Pagans, Partygoers Gather for Stonehenge Solstice

By Nardine Saad, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, June 20, 2009

(06-20) 14:45 PDT STONEHENGE, England (AP) --

Thousands of neo-Druids, New Age followers and the merely curious were flocking to Stonehenge on Saturday to await the sunrise over the prehistoric monument and celebrate the longest day of the year.

The ancient stone circle in southern England is the site of an annual night-long party — or religious ceremony, depending on perspective — marking the northern hemisphere's summer solstice.

"They come for a complete range of reasons," said archaeologist Dave Batchelor of English Heritage, the site's caretaker. "Some belong to the Druidic religion and think of it as a temple, others think of it as a place of their ancestors, or for tranquility and others come to see it as a way to celebrate the changing of the seasons."

Stonehenge, which sits on Salisbury Plain about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, visited by more than 750,000 people a year. It was built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C.

More than 20,000 people are expected to greet the sunrise just before 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Sunday.

Mystery surrounding the monument has long prompted speculation about its original function and gives it even more of an allure, Batchelor said.

Some theories hold that the stone circle was a grave site because 350 burial mounds surround the structure.

In May, archaeologists found evidence indicating that pilgrims perceived the stones to have healing powers. And some assert that the structure was part of an ancient astronomical calendar.

Still other experts believe the stones were aligned by a sophisticated sun-worshipping culture that possessed the ingenuity to move the several-ton stones, some of which came from 150 miles (240 kilometers) away in the Preseli Mountains in Wales.

But because it was built so long ago, there is no record of why the monument was erected, said Batchelor.

"All of that sort of stuff we don't have, so when it comes to ascribing a modern-day reason depends on the viewpoint ... that's the fascination," Batchelor said.

The solstice is one of the few times during the year that visitors can get close enough to touch the rocks. With record numbers set to attend the free festival because it falls on a weekend, police officers are set to be on patrol.

Police closed the site in 1984 after repeated clashes with revelers. English Heritage began allowing full access to the site again in 2000 and the celebrations have been largely peaceful.
Last year 17 arrests were made for minor public disorder offenses.

English Heritage said revelers would only be allowed to bring in four cans of beer or a bottle of wine each, and advised that "illegal drugs are still illegal at Stonehenge as they are anywhere else."

A teen book burns at the stake

A Christian group hopes to set fire to library copies of Francesca Lia Block's novel about a gay boy coming of age.

By Laura Miller, Salon.com

Jun. 16, 2009

Francesca Lia Block, an award-winning author of young-adult books (the "Weetzie Bat" series among them), has known for a while now that one of her novels, "Baby Be-Bop" is at the center of a controversy in West Bend, Wis. A few days ago, she found out that it might be burned at the stake. "Baby Be-Bop" is on a list of titles that a local group calling itself the West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries objects to seeing in the public library.

In February, the group asked the library's board to remove a page of recommended titles about gay and lesbian issues for young people (including "Baby Be-Bop") from the library's Web site. Then they demanded that the books be moved from the youth section of the library and placed with the adult collection, "to protect children from accessing them without their parents' knowledge and supervision."

"My publisher brushed it off at first," Block said, "but now it's starting to look really serious." When the board refused to immediately comply with the requests of West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries, the town's common council voted not to renew the contracts of four recalcitrant board members. A second group, West Bend Parents for Free Speech, formed to oppose the plan to segregate the books.

At a June 3 public hearing, the library board received two petitions (700 signatures supporting the restriction, 1,000 opposed) on the issue and listened to dozens of statements. Then it voted unanimously to leave the books where they are.

But the controversy isn't over. Now an outfit called the Christian Civil Liberties Union has gotten in on the act, suing the library for, according to the West Bend Daily News, "damaging" the "mental and emotional well-being" of several individuals by displaying "Baby Be-Bop" in the library. Since attempts to label the novel as "pornographic" have failed, the (somewhat shadowy) CCLU hopes to brand it as hate speech, in part because it contains the word "nigger." The complainants, described as "elderly" by the newspaper, claim that Block's novel is "explicitly vulgar, racial [sic] and anti-Christian." They want the library's copy not only removed but publicly burned.

"Baby Be-Bop," a title from the Weetzie Bat series that describes the youth of Weetzie's best friend, Dirk, is, in Block's words, "a very sweet, simple, coming-of-age story about a young man's discovery that he's gay." Dirk is beaten by gay bashers but steadfastly clings to the possibility of finding love. Block finds the disingenuous charges of racism particularly distressing. "Obviously I use those words, including 'faggot,' which is also in the book, to expose racism and homophobia, not promote it," she said. "It's a tiny little book," she added, "but they want to burn it like a witch."

"I'd like to show my support for the librarians with any statement I can make," she said "They're the unsung heroes in our society. My brother works on a hotline for gay youth and every night he's talking people down from suicide because they're gay and they're not accepted by the communities they're in."

Assignment: PowerPoint Presentation

As you know, this term you will be responsible for a 10-minute faith and spirituality-themed PowerPoint presentation.

Requirements:

• Must be a minimum 10-minutes in length
  
• Should have no less than 8 slides minimum
  
• Must include a handout outlining your presentation (about 30 copies)

The best presentations will:

• First contextualize information, then present relevant facts
  
• Avoid a heavy use of animation and effects, choosing instead a simpler style (illustrations are highly recommended)
  
• Engage the class through a conversational style, utilizing questions and/or activities
• Utilize multimedia, such as YouTube (encouraged, but NOT required)
  

Remember, presentations must be PC-friendly and be on either an external hard drive or ready via email.

PowerPoint Presentation Schedule

Here is the schedule for this summer's presentations. Completed presentations are in yellow.

Week 2
T 6.23 OPEN

W 6.24: Alex W. (Christian Responses to Climate Change); Cameron C. (Opus Dei); Brianna T. (Possessions)

Th 6.25: Sean C. (Sikhism)

Week 3
M 6.29: Mariela T. (Catholic Molestation Scandals)

T 6.30: Joseph V. (Transubstantiation); Ann Y. (Conservatives and the Morning After Pill)

W 7.1: Alex T. (Scientology vs. Anonymous); Freddy P. (Corporal Mortification)

Week 4
T 7.7: Cang T. (History of Buddhism); Leann P. (Secular vs. Religious Rights); Ryan N. (Homosexuality and Christianity)

W 7.8: Giang D. (Modern Buddhism); Emily C. (The Religious Response to Torture)

Th 7.9: Jane N. (21st Century American Christianity); Hollie R. (Art vs. Religion); Stephanie R. (The Gnostic Gospels)

Week 5
M 7.13: Multezem M. (Muslims in America); Leticia E. (Religion in Gangs); Pamela S. (The Amish)

T 7.14: Matt D. (Religion on Film); Isaiah P. (Day of the Dead); Harmanjeet C. (Creationism vs. Evolution)

W 7.15: Jim S. (The Kama Sutra); Justine S. (Abstinence); Alisa L. (Prayer and Fasting)

Th 7.16: Siavash (Zoroastrianism); Leo Q. (Falun Gong), Amber G. (Parallels Between Jesus and Horus)

Week 6
M 7.20: Carlos B. (Proposition 8); Didio M. (Women's Roles in World Religions)

Oops...

Here's the other required text I forgot to add... Julia Sweeney's monologue, Letting Go of God.

Find it for download at Audible.com and iTunes, and in CD on Amazon.com.

Also, look for your midterm to now center on this monologue.

Week 1

When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.
—Abraham Lincoln

M 6.15
Class: Syllabus review; Introductions

T 6.16
Read: RC, pg. 1-42
Lab: Book discussion; Sample presentation and sign-ups; Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. I”

W 6.17
Read: RC, pg. 43-71
Class: Book discussion; Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. II”

Th 6.18
Read: RC, pg. 72-122
Lab: Personal essay (diagnostic); Book discussion; Writing center visit
Journal 1 Prompt: For your first journal, consider the times when one person's personal beliefs might infringe on those of another. For example, if a person asks another not to swear around him or her, or that one refrains from speaking about certain topics, how much should that request be accommodated? When is it okay to accommodate, compromise, or refuse, and when is the a request an infringement on another's rights?
Due: Journal 1

Welcome to English 905

Glad you could make it.