Citizen Cartwright

Amid Muslim anger, dueling ads

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is spending $70,000 to air an ad on Pakistani TV featuring President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton denouncing that anti-Islam film produced in the United States that's stirred up violence.

Meanwhile, Pamela Geller, a conservative blogger who once headed a campaign against an Islamic center near the 9/11 terror attack site, has gotten a court order to run this ad in the New York subway system:

"In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."

Ah, free speech.

Demise of the WASPs

For the first time in U.S. history, none of the major party candidates for president or vice president is a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, the Christian Science Monitor notes.

And is it weird that in the face of those wild claims about President Obama's religion, he'll be the only Protestant on either party’s ticket?

Wall Street Journal to Dalai Lama: Can money buy happiness?

You know his answer, but if you like this man as much as I do, you may be interested in the video.

Some evangelical pastors find their calling is political

Formerly apolitical preachers backed by astute organizers and big donors are mobilizing their congregations for the 2012 election, the Los Angeles Times says.

The Dalai Lama talks warm heartedness at the U.S. Capitol

So much always is going on in Washington that I frequently learn of events I'd have liked to attend when they're reported on later.

On Saturday morning, the Dalai Lama, whom I'd never heard speak, gave a free talk on the lawn of the Capitol, just blocks from my house.

I was disappointed to have missed it, but of course the event, emceed by Whoppi Goldberg (she said she was surprised to be asked) was posted on YouTube by Sunday.

So here is a quick summary of my notes:

Harmony in the world depends on each of us as individuals. To have a happy life, be warm hearted. The way to change society is to have a calm mind. Our enemies are our best teachers of tolerance; we should be grateful to them.

The 20th century was a time of violence, with 200 million people killed. For this century to be peaceful, it must be a century of dialogue.

The Koran-burning debacle

So Florida pastor Terry Jones has "suspended" his plan to burn the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11, and some members of the media are wondering if they were "reckless" in giving the 50-member church so much attention in the first place.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs noted that there were more people at Jones' press conferences than listen to his sermons.

What Muslims around the world think about the New York mosque fracas

Some can't understand how a democracy based on religious freedom could even be having such a debate, while others are offended that all Muslims are being identified with the extremists who attacked on 9/11, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"Rejecting this has become like rejecting Islam itself," says Ahmad Moussalli, a professor of Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut. "The United States has historically been distinguished by its tolerance, whereas Europe, France, Belgium and Holland have been among those who have rejected the symbolism of Islam. Embracing it will be positively viewed in the Islamic world."

The debate comes as the United States continues spending big bucks trying to improve its image among overseas Muslims. Ironically, the leader of the proposed Muslim community center, Kuwaiti-born scholar Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, now is touring the Persian Gulf states on a U.S. State Department-funded trip to promote goodwill for America.

People increasingly think Obama is a Muslim

Nearly one in five Americans now incorrectly think so, up from 11 percent last year, according to a Pew Research Center poll being released Thursday.

"Those who say he is a Muslim overwhelmingly disapprove of his job performance, while a majority of those who think he is a Christian approve of the job Obama is doing," says Pew's report on the poll. "Even among many of his supporters and allies, less than half now say Obama is a Christian."

Breakthrough in the creation of artificial life

There was a lot of big news on Thursday. But could there be bigger news than that scientists have made the "first self-replicating species on the planet whose parent is a computer," as lead researcher Dr. Craig Venter put it?

Among scientists' goals: designing microbes able to, for example, convert carbon-dioxide into oil, clean up pollution, and act as miniscule machines to accelerate the manufacture of vaccines.

Others fear that the technology could be used to make biological weapons.

Lots of promise, lots of ethical issues. President Obama asked his bioethics advisers to report on the implications, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans a hearing next week.

An Economist opinion piece ruminates on the crossing of the Rubicon.

Near-death experiences explored

People who report seeing a tunnel or bright light, looking down at themselves from above, or feeling peace and tranquility during cardiac arrest may just have a high level of carbon dioxide in their blood, according to a study in the journal Critical Care.

"Near death experiences make us address our understanding of human consciousness so the more we know the better," says Zalika Klemenc-Ketis, lead author of the study.