Sanat's World News

An Easter Message — Liberation Theology Style

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:52:14 -0400

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.

Global Oil Production is in Decline

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:14:05 -0500

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.

On Torture and Being "Good Americans"

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:32:13 -0400

[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?

British Torture Documents Online

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 23:23:40 -0500

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:

NZ Pastors Go Door-To-Door in Membership Drive

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 20:50:10 -0500

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.'

Red-Breasted Sapsucker

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:06:41 -0500

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.

Dominionist Schoolboard Spanked in Court Over Creationism

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 13:23:48 -0500

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:

Some Megachurches Closing for Christmas

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:43:41 -0500

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:

US Government Spies on Quakers, Rewards 'Friends'

Sun, 18 Dec 2005 13:45:09 -0500

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:

The Truth Project meeting, held at the Quaker Meetinghouse, was one of nearly four dozen antiwar meetings or protests listed on the 400-page document generated by an obscure Pentagon agency that analyzes intelligence reports on suspicious domestic activity, according to the report aired Tuesday on NBC's Nightly News.

The database classified the Lake Worth meeting as one of more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the country over a recent 10-month period.

Yet Another Blog

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 17:32:20 -0500

Time to upgrade Sanat's World News. What started out as a collection of headlines about religious and science news turned into a placeholder for Moreover.com's headlines -- and I put the site to bed for a couple of years.

Due to the continued religious violence taking over the headlines, and the lack of quality which the editors at Moreover select articles to link to (do they ever actually read them?), I have decided once again to put some energy into this site.

The site will be undergoing changes in the next few weeks as I alter the features and look. Hope you enjoy!