Compassion Project interview by Alex Mulcahy Wrapped in a brown robe and exuding a disarmingly calm manner, the Tibetan-born Venerable Losang Samten does not act like someone with a looming deadline. In a small building on the campus of the Plymouth Meeting Friends Center, Samten is working on a sand mandala, quietly arranging brightly colored
MoreIllustration by Nicholas Massarelli Faith in Action by the Rev. Cheryl Pyrch and Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” JEREMIAH 29:11 A low-level but corrosive despair and cynicism pervades
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The Halo Effect by Heather Shayne Blakeslee When I was 6 or 7, I thought that Jesus was born in Pennsylvania. My reasoning was this: Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a city in Pennsylvania, therefore Jesus was born in Pennsylvania. It’s an argument form that seems so solid and obvious that logicians have
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1. Hit the spring fairsIt’s that time of year where every weekend has another street festival with local food and music. But your kids will appreciate a good old fashioned Ferris wheel and some funnel cake, too. 2. Commit to the community part of your community gardenSure, you’ve cleaned up your plot. But those common
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Mayor Kenney’s Commitment to Protected Bike Lanes Gaining SupportAfter a February announcement by Mayor Jim Kenney to add 30 miles of protected bike lanes to Philadelphia’s streets (and an announcement to create Philadelphia’s first-ever department of Complete Streets), advocates are pushing for progress. The urbanist PAC 5th Square is actively fundraising in order to galvanize
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Photo by Margo Reed Open House by Emily Kovach When you step into House of Our Own, you first notice the sheer quantity of books, and the echo of history in the space. It is indeed a house, squeezed between University of Pennsylvania fraternities on Spruce Street, resplendent with Victorian architecture details: high ceilings, arched
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story by Justin Klughillustrations by Nicholas Massarelli Furniture built from mushroom spores? Zero-energy houses? Dreamers and doers at our region’s colleges and universities are committing to a sustainable future where clean air and water, sensible energy use and social entrepreneurship are the norm. Here are six of the many products and services we saw that
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Sophomore Slump by Rob Fleming You might assume that colleges and universities would serve as the vanguard for sustainability. Some of the most intelligent and progressive people in the world can be found in their hallowed halls. And yet, if we were to examine the transcript of grades for higher education we will find—at best—a
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Illustration by Laura Weiszer School’s Out by Jerry Silberman Question: What college program can best prepare me for a career in mitigating and adapting to climate change? The Right Question: Is going to college the best choice? Education, especially college and postgraduate education, is extremely expensive. And yet, the proportion of young people enrolling in
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Illustration by Corey Brickley Learning to Forget interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee It’s unlikely that any particular college degree would prepare you to become a “futurologist.” But that’s exactly what polymath Jack Uldrich calls himself. His breathless recitations of game-changing inventions and ideas that entrepreneurs and environmentalists should be on the lookout for run the
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