George Martzen "georgos"

Two separate headlines in today's Straits Times caught my attention. In the World section, the article from Reuters, More baby boomers take their own lives in US , summarizes a report by two sociologists on a growing trend in suicide rates in America. The article specifically noted a trend among white baby-boomer men, who do not have college degrees. While figures were not given in this short article, it did emphasize that the increase is a break from the norm, where the middle-aged are usually at low risk for suicide due to family roles. Possible factors for these aging baby-boomers is that baby-boomers tend to be the least healthy aging population, and with rising unemployment in these slow economic times, an increasing number in this cohort are simply unable to cope with rising costs. There was another, comparable article in the Asia section, More elderly in China killing themselves , which reported that among urban people between 70 and 74 the suicide rate "surged abo...

Recently Singapore's Mentor Ministor Lee Kuan Yew was interviewed by the New York Times, and the interview was picked up by the Straits Times. At one point in the interview, LKY discussed how a government investment friend, who happened to be Roman Catholic, taught him how to meditate. The point which many of my protestant friends picked up is that the "mantra" or sacred word that he chose was Maranatha. I've already heard two sermons expressing the hope that Singapore's former prime minister might convert to Christianity soon. Maybe or maybe not. LKY, who grew up with ancestral veneration, is a self-professed agnostic. He dislikes superstitions, Buddhist or Christian. He objected to his own brother having his aged father baptized when it was questionable whether his father even understood what it meant. We can only pray. What interests me is the media coverage for an ancient and valuable Christian spiritual practice. Just yesterday, the friend mentioned...

While visiting family in Malaysia we went out to eat at a club frequented by Malays for buka puasa , the evening breaking of the fast during Ramadan. There was a general festive atmosphere as not only the Muslims but other groups found excuse to sample the generous buffet offerings – Penang laksa, nasi lemak,char kuay teow, and satay, as well as some western dishes. Muslims adults fast during daylight hours during Ramadan, not only from food, but also from drinking and sexual activity. It is supposed to be time to slow down, take stock and do charitable acts. Which may be why things were a little quieter in the daytime during this last visit. Ramadan commemorates the time when the prophet received the first verses of the Koran. This makes the decision of a small church in Florida even more incredible. The pastor had planned to burn the Koran on September 11, on the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, to send a message to Muslim extremists. This...