Sanat’s World News

Title of this Iranian video from June 16: Allaho Akbar Arshe Elahi ra be Larze Dar Khahad Avard Gohardasht 26 Khordad.

Translated by Lily for the Huffington Post: “They can take our phones, our internet, all our communication away, but we are showing that by saying “allaho akbar” we can find each other.” She ends it my saying that tonight they are crying out to God for help.

Meanwhile, today’s Bowl of Saki says, “Devotion sweetens the personality, and is the light on the path of the disciple.”

“The fire of devotion purifies the heart of the devotee and leads to spiritual freedom. Mysticism [and revolutions -- Sanat] without devotion is like uncooked food and can never be assimilated. ‘I am the heart of my devotees,’ says Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita. And Hafiz says, ‘O joyous day when I depart from this abode of desolation, seeking the repose of my soul and setting out in search of my Beloved.’ ”

Youtube user ManilaRyceTLM offers a powerful essay this Easter on the Reverend Wright controversy. From the About This Video caption:

Just as MLK had to be whitewashed into an image which does not threaten the rule of American tyranny, so too has the true message of Christianity been altered to justify the illegitimate rule of immoral institutions. As has been evident with the recent persecution of Reverend Jeremiah Wright by Democrats and Republicans alike, the United States feels threatened by the liberation theology of Christianity, just as the Roman Empire did during the time of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday, the US Energy Information Administration released their estimates of oil production, International Petroleum Monthly, which covers production through November, 2006. World production of oil, including lease condensate, was 73,410,000 barrels per day, down from the high 74,151,000 bpd which was set in May, 2005. A look at the production chart indicates more of an undulating plateau, but the overall direction over time is down.

[This article by Fred Branfman originally appeared on the Huffington Post on March 2, 2006 and is reprinted with permission. See Truly Alive: Facing Death In the Prime of Life for more excellent articles by Branfman. — Sanat]

As a teenager, I could not understand how the German people could claim to be “good Germans,” unaware of what the Nazis had done in their names. I could understand if these ordinary German people had said they had known and been horrified, but were afraid to speak up. But they would then be “weak or fearful or indifferent Germans,” not “good Germans.” The idea that only the Nazis were responsible for the Holocaust made no sense. Whatever the Germans as a whole know about the concentration camps, they certainly knew about the systematic mistreatment of Jews that had occurred before their very eyes, and from which so many had profited. And if they were not really “good Germans,” what should or could they have done, given the reality of Nazi tyranny?

BlairWatch has asked bloggers to publish the memos from Craig Murray, Britain’s former ambassador to Uzbekistan, detailing how the Uzbek Secret Forces passed intelligence obtained through torture to the U.K. The documents show complicity in Uzbek torture by both the British and US governments.

Britain’s Official Secrets Act may be used to prosecute UK bloggers for revealing the contents of the memos. The more the memos appear on non-UK sites, the less the likelihood that will happen. We’re happy to help our British friends who seek to steer the UK and USA toward traveling the path of right human relations. Below is a synopsis of what’s in the documents:

No, these aren’t Jehova’s Witnesses or Mormons. Pastors from from three churches in the town of Feilding, Manawatu District on the North Island walked door-to-door and gave away cookies, tea bags, and leaflets to encourage the local flock to ‘return to church.’

The neighbor next to Sanat’s World News World Headquarters has a nice Fuyu Persimmon tree. He only picked one shopping bag-full this fall and offered a u pick ’em, all-you-can-eat feast to us, the other neighbors, and most of all, the local population of critters. We picked about four bags and gave them away to friends. Still, the tree remains full of soft, ripe persimmons. Lots of persimmons.

The local Western Gray Squirrels are taking their persimmons to the crown of the roof of our neighbors house where they eat a few bites, and then leave the rest for later. Quite a few up there now! Hummingbirds are sipping the juice from opened persimmons, Scrub Jays, Steller’s Jays, Mockingbirds, Sparrows, and our local Red-breasted Sapsucker.

Federal District Judge John Jones has ruled against the imposition of Intelligent Design in the curriculum by the Dover, Pennsylvania School Board. This same board was recalled in the recent November election. From the text of the decision:

Well. . . that’s because Christmas is on Sunday this year! While some pastors might think that giving a Sunday Christmas service is a blessing, others find that fielding hundreds of volunteers to put on their Sunday show for a smaller-than-normal ‘audience’ isn’t in their best interests. From an Associated Press story:

Hidden behind the recent revelations about the President using the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens, NBC discovered that the Pentagon is spying on Quakers, long known as a peace-loving church: