Science Finds God
December 24, 2008The Achievements Of Modern Science Seem To Contradict Religion And Undermine Faith. But For A Growing Number Of Scientists, The Same Discoveries Offer Support For Spirituality And Hints Of The Very Nature Of God.
THE MORE DEEPLY SCIENTISTS see into the secrets of the universe, you’d expect, the more God would fade away from their hearts and minds. But that’s not how it went for Allan Sandage. Now slightly stooped and white-haired at 72, Sandage has spent a professional lifetime coaxing secrets out of the stars, peering through telescopes from Chile to California in the hope of spying nothing less than the origins and destiny of the universe. As much as any other 20th-century astronomer, Sandage actually figured it out: his observations of distant stars showed how fast the universe is expanding and how old it is (15 billion years or so). But through it all Sandage, who says he was “”almost a practicing atheist as a boy,'’ was nagged by mysteries whose answers were not to be found in the glittering panoply of supernovas. Among them: why is there something rather than nothing? Sandage began to despair of answering such questions through reason alone, and so, at 50 , he willed himself to accept God. “”It was my science that drove me to the conclusion that the world is much more complicated than can be explained by science,'’ he says. “”It is only through the supernatural that I can understand the mystery of existence.'’
Something surprising is happening between those two old warhorses science and religion.
Historically, they have alternated between mutual support and bitter enmity. Although religious doctrine midwifed the birth of the experimental method centuries ago (following story), faith and reason soon parted ways. Galileo, Darwin and others whose research challenged church dogma were branded heretics, and the polite way to reconcile science and theology was to simply agree that each would keep to its own realm: science would ask, and answer, empirical questions like “”what'’ and “”how'’; religion would confront the spiritual, wondering “”why.'’ But as science grew in authority and power beginning with the Enlightenment, this detente broke down. Some of its greatest minds dismissed God as an unnecessary hypothesis, one they didn’t need to explain how galaxies came to shine or how life grew so complex. Since the birth of the universe could now be explained by the laws of physics alone, the late astronomer and atheist Carl Sagan concluded, there was “”nothing for a Creator to do,'’ and every thinking person was therefore forced to admit “”the absence of God.'’ Today the scientific community so scorns faith, says Sandage, that “”there is a reluctance to reveal yourself as a believer, the opprobrium is so severe.'’
Some clergy are no more tolerant of scientists. A fellow researcher and friend of Sandage’s was told by a pastor, “”Unless you accept and believe that the Earth and universe are only 6,000 years old [as a literal reading of the Bible implies], you cannot be a Christian.'’ It is little wonder that people of faith resent science: by reducing the miracle of life to a series of biochemical reactions, by explaining Creation as a hiccup in space-time, science seems to undermine belief, render existence meaningless and rob the world of spiritual wonder.
But now “”theology and science are entering into a new relationship,'’ says physicist turned theologian Robert John Russell, who in 1981 founded the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Rather than undercutting faith and a sense of the spiritual, scientific discoveries are offering support for them, at least in the minds of people of faith. Big-bang cosmology, for instance, once read as leaving no room for a Creator, now implies to some scientists that there is a design and purpose behind the universe. Evolution, say some scientist-theologians, provides clues to the very nature of God. And chaos theory, which describes such mundane processes as the patterns of weather and the dripping of faucets, is being interpreted as opening a door for God to act in the world.
From Georgetown to Berkeley, theologians who embrace science, and scientists who cannot abide the spiritual emptiness of empiricism, are establishing institutes integrating the two. Books like “”Science and Theology: The New Consonance'’ and “”Belief in God in an Age of Science'’ are streaming off the presses. A June symposium on “”Science and the Spiritual Quest,'’ organized by Russell’s CTNS, drew more than 320 paying attendees and 33 speakers, and a PBS documentary on science and faith will air this fall.
Midlife Crisis or Male Menopause /Andropause?
ConsumerHealthDigest.com Expert Review
Midlife Crisis or Male Menopause /Andropause?
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For year’s men who were experiencing physical and emotional changes assumed they were going through some sort of midlife crisis. Researchers now suggest these men were probably experiencing something quite different, a male version of menopause. |
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What are some of the Symptons of Male Menopause/Andropause?
1. Decrease in sex drive
2. Lack of energy
3. Decrease in strength and/or endurance
4. Decreased “enjoyment of life
5. Sad and/or grumpy
6. Erections less strong
7. Deterioration in sports ability
8. Falling asleep after dinner.
9. Decreased work performance
10. Depression
Testosterone replacement therapy is the primary treatment for men with lowered testosterone levels. This treatment is still quite controversial considering the risks associated with this form of replacement therapy. Men and their doctors often weigh risk to reward when considering this type of therapy. Testosterone injections, while reducing Andropause symptoms may also increase stroke risk, liver toxicity, gynecomastia (enlarged breasts) and temporary sterility.
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ArginMax for Men™
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Age will be no obstacle, insists veteran Holyfield
December 20, 2008
Evander Holyfield plans to roll back the years to be crowned world champion for the fifth time by beating WBA champ Nikolai Valuev in Zurich on Saturday night.
The 46-year-old Holyfield insists age is no obstacle as he bids to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he takes on the Russian giant at Zurich’s Hallenstadion in front of a sellout, 12,500 crowd.
But his task will not be easy. Holyfield is 11 years older, 40kg lighter and nearly 30cm shorter than Valuev, 35, the heaviest and tallest champion in history, who at 2.13 metres is a high target to hit.
“There is still something to settle for me,” said Holyfield. “I am sure I will win, I will surprise a few people. I have been asked about my age so many times but it is not about how old you are.
“It is about how old you feel and what you can do inside the ring. I am very experienced and I know what I have to do against Valuev.”
There is no doubt he has the experience having faced Mike Tyson twice, as well as Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis, but his last fight was a unanimous points defeat to Sultan Ibragimov in October 2007.
His record of 42 wins, 27 knock-outs and two draws is no longer impressive next to his nine defeats.
Having been one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division in the 90’s, Holyfield has lost four of his last eight fights and last held a world title in 2000.
It has been 18 years since he won the first of his four world titles when he beat James “Buster” Douglas in 1990.
He went on to defend the WBC, WBA and IBF belts against George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes before losing to Riddick Bowe in 1992, whom he later beat in a re-match.
Undoubtedly his most famous fight was in 1997 when he faced Tyson in a re-match with his WBA title on the line.
Tyson was disqualified in the third round after biting off a chunk of his opponent’s ear, but Holyfield later lost all of his WBC, WBA and IBF crowns to Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Although he briefly regained the WBA title from John Ruiz in 2000, he lost it again in the re-match and despite a win over Hasim Rahman, defeats then followed to Larry Donald, James Toney and Chris Byrd.
The manager of the Klitschko brother, world champions Vladimir and Witali, has said the Valuev-Holyfield is a ‘disaster’ for boxing’s credibility.
And even as recently as October, Valuev’s manager Boris Dimitrov described a fight against Holyfield the fading star as ‘ridiculous’, but a sizeable purse seems to have smoothed over any misgivings.
The Valuev camp now say they are using the fight to attract some publicity for the champion in the United States.
This will be Valuev’s second appearance in Switzerland having stopped Jameel McCline in the third round when they met in January 2007.
“It is great to be back in Switzerland,” Valuev said, who has lost jost once in 51 fights.
“It is something very special to fight an accomplished champion such as Evander Holyfield. He is a living legend and I am full of respect for him. However, once you are inside the ring, neither names nor titles matter any more.
“I have trained very well and I will put on a good performance on Saturday.”
More than a billion people are expected to watch the fight in over 100 countries around the globe.
And the winner of Saturday night’s fight will have to face former WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev in a mandatory defence after the Uzbekistan fighter was forced to relinquish his title through injury this year.
GLOBAL NEWS: Panasonic to buy Sanyo in $9 billion deal
December 19, 2008Updated December 19, 2008 07:11 PM
TOKYO (AP) – Panasonic will acquire rival Japanese electronics maker Sanyo for up to 800 billion yen ($9 billion) through a public tender offer after top shareholders, including Goldman Sachs, agreed to the takeover, the companies said today.
The deal would create one of the world’s biggest electronics companies and allow Panasonic Corp. to add Sanyo Electric Co.’s strengths in green energy — solar panels and rechargeable batteries — to its sprawling product lineup.
Panasonic, which makes Viera TVs and Diga Blu-ray disc players, said last month it was interested in acquiring Sanyo. Sanyo, which has been struggling to turn around its business, also expressed interest in the alliance.
Kazumasa Kubota, analyst with Okasan Securities Co. in Tokyo, said Panasonic was getting a good deal at the tender price of 131 yen ($1.47) a share.
The acquisition should be a plus for Panasonic in the long run, but shedding overlapping businesses will add to short-term costs, he said.
“The synergies are there in the long run,” Kubota said. “The solar business is a definite positive for Panasonic, and it can also hope to gain all the patents Sanyo has in rechargeable batteries.”
Panasonic had been negotiating with Sanyo’s top three shareholders, Goldman Sachs, Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., who had all put up some resistance to selling their stakes.
Goldman, Daiwa and Sumitomo Mitsui together own Sanyo stocks equal to a combined 70.5 percent of voting rights, or preferred shares that can be converted into common stock of about 4.3 billion shares, the statement said. When all outstanding Sanyo shares are combined, they total about 6.1 billion.
Panasonic said in a joint statement with Sanyo that it will start the tender offer soon for all shares of Sanyo, with hopes of completing the deal by February.
Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsubo said that taking over Sanyo will provide an opportunity for his company to become more competitive to ride out a worsening global downturn.
“The alliance with Sanyo will provide an engine for growth for us,” he said at a news conference in Osaka, central Japan, shown via satellite in Tokyo.
Sanyo President Seiichiro Sano also expressed hope that the partnership will give his company strength during difficult times.
“The alliance is opening a way to fight these tough times that come only once in a 100 years,” he told reporters.
New York-based Goldman Sachs said it agreed to the bid.
“Given the rapidly changing environment, we came to the conclusion to sell our stake for the benefit of all Sanyo stake holders,” Goldman Sachs spokeswoman Hiroko Matsumoto said.
Although long the premier investment bank on Wall Street, even Goldman has been hit by the markets turmoil set off by the U.S. financial crisis. Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reported its first quarterly loss since it went public in 1999, losing $2.29 billion during its fiscal fourth quarter.
Daiwa spokesman Kenichi Kanda said the company viewed the bid favorably, welcoming the Panasonic-Sanyo alliance “as boosting the companies’ value and being positive for the Japanese economy.”
Sumitomo Mitsui also said it was moving toward accepting it, evaluating the planned alliance as a good one.
Sanyo, founded by a brother-in-law of Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita, is a popular brand but has been seen as a relative loser in Japan’s competitive electronics sector.
In 2006, Goldman, Daiwa, and Sumitomo Mitsui rescued struggling Sanyo with a 300 billion yen bailout. At the tender price, their part of the deal is value at more than 560 billion yen ($5.7 billion).
Sanyo’s July-September profit dwindled to about a third of what it was a year earlier to 4.4 billion yen ($49 million) as a stronger Japanese currency, rising raw material costs and declining gadget prices hurt earnings. Panasonic’s quarterly profit slumped 16 percent to 55.5 billion yen ($624 million).
Sanyo shares dipped 3.6 percent to 136 yen ($1.50) while Panasonic shares gained 2.9 percent 1,051 yen ($11.8). The companies announced the tender plans shortly after trading ended in Tokyo.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=425300
Caloocan suspends business inspections for December
Updated December 19, 2008 12:00 AM
Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri yesterday reminded local businessmen that he has ordered that field inspections of businesses be suspended for the whole months of December.
He said he issued the order “to avoid any false impression by members of the business community that the city hall inspectors are taking advantage of the season in exchange for favors.”
The mayor said it is also necessary to suspend the inspections to allow the concerned offices to focus on their managerial and clerical works “with the expected bulk of work come January.”
The suspension order covers all field inspections by the City Engineer’s Office, Office of the City Building Official, City Assessor’s Office, and the City Treasurer’s Office, he said.
Echiverri warned that unscrupulous individuals might take advantage of the Christmas season by “going around business establishments to offer services for a fee or solicit gifts or donations.”
“Let’s not spoil the true meaning of Christmas by taking advantage of our fellow men, especially the businessmen,” the mayor said as he urged the public to support the campaign against unwarranted solicitations during the holidays. – Jerry Botial, Pete Laude
