….in which the intrepid Dawkins visits “one of the least enlightened places in the world…Jerusalem – where barely suppressed religious hatreds nourish intolerance to the point of murder.”

The root of all evil Dawkins is referring to here is religion. Between the Muslim fundamentalists from abroad and the Christinaists at home, it’s nearly impossible for a rational person to not feel deeply threatened by these crusading whackos.
Let me know if you find this video as disturbing as I did. Also check out the previous e-Sutra post of Dawkins’ wonderful piece “Good and Bad Reasons for Believing.”

From The Telegraph: Powerful evangelical churches are pressing Kenya’s national museum to sideline its world-famous collection of hominid bones pointing to man’s evolution from ape to human.

Evangelicals:
“The Christian community here is very uncomfortable that (Dr. Richard) Leakey and his group want their theories presented as fact…our doctrine is not that we evolved from apes, and we have grave concerns that the museum wants to enhance the prominence of something presented as fact which is just one theory.”

Leakey:
“…the most outrageous comments I have ever heard”.

Museum PR director:
“We have a responsibility to present all our artefacts in the best way that we can so that everyone who sees them can gain a full understanding of their significance…but things can get tricky when you have religious beliefs on one side, and intellectuals, scientists or researchers on the other, saying the opposite.”

This has always struck me as the absolute height of silliness…especialy the lame “scientific” attempts to quantify its effects on crime reduction and world peace.

Has anyone out there actually done this? If so, are you also young, skinny and male? Don’t get me wrong – it’s a pretty impressive physical feat to be able to hop around in padmasana like that, but what are the chubby people supposed to do? The TM spokesperson claims it’s spiritual advancement that makes it possible, but that seems to overlook some pretty obvious, purely physical prerequisites.

Now, if I saw a 300-pound buddha-like yogic flyer in lotus lauching themselves off the floor, then I’d be REALLY impressed.

This has always struck me as the absolute height of silliness…especialy the lame “scientific” attempts to quantify its effects on crime reduction and world peace.

Has anyone out there actually done this? If so, are you also young, skinny and male? Don’t get me wrong – it’s a pretty impressive physical feat to be able to hop around in padmasana like that, but what are the chubby people supposed to do? The TM spokesperson claims it’s spiritual advancement that makes it possible, but that seems to overlook some pretty obvious, purely physical prerequisites.

Now, if I saw a 300-pound buddha-like yogic flyer in lotus launching themselves off the floor, then I’d be REALLY impressed.

I just came across this clipping of an article that I realized appeared exactly 4 years ago to the day in the Money and Business section of the Sunday New York Times. I still run into people who refer to it, and searching for the link online, I disovered that it had been referenced in a scholarly article “The Healing Psychology of Yoga” by psychiatrist/yogi Richard L. Peterson M.D. My thanks to Coeli Carr for making it all happen.

Below are links to some of the entries my friend Carl Horowitz has posted to his YogaScope Kaleidoscope Blog. Click the title link, or “Read More!” below to view the list of topics. I think you will enjoy what he is doing with this part of his web-site. Have a look and feel free to post a comment here or contact Carl to let us know what you think. His two most recent posts are at the top.

=================

Some Metaphors for Oneness and the Experience of the Non-Dual State

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/08/some-metaphors-for-oneness_115492664720579202.html

=================

A Note on Some of the Deeper Aspects of Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/07/note-on-some-of-deeper-aspects-of-yoga.html

=================

Hands On, Hands Off: The Pros and Cons of Hands On Adjustments in Yoga Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/05/hands-on-hands-off-pros-and-cons-of.html

==================

Paradigms for Categorizing the Postures

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/05/paradigms-for-categorizing-postures.html

==================

The United States Army General’s Knowledge and the Native American Chief’s Wisdom

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/03/united-states-army-generals-knowledge.html

====================

Frameworks for Understanding the Physical Practice of Yoga and Some of its Far Reaching Effects

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/02/frameworks-for-understanding-physical.html

==========================

A Dialogue on Pratyahara

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/02/dialogue-on-pratyahara.html

==========================

Archaic Sources of Modern Yoga Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/12/archaic-sources-of-modern-yoga.html

=========================

A Dialogue with a Practitioner on a Connection between Hermeneutics and Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/10/dialogue-with-practitioner-on.html

========================

On the Distinction Between Sensing and Feeling and How Each Causes Us to Move and Use Our Bodies Differently

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/09/on-distinction-between-sensing-and.html

=========================

Some Tips on Developing a Personal Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/09/some-tips-on-developing-personal.html

=====================

The Diaphragm

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/08/diaphragm.html

=======================

What Is A Yoga Practice Anyway? Parts 1 & 2

http://yogascope.com/blog/2005/08/what-is-yoga-practice-anyway-parts-1-2.html

=========================

Critical Analysis of Exercise Programs

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/critical-analysis-of-exercise-programs.html

===========================

Sequencing and Personalized Yoga Part 1

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/06/sequencing-and-personalized-yoga-part.html

===========================

Sequencing and Personalized Yoga Part 2

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/sequencing-and-personalized-yoga-part.html

==========================

Part 3 of Sequencing and Personalized Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/part-3-of-sequencing-and-personalized.html

===========================

Carl Horowitz

917.301.1616

http://www.yogascope.com

upsidedowncarl@yogascope.com

Below are links to some of the entries my friend Carl Horowitz has posted to his YogaScope Kaleidoscope Blog. Click the title link, or “Read More!” below to view the list of topics. I think you will enjoy what he is doing with this part of his web-site. Have a look and feel free to post a comment here or contact Carl to let us know what you think. His two most recent posts are at the top.

=================

Some Metaphors for Oneness and the Experience of the Non-Dual State

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/08/some-metaphors-for-oneness_115492664720579202.html

=================

A Note on Some of the Deeper Aspects of Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/07/note-on-some-of-deeper-aspects-of-yoga.html

=================

Hands On, Hands Off: The Pros and Cons of Hands On Adjustments in Yoga Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/05/hands-on-hands-off-pros-and-cons-of.html

==================

Paradigms for Categorizing the Postures

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/05/paradigms-for-categorizing-postures.html

==================

The United States Army General’s Knowledge and the Native American Chief’s Wisdom

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/03/united-states-army-generals-knowledge.html

====================

Frameworks for Understanding the Physical Practice of Yoga and Some of its Far Reaching Effects

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/02/frameworks-for-understanding-physical.html

==========================

A Dialogue on Pratyahara

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2006/02/dialogue-on-pratyahara.html

==========================

Archaic Sources of Modern Yoga Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/12/archaic-sources-of-modern-yoga.html

=========================

A Dialogue with a Practitioner on a Connection between Hermeneutics and Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/10/dialogue-with-practitioner-on.html

========================

On the Distinction Between Sensing and Feeling and How Each Causes Us to Move and Use Our Bodies Differently

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/09/on-distinction-between-sensing-and.html

=========================

Some Tips on Developing a Personal Practice

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/09/some-tips-on-developing-personal.html

=====================

The Diaphragm

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/08/diaphragm.html

=======================

What Is A Yoga Practice Anyway? Parts 1 & 2

http://yogascope.com/blog/2005/08/what-is-yoga-practice-anyway-parts-1-2.html

=========================

Critical Analysis of Exercise Programs

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/critical-analysis-of-exercise-programs.html

===========================

Sequencing and Personalized Yoga Part 1

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/06/sequencing-and-personalized-yoga-part.html

===========================

Sequencing and Personalized Yoga Part 2

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/sequencing-and-personalized-yoga-part.html

==========================

Part 3 of Sequencing and Personalized Yoga

http://www.yogascope.com/blog/2005/07/part-3-of-sequencing-and-personalized.html

===========================

Carl Horowitz

917.301.1616

http://www.yogascope.com

upsidedowncarl@yogascope.com

This vintage footage shows the Ross sisters, Aggie, Maggie and Elmira singing, dancing and demonstrating amazing flexibility. Don’t miss the grand finale of them triple-flipping their exit stage left. Probably not Yoga, but definitely entertainment. The footage is from the 1944 MGM musical Broadway Rhythm. Thanks to my friend Eddie Stern for the heads-up.

“Little did this simple child of rural India realize what lay before her, a life far beyond the imagination of anyone in her humble village. She would later marry the boy chosen by her parents when she was barely five years old, thinking they would continue the tradition of family and religious devotion as generations before her. With no expectations, she accepted her new husband’s early encouragement: “Finish high school, learn English…we are going to travel the world, including by airplane.” No one in her village had ever flown in an airplane, much less traveled to America. How could this young schoolteacher who made only 116 rupees have such dreams? That prophecy and much more came to pass during their 50+ years of marriage.”