As Social Issues Drive Young From Church, Leaders Try To Keep Them : The Two-Way On Friday, Morning Edition wraps up its weeklong look at the growing number of people who say they do not identify with a religion. The final conversation in the Losing Our Religion series picks up on a theme made clear throughout the week: Young adults are drifting away from organized religion in unprecedented numbers. In Friday's story, NPR's David Greene talks to two religious leaders about the trend and wonders what they tell young people who are disillusioned with the church. According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of Americans under 30 have no religious affiliation. "I think the single most important reason for the rise of the unknowns is that combination of the younger people moving to the left on social issues and the most visible religious leaders moving to the right on that same issue." Take Melissa Adelman, 30, a participant in a roundtable about religion that Greene had with six young adults. In Friday's story, the Rev. "I'm full of hope indeed," says Surufka.
The Book of Symbols: Carl Jung's Catalog of the Unconscious by Kirstin Butler Why Sarah Palin identifies with the grizzly bear, or what the unconscious knows but doesn’t reveal. A primary method for making sense of the world is by interpreting its symbols. We decode meaning through images and, often without realizing, are swayed by the power of their attendant associations. A central proponent of this theory, iconic Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Gustaf Jung, made an academic case for it in the now-classic Man and His Symbols, and a much more personal case in The Red Book. Beginning in the 1930s, Jung’s devotees started collecting mythological, ritualistic, and symbolic imagery under the auspices of The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism (ARAS), an organization with institutes throughout the U.S. You can browse through ARAS via a list of common archetypes, or search by word, producing a cross-indexed result with thumbnail images and a timeline of where and when that idea appeared throughout history. Donating = Loving Share on Tumblr
Close Shave: Asteroid To Buzz Earth Next Week hide captionThis computer image from a NASA video shows the small asteroid 2012 DA14 on its path as it passes by Earth on Feb. 15. An asteroid the size of an office building will zoom close by Earth next week, but it's not on a collision course, NASA says. Still, some people think this near-miss should serve as a wake-up call. "It's a warning shot across our bow that we are flying around the solar system in a shooting gallery," says Ed Lu, a former astronaut and head of the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting humanity from asteroids. The asteroid known as 2012 DA14 was first spotted last year by astronomers in Spain. It will whiz past Earth on Feb. 15, going about 5 miles per second. NASA officials say this event is one for the record books — the first time scientists have been able to predict something so big coming so close. It will come closer than satellites in a geosynchronous orbit around 22,000 miles up, but is extremely unlikely to hit any of those as it goes by.
Promoting Hinduism? Parents Demand Removal Of School Yoga Class hide captionThird-graders at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School in Encinitas, Calif., perform chair pose with instructor Kristen McCloskey last month. Kyla Calvert for NPR Third-graders at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School in Encinitas, Calif., perform chair pose with instructor Kristen McCloskey last month. During first period at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School in Encinitas, Calif., Kristen McCloskey leads about two dozen third-graders through some familiar yoga poses. "All right, so let's do our opening sequence A," she says, instructing the kids. At the end of the half-hour class, 8-year-old Jacob Hagen says he feels energized and ready for the rest of the day. Schools across the country are focusing more on teaching students to make healthy choices; Encinitas Superintendent Tim Baird says yoga is just one element of the district's physical education curriculum. "We also have a nutrition program," he says. "Absolutely not — no.
The LEGO Gender Gap: A Historical Perspective “Why does all the girls have to buy pink stuff?” Even a child can see something is wrong in our toy stores. The gender gap* that frustrates Riley in the above video does more than tell her which toys it socially appropriate for her to play with, it separates her from a whole realm of experience - masculinity. As Riley grows older and decides what sort of person she wants to be, she will encounter this gap again and again. The LEGO Gender Gap: A Historical Perspective Last month’s splashy introduction of the new LEGO** friends line has stirred up a lot of controversy. 1932-1977: The Brick Era The LEGO Group started as a family business with the motto “only the best is good enough.” In the 70s we encounter the first LEGO theme marketed specifically at girls: Homemaker. The 70s also saw TLG experimenting with different types of human-like figures. 1978-1988: The Golden Era For a decade LEGO minifigs existed in a gender neutral utopia. 1989-2003: Gender Ahoy!
Elon Musk at SXSW: "I Would Like to Die on Mars, Just Not on Impact" AUSTIN — The most popular name on Twitter during day two of South by Southwest was Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX. During his keynote address at the conference, Musk said he would one day like to set foot on Mars, but only if he knew his company could carry on without him and the technology could get him there safely. The old joke, Musk told NowThisNews, was that he would like to die on Mars, just not on impact. Musk also said he hopes contact with life from another planet would come some day, and that it will be peaceful. "So far we haven't seen any signs of life from other worlds," he said. In 2012, SpaceX made history as the first privately held company to send a cargo payload to the International Space Station. For more of Musk's keynote address, check out the video above. Would you spend the rest of your life on Mars if you were given the chance? Thumbnail image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Newtown Tragedy: Would A Good God Allow Such Evil? hide captionPeople gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14. In the aftermath of such tragedies, many people ask how a benevolent God and suffering can coexist. Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images People gather for a prayer vigil at St. When a human tragedy occurs on the scale of the Newtown shootings, clergy are invariably asked an ancient question: If God is all-knowing, all-powerful and benevolent, why does he allow such misfortunes? There's even a word for reconciling this paradox: theodicy, or attempting to justify God's goodness despite the existence of evil and suffering. A World Both Beautiful And Shattered Steven Folberg, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas, has been asked this question before. No small assignment. "I saw a bumper sticker once that said, 'God is good. "The idea was to say, if one accepts those three propositions as true, then they're logically inconsistent. You cannot wiggle your way out, the rabbi continues.
Little Bird: A Beautifully Minimalist Story of Belonging Lost and Found by Swiss Illustrator Albertine by Maria Popova “There are no greater treasures than the little things.” Children’s picture books — the best of them, at least — have this magical quality of speaking to young hearts with expressive simplicity, but also engaging grown-up minds with subtle reflections on the human condition. Such is the case of Little Bird (public library) by Swiss author-illustrator duo Germano Zullo and Albertine, published by the wonderful Enchanted Lion Books. Illustrated in Albertine’s signature style of soft, colorful minimalism, this little gem is like a beautiful silent film, only in vibrant hues and on paper. It tells the tender story of a big-hearted man who halts his truck at a cliff’s edge. The two have lunch together and, eventually, the man tries to encourage the bird to fly off and join the others by attempting a comic demonstration of flight himself. There are no greater treasures than the little things. A lovely quote from an e. e. cummings poem graces the first page: Donating = Loving
Telescope Targets Black Holes' Binges And Burps The NuSTAR telescope, seen in this artist's illustration, will soon be sending back data that researchers will use to study black holes. NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption itoggle caption NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA's newest space telescope will start searching the universe for black holes on Wednesday. Mission control for the telescope is a small room on the University of California, Berkeley, campus, where about a dozen people with headsets rarely look up from their screens. Fiona Harrison, a professor of physics and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, is the principal scientist for the mission. The beginning of a space telescope's life is particularly stressful. Now, the $170 million telescope is just about ready to begin its hunt for black holes. "We're not actually seeing the black hole," Harrison says. Harrison says they're called black holes because not even light can escape their gravity. "They eat dramatically, but rarely," he says.
Mormonism: A Scrutinized, Yet Evolving Faith hide captionThe historic Mormon Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. George Frey/Landov Mitt Romney refused to mix religion with politics in this year's presidential campaign, but that didn't repress people's curiosity about Mormonism. Patrick Mason, a professor and chairman of the Mormon Studies program at Claremont Graduate University, says attention paid to his faith has been twofold. "South Park is a great example of this, The Book of Mormon musical is a great example of this, where people say, well, with increased attention comes increased scrutiny," he says. Mason says many people are skeptical of the church's origins, which involve the story of an angel directing Joseph Smith to golden plates and revealing a new Gospel. And yet, he says, many Americans don't think twice about Jesus walking on water or God sending Jews manna from heaven, because those age-old stories have become part of the culture. A Fluid Faith Mormonism has only a few non-negotiable beliefs. Shifting With Time
New Collection Of 35 Creative Photos This is a fresh collection of 35 creative photos that will fuel up your creativity. When you are out of idea its always great and helpful to see some professional work to inspire you to do better.