The Badi Blog

My Daughter's XMas Present Video to me

2011-12-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

O FILS DE L'ESPRIT Hidden Word sung in French with subtitles also in French

2011-12-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Its all about power II; Wind Turbine Debate

2011-12-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

Joe Woods to Speak for Human Rights Day

2011-11-29T23:25:00.001-05:00

Debate on Turbines 8 Dec in Wainfleet

2011-11-29T19:24:00.001-05:00

What is religion?

2011-11-27T16:30:00.001-05:00

What is religion? (your definition) My daughter was asked in her world religions class to answer this question in two or three sentences. I am tempted to do the same. So I will, except that I will devote an entire essay, covering also questions like, What is my definition of religion? What is religion to me? What are the best definitions of religion I have found in my

Hamilton, Ontario My hometown

2011-11-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

What Tommy smuggled home from a grade seven field trip

2011-11-18T06:53:00.000-05:00

Thoughts about the Industrial Wind Turbine Debate

2011-11-08T13:41:00.001-05:00

Badi blog post for 8 November, 2011 I have been sick for 5 weeks with a fever that became a cough that turned into pneumonia. Then, when I thought I was on the mend, I coughed so hard I that I popped a rib. Nothing turned up on the Xray, other than pneumonia in my right lung; however, the doctor says I may have moved a rib (yuck) or maybe tore a ligament or muscle or something. I asked

How to stop the Industrial Wind Model

2011-11-05T08:56:00.000-04:00

Its All About Power Should there be industrial wind turbines in Haldimand County, Ontario? Part One: The case against.

2011-11-05T00:34:00.000-04:00

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies | Video on TED.com

2011-11-03T09:30:00.000-04:00

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies | Video on TED.com

Anthony Reale invents water turbine

2011-10-31T02:59:00.000-04:00

Philip Zimbardo: The demise of guys? | Video on TED.com

2011-10-20T11:21:00.000-04:00

Philip Zimbardo: The demise of guys?

News Report on Baha'i Gardens Referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, Haifa's mayor talks about the gardens.

2011-10-18T07:36:00.000-04:00

Joan Osborne - One Of Us

2011-10-05T08:40:00.000-04:00

Drawing Nigh to BAHAULLAH (part 1 of 11)

2011-10-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

Debate on Wind Turbines

2011-09-26T09:16:00.001-04:00

Dr. Reza Kazemi was kind enough to give me permission to videotape the following event, so I am including some of the promotional material here on the Badi' Blog. It is all about power A debate on wind turbines in Haldimand County Dunnville, Ont. DREAM presents Its all about POWER; Wind or No Wind A debate on wind turbines in Haldimand Industrial wind turbine

Australian broadcast at the Sydney Baha'i Temple

2011-09-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

Thoughts from an Evening at Home

2011-09-23T12:16:00.001-04:00

Strained Mercy, and Other Musings By John Taylor; 2011 Sep 23, 'Izzat , 168 BE I have been relaxing, having finished my first draft of Cosmopolis Earth, and sent it off to a copy editor. Last night was a typical evening. Contents The Spirit Within Club Sam; In Memoriam Two Pre-prandial Prayers Warm his cool heart Comment on the Qiblih ========== The Spirit

The Nine Baha'i Temples

2011-09-22T07:56:00.000-04:00

On Tattoos and Other Things

2011-09-21T10:19:00.000-04:00

On Tattoos My son Tomaso asked out of the blue, “How long have people been tattooing their bodies?” Having been born in an age when you learned early to bluff an answer to such questions since it took so long to get an authoritative answer, I opened mymouth to say something, but this time I knew that I had nothing. So I took the few seconds it takes to look it up on a search engine and found

Silvie and Amber on Trampoline

2011-09-15T12:48:00.000-04:00

Let na větroni / A flight on a glider

2011-09-14T13:32:00.001-04:00

An Exemplary Life

2011-09-01T13:49:00.001-04:00

A very special presentation will be given in the Garfield Disher Room of our Library on Wednesday, September 14th at 8:00 p.m. Charlotte Letkemann from Niagara Falls, speaker and retired teacher, will speak about the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (son of Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha’i Faith). In 1912 He came to the west to speak of the Faith and spent some time in Montreal. Charlotte sent us a

This Month’s Discussion in Wainfleet

2011-09-01T13:33:00.001-04:00

(LATEST) Be The Change You Want To See

2011-08-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

Mirza Yahya's "declaration"

2011-08-16T14:10:00.002-04:00

This is my daughter Silvie's depiction of an event in the life of Baha'u'llah, when in Edirne His evil half brother declared that he was a prophet of God. Silvie was impressed with how quickly Mirza Yahya withdrew his arrogant claim when the wrath of the terrorist clergy was directed his way...

Excerpt from an Autobiography

2011-08-15T13:11:00.002-04:00

My Life My Trees ========== I must have met Richard St. Barbe Baker (1889-1982) only a year or two before his death. I was in Ottawa staying at the same place where he was billeted. Baker was as crotchety then as my father is now, and I will be, if I am lucky, a few decades from now. It is a great pleasure now to read his autobiography, which is informal, light reading. We forget that

On Fools and Doctors

2011-08-04T12:15:00.002-04:00

A Thought about Wisdom, Medicine and Doctoring By John Taylor; 2011 Aug 04, Kamal 04, 168 BE Forty years ago a prescient article appeared in World Order Magazine that predicted the runaway expansion in the price of health care that you read about now every day. It was "Scientific Medicine and Health: A Case for Reappraisal," by a philosopher of science whose work was in public health,

Alph, the Sacred River (jetbadi.aligu@blogger.com)

2011-08-03T13:52:00.001-04:00

Today's Badi' Blog Essay Today's Badi' Blog Essay@import url(https://themes.googleusercontent.com/fonts/css?kit=MSSLfUayeNh9PW3ng9UWrqo0P1CSBNc3gBWclSzSx0c);Here is the latest addition to the Badi' Blog. The original is at:http://badiblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/alpheus-paradigm.htmlAugust 03, 2011Alpheus ParadigmCleaning out the Grime I am still working on the seventh draft of my book about the

Alpheus Paradigm

2011-08-03T13:33:00.001-04:00

Cleaning out the Grime I am still working on the seventh draft of my book about the peace plan of John Amos Comenius entitled: "Persons Beyond Borders; Essays about John Amos Comenius and Universal Reform." My plan is, when this revision is finished, to hire an editor to go through it and then publish the book myself through the on-demand publisher Lulu. This firm, founded by the Red Hat

Portrait

2011-06-09T11:38:00.002-04:00

Portrait of Marie By John Taylor; 2011 June 09, Nur 05, 168 BE Marie and I are having our twentieth anniversary this November. For me, she is love personified, truly a gift of the divine. Like any present from God, it spoils everything if you overthink it. It desecrates a gift to question it or treat it with anything but the high reverence it deserves. Should I for a moment dwell upon

Badi’ Blog Posting for Tuesday, June 07

2011-06-07T13:30:00.002-04:00

Principiis Obsta, or, Poor Richard’s Proverbs It would be hypocritical of me to write a book about Comenius, whose thought is so wrapped up in reform of the family -- or indeed to claim to be a Baha'i, a faith that similarly establishes family as the foundation of political, religious and social unity -- if I did not devote my entire energy (to the extent of blogging little if at all lately

How to hold a Public Meeting in your area

2011-05-31T09:36:00.001-04:00

By holding a regular public meeting our Dunnville Baha'i community (LSA of Haldimand) has built up over a decade a regular following of about a dozen people who attend our public meetings. In Hamilton, a much larger community, we built up a similar following of about sixty non-Baha'is turning up within a couple of years. I include the following information about how this is done so that other

Newness of Comenius' Reform Plan

2011-05-12T03:25:00.000-04:00

The Consultatio; the World's First Proposal for a Democratic World Government By John Taylor; 2011 May 11, Jamal 14, 168 BE After Columbus, Magellan and other explorers had revealed the full extent of our planet's geography, the first detailed proposal for a world government was put forward in 1623 by a French monk by the name of Emeric Cruce. Cruce's conception closely resembles the

In Memoriam: Hanna Newcomb

2011-05-11T10:34:00.001-04:00

I knew Hanna when we served on the Hamilton Mundialization Committee. Here is the text of a memorial printed about her in the World Federalist's Newpaper for May. In Memoriam Hanna Newcombe’s commitment to peace "Hanna Newcombe, an active member of the World Federalists for nearly four decades, died April 10 after a short illness. She served twice as national president of the organization.

Bahá’í Principles Series

2011-05-09T14:07:00.001-04:00

Life after Life “Bahá'u'lláh said that the world beyond is as different from this world as this world is from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother.” Featured Speaker: Beth Fachnie Wednesday, May 11, 2011 8 PM Garfield Disher

Why Suffer?

2011-05-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

Suffering as Pruning By John Taylor; 2011 May 09, Jamal 12, 168 BE "Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit. ... The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him." (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p.

Leadership Tolerance

2011-05-05T13:18:00.001-04:00

An Interlude on Tolerance Tolerance, not force, is the most effective way to lead Comments on a Passage in Panorthosia Although world government is the obvious solution to environmental concerns, many reject the idea out of hand. Why? Essentially because of issues of trust. What could we do if a world government becomes a global tyranny? Or if it declines into a faceless,

Plans, Personal and Continental

2011-05-01T12:11:00.001-04:00

A Plan and Two Ideas By John Taylor; 2011 May 01, Azamat 03, 168 BE ========== Contents A Plan and Some Thoughts about Weight Loss Idea One: An Idea About Continental Embassies Idea Two: Pooled Funding and Voting ========== My Plan for Weight Loss My body mass index is, as I recall, 36, just over line into "obese," as opposed to just overweight, which is under 35

Chained and Devoured by Wild Beasts

2011-04-23T11:10:00.001-04:00

Mary of Nazareth and "I Do Not Believe in Atheists." By John Taylor; 2011 Apr 23, Jalal 13, 168 BE Our local Super Video store is casting off its old VHS cassettes, giving piles of them away for free. Many films are therefore coming my way that otherwise might never do, including a copy of "The Message" (the only Hollywood movie about the life of His Holiness Muhammad, which I searched

Escutcheons

2011-04-19T10:23:00.001-04:00

Six Stages of Reform By John Taylor; 2011 Apr 19, Jalal 11, 168 BE Comments on Panorthosia, Chapter 19: "Concerning The Initial Stages Of Universal Reform And Its Subsequent Progress Towards Success, And Explaining What Is Required For Its Wise Execution." The mind of John Amos Comenius was rooted in the Middle Ages. I mean, in a good way. In fact, to grasp his medieval

Towards a Pinocchio Law

2011-04-16T14:23:00.001-04:00

Foolishness in the News, Real Roots of Competition By John Taylor; 2011 Apr 16, Jalal 07, 168 BE There are several chapters in my book-in-progress on John Amos Comenius and Panorthosia that deal with wisdom. Universal wisdom, pansophy, is, for him, a precondition of world order. As I write about wisdom and pansophy, I try not to comment on the news. If I do that too much, I

Thoughts about the Canadian Election

2011-04-13T00:07:00.001-04:00

My former college roommate, Marius Marsh, wrote the following editorial, which I include without alteration. At the end, though, I added an interesting assessment of the fairness of Canadian democracy, which I just stumbled across, called: "On the quality of Canada's electoral system." Dear Friends I am urging you to consider an extremely serious issue regarding the

Come the Postliminium

2011-04-08T11:47:00.001-04:00

Preparing for a Postliminium This is a draft of a chapter in my book-in-progress, Cosmopolis Earth Section Title: Cosmopolitan Leadership By John Taylor; 2011 Apr 08, Baha 18, 168 BE Preparing for a Postliminium A New Trivium Comenius envisaged the introduction of two new professions, the tribune and the magistrate, as well as the RTC-ROC, or the right to advisors

Towards an Advisory System

2011-04-07T07:19:00.001-04:00

We just discussed two new professions, tribune and magistrate, that were proposed in Panorthosia. Comenius apparently wanted to phase these in at a later stage, when legal standards of world government are established. Their precursors, the guardians, would come before. These will be discussed in the next section of this book. The guardians would be tasked with founding the three Comenian

Senate of the World

2011-03-29T14:58:00.001-04:00

Prospective Chapter from Cosmopolis Earth The Senate of the World Thoughts about Panorthosia, Chapter Fifteen Chapter 15 of Panorthosia: "Concerning the necessity of correctly establishing all our constitutions once they are correctly set up, by means of three supreme Courts or Tribunals as guardians of the age of happiness; and the form which these ought to take." In Panorthosia,

Darrell Elmer Rodgers - "Seven"

2011-03-21T13:38:00.000-04:00

In July 2010 I recorded and produced a song called "Seven". It's a tribute to the Baha'is imprisoned in Iran for no other reason than their religious belief. Particularly, it refers to the seven Iranian Baha'is imprisoned for their leadership role in ministering to the needs of other oppressed Baha'is there.Recently we received word that conditions have worsened, so I have made this video

Laura Harley Talks About The Baha'i Fast & Sings A Prayer

2011-03-21T13:33:00.000-04:00

Fastin' Time song

2011-03-21T13:31:00.000-04:00

President's Naw Ruz Message (Mentions Baha'i)

2011-03-21T13:20:00.000-04:00

The Esslemont Rap By Blair Cameron and Nadim Merrikh HD

2011-03-21T13:15:00.000-04:00

Chapter from Persons Beyond Borders, My Book in Progress

2011-03-20T12:08:00.001-04:00

Reflecting the Nature of Things A Grand Simplification Throughout his life, John Amos Comenius kept to his vision of a grand unification of knowledge through wisdom. In his early career, Comenius worked out revolutionary educational reforms eliciting learning not from rote or force but direct observations by students. Knowledge, he believed, is not a commodity that can be passed

Knights of AHW1

2011-03-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

Follow the Instructions By John Taylor; 2011 Mar 06, Ala 05, 167 BE Follow the Instructions, by Jenabe E. Caldwell, Indian Publishing Trust, Baha’i Publishing Trust, New Delhi, 1998 A certain Baha'i publishing trust noted that I am a blogger a few years ago and sent me a letter in which they promised to send me a newly published book, my choice of three options, if I would review it

Haldimand Monthly Fireside Notice

2011-03-02T11:27:00.001-05:00

Baha’i Principles Series A Key to Loving This book, A Key to Loving, by local author Betty Frost discusses ideas from the Baha’i Writings, like: “The first principle of divine guidance is love,” and, “The most important feat in this day is harmony and agreement.” Featured Speaker: Betty Frost Wednesday, March 9, 2011 8 PM Garfield Disher Room, Dunnville Branch,

March discussion

2011-03-02T11:17:00.001-05:00

Philosopher’s Café This month’s topic of discussion: “Knowledge and World View” Thursday, March 10 6:30 p.m. in the Library’s meeting room Every second Thursday of the month. Everyone is welcome. Drop in for a lively discussion. There is no fee to participate. No formal philosophy training required; real life experience desired. Wainfleet Township Public Library

Sharing a Show

2011-03-01T14:02:00.001-05:00

The Ricky Gervais Show I enjoy the comic genius of Ricky Gervais. His depiction of an impervious, self-contradicting boss man in the original British version of the TV program "The Office," is absolutely hilarious. You listen to this egotistical maniac with a mixture of horror and dismay. How can anybody put his foot that far into his mouth and not suffocate? Gervais performance is based

Peter Principle as Vital Energy

2011-02-28T20:22:00.001-05:00

A Further Remark on the Peter Principle By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 25, Mulk 19, 167 BE Yesterday I wrote an essay about the Peter Principle, a book that influenced me greatly in my youth. I happened to check over the Wikipedia article about that yesterday and Peter's thesis is not as special as I thought. It is derived from a broader idea, the tendency to use a tool until it either breaks

Thoughts about the Peter Principle

2011-02-24T17:01:00.001-05:00

Wisdom Before Justice By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 24, Mulk 18, 167 BE The Peter Principle and "Unsought Appointment." Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, "The Peter Principle, Why Things Always Go Wrong," William Morrow and Company, New York, 1969 I just finished reading once more a book that was a bestseller in my formative years, "The Peter Principle, Why Things Always Go Wrong.

Social Media Explained Visually

2011-02-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Just back from Louhelen

2011-02-22T22:58:00.001-05:00

Be Kind to Your Institutional Friends By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 22, Mulk 16, 167 BE We just got back from our weekend at Louhelen Baha'i School, and after that a short visit to my brother, who also lives in Michigan. While browsing in the bookstore, I happened to come across a statement by the House of Justice to the effect that our society has many prejudices against institutions, and

Silvie's Declaration

2011-02-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

The message by the fireside's fireside. Silvie, Mrs Aghdas Javid, and her brother Thomas From Mrs. Javid's Fireside The speaker, Tracy. A rare photo, someone actually signing their declaration card. Not a reenactment, the real deal. All praise be to God!

Praxeology

2011-02-16T14:53:00.001-05:00

Praxeology; Truth in Language, Ethics in Action By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 16, Mulk 10, 167 BE The birth of science in the Sixteenth Century was accompanied by dozens of attempts to devise artificial languages that would approach the perfect, primal language that Adam was thought to have invented in Eden. Invented languages were all the rage among progressive thinkers. Many new languages

Get rid of the Vampire Squids

2011-02-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.giantvampiresquid.org/?utm_source=nef+%28the+new+economics+foundation%29+List&utm_campaign=416bf0a2a3-The_Great_Transition_February_2011&utm_medium=email

Pansophy

2011-02-12T12:43:00.001-05:00

After World Peace, What? By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 12, Mulk 06, 167 BE After we set up a world government and peace has been made secure and permanent, then what? This is not a question that can be set aside, for its answer will provide the very desire to bring cosmopolitanism into being. We know intuitively that boundless material growth is physically impossible. The earth's

Lesley Hazleton: On reading the Koran | Video on TED.com

2011-02-12T12:06:00.001-05:00

Lesley Hazleton: On reading the Koran | Video on TED.com Lesley Hazleton sat down one day to read the Koran. And what she found -- as a non-Muslim, a self-identified "tourist" in the Islamic holy book -- wasn't what she expected. With serious scholarship and warm humor, Hazleton shares the grace, flexibility and mystery she found, in this myth-debunking talk. Lesley Hazleton explores the

Citizen Physicians

2011-02-11T20:52:00.001-05:00

Citizen Physicians 2011 Feb 10, Mulk 04, 167 BE; Citizen Physicians Precis: An ordered state engages citizens in wisdom. Such is the goal of dialectic. A dialectician is an expert in making questions of right, law and ethics the main concern of popular, routine conversations. Dialectics progresses by experimenting with the logic of law. It tries this logic out in words before law informs action

Noam Chomsky on the role of sports in propaganda-based authority

2011-02-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Aristocracy of the Wise

2011-02-09T19:21:00.001-05:00

Meritocracy and Noocracy By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 09, Mulk 03, 167 BE Socrates and Plato envisioned a profession -- or perhaps more exactly a role or phase for existing trades and professions -- that they called a dialectician. Let us dwell for a time on dialectics, conversations directed by an expert, since it is impossible to imagine a Cosmopolis without it. Dialectics is

Men in the House

2011-02-08T17:21:00.001-05:00

By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 08, Mulk 02, 167 BE The following I wrote a few years ago and a friend has asked to see it. So I am reposting it, slightly revised. It is my take on one of the most frequently asked questions we get, why no women on the UHJ? Why, why are only men allowed on the Universal House of Justice? Why, why, are only men obliged to go on pilgrimage in the Baha'i

Quelling Gossip

2011-02-08T14:40:00.001-05:00

How can you avoid backbiting? At last night's Ruhi Book VIII meeting someone asked how you avoid backbiting, especially with a persistent non-Baha'i. Her friend does not think of gossip as a bad thing and has an engrained habit of idly talking against others. What should I do? Do I have to break off the relationship? One member of our group, Muhammad, made a brilliant suggestion. What

Chapter Seven; Cosmopolis Earth

2011-02-07T14:24:00.001-05:00

Law and the Socratic Dialectician By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 07, Mulk 01, 167 BE Ancient Athens attracted many geniuses, including the first philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They witnessed Lycurgus's attempt in Sparta to establish equality, and Pericles' experimentation in Athens with democracy and liberty. They analyzed why both of these failed to last, and speculated on how

Two Stories

2011-02-06T17:02:00.001-05:00

Two New Stories told by the Master Review: Stories Told by Abdu’l-Baha, Compiled by Amir Badiei, George Ronald, Oxford, 2007 Our daily Baha’i class has been enlivened over the past few months by “Stories Told by 'Abdu’l-Baha,” by Amir Badiei. I borrowed this book from the Hamilton Baha’i library in hopes of getting something interesting for the kids, but to my surprise this book

Children’s Class Report

2011-02-02T16:33:00.001-05:00

What will you be doing in the future? Friday, January 28, 2011 We have a daily Baha'i class and it is with great anticipation that we get our copy of Brilliant Star. Yesterday we opened it up and the kids went for the following as their first article to read and participate in. Here is what it says: Traveling through Time Hir-r-r-r-r. Clink. Screeeeech. Z0000m!"

Chapter Six and a Half of Cosmopolis Earth

2011-02-02T12:48:00.001-05:00

Three Orders of Magistrate By John Taylor; 2011 Feb 02, Sultan 15, 167 BE In China, government is not a distant presence; families consider the state to be the head of the household. Districts, neighbourhoods and other local divisions are given official status as levels of government, unlike the informal organizations or pressure groups that localities tend to be elsewhere. Some local

Error in Ruhi Book VIII

2011-01-31T15:50:00.003-05:00

Error in Pre-Publication version of Ruhi Book Eight By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 31, Sultan 13, 167 BE In Book Eight our Ruhi book tells of the Master's visit to America. At our study circle I suggested that the authors had made a minor mistake in their narrative. Here is the passage in question, from page 47 of the study text: ========== "Among the many events associated with His

Two UHJ's?

2011-01-28T17:04:00.002-05:00

What defines our Baha'i-dom? jet, Jan 28, 2011: Here are three interesting quotes from the Master about the Covenant. They say that beginnings and ends are the most important, that you leave the best for last, and the Master certainly did that in America. In November, when He was preparing to leave for England, He spoke again and again about the Covenant. He held banquets in New York and

Can you believe it?

2011-01-28T16:09:00.001-05:00

JANUARY 28, 2011 Internet Essay Teaching Opportunity I was just listening to Arnold Toynbee's Credo on the old radio program "This I believe," and found that it is now a web site on which you can submit your own essay. The guidelines for writing it are at: http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/ I did a search for the word "Baha'i" and found only a few references, listed below. Maybe some

Next Chapter of Cosmo-Earth

2011-01-27T15:46:00.001-05:00

Touristic Democracy By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 27, Sultan 09, 167 BE Legislators often give visitors and school tours limited access to their facilities. In recent years, parliaments, senates and congresses have been invaded by live video feeds and entire television networks are devoted to politics. As we transition from nationalism to a cosmopolitan order, contact with the public will

Chapter Sixteen; Cosmopolis

2011-01-25T15:55:00.002-05:00

The Architecture of Terra City By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 21, Sultan 03, 167 BE JANUARY 25, 2011 Chapter Sixteen; Cosmopolis The Architecture of Terra City As we have seen, for the first century or so the global capitol is called Terra City; it rotates around the planet. Its capitol buildings are entirely utilitarian with no specific style, or even a single, static location. Rather they

ISS Tour - Welcome To The International Space Station!

2011-01-23T19:57:00.000-05:00

The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility, which is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011. The station will remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020.With a greater mass than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from the Earth

Chapter Fifteen, Cosmopolis Earth

2011-01-22T12:38:00.001-05:00

A Rotating Global Capitol By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 22, Sultan 04, 167 BE It may take a century, ten decade plans, or more for the local, continental and global governments envisioned by Comenius to come into full flower. In the next volume of this book series I will suggest possible physical features of the massive planet-wide building project that will accompany the formation of these

On cows as philosophers

2011-01-18T20:47:00.001-05:00

"Strange indeed that after twenty years training in colleges and universities man should reach such a station wherein he will deny the existence of the ideal or that which is not perceptible to the senses. Have you ever stopped to think that the animal already has graduated from such a university? Have you ever realized that the cow is already a professor emeritus of that university? For

Two Book Reviews

2011-01-17T15:51:00.001-05:00

A Biography of Muhammad, PBUH; Plus, All You Can Eat of Samaric Democracy By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 17, Sharaf 18, 167 BE A mixed bag of books recently completed... I am very much a slow reader; it takes years and determination to get through many books I read. I often forget the start by the time I get to the end. What is worse, lately when it comes to a choice between a screen and a page, too

Recapitulation Redux

2011-01-16T10:55:00.001-05:00

Recapitulating the Planning Decade By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 16, Sharaf 17, 167 BE In order to become cosmopolitans, we must all agree that teaching is not just for professional educators, that politics is not only for elected politicians, and that charity and good works are not only for clergy and committed believers. Somehow we need to prepare and involve everyone on the planet in such

Odetta and Aghdas

2011-01-14T15:12:00.002-05:00

Odetta and Aghdas /* default css */ table { font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; } tr { text-align: left; } div, address, ol, ul, li, option, select { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; } p { margin: 0px; } body { margin: 6px; padding: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; background-color

Odetta Live in concert 2005, "House of the Rising Sun"

2011-01-14T07:12:00.000-05:00

World Decade Plan

2011-01-11T12:10:00.001-05:00

Regularity and Popularity of the Comenian Decade By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 11, Sharaf 12, 167 BE The plan outlined above is an implement to correct our collective vision. A political order oriented around regularly returning principles would set up a different standard of comparison for leaders. Instead of competing with their immediate predecessor -- often even undoing the accomplishments

Ruhi Book 8 Photo and Comment

2011-01-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

Here are some members of our Ruhi Book 8 institute, Aghdas Javid, Larry, Joe, Mohammad, Colleen, Beth and Ninaz. Tangential Comment Last time our Ruhi Book 8 session discussed the question, “What does one say to those who might whisper insinuations attacking the covenant?” I happened to come across this account of the Master doing same while His party were shipboard, on the way to New York.

Chapter Eleven of Cosmo-Earth

2011-01-06T10:31:00.001-05:00

A Comenian Decade By John Taylor; 2011 Jan 05, Sharaf 06, 167 BE Democracy's Short Horizon An inability to carry out plans over the long term has long been among the most galling stumbling blocks of governance. Temporal considerations are the fatal flaw of democracy. As presently organized, the system does not permit programs or policy to look forward much further than five or

Nancy Ackerman to speak in Dunnville on Consultation

2011-01-03T14:35:00.001-05:00

Today's Badi' Blog Essay /* default css */ table { font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; } tr { text-align: left; } div, address, ol, ul, li, option, select { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; } p { margin: 0px; } body {

At the Table or on the Menu

2011-01-01T09:19:00.001-05:00

Planet Wide Planning redacted: 2011 Jan 03, Sharaf 04, 167 BE The most brilliant and pregnant idea arising out of Panorthosia is its suggestion that world leaders stage a comprehensive planning conference every ten years. Consider what has happened on the world stage without such a policy. Lacking a regular, open planning process, for several decades world leaders have gotten together on their

Cosmopolitan Leadership

2010-12-30T16:36:00.001-05:00

Cosmopolitan Leadership; Summation and Prospect By John Taylor; 2010 Dec 30, Masa'il 19, 167 BE Panorthosia addresses many questions that are being skipped over in our globalizing but still un-cosmopolitan world. We have gone over Comenius' answer to the question: how do we eliminate corruption, fanaticism and partisan thinking? Other crucial questions are: how would a cosmopolitan

R. P. Feynman and the difference between knowing the name of something a...

2010-12-30T01:09:00.000-05:00

Dr. Gabor Maté on ADHD, Bullying and the Destruction of American Childhood

2010-12-28T10:14:00.003-05:00

A spike in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mental disorders has fueled an unprecedented reliance on pharmaceutical medications to treat children, with long-term effects that remain unknown. We speak with Canadian physician and bestselling author, Dr. Gabor Maté. He argues that these responses are treating surface symptoms as causes while ignoring deeper

Planning for the Supreme Law

2010-12-28T09:41:00.001-05:00

The Precedent of U.N. Planning Years "Salus populi suprema lex." (Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.) The United Nations in the fifty-plus years of its existence has so far succeeded in staving off the ultimate disaster, a nuclear war among states. By this criterion alone, it justifies every penny spent on its upkeep. Although the UNO comprises one of the larger bureaucracies

The Story of Electronics (2010)

2010-12-28T08:43:00.000-05:00

Raccoon and the Jevons Paradox

2010-12-20T11:37:00.001-05:00

Moving Like Raccoon (revision of an early chapter of Cosmopolis Earth) By John Taylor; 2010 Dec 20, Masa'il 10, 167 BE When my children were young, they had a favourite toy which they called their "raccoon" -- we got it second-hand but I later found out that this toy is marketed as a "Weazel Ball". Raccoon consisted of a yellow plastic ball with a fluffy, brown and white "tail" connected to it

On Phlegm and Our Nightly Study Session

2010-12-20T10:55:00.001-05:00

Exchange with Thomas This happened last night. I was in the middle of some routine maintenance task -- we have four people in the upper level of this house, with five computers, one television and a total of eight screens here in this living room. In spite of that there is always a line up with severe competition for one of these screens. I am almost always fixing something that has gone wrong.