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A DVD exposing Christianity, the Banking System and 9/11

from US News & World Report --
It is considered a White House state dinner, and it happens every year when the nation's governors come to town. The kitchen staff, inspired by the Obamas' organic focus, tweaked the menu and even the wine choices to highlight organic foods.

"I really got caught up in what they want to do so that at the last minute, I had to change my whole perspective," says White House food and beverage manager Daniel Shanks, the nation's sommelier. "They talked to us about their vision," he says, "They are really excited about being able to show to the world that there's a better way in a positive, healthy manner. We need to eat better. We need to take care of the land," says Shanks. He calls theirs a natural progression for the White House kitchen.

Shanks found three vineyards for the dinner that met the organic, chemical-free standard: California's Spottswoode, Oregon's Archery Summit, and Michigan's Black Star Farms.

from New Scientist --
Perched on the edge of an Antarctic ice sheet, Lewis Gordon Pugh surveys the waves. At 0 °C, water does not get much colder than the sea beneath him. Undeterred, Pugh unzips his jacket, strips down to his swimming trunks and dives in. Most of us would start to hyperventilate uncontrollably if we dived into such cold water. Pugh doesn't even gasp in pain but instead starts swimming. In December 2005, when Pugh took his first icy plunge he went on to swim a kilometre in just over 18 minutes. Many ordinary people would drown after just a few minutes in such cold water. Pugh, however, not only survived but continues to make more long-distance swims in extremely cold water. So what makes him able to keep swimming in such extreme cold?

Pugh is far from the first to swim in icy water. There is a long tradition in Russia, China and many northern European countries of carving holes in frozen lakes, rivers or sea ice and diving in, often as part of a cultural or spiritual ritual. During Pugh's travels he began noticing the effects of climate change such as melting ice caps and retreating glaciers, and decided to use his ever more extreme swims to raise awareness of the state of the planet - culminating in two long swims in the Antarctic and the Arctic.

“It takes more than ideological conviction to survive icy waters, though, “says Pugh. He attributes his success to intense mental preparation and guided meditation.

from Reuters -
About 200 Buddhist students held a rally outside an outlet of the international franchise Buddha Bar in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Thursday, accusing it of defaming their religion.

Jakarta is the first city in Southeast Asia to host a Buddha Bar, the hip Paris-based franchise of restaurant/lounges. “It is impossible to put the exalted name of Buddha side by side with the word ‘bar’, which is associated with a place for alcohol. That is defamation of religion,” said Eko Nugroho, a protester from a group calling itself the Students Alliance to Reject Buddha Bar. Avoiding alcohol and other intoxicants is the fifth of the “Five Precepts” that form the basic moral code of Buddhism.

During the peaceful protest, the group prayed with flowers and incense outside the bar that opened in the plush Menteng area of Jakarta and which houses a giant gold Buddha statue on the upper restaurant floor of the bar.

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