Can Faith Slow Climate Change?
Give us all a reverence for the Earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

The prayer was recited regularly by a young Sally Bingham growing up in San Francisco.

Only years later, as an ordained Episcopal Church priest, did Bingham realize something was amiss with the childhood supplication. Read full story from scientificamerican.com

Headless Scorpio Seeking Answers
In a past life I was beheaded on the battlefield, and I’m unable to release my hatred towards the man who killed me. That’s the only professional explanation that I’ve received for my chronic upper back pain, and I’m not convinced of its validity. Thus far, my supernatural queries have failed to explain my life, yet I continue to consult the paranormal for answers.

The allure of the occult stems from my interest in explaining the vagaries of the world. My astrologist, Deb, who thankfully is also the chef at my fraternity house, attributes my fascination to the fact that I’m a Scorpio. She also tells me I should date a Pisces. Why a fish and a scorpion make a good combo is beyond me, but she’s my go-to gal for these matters. Read full story from cornellsun.com

Islands fear “end of history” due to climate changes
CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) – Some low-lying island nations face the “end of history” due to rising sea levels unless the world takes stronger action to slow global warming, a spokesman said at U.N. climate talks on Monday.

Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands and the Maldives were most at risk, said Antonio Monteiro Lima, a delegate of Cape Verde who is vice-chair of the 43-member Alliance of Small Island States. Read full story from Scientificamerican.com

7 Herbal Remedies You Already Have in Your Kitchen (PHOTOS)
Many people have asked me if I eat differently since writing “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life” with Chinese medicine experts Yuan Wang, L.Ac., and Warren Sheir, L.Ac. The answer is “Yes, but not always in the way you might imagine.”

Some formerly exotic foods have become familiar (Lotus root? Bring it on!), but a larger shift involves the way I look at many of the ingredients that were already on my kitchen shelf.

Here are seven familiar foods and spices that I have come to appreciate for their therapeutic properties in the 3000-year-old East Asian tradition of treating — and preventing — physical ailments through diet. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

Stonehenge ‘was built by rolling stones using giant wicker baskets’
It is one of the abiding mysteries of Britain’s Neolithic past.

For all the awe-inspiring wonder of the standing stones at Stonehenge no one has ever worked out how our ancient ancestors were able to heave boulders weighing many tonnes over such huge distances.

But now an engineer and former BBC presenter believes he has come up with a theory which explains how the giant stones were moved.

Garry Lavin believes that the engineers who built Stonehenge used wicker basket-work to ‘roll’ the huge boulders all the way from Wales to their present location. Read full story from dailymail.co.uk

Judge issues permanent injunction on Oklahoma Sharia law ban
A federal judge in Oklahoma has issued an order putting on hold the certification of a ballot measure that forbids state courts from considering or using international laws, as well as Sharia, or Islamic law.

That permanent injunction will allow the judge more time to consider the constitutional issues raised by State Question 755, which was approved by voters earlier this month.

Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange had earlier issued a temporary restraining order in favor of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which had sued to nullify the law completely. Read full story from cnn.com

Gardens: Things to do in December
The leaves are down from the trees now, the light falling to earth for the first time in half a year. We have had frost, even in the microclimate of London, and there is no denying it, winter is with us. There’s a host of jobs to do now that the growing side of things is out of the way, but you need to be strategic over the next few months to work with the weather. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Onondaga Nation faces new environmental threat: Fracking
NEDROW, N.Y. – The Onondaga, a member nation of the Haudenosaunee Iroquois Confederacy and long leaders as healers of the environment face a new threat: Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The technique, used for much of today’s natural gas extraction shoots chemicals mixed with millions of gallons of sand and water thousands of feet underground to break apart the rock, allowing more gas to escape and flow out of a well.

Complaints have soared as fracking has expanded across the country. “Every state where this is going on, people’s water is contaminated,” said Joseph Heath, general legal counsel to the Onondaga Nation. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Father Loses Custody of His Children for Being Agnostic (source Live Leak)