritual but not religious films like Star Wars,The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter.

But the films that interest me the most arent obviously religious, but rather, films where depth questions emerge out of everyday life.- ordinary humans, facing real dilemmas.

So, in The Dark Knight or No Country for Old Men how do we understand and respond to the challenge of evil?

Or, watch a film like Manchester by the Sea and you have to wrestle with the question of redemption. Is forgiveness possible when youve done something unspeakable?

Incarnational films thats maybe what Im looking for where weighty spiritual issues are embodied, lived; are an integral part of the story; where you care about what happens, with your heart, mind and spirit; where you go deep films that leave you pondering, with questions, sometimes with tears, or compassion or excitement.

SIDEBAR 2: Marjorie Suchockis three-day VST course on prayer

A brief excerpt from her description:

The purpose is to explore the implications that follow when our understanding of God shifts from a centrality of omnipotence to omnipresence, particularly for a theology of prayer.

Students will be expected to become minimally conversant with the historical role of omnipotence in the shaping of spirituality, and the subtle changes that occurred in medieval mysticism when omnipresence took a more central role.

Students will also be expected to understand process theology as part of the shift toward omnipresence in our own time, and to explore its implications for prayer in the Christian tradition.

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Finding spirituality at the movies, in Vancouver - Vancouver Sun (blog)

Samson’s Spirituality – First Things

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Samson is the most Spiritual man in the Old Testament, the most Pentecostal of Israels heroes. Given his reputation for lechery and bravado, my thesis seems counterintuitive to say the least. But its an easy case to make, provided we insist on the capital S in Spirituality.

Early in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is active as the wind of the Creator (Gen. 1:2) and as muse of the sacred craftsman Bezalel (Ex. 31:3). He comes into his own during the time of judges and early kings. He empowers Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), and Jephthah (Judg. 11:29). Saul fights in the power of the Spirit (1 Sam. 11:16) until the Spirit abandons him to help David (1 Sam. 16:13).

No one in the Hebrew Bible, though, encounters the Spirit as often or as dramatically as Samson. The Spirit of Yahweh stirs (Judg. 13:25), sending Samson down to Timnah to court a Philistine woman who has caught his eye. When a lion attacks, the Spirit rushes on Samson and he kills the lion barehanded (Judg. 14:6). The Spirit comes again and Samson kills thirty Philistines in Ashkelon and plunders their clothes (Judg. 14:19). The Philistines try to bind him, but the Spirit melts the ropes like flax in a fire and drives Samson to kill another thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judg. 15:14). The Spirit leaves him when he breaks his Nazirite vow and allows his hair to be cut, but we can surmise that the Spirit is back when Samson breaks down the house of Dagon, killing more in his death than during his lifetime.

You can put money on it: When the Spirit comes, things get broken and people get hurt.

With pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, Christians have an unfortunate tendency to ignore the Old Testament, starting with Matthew rather than Genesis. Older theologians institutionalized this tendency by distinguishing between the Spirits theocratic-official work in Israel and his ethical or soteriological work in the church.

That contrast is semi-heretical or worse, and cant be supported from the New Testament. Jesus is the Spiritual man from the moment of his conception by the Spirit (Lk. 1:35). The Spirit descends on him at his baptism (Lk. 3:22), then drives him out into the wilderness to battle the devil (Lk. 4:1). Anointed by the Spirit, Jesus announces release to captives and freedom to prisoners, opens blind eyes, and drives disease from human bodies (Lk. 4:18). The Spirit is the finger of God by whom Jesus casts out demons (Lk. 11:20).

Jesus receives the Spirit to finish what Samson startedto take out the enemies of God, which are the enemies of the human race. By the Spirit, he follows Samsons path, defeating more enemies by his death than in his life.

The same Spirit who empowers Jesus to fight devils, battle disease, and break chains rushes onto the disciples at Pentecost so they can carry on his mission. Jesus tells his disciples that they will receive power when the Spirit comes (Acts 1:8). Filled with the Spirit, Peter preaches repentance to Israel and confronts Israels leaders (Acts 4:8). Powered by the Spirit, the apostles deliver the demon-oppressed and heal the sick (Acts 5:16). Stephen is so full of the Spirit that he is irrefutable in debate (Acts 6:10), and his success provokes murderous outrage.

When Ananaias baptizes Saul, he becomes Paul, an apostle who carries on his missionary work by the Spirit (Acts 13:24). Filled with the Spirit, Paul blinds the magician Elymas with a rebuke, an act of power that so impresses the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus that he converts on the spot (Acts 13:412). Bound by the Spirit, Paul makes his final journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), where he follows Jesus to arrest and trial and, so tradition has it, a martyrs death.

There is a difference between the Spirits work in ancient Israel and in the church. The church is a company of new Samsons, armed not with jawbones but with weapons that destroy fortresses of speculation and take captives for Christ (2 Cor. 10:36). Samson killed in the power of the Spirit, but at Pentecost, the Spirit of Jesus equips the church with power to raise the dead.

This Sunday, praise the Creator Spiritus. Worship the Spirit as Paraklete, the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of holiness, life, and peace. Revel in the Spirit who searches all things, gives gifts, and produces fruit in the soil of the church, the Spirit of Jesus and of the living God, the Love and Gift of Father and Son.

But on this Pentecost Sunday, remember that hes also the Spirit of battle, the Passion by whom God is a Warrior.

Peter J. Leithart is President ofTheopolis Institute.

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Samson's Spirituality - First Things

A Twist In Discussions Of Chimpanzee Spirituality : 13.7: Cosmos … – NPR

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Are chimpanzees spiritual?

It's a question that Jane Goodall made famous by proposing that the rhythmic swaying and rock-throwing by chimpanzees at waterfalls in Gombe, Tanzania, is an expression of awe and wonder of spirituality.

It's a question, too, that takes on new twists and turns as new data come in. In 2016, a group of 80 scientists reported in Scientific Reports that chimpanzees at four sites across West Africa cache stones and throw them repeatedly at trees. One of those scientists, Laura Kehoe, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Baum Lab at the University of Victoria, earned global media headlines for a passage she included when writing a post at The Conversation:

"Maybe we found the first evidence of chimpanzees creating a kind of shrine that could indicate sacred trees. Indigenous West African people have stone collections at 'sacred' trees and such man-made stone collections are commonly observed across the world and look eerily similar to what we have discovered here."

My response to this passage was skepticism, both at The Atlantic and here at 13.7, because the leap from "potential chimpanzee stone-throwing ritual" to "sacred trees" is just too great for me.

Fast forward to last month, when Wisconsin Public Radio's Steve Paulson aired an interview with Kehoe at To the Best of Our Knowledge. Kehoe described the basics for Paulson's audience: how chimpanzees in Guinea, often but not exclusively adult males, throw large (8 kg. to 9 kg.) stones at selected trees repeatedly, and sometimes place the stones in a tree cavity instead of hurling them. Could this be a ritual with a spiritual dimension? Could the trees be shrines? "Plausibility shouldn't be mistaken for proof," Kehoe replied to Paulson. "I do think that it's a possibility some things can seem unlikely until they are discovered."

In the same segment, Paulson also interviewed me and primatologist Frans de Waal. We each suggested simpler explanations like apes wishing to impress an audience of other apes, or pure pleasure in aimed throwing at trees.

But then an interesting thing happened. Kehoe reached out to me by email to express her regret about how her views on stone-throwing have been presented in the media, including in Paulson's interview, which, she felt, focused disproportionately on the spirituality angle at the expense of other possible explanations that she offered.

When I communicated this with Kehoe's permission to Paulson, he pointed out that he had "left in [the interview] her comments about this being a highly speculative possibility something worth considering and her dislike of the newspaper headline about chimps finding God."

But here's the main point, and a surprising one: Kehoe told me that she doesn't, in fact, really think that the spirituality explanation is the most likely one at all.

I followed up by asking questions of Kehoe, who started by noting that her own observations in Guinea at a site part of the Pan African Program with 34 chimpanzee field locations across Africa came about through collaborative research:

"Our field guide, Mamadou Alioh Bah, first spotted the marks on a hollow tree. Lucy D'Auvergne (an experienced primatologist) and I decided to set-up a motion-activated camera and caught the elusive behavior on tape a few weeks later."

What range of explanations, I asked, does she think are reasonable to consider for the stone-throwing behavior, and which does she find most likely? She answered:

"This is the first time we have found chimpanzees repeatedly using stones at specific sites with no relation to finding food. I think it most likely came about as part of a male display and could be related to long-distance communication as there aren't many roots with large buttresses for drumming in this area and the sound of a stone hitting a hollow tree may carry better in a savannah ecosystem.

It is also possible that the stone accumulations may serve as some kind of territorial landmarks. However, both of these theories are tricky to test given that many of these sites are outside of protected areas and undergoing local habitat loss."

The notion of chimpanzee spirituality, Kehoe thinks, "simply makes for a more riveting story" than the other more pedestrian explanations. She continued:

"Of course, it is partly my fault for alluding to the possibility that this mysterious behavior could be linked to something sacred this is because these sites are superficially very similar to human stone accumulations at 'sacred' trees. While I do think this aspect is worth pondering, it is a highly speculative remark that is by far one of the least likely explanations to this behavior. It has no concrete evidence."

So, if a person closely associated with the idea of chimpanzee spirituality doesn't after all think it's likely, where does that leave us? Well, with several things:

With Goodall's enduring view, of course.

With the remark of James Harrod, also interviewed by Paulson, that chimpanzees "of course" have an experience of religion (not just spirituality) because they experience reverence, awe, and wonder in the ways Goodall described.

With the fascinating scholarship of Donovan Schaefer, that claims also full-on religion for chimpanzees, and which I described in my piece for The Atlantic:

"Religion is something we feel in and express with our whole bodies, Schaefer insists, and once we realize this, we are free to see religion in other animals in certain instances of their embodied and emotional practices."

And for that matter, with Paulson's own view. (Yes, I turned the tables and interviewed the interviewer). Paulson told me this by email on Monday:

"While science can tell us a great deal about the evolutionary benefits of religion and even certain brain functions that happen during spiritual experiences it has little to tell us about the nature of the experience itself. Consciousness remains a huge mystery, and spiritual experience is part of that mystery. So if spiritual experience among humans is largely beyond the capacity of science to explain, why do we assume that chimpanzee spirituality is strictly a science question?

None of [the points raised in discussion] proves that chimpanzees have spiritual experiences or a sense of the sacred. But given all that we've learned about chimpanzees over the last 50 years and how they keep surprising us why should we assume that they don't also have transcendent experiences? That would seem to be a tantalizing possibility that's worth considering."

Can chimpanzee spirituality be productively explored outside the realm of science? As I told Paulson on the air, an insistence on delving into chimpanzees and the sacred, in my view, says a lot more about us than it does about chimpanzees.

Barbara J. King is an anthropology professor emerita at the College of William and Mary. She often writes about the cognition, emotion and welfare of animals, and about biological anthropology, human evolution and gender issues. Barbara's new book is Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat. You can keep up with what she is thinking on Twitter: @bjkingape

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A Twist In Discussions Of Chimpanzee Spirituality : 13.7: Cosmos ... - NPR

Week-long retreat The Spirituality of Presence – Morrison County Record

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The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls invite you to attend a week-long retreat entitled, The Spirituality of Presence: The Franciscan Way of Being Present to Life and Death, on Friday, July 21 (7 p.m.) Thursday, July 27 (12:30 p.m.), at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls. Darleen Pryds, retreat presenter, will use teachings from the Franciscan traditionespecially from lay Franciscansand experiential meditations to explore the rich teachings about finding joy in life by looking closely at dying and death. By facing the transition from this life to the next, participants will discover the tender joy that is inherent in the Franciscan way of life. Pryds is Associate Professor of Spirituality and History at the Franciscan School of Theology, Oceanside, Calif. Her research focuses on lay Franciscans who led her to explore Franciscan spirituality of preaching, caregiving, suffering and presence. She has been a volunteer caregiver in hospice, training originally at Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, and presently serving at Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego County. Retreat cost of $490 includes room and board, three meals a day, snacks and the presenters fee. The commuter rate is $130. For more information, or to register by July 13 with a $50 non-refundable deposit, contact (320)632-0668 or email: [emailprotected]; http://www.fslf.org.

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Week-long retreat The Spirituality of Presence - Morrison County Record

Portlanders respond to killings with prayer and eclectic spirituality – Crux: Covering all things Catholic

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PORTLAND, Oregon Beside the makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the light-railstation where three men were stabbedon a train, Bernal Cruz knelt, holding a bunch of flowers and his toddler son.As I get older and as my kids get older, I feel a different impact as these things happen, Cruz said, as he added his bouquetto the de facto secular altars that have sprung up in the form of candles, images of deities of Eastern religions and handwritten notes.Portland may be theleast religious city in the U.S.Butits residents are drawing on a deep sense of personal spirituality and shared values to unite in the face of hate, for comfort in the wake of tragedy.Cruz grew up Catholic but, like 42 percent of Portland residents, he no longer identifies with organized religion. Thats more nones than any other city in the United States, according to a2015 PRRI survey of American cities.

Theres a certain pride in how weird Portland can be, and I think that encompasses the feeling of inclusiveness its like to each their own, try to live your life, dont hurt anybody else and well probably just love you the same, Cruz said.

Bernal Cruz of Portland brought his 1-year-old son, Joaquin, to lay flowers on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

The suspect, Jeremy Christian, has been charged withmurder and other offenses.

Many people who paused to pay their respects this week outside the Hollywood/NE 42nd Avenue Station, where the attack occurred, talked about the spiritual, but not religious, values and practices helping them process the horrific event. They emphasized responding with love, echoing stabbing victim Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Mecheslast words, according to The Oregonian: Tell everyone on this train I love them.

Stephanie Kye, a certified nurse assistantwho lives near the train station, said she came to the memorial to unite with everybody.

I think that theres evil, but theres also goodness, and there are people who will put themselves on the line to help someone else. I dont think those men expected that, but I feel like as a person of color, I go out into the world and I think that I am alone, she said. It was a reminder that people care enough to intervene and that hates not going to win.

Kye said she said a prayer after the attack not to any particular deity, but because it helped her overcome her fear and get her feelings out.

People pause to take photos or leave messages, flowers or other items on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

At the train station where the attack occurred, secular altars have sprung upreflecting a collection of spiritual traditions that Portlanders appear to draw on: a Virgin of Guadalupe candle alongside a candle depicting a feline-faced figure labeled Pietro, faerie saint of passage; bottles of water, considered sacred by many Native American tribes; pictures of Hindu deities; a letter written in purple crayon and a childs handwriting illustrated with hearts, stars and smiley faces: I am Muslim and I thank you.

Some hinted at simmering tensions.

On the pillars of a neighboring sushi restaurant, Respect Islam was written in chalk. In a different color chalk, the word Islam had been crossed out and replaced with including everyone.

Betsy Toll returned to the memorial a few days after attending a large vigil for the victims outside the train station last weekend. Wearing a strand of mala prayer beads around her wrist, she described a deep spirituality of my own that she had come to after 40 years, after growing up Presbyterian, marrying a Jewish man, sitting with Quakers and studying Buddhism and Hinduism.

Betsy Toll of Portland pays her respects on May 31, 2017, at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up outside the Hollywood Transit Station in Portland, Oregon, where three men were stabbed on a train. (Credit: RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller.)

Its beautiful to see that these altars are still here and growing and changing, Toll said.

My hope is that, everyone whose heart was broken by this terrible event, if we reflect on the goodness and the decency and the kind and courageous impulse that motivated these guys they were just everyday guys that we let more of that shine in ourselves. We cannot keep hating each other.

While fewer Portlanders are affiliated with organized religion, many who are have turned to those traditions in the aftermath of the attack.

An online fundraiserlaunched by the Muslim Educational Trust and CelebrateMercy, another Muslim group, collected nearly$600,000 to help the families of the victims.

Muslims usually give overly and generously during the month of Ramadan, so now that I think about it, Im not surprised that this fundraiser went really quickly, really fast,said Rania Ayoub of the Muslim Educational Trust.

On a weekday evening, about two dozen people gathered inside the wood-paneled walls and geometric stained-glass windows of First Covenant Church, about a mile from the Hollywood station, where lead pastor Kent Place said the church hoped to give people space and language for prayer.

That included lighting candles, singing the old hymn It Is Well With My Soul and reading Scriptures such asJesus words, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends. It also included spoken prayers for the victims and their families, for the two girls the assailanthad targeted even for the assailant himself.

Lizabeth Norton of Portland, a nurse educator for a drug company and a member of the Madeleine Catholic Parish, said the church felt like a safe environment to come and be hurt and angry and try to understand.

For me, the real takeaway is: Where can we have compassion and understanding? And its really through a faith-based understanding of forgiveness and mercy and understanding and love.

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Portlanders respond to killings with prayer and eclectic spirituality - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

Spirituality connects me better to life Hugh Jackman | Insights … – Insights News

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Logan arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray this week after its cinema run. As Hugh Jackman faces up to a life without his most famous alter ego Wolverine Jackman talks conclusions, inspirations, faith and contemplating his future

Though many actors have turned in a career-defining performance of sorts, few thespians can look to a character that not only has given them their break but has continued to shape their entire cinematic legacy for nearly 20 years. For Hugh Jackman, that story has just come to an end in the shape of Logan, his ninth and final outing as the animalistic mutant Wolverine.

Having seen his rise to Hollywood super-stardom kick-started by his original appearance in Bryan Singers 2000 mutant bonanza X-Men, Jackmans subsequent career has seen him tackle everything from epic sweeping westerns (Australia) to iconic 19th Century-set Parisian musicals (Les Miserables). But the one role that has defined that career is Wolverine.

Logan is a love letter to Wolverine fans, the 48-year-old says. This character has been within me for 17 years, but it wasnt until this film that I felt I really got to the core of the character. When Im 80 and my grandkids ask me, Which one of these films should I watch? I want to say that this is the movie that defines the character.There was a lot at stake for me and my love for the character.

Jackmans commitment has been repaid in the form of rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, and while the decision to hang up his claws after all this time was by no means an easy one, the Sydney-born star knew it was the right time to let go.

What I liken it to is asking my wife to marry me, he explains. Youre terrified of doing it, terrified of the response, but as soon as you do it you know in your heart its the right thing and nothing has ever felt more right.

I had the same feeling shooting the last scene with Logan. Im happy Im done, and I mean that in the best possible way. Im happy that Im done because Ive arrived at a place where mine and Logans paths are meant to veer in different directions and its time. In my gut, I know its the right move for both of us. I know because this movie, to me, is perfect. It was a calming feeling, because there was every possibility that I would have very opposing, conflicting emotions of poignancy and bittersweet pining. None of that was there.

This sense of calm hints at Jacksons mentality off-camera. Known as the nicest man in Hollywood a moniker he dismisses with the words its amazing how common politeness is deemed to be extraordinary Jackman, whose parents were Christian, has long since followed the School of Practical Philosophy and applied its teachings to his everyday life.

I meditate, he reveals. I keep it spiritual because I think it connects you better to life. There are things driving me that arent all healthy[needing] approval and respect to fill some hole who-knows-where in me, he said. Am I worthy? All those fears. Through acting, Im able to find a level of bliss and peace and calm and joy. And it feels natural.

When he performs he says he can feel what everyones searching for, the feeling that unites us all. Call it God. Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of Allow me to surrender.

When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens, says Jackman. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. Its the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. Thats what it feels like.

One way in which Jackman is using his status to give back to those less fortunate than him is through the Laughing Man Foundation. Launched in 2011 with former criminal prosecutor David Steingard, the Foundation was born out of a 1999 trip to Ethiopia where Jackman met Dukale, a young coffee farmer who was working to lift his family out of poverty a struggle captured in the 2014 documentary Dukales Dream.

After being inspired by Dukales story, Jackman returned to New York and set up Laughing Man Coffee, through which farmers in developing countries could use his status in order to ply their caffeinated wares. All the profits of this venture are in turn used by the Foundation to support educational programmes and burgeoning entrepreneurs in the developing world.

I am religious and I was brought up with a sense of giving back, Jackman reveals. I am given opportunities, more money than I could ever need. If you see money or fame as energy, then use it to help others. Paul Newman did that. Thats what inspired me to start Laughing Man.

People recognise me more for the coffee shop than they do for my movies! Jackman laughs. But when I saw Dukale working so hard to supply for his family, having to use the trees that other farmers were using to shelter their plants from the sun as firewood to keep his family warm, I knew that I could use my fortunate position to give these farmers a way of reaching a wider consumer base.

Jackman continues: What I have always considered with faith is that its the most personal thing, but the element of our lives we maybe share the most. And if it leads us to go good things for others then why not.

But with Logans release leaving a Wolverine-sized hole in his life, and having had to deal with a persistent if not immediately life-threatening form of skin cancer for which he has undergone five small surgeries, the level-headed star is looking to a future where his wife, Deborra-Lee, and their two adopted children Oscar and Ava always come first.

I think the older that you get you think, One day, Im not going to be here, he admits. It cant help but creep into your mind, and its a terrifying thought. I want to be there for my kids, I want to be there for my wife, and probably in the last few years Ive educated myself to not always be so hung up on scheduling and goals and whats coming next. I like to walk, appreciate my surroundings and take a moment to give thanks for what I have in my life because I know Ive been very lucky in so many ways. You just hope that continues for as long as possible.

Jackman is currently in pre-production for his role in a surprising new project about the Apostle Paul, a film he notes is about Pauls conversion, ministry and imprisonment which he will produce with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Life after Wolverine will be interesting indeed.

Jake Taylor

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‘Spirituality, humour to playgreater role in journalism’ – The Hindu – The Hindu

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The Hindu
'Spirituality, humour to playgreater role in journalism' - The Hindu
The Hindu
The global trends in journalism indicate a greater role for spirituality and humour in journalism in the future. Some countries such as the U.S. already have ...

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Motherhood as a Spiritual Path – New Delhi Times

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By Dr. Pramila Srivastava

Mothers are a blessing given by the Almighty. Whilst putting all their efforts in nurturing a baby, a mother sacrifices all her ambitions, wishes and identity unknowingly paving a way to personal spiritual attainment. The essence of spiritual attainment is self-sacrifice- thinking about others before thinking about your own self and motherhood is all about helping others grow and develop into a person that God has sent them on earth to be. With Motherhood come complex responsibilities with major emotional shifts and other challenges along the way. The most empowered of all could feel weak at times; being a woman in a patriarchal world is itself a challenge so feeling weak is strengthening as well. Our weakness in the tough times gives us power to overcome them, we learn about our capabilities and we rise above our own stature. We learn to live with joy, love and the positive along with acknowledging daily inequalities, judgements, anxieties and disappointments.

A mother is a spiritual being as a woman in her path of motherhood learns to transcend from her ego and her own self for the sake of another. A woman on this path develops empathy for others and feels compassion and through this is able to enlighten in her the sense of sacrifice. Motherhood is at par with any other spiritual path. Within our daily routine of life lies the traditional spiritual path that encourages us to transcend selfishness, practice compassion and develop empathy for others. Mothers do this every moment of the day in their own way. In the process, a mother learns to develop in all directions rather than getting stalled in any one of them. Motherhood is the most appropriate vehicle to achieve enlightenment. At every step of motherhood, a woman can explore other facets of life and follow other paths but the motherhood can never be taken away. Therefore, it pushes one relentlessly towards consciousness. It allows understanding and embracing what we are while loving another human being unconditionally and helping them to grow in what they are capable of. Through motherhood, a woman is able to get to a place where she can understand the spiritual as well as non- spiritual aspects of life.

Motherhood teaches us to discover who we really are within and beyond and help others to do the same. It is not confined within the boundaries of giving birth, it is about parenting- treating and teaching somebody the values and morals of life through an understanding. It is about believing in someone to achieve what they are capable of. For instance, the nuns and the sisters sacrifice everything that is materialistic or what is perceived as natural for the society; they give up a home, a marriage and conceiving children. Contrary to what the world thinks they believe God to be their spouse and consider all children as their own. Religious women do it through their prayers and live the profoundest moments in the simplest way through the simplest human experiences.

Spiritual Motherhood is about self-giving and caring. It is not just for biological mothers as long as it involves nurturing and caring without self- interest. Limited to the perspectives and the crannies of life, at times we forget to acknowledge a mothers sacrifice, her confusing yet brilliant upbringing methods, her way of seeing the beauty in us that we fail to fathom. We never see people who do not get the nurturing, motherly love and guidance that they should have, but a mother does. A mother after experiencing motherhood becomes a spiritual soul without following any particular path, but only this one. She becomes the spirit herself that guides us through life. Spirituality is a personal journey embedded in our daily lives, which can only be achieve with a peace of mind. Achieving spiritual enlightenment becomes a journey in itself to wisdom. Motherhood helps achieve that light through the mundane. The unseen spiritual potential is reached when a mother is facing her life squarely and committing to the responsibility that comes with the honour of personal spiritual attainment. A mother sees the sacred within the ordinary whenever possible.

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Motherhood as a Spiritual Path - New Delhi Times

Walt Whitman is a friend of mine – Pittsburg Morning Sun

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I did a little word association test last Wednesday by asking a variety of people the first thing that came to mind when I said the word Whitman.

From some I got silent, funny looks. Others responded, Sampler, as in the Whitman Sampler box of assorted candies; others said, Slim, as in Slim Whitman, the "countrypolitan," yodeling singer who gained fame in the 1950s with Indian Love Call.

About half responded Walt or poet -- the one I was looking for, it being May 31st, Walt Whitmans birthday.

Whitman, born in 1819, has long been a friend of mine. Weve traveled the open road together, sung songs, swam, reflected on the cosmos, shared our poetry, prayed, explored history, worked, loved animals and looked into the face of death.

Which is why, each year around this time, I sponsor the Walt Whitman Birthday Bash, not only to honor him and reflect on his poetry and personality, but also to gather with others to lend their varied voices to his poems and prose by saying them aloud. (This years Bash will be today, June 4th, at 2 p.m. at Pittsburg Public Library. Everyones welcome.)

Whitman was quite controversial in his time, in no small part because of Leaves of Grass, a collection that was called obscene by many for its overt sexuality.

Hes also known as the father of American poetry and free verse. To my mind, hes not only the best poet America has yet produced, but also Americas finest embodiment of spiritual enlightenment (for more about that, come to the party Sunday).

To be sure he was among the greatest of Americas patriots. He said in the preface to Leaves of Grass, The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.

According to a recent article in The Atlantic by Karen Swallow Prior, Whitmans claim stemmed from a belief that both poetry and democracy derive their power from their ability to create a unified whole out of disparate parts,

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, / Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, / The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, / The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, / Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Prior writes further, Whitman is perhaps Americas first democratic poet. The free verse he adopts in his work reflects a newly naturalized and accessible poetic language. His overarching themesthe individual, the nation, the body, the soul, and everyday life and workmirror the primary values of Americas founding. Then and now, his poetry is for everyone. As Whitman asserts later in the preface to Leaves of Grass:

The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.

Another reason Im drawn to Whitman is that he was a newspaperman and columnist. In fact, just this week I discovered that he wrote a series of columns entitled Manly Health and Training in which he extolled the virtues of exercising in the open air: walking (both forward and backward), tossing stones, clapping and jumping, as well as taking cold baths and playing baseball. And paying particular attention to ones footwear:Most of the usual fashionable boots and shoes, which neither favor comfort, nor health, nor the ease of walking, are to be discarded.

In closing, I want to again invite you to the birthday party today and share a Whitman selection that speaks to his essence as well as any. It too, is found in the preface to Leaves of Grass:

This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.

-- J.T. Knoll is a writer, speaker and prevention and wellness coordinator at Pittsburg State University. He also operates Knoll Training & Consulting Services in Pittsburg. He can be reached at 231-0499 or jtknoll@swbell.net.

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Walt Whitman is a friend of mine - Pittsburg Morning Sun

Rev. Samuel W. Hale: Pentecost is now – Entertainment & Life – The … – The State Journal-Register

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Today, millions of Christians and Jews throughout the world observe Pentecost, each from their own religious perspective. Jewish belief and tradition observe this day as the beginning of the Festival of Weeks. It was also known as the Festival of Reaping and the Day of the First Fruits, at which time the first fruits of the harvest season were presented to the Lord at the Temple (Exodus 34:22).

For Christians, this day acknowledges the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples, as Jesus had promised (John 14:16-17). Peter also links it to the prophesy of Joel 2:28-32, in which the Spirit of God would be poured out upon all flesh.

On the surface for some, these observations may appear unrelated. But with closer biblical study, and with the Holy Spirits enlightenment, there is a direct spiritual connection between the two events.

When one recalls that the Children of Israel were chosen and commissioned by God to be a Light to the Nations who were responsible to lead the other nations (ethnic groups) to God as the One and Only True God. Part of the observance of the Feast of Weeks was to remind each worshiper of God being the source of their fruitful blessings and their continued covenant commitment to Him (which included their continuation to be a Light to the Nations.

At no time in the history of Israel has that Divine invective been rescinded. The true people of God the Seed of Abraham and the Household of Faith in Christ Jesus have both been given the directive to lead the souls of Mankind into the Kingdom of God. Whatever ethnic, national, and theological differences there may be between these two faith groups, the Divine Directive remains the same lead the souls of Mankind into the Kingdom of God!

On that day the 50th day after the Passover Pentecost was being observed by the Seed of Abraham in Jerusalem, an assembly of the Jewish Disciples who believed that Jesus was, not only the Son of God, but also the Promised Messiah, were also gathered together. Not at the Temple, but in a house somewhere else in Jerusalem.

Suddenly, four significant events took place. That house was filled with a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind. Cloven tongues like fire then appeared and hovered over each of them. Then, the Holy Ghost filled each of them. And then, the Holy Spirit enabled each of them to speak other tongues or languages as He saw fit for each one to speak.

As amazing as it was for these mostly unlearned and unlettered persons to speak in languages they had not mastered, three other realizations were even more amazing. (1) The multitude who heard them speaking understood what they were saying.

(2) They understood them in their own languages. (3) The message, though in different languages, was the same the wonderful works of God!

Resultant from this/these event(s) and the sermonic explanation of Peter, 3,000 souls received and believed the Gospel message that Salvation was through Jesus Christ, and that those who believed in Him would also receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

But where is the Jewish and Christian connection in these Day of Pentecost events? Recall that Divine Directive for the Seed of Abraham to be a Light to the Nations and to lead the other nations (ethnic groups) to God as the One and Only True God. Note also the national groups present and hearing the testimonies of the Disciples represented ethnic groups from all over the known World.

Recall also Jesus directive to His Disciples before He ascended into Heaven Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:28) and Ye shall be witnesses unto me in both in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

In reality, those 3,000 souls, from all over the World, became the First Fruits of the Gospel Harvest the Seed of Abraham, who are to be a Light to the Nations and the Household of Faith in Christ Jesus, who are to be a Light to the World!

All Children of God are challenged to keep the Spirit and Practice of Pentecost. The rendering of the First Fruits was just the beginning there was more fruit to be reaped. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 9:37-38 The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few, Pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that he will send labourers into the harvest.

There is more reaping to be done. Pentecost is Now!

Rev. Samuel Hale is the pastor of Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield.

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Scott Utterbeck – Bonner County Daily Bee

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Scott Lee Utterbeck, 57, began his new adventure May 26, 2017, at the home of a beloved lifelong friend, Kris Denning, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Scott was born September 8, 1959, in Arcadia, California, to Robert Utterbeck and Jacqueline (Gunderson) Utterbeck. Scott lived in Covina, California, during his adolescent years, then moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho, and graduated from Bonneville High School in 1976. After high school, Scott started work for his fathers construction company, Utterbeck Construction, as a framing carpenter. During this time Scott was married twice, both of them were beautiful women, and both only for a brief period.

In 1995, Scott reassessed his life and started traveling the earth seeking spiritual enlightenment and a greater purpose. Scott started his journey in Montana and Wyoming as a snowboard instructor in the winters and whitewater rafting guide in the summers. While this calmed his soul, it was not the purpose he was looking for. After a few years of soul searching through Arizona and California, Scott attended the International Professional School of Bodywork in San Diego, California, and completed his education in Rolfing and structural integration. Scott then continued to travel the western region of the United States seeking spiritual instruction through meditation and yoga, and spent several years near Portland, Oregon, near a Hindu Ashram where he expanded his spirituality practicing meditation and yoga. Throughout this time Scott continued to pursue a career in Rolfing and Bodywork while using his construction expertise to help people he befriended obtain the visions and dreams of their homes. His last full-time occupation was at an organic fruit and vegetable farm overlooking Lake Washington in Kettle Falls, Washington. Scotts final months were spent inside the loving embrace of Kris Denning and her two daughters. These three earth bound angels took every measure and made every preparation possible to send Scott off within his own terms, maintaining dignity, and providing peace.

Scott liked fast engines and spent his younger years customizing Volkswagen beetles, Jeep CJ7s and sprint boats with the Lewis Family. He also built a 1936 Ford Phaeton hot rod with his brother, Keith, for their father. Scott loved being outside, with many different purposes throughout his life. With the Lewis family it was to race beetles and sprint boats, surf, and water-ski in California. Scott loved to water-ski, wake board, back country split board, snowboard, mountain bike, rock climb and whitewater raft in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. No matter the occasion, if it was outside and involved an adventure (or later in life, meditation), he was always ready to go. This would probably explain why some of his last thoughts and words were Busy, busy, busy I cant wait to move forward and start my new adventure. So many things to do when I get there, if you know what I mean.

Scott is survived by his siblings, Danny Utterbeck and his life partner Tim Willmorth of Boise, ID, Keith Utterbeck of Idaho Falls, ID, nieces, Kortnee Utterbeck Johnson and Caysie Utterbeck Marshall of Idaho Falls, ID, and Journey Utterbeck of Boise, ID, nephews Nathan Means, Anthony Utterbeck, and Nick Utterbeck, all of Idaho Falls, ID, extended family and lifelong friends of the Utterbeck family, Terry Lewis and Judy Lewis, of San Juan Capistrano, CA, and Randy Lewis of San Diego, CA, and an enormous list of people that were lucky enough to know Scott and call him friend. To Scott, friends were family.

Scott was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Jacqueline Utterbeck. Following his wishes, Scott will be cremated and his ashes scattered amongst some of his favorite places in nature including the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, Rendezvous Bowl at Teton Village, WY, Glory Bowl near Wilson, WY, and the Pacific Ocean near the Lewis family residence in San Juan Capistrano, CA, near Dana Point.

A life celebration will be held at Museum of Eastern Idaho, 300 South Capital Ave, Idaho Falls, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 10, 2017, with food from Tacos Mi Pueblo, Scotts favorite food truck.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Hospice of Eastern Idaho, 1810 Moran Street, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, or online at http://hospiceofeasternidaho.com/donate/. Condolences may cast outward to combine with the spiritual energy of the world to aid in the enlightenment of others. Online condolences may be sent to the family online at http://www.woodfuneralhome.com.

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Scott Utterbeck - Bonner County Daily Bee

Turning Inward vs. Social Commitments Finding the Balance in Ramadan – Patheos (blog)

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This is Day Seven of the 2017 #30Days30Writers Ramadan series June 2, 2017

By Hosai Mojaddidi

Every year Muslims all across the world usher in the month of Ramadan with hope and excitement. It is a time for deep reflection, spiritual rejuvenation/replenishment and rigorous spiritual works. It is also a time for increased community engagement and activity; many people break fast together with their family and friends and visit the masjid every day to either break fast with their fellow community members and/or pray tarawih (special night prayers during Ramadan). For some, finding a balance between the pressing impulse to focus inwardly and disconnect socially and a deep desire to strengthen ties and connect with others, can be one of the most difficult challenges during the month. This is especially evident on social media platforms like Facebook, where before Ramadan even begins, many people write posts announcing that they are deactivating (i.e., fasting from social media as well as from food and drink) for the month and will be back after the Eid celebration.

While many are able to successfully keep their commitment and wean themselves for the entire month, a great number struggle and eventually reappear after a short hiatus. The former group is usually applauded for exhibiting the strength and willpower to stay off social media for the whole month, while the latter group languishes in self-loathing, conceding to the notion that they are somehow spiritually inferior. This vacillation between needing/wanting spiritual intimacy and spiritual cohesion, which I have personally experienced on many occasions and not just during Ramadan, is something that has always fascinated me about the modern Muslim experience and in particular during this blessed month.

I have often wondered why, for so many, it is difficult to justify fulfilling the outward and the inward in Ramadan; and why they feel they must sacrifice one aspect of their nature to reap the rewards in the other? For example, just a couple of days ago, I was speaking to someone who expressed her need to completely isolate herself during the month. She said that she was so averse to socializing that she wished she could make a public request to her friends/family not to invite her to any iftars; she just wanted to be at home. This is just one of countless examples of conversations Ive had with others over the years whove expressed a similar sentiment: Ramadan is a time for spiritual retreat/isolation and not a time for socialization. Is this true, though? Are we supposed to cut ourselves off from others and retreat in our homes for the whole month in order to reach some heightened level of spiritual enlightenment? Is socializing during Ramadan a categorically blameworthy act? Or are there positive ways to socialize that are also spiritually uplifting and enlightening, and if so, what are they?

And most importantly, what was the practice of our Beloved Prophet (Gods peace and blessings upon him)? Did he isolate himself completely from others for the duration of the month?

When we study the seerah, we find that the Prophet did in fact engage with others throughout the month. He met with people frequently, counseled them, taught them, continued his normal daily affairs and broke fast with them in the evening. There were even major military campaigns, like the Battles of Badr and Tabuk, which took place during Ramadan; clearly suggesting that the Prophet and his Companions didnt isolate themselves, but carried out their normal affairs.

Of course, we know that during the last ten days of the month, the Prophet retreated in the masjid for itikaaf (immersing oneself in worship at the masjid and avoiding worldly affairs), but even then he was in the masjid surrounded by his Companions. Ramadan is undoubtedly the most spiritually significant time of the year for Muslims. Our time is precious and we should absolutely use it wisely, but we dont necessarily have to do everything alone. We are after all, a deen of jamaa, and as they say, there are strength in numbers. While theres no denying the immense benefits of praying alone in a private sanctuary, we can also benefit tremendously by praying with our fellow brothers and sisters and listening to the melodious voices of our gifted and talented reciters.

Eating iftar with our families and loved ones in the comfort of our own homes is without doubt a great blessing, but so is breaking the fast with perfect strangers who share your faith and seek the same reward of pleasing their Lord as you do. And, while withdrawing from friends, whether in real life or virtually, may feel empowering in the moment, just imagine how much strength it takes to engage with others mindfully, purposefully, and completely aware of the presence of your Lord?

And, imagine how much it pleases Allah, subhana wa ta`ala, to see us gathering and communing with our fellow brothers and sisters for His sake.

The Prophet Muhammad said, True spiritual excellence is devotion to God as if you see Him; and though you do not see Him, you at least know that He sees you. (Al-Bukhari & Muslim) The Prophet Muhammad said, After obligatory rites, the action most beloved to God is delighting other Muslims. (At-Tabarani)

The key of course is moderation, and that is the point here. We are a people of the middle way, not one extreme or the other. May we all learn to find the balance between our needs and wants this Ramadan and every day after that. May we strengthen our hearts and our community bonds, and may God accept all of our prayers, fasts, and good deeds.

Ameen.

Hosai Mojaddidi is the coFounder of MH4M (www.mentalhealth4muslims.com), where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and public speaker, covering a variety of topics including womens issues, marriage/family, education, self development, interfaith bridge building, spirituality, seerah, etc. She offers monthly self-development and spiritual wellness classes at Taleef Collective in Fremont and offers regular educational workshops for students and teachers at local Islamic schools. Find her onFacebook and Twitter.

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Turning Inward vs. Social Commitments Finding the Balance in Ramadan - Patheos (blog)

Roberts: Arizona issues driver’s license to a guy wearing WHAT? – AZCentral.com

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Columnist Laurie Roberts has one word for the Chandler 'Pastafarian' who insists his religion requires him to wear a colander in his driver's license picture. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com

The state of Arizona actually issued a driver's license to a guy exercising his "religion" by wearing a colander on his head.(Photo: Courtesy of ABC15)

Congrats are in order, it appears, to Sean Corbett.

ThisChandler Uber driver has succeeded in what is apparently his lifes mission.

After two years of trying two years of trying he has succeeded in getting the state of Arizona to issue him a drivers license that features a photo of him with a colander on his head.

Yep. A colander.

It seems Corbett is a devout Pastafarian and as such, believes he has the right to have his government ID feature his mug in all his kitchen gizmo glory.

To do otherwise, apparently, would be a violation of his religious beliefs.

"Pastafarianism is part of the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which says the World was created 5,000 years ago by a Flying Spaghetti Monster," Corbett told ABC15.

Who knew that the path to spiritual enlightenment runs through a spaghetti strainer?

Corbett took his crusade to several MVD offices over the last two years until finally he found an office dumb enough to respect his religious beliefs and issue a license featuring Corbett in his colander.

"The whole process is intimidating, especially when people are yelling at you and scorning you for making a mockery out of their system," he told ABC15. "This has been this type of discrimination, and religious persecution that I've been going through for the last couple of years."

Generally speaking, your head must be bare in your drivers license photo but most states, including Arizona, make exceptions for religious headgear.

Corbett says his religion should be treated like every other religion and if the MVD is going to let Muslims and Sikhs wear headgear, well then it should let Pastafarians wear it, too.

The problem: a federal judge in Nebraska last year ruled that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster -- created in 2005 to fight the teaching of creationism in schools -- isnt a real religion.

This, after a prison inmate sued the state alleging religious discrimination because unlike inmates of other religions he wasnt allowed to dress in religious garb (read: like a pirate) and was denied communion (read: spaghetti and meatballs).

Arizona MVD, by the way, plans to void Corbetts drivers license. Naturally, he plans to sue.

"It's kind of been a personal mission to keep pushing and not let the naysayers say I can't," he told the TV station.

While its a little unsettling to have the government declare what is and isnt a religion, its difficult to seriously take up for guy whose religion promises an afterlife featuring a beer volcano and a stripper factory.

Still, Ive got to admire Corbett for the sacrifices hes willing to make in the name of his religion.

I mean, seriously. If I call for an Uber and my driver shows up with a colander on his head, I know exactly whatd Id say.

Taxi?

MORE FROM ROBERTS:

Kathy Griffin's punishment is ironic, really

Is the Arizona Corporation Commission corrupt?

Is UA scrapping its plan to hire speech police?

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Roberts: Arizona issues driver's license to a guy wearing WHAT? - AZCentral.com