All posts tagged: hope

Christian Nationalism and Hate Violence: What Can We Do?

Christian Nationalism and Hate Violence: What Can We Do?

Published by skeptic

 This week, Zev Mishell, National Programs Associate at Interfaith Alliance, joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss the intersection of systemic violence, hate crimes, and religious and political ideologies in America. Zev is the author of Interfaith Alliance’s new report, Together Against Hate, which closely analyzes how interfaith movements can address hate-based violence by uniting across differences while also examining how White Christian Nationalism is driving the alarming rise of hate in America. The report comprises case studies of successful strategies, practical recommendations, and a guide to organizations working to combat hate and extremism in the U.S. It is based on extensive research and interviews with nearly two dozen advocacy organizations dedicated to faith-based organizing, upholding civil rights and confronting hate. The full report will be released on Monday, January 13th, on the Interfaith Alliance website. “Religion is contextual, and it can manifest itself in extremely damaging and violent ways. It can divide us from one another. It can create supremacist outlooks. It can create and be influenced by ethno-nationalist outlooks. And maybe …

A Mesmerizing Tale of Grief and Hope

A Mesmerizing Tale of Grief and Hope

Published by skeptic

In her latest novel “After Life,” acclaimed author Gayle Forman ventures into new territory, blending contemporary young adult fiction with elements of magical realism to create a profound meditation on grief, memory, and the complexities of human connection. Known for emotionally resonant works like “If I Stay” and “I Was Here,” Forman once again demonstrates her masterful ability to navigate difficult themes while maintaining a delicate balance between heartbreak and hope. The story centers on Amber Crane, who returns home one spring afternoon, seven years after her death in a bicycle accident. What follows is not just a tale of resurrection, but a deeply layered exploration of how death ripples through a community, reshaping relationships and forcing confrontations with uncomfortable truths. Narrative Structure & Storytelling Forman employs a sophisticated narrative structure, alternating between Amber’s present-day perspective and flashbacks from various characters’ points of view. These shifting timelines and viewpoints create a rich tapestry that reveals how a single life – and death – can impact countless others in unexpected ways. The author’s decision to tell …

The ‘new China’ in Thailand: ‘if you want hope, you have to leave’ – video | Thailand

The ‘new China’ in Thailand: ‘if you want hope, you have to leave’ – video | Thailand

Published by Sam

After 30 years of relentless growth and capitalism, a new trend has emerged in China. The search for a simpler, calmer life is leading some Chinese people to seek a life abroad. The trend is so popular that it’s gained its own internet buzzword: the ‘run philosophy’. Chiang mai, in northern Thailand is the country’s second biggest city. It’s a tourist hotspot popular with backpackers but has recently become an unlikely second home for thousands of Chinese people seeking alternative lifestyles. Source link

The Gift of Hope: Tap Into Its Transformative Power

The Gift of Hope: Tap Into Its Transformative Power

Published by skeptic

Source: Nina Cerfolio I think we can all agree, it’s been a year. As we approach the quiet moments between years to reflect on the last year we’ve lived through, you may find that along with milestones and happy memories, you might also carry the weight of disappointment, loss, or unmet expectations. Perhaps this past year brought challenges you never anticipated—fractured relationships, professional setbacks, or the continuing echoes of global unrest. Yet in this space of reflection, we find an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to choose hope as a compass for the journey ahead. For those navigating disappointment, or when things look bleak, remember: Hope is a powerful antidote. It can orient you to a brighter future and lighten your load. There’s science to prove it. Luckily, hope is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and strengthened. The Science of Hope Research shows that hope isn’t just a feeling, it’s a powerful catalyst for resilience. Studies in positive psychology reveal that hopeful individuals: Experience better mental and physical health outcomes Demonstrate greater problem-solving abilities …

The Broken Places by Mia Sheridan: Exploring Darkness and Hope

The Broken Places by Mia Sheridan: Exploring Darkness and Hope

Published by skeptic

In her latest psychological thriller, The Broken Places, bestselling author Mia Sheridan weaves an intricate tale of trauma, healing, and unexpected love against the gritty backdrop of San Francisco’s underbelly. Following the success of her previous works like Bad Mother and All the Little Raindrops, Sheridan once again proves her masterful ability to blend romance with intense psychological suspense. Plot & Narrative Structure The story follows Inspector Lennon Gray, a complex protagonist struggling with her own past trauma while investigating a series of bizarre murders involving homeless individuals and an unknown hallucinogenic drug. When FBI Agent Ambrose Mars joins her investigation, the narrative takes on multiple layers of intrigue, exploring not just the central mystery but also themes of personal redemption and healing. Sheridan employs a unique narrative structure, interspersing the main storyline with podcast transcripts that provide crucial backstory and context. This innovative approach adds depth to the secondary characters while maintaining the story’s momentum. The author also effectively uses flashbacks to reveal Ambrose’s troubled past, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected lives and …

Philippines’ Marcos congratulates Trump, pins hope on ‘unshakeable alliance’

Philippines’ Marcos congratulates Trump, pins hope on ‘unshakeable alliance’

Published by Sam

Marcos said he looked forward to working with Trump “on a wide range of issues that will yield mutual benefits to two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, common vision, and a long history of working together”. He added: “I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity, in the region, and in both sides of the Pacific.” As the US polling places closed earlier on Wednesday, Filipino ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Manila was confident of the future of the partnership. “For all the speculation on what these elections mean for the Philippines, I can confidently say that the Philippines-US partnership will endure under any US presidency,” Romualdez told a security forum in Manila. Source link

In North Carolina, sound of chainsaws brings hope as faith-based workers clear roads

In North Carolina, sound of chainsaws brings hope as faith-based workers clear roads

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — In the days since Hurricane Helene swept through mostly rural areas of nine states, Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Service, has been working to make plans for how to best respond, despite spotty phone service due to downed cell towers and roads and bridges that have been washed out or blocked by fallen trees. On Tuesday (Oct. 1), King was cheered as disaster relief workers from Mennonite communities around Ohio and Pennsylvania arrived outside Asheville, North Carolina, with chainsaws and earth-moving equipment to help clear the back roads as government services focus on main thoroughfares as well as search and rescue. “It’s good to hear sounds of chainsaws bringing hope,” he said. Six more Mennonite heavy equipment operators are expected to start work Wednesday, bringing the total volunteers on site to about 30, said King.  “It’s hard to say how long this will continue,” he said. “A disaster this complex, with roads and bridges washed out, there’s still communities that are hard to get to.” While the Mennonite efforts are most immediately …

Unlocking mitochondrial secrets: New hope for Parkinson’s treatment

Unlocking mitochondrial secrets: New hope for Parkinson’s treatment

Published by José

In 1817, a British physician named James Parkinson published An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, describing for the first time cases of a neurodegenerative disorder now known as Parkinson’s disease. Today, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the U.S. It affects about 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide. The signature shaking in patients with the disease is the result of dying brain cells that control movement. To date, there are no treatments available that can stop or slow down the death of those cells. We are researchers who study Parkinson’s disease. For over a decade, our lab has been investigating the role that mitochondria – the powerhouses that fuel cells – play in Parkinson’s. Our research has identified a key protein that could lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other brain conditions. Mitochondrial dynamics and neurodegeneration Unlike actual power plants, which are set in size and location, mitochondria are rather dynamic. They constantly shift in size, number and location, traveling between many different parts of …

Torrents of Magpies, Spheres of Hope | Marina Warner

Torrents of Magpies, Spheres of Hope | Marina Warner

Published by skeptic

Shut in a closet lit only by a high air vent through which a sunbeam enters at a certain hour, the narrator of The Plotinus has no place to lie down. This nameless “incarcerate,” barely covered in a sack and provided with an occasional pair of socks, endures conditions of abjection and torment that recall those of the prisoners in Abu Ghraib. Hoping that someone out there might decipher his “desperate rappings,” he taps out his story in code on the air vent (he “knuckles” it). Flashes of stoical humor bring him close to the protagonist of Kafka’s “The Burrow,” or to Winnie in her pile of sand in Beckett’s Happy Days and Hamm and Clov in Endgame; his voice, formal and restrained, is a rueful witness to the inhumanity of the future that is upon us. The Plotinus is a novella, Rikki Ducornet’s fifteenth work of fiction, if collections of short stories are included. Published last year—the year she turned eighty—it is a succinct parable of lockdown and turns that recent worldwide experience into …

‘I hope he loses’: Jeremy Hunt facing uphill battle in Godalming as voters long for change | General election 2024

‘I hope he loses’: Jeremy Hunt facing uphill battle in Godalming as voters long for change | General election 2024

Published by skeptic

The beautiful Surrey Hills are well known for two things: a high concentration of some of the UK’s richest residents, who commute from the “stockbroker belt” to well-paying jobs in London, and some of the country’s most popular cycling routes. The two combined on a recent chilly Saturday morning in a 100km bike ride that passed through the picturesque lanes of the newly created Godalming and Ash constituency. Most of the 10 riders from Velo Club Godalming Haslemere were happy to chat politics as they pedalled up (and down) 1,168 metres of the county’s steepest hills on customised carbon-fibre racing bikes, some of which cost more than a family car. Godalming town centre. Photograph: Teri Pengilley/The Guardian Steve Street, 55, a retired engineering consultant who has lived in Godalming for more than 30 years, was excited about the election, as the constituency could be one of the tightest races in the country. “I hope he loses,” Street said of Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, who has held the former seat of South West Surrey since 2005. …