Weekly Blog Round-Up

BELIEF:

* "None" gaining ground - In a USA Today article, found on Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos, more and more people are listing "none"as their religious affiliation. I was v. interested to read the following quote on reenee's post:

"Meanwhile, nearly 2.8 million people now identify with dozens of new religious movements, calling themselves Wiccan, pagan or "Spiritualist," which the survey does not define. Wicca, a contemporary form of paganism that includes goddess worship and reverence for nature, has even made its way to Arlington National Cemetery, where the Pentagon now allows Wiccans' five-pointed-star symbol to be used on veterans' gravestones." Having just been to Arlington for my grandmother's funeral, this tidbit struck me. Just like how there are now Wiccan Chaplains in the Army.

* A GREAT post on belief, Jesus, the Apostle's Creed and basically sums up my feelings about God, at BlogHer. Just hit the nail on my head!

* Interesting story on Beliefnet about the change from Junia to Junias in the Bible text in 1927. Apparently, Junia was considered a female apostle, until a footnote wiped her out. I read a lot about this issue, and found this link on Christian Feminism thanks!

* On BuzzFeed: Ha Ha:

"Roman Catholic bishops in Italy are calling for Catholics to abandon technologies like text messaging, Facebook and Twitter for Lent. Also recommended: BuzzFeed. So we'll see you in about 30 days have a great month everybody! Just kidding. But seriously, I was just about to poke God. "

* The History of religion from HLGQZ, found here


GREEN:

* I guess it comes as no surprise that in Istanbul, carpet recycling is the big green thing. Found on TreeHugger.

* Earth Hour: found on Green Lent. Let's do it!

* From TreeHugger: Rodale will donate to actual farmers if we buy food from these two companies. Plus! You can get a free subscription to Organic Gardening magazine.

FUN:

* Courtesy of Lakshmi. She laughed 'til she cried. I think it's funny. But then, I don't get Twitter.

* OMG! Dwayne Johnson! He Sings & Dances too!?!?!?! Sheesh, so HOT! From Joe.My.God.

RELIGIOUS ART:

* "View Religious Art For Lent" on Blogging Religiously, Via Iconia.

* PLUS! Church Sign Hackers - awesome. From BuzzFeed.

MENTAL HEALTH for DAUGHTERS:

I found this great list of questions that Reviving Ophelia author, Mary Pipher, PhD, recommends for adolescent girls, to help them stay grounded and healthy. It's a pretty good list for anyone, so I thought I'd share:

How do I feel right now?
What do I think?
What are my values?
Who would I describe myself to myself?
How do I see myself in the future?
What kind of work do I kike?
What kind of leisure do I like?
When do I feel most myself?
How have I changed since I entered puberty?
What kinds of people do I respect?
How am I similar to and different from my mother?
How am I similar to and different from my father?
What goals do I have for myself as a person?
What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What would I be proud of on my deathbed?

From Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Pipher, PhD, pg 255, 1995

FOOD:

* A beautiful, Spring-evoking (INvoking?) poem: "Strawberries" by Edwin Morgan from Queenie Takes Manhattan.

* More news from an Op-Ed in the NYT about how unsafe US food production is.

"So what’s going on here, and where do these antibiotic-resistant infections come from? Probably from the routine use — make that the insane overuse — of antibiotics in livestock feed. This is a system that may help breed virulent “superbugs” that pose a public health threat to us all."

* From my friend Jim's blog "Legend of St Ursula, St Michael Fighting the Dragons" This is a new blog, and this first (post-virgin) post is about illness, Lent and cooking! The Cornbread recipe is an added bonus - along with some fab religious art. Excellent work!

POLITICS:

* In my view, this is HUGE, and SUCH a relief. Way to go Barry! from Huff Po: "When signing legislation, Bush often would use such statements to direct officials to ignore parts of the law he thought were incorrect or restricted the administration's constitutional powers."