Inside Higher Ed: "I understood their desires and motivations. Before I had actually worked in Cambodia, I had experienced all these feelings. And I believe in the incomparable benefits of international experience and education. However, I’ve also found myself growing protective both of a country that I know needs more than just to be someone’s springboard (including my own) and of the students and professionals who may not have fully considered the impact of their plans on themselves and Cambodians."

Via Danny Fisher:

Comic Book Religion, an exhaustive compilation of information about comic book characters and their religious practices, affiliations, etc. -- including 158 Buddhist characters.

I have been very busy lately! We finished the Madres group. We start the group again in January, and we will focus on values. There is always a cultural component in this group because all the members are Latinas. My co-facilitator is from Colombia. The clients are normally from Mexico so it is a pretty interesting cultural mix.

I finish my training in SFBT this Wednesday, and I am going on vacation to Puerto Rico. Taking a break is also very important. Therapy is demanding and overwhelming. Self-care is essential.

I have additional clients: a new family and a new adult. I have noticed that one of the most prevailing themes that come up for woman in therapy is self image. I am considering creating a group to discuss self image issues. In the Contemplative Psychotherapy program we talk a lot about Maitri or loving kindness. Having compassion for oneself and others is one of the most important things for healing.

Society often pressures women with messages that we are not pretty enough, not skinny enough, not good enough. If my clients have the opportunity to experience that they are intrinsically good, this will allow them to see themselves in a new, more open and friendly way.

The group experience would consist of a series of mindfulness exercises so they can be in touch with their bodies. I am curious and excited to see what comes up for them. Our bodies are an expression of our wisdom. Having a direct experience with our bodies helps us relate to our experiences in a courageous way. Making contact with our bodies can also trigger a lot of anxiety. I have to be aware of this and create a safe environment for my clients. I’m going to work on the curriculum for this group on my break.

Via Making Light:

"With your support, we will translate the book into four Burmese languages: Burmese, Karen, Chin and Kachin. The money will go to support Burmese activists living in Thailand, Bangladesh and India who will be translating it into the local languages. Each page of translation will cost approximately $3.60. By supporting this project, you're not only helping get Little Brother into Burma, you're supporting the livelihood of Burmese activists. The book will help teach people to protect themselves by doing such things as running applications from a USB drive, using block encryption to safeguard data on a USB stick, and hiding your encrypted data in a deniable format in the event of capture and torture."

Saturday 12/12, Sunday 12/13: CLOSED

Monday 12/14 - Friday 12/18: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday 12/19, Sunday 12/20: CLOSED

Monday 12/21 - Wednesday 12/23: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thursday 12/24 - Sunday 1/3: CLOSED

Monday 1/4 - Friday 1/8: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday 1/9, Sunday 1/10: CLOSED

Regular schedule resumes Monday 1/11/10.

Note: The Paramita Library Services Desk will be closed for intersession and holidays from Saturday 12/12/09 through Sunday 1/10/10.

MSNBC has the full text.

Inside Higher Ed: "Roman Catholic universities continue to discuss (and to receive flack for, in the case of the controversy over President Obama's commencement talk at the University of Notre Dame this year) the way they balance their various missions. A new book, Where is Knowing Going?: The Horizons of the Knowing Subject (Georgetown University Press) examines these issues based on discussions with those who teach at and lead Catholic universities."

Via Historiann:

"Publishers Weekly recently announced their Best Books Of 2009 list. Of their top ten, chosen by editorial staff, no books written by women were included. Quoted in The Huffington Post, PW confidently admitted that they’re 'not the most politically correct' choices. This statement comes in a year in which new books appeared by writers such as Lorrie Moore, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, Rita Dove, Heather McHugh and Alicia Ostriker."

Via Matt Yglesias:

"December should be national Green-Free Month. Instead of continuing our faddish and counterproductive emphasis on small, voluntary actions, we should follow the example of Americans during past moral crises and work toward large-scale change. The country's last real moral and social revolution was set in motion by the civil rights movement. And in the 1960s, civil rights activists didn't ask bigoted Southern governors and sheriffs to consider '10 Ways to Go Integrated' at their convenience."

"Planetary Skin is an innovative platform that meets the need for 'a trusted decision information infrastructure.' A massive global system that monitors environmental conditions, Planetary Skin enables effective decision-making in the private / public sectors and in communities by providing data collected from a myriad of sources, including space, airborne, maritime, terrestrial, and people-based sensor networks. This data is mined, modelled, analyzed, and reported over an intelligent Web 2.0 network platform."

"PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard."

Via Global Voices Online:

"Nomad Green is a citizen media project dedicated to raise environmental awareness of Mongolian citizens and global readers and to improve living condition of all creatures on this land."

Come join us for a faculty book signing sponsored by Academic Affairs.

Karen Kissel Wegela
"The Courage To Be Present: Buddhism, Psychotherapy & The Awakening Of Natural Wisdom"

Gaylon Ferguson
"Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Are Born With"

Monday December 7
5pm - 6pm
Shambhala Hall
Naropa University, Arapahoe Campus

Light refreshments will be served

Global Voices Online: "On Sunday, November 29, 57.5% of Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of new minarets atop mosques, paving the way for a constitutional amendment. The referendum will affect the building of new minarets – not mosques – and will not affect Switzerland's four existing minarets."