News from the Nest
Two Centuries Of Non-Conformist History Go Online
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 8:56pmThe names and details of half a million UK radicals and religious dissenters covering a period of 225 years are available online for the first time. Thousands of original, paper records held at the London Metropolitan Archive detailing the baptism, marriage and burial records of some of the most famous British non-conformists, including Daniel Defoe, William Blake and John Stuart Mill, have bee
Film Review: Agora
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 8:56pmSpanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar has never been one to shy away from a challenge and in his latest effort Agora, he presents himself with a doozy. Employing the style and conventions of 50s-era biblical epics like Ben-Hur and The Robefrom the lavish sets to the international casts to the often stilted dialoguethe writer-director of such terrific films as Abre Los Ojos and The Sea Inside att
Tracking The Ancestry Of Corn Back 9,000 Years
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 8:56pmIt is now growing season across the Corn Belt of the United States. Seeds that have just been sown will, with the right mixture of sunshine and rain, be knee-high plants by the Fourth of July and tall stalks with ears ripe for picking by late August. Corn is much more than great summer picnic food, however. Civilization owes much to this plant, and to the early people who first cultivated it.
Proposal To Lift Ban On Gays In Military In Doubt
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 8:56pmA lukewarm endorsement from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and opposition among some lawmakers cast doubt Tuesday on whether Congress this week would lift a 17-year-old ban on gays serving openly in the military. Gay rights' groups predicted that the bill might pass the House but face a tough road in the Senate. "The door isn't closed, but it's barely cracked," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive
Separation Of Church And State: Fact Or Fiction?
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 4:15pmEditors note: After this column was written, the Texas State Board of Education adopted new social studies guidelines for the states schools, including the requirement that students be taught that the words separation of church and state arent in the U.S. Constitution. Not so very long ago, separation of church and state was as American as motherhood and apple pie. Despite perennial deba
57 Ancient Egyptian Tombs Discovered In Secret Underground Network
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 4:15pmArchaeologists have unearthed a labyrinth of rich Egyptian tombs that had been hidden under the ground for thousands of years. Most of the 57 ancient tombs contained an ornately painted wooden sarcophagus with a mummy inside, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said. The oldest tombs date back to around 2750 BC during the period of Egypt's first and second dynasties. Twelve of the tombs b
Pagans Use Fest To Show Their Beliefs
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 4:15pmLizz Frenzel was drawn to the first May Faire Sunday at Taltree Arboretum and Garden because of the maypole. Fresh from a trip to the Bavarian region of Germany, Frenzel, of Valparaiso, saw maypoles in many of the small towns, though she missed the May 1 celebration of the ancient tradition there. Frenzel was one of about 200 people to attend the first fair, sponsored by the Northwest Indian
Jesus Prayer Opens Texas Textbook Meeting
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 10:05pmFriday's meeting of the Texas Board of Education, charged with revising the state's social studies curriculum, began with a Christian prayer on behalf of "a Christian land governed by Christian principles," a prayer made "in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the Spirit of the Savior have f
Holy Water Allegedly Sprinkled On Atheist Teacher
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 10:05pmTwo teachers accused of sprinkling holy water onto an avowed atheist colleague have been removed from the classroom, and may be fired. The teacher who was allegedly sprinkled filed a complaint with the Broward County school district, which is investigating the incident as an act of bullying. At the center of the investigation are Blanche Ely High School reading teachers Leslie Rainer and Dju
Inside Athenas Circle, Bryn Mawrs Pagan Club
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 10:05pmIts a Thursday night in Thomas 223 and Athenas Circle, Bryn Mawrs pagan club, is having its weekly meeting. The clubs head, senior Olivia Coplan, sits on the couch at the back of the classroom, near the windows. She admits to the 12 students around the table that she has nothing planned for tonight. At the beginning of the semester, the club creates a calendar of meeting topics or events, l
A Nigerian Witch-Hunter Defends Herself
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 10:05pmAt home in Nigeria, the Pentecostal preacher Helen Ukpabio draws thousands to her revival meetings. Last August, when she had herself consecrated Christendoms first lady apostle, Nigerian politicians and Nollywood actors attended the ceremony. Her books and DVDs, which explain how Satan possesses children, are widely known. So well-known, in fact, that Ms. Ukpabios critics say her teachings
US Oil Spill 'Enters Loop Current' With Florida At Risk
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmThe first oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill has entered an ocean current that could take it to Florida and up the east coast of the US, scientists say. A "small portion" of oil sheen is in the Loop Current, which circulates in the Gulf, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Diluted oil could appear in isolated parts of Florida if persistent winds pushed the current
Invasive Plant 'Increases Ozone Pollution'
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmA fast growing invasive plant spreading through south-eastern US has the potential to increase low-level ozone pollution levels, a study has warned. Researchers found that nitric oxide (NO) emissions, a component in the formation of ozone, doubled in soils where the invasive kudzu was present. The deep-rooted vine, native to Asia, was introduced in the early 20th Century to help control soil
Archaeologists Unearth 7,000-Year-Old Swastika In North-western Bulgaria
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmA pottery fragment with the image of a swastika, dating to 7,000 years ago, and an ancient female adornment with a phallus are among the artefacts shown for the first time as part of the on-going exhibition Gods, Symbols and Ancient Signs in the museum in Vratsa in north-western Bulgaria. The swastika-decorated clay pottery fragment was found by archaeologists during excavations of a ritual
Sefton And West Lancashire Pagans Hit Out At UKIP Attack Over Holidays
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmThe region's Pagan community has reacted with uproar this week after a political party branded moves to let police officers celebrate their festivals as madness. Pat Regan, founder of the Pagan Anti-Defamation Network, told The Champion on Monday, May 17, 2010, that a statement sent out by the UK Independence Party describing a ruling allowing Pagan police officers in Lancashire and Merseysid
Can Amaranth Fix Mexico's Dual Dietary Disasters?
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmSupporters of amaranth have been trying for decades to bring this millennia-old grain back from oblivion. Known for its high nutritional content, it is now being promoted as a way to help modern-day Mexico confront two of its dietary ills: malnutrition and obesity. In 1980, philosopher Raúl Hernández and his wife Gisela Herrerías, an educator, took the unusual step of leaving Mexico City for th
Panel Moves Religious Freedom Act
Sun, 05/23/2010 - 7:57pmA Senate panel narrowly approved legislation Tuesday whose supporters say reaffirms constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious expression. Approval came over the objections of those who contend Senate Bill 606 is unnecessary because the U.S. Constitution and the Louisiana Constitution already protect religious freedom. Efforts to limit religious expression are under way in America,
Former Erin Cult Leader Headed Back To Prison Again
Fri, 05/21/2010 - 10:41pmA former Erin resident who once led a sex cult made up of teenage boys has been sent back to prison for threatening to kill his parole officer. Kenneth James McMurray, 38, pleaded guilty in an Ottawa courtroom Monday to uttering death threats and breaching a long-term supervision order. He was sentenced to three years. The supervision order was imposed by Guelph Justice Norman Douglas in 199
