May 2016 - Monthly Archive

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

The Fountain

11918

The Winter Is Coming

In this issue, some of our writers address one of the most urgent crises of our age: the refugees fleeing violence in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Lawrence Brazier, who lives in Austria, writes about... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

M. Fethullah Gulen

16194

Freedom of Faith and Conscience

The freedom of faith and conscience is, to put it briefly, the universal right to independently adopt and practice a faith of one’s choice. This right includes being able to receive the education requ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Sam Plat

13934

From Whales to Technology

The shape of cars and airplanes directly affect their fuel consumption and performance. For proof of the connection between shape and fuel efficiency, we can look to nature. Biomimetics, which develop... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Mustafa Ismet Uzun

23299

The Role of Myth and Ritual in Religion

Throughout history, religion and its diverse aspects, such as myth and ritual, have been of great significance for the social, economic, and cultural lives of people around the globe. Myth and ritual ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Lawrence Brazier

12502

The Ones That Got Away!

Austria still offers some of the nicest aspects of worldly existence. Deer feed in the meadow across the road from our house. They graze contentedly, seemingly oblivious to all else, then suddenly sti... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Ahmet Eren

13070

Gecko The Physicist

They can resist gravity and easily hang upside down on flat ceilings. They are geckos, extraordinary lizards that have been perfectly created for their environments. But what allows them to resist gra... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Sophia Pandya

14533

Wresting Jihad from the Jihadists

I departed Brussels a few days before the March 22, 2016, attacks which killed over thirty people, injured dozens, and terrorized that city. Ironically, my purpose for visiting was to present a paper ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Serif Dogru

15170

Should We Fear a Magnetic Pole Shift?

The Earth currently rotates in a counter-clockwise direction. This rotation, along with movement of iron particles inside the Earth’s molten core, generates a magnetic field, which protects the Earth ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Mathew Walles

22538

The Existence of God - According to Muslim Theologians and Thinkers

Proving the existence of God is a venture that numerous Muslim philosophers, theologians, and thinkers have been attempting for many centuries. This issue has been argued and debated on scientific, ph... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

M. Fethullah Gulen

14355

Barq (Lightning)

Barq (lightning) is a light that flashes in an initiate during the first steps of the journey toward sainthood. This is the first invitation to those seeking nearness to God. The scholars of truth hav... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Ruth Sandberg

19122

The Shared Beliefs of Judaism and Islam

It is unfortunate that in today’s world many Jews and Muslims see themselves as diametrically opposed to one another. They see their respective religious traditions as dissimilar, sharing little in co... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Adam Allison

13354

Gastro Intestinal Flora and Our Health

The systems of the human body are created with a staggering degree of perfection. The body has approximately 1013 cells at any given time, and these ensure that our systems run flawlessly, without us ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Elizabeth Allen

13818

The Nature of Change - Exchange of Letters with My Future Self

To my future self, I think we are all searching for something in our lives. No one seems to know exactly what that something is, but we all are seeking what is greater than ourselves. I think that is... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

M. Fethullah Gulen

13048

Spring’s Ballad

When the time is due, you will see that a new spring has come. Roses bloom, nightingales sing, and tulips are all around. Flowers breathe out their perfumes; Birds and bugs, all enraptured in this ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Fatih Bera

18693

How Many Supercomputers Would Fit Inside Your Brain?

The complexity and potential of the human brain are astonishing. The brain is capable of performing millions of complex formulations in milliseconds. And yet, despite this power, humans are barely tap... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Aydogan Vatandas

13189

The Only Thing They Ask is to Be Allowed to a New Land!

What a life as a refugeeWe gave up all we had, to fleeAll left behindBut I don't mindAt least I've saved my family What a life as a refugee.My Son, my daughter, wife and me.Safe at lastThe worst i read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Alp Serhat Kahveci

12277

Nigella Sativa: The Herb in Antiquity Making Wonders

Recent findings in health care are portraying the wide-ranging impact of Nigella Sativa, especially in fighting cancerous cells. 1,2,3,4 An ancient herb Nigella Sativa, a flowering plant native to so... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Jon Pahl

13257

Countering Violent Extremism? - What Happens in Molenbeek Matters in Milwaukee

On the day I spoke in Brussels at a conference on “countering violent extremism,” a gun battle broke out in a Brussels suburb between French/Belgian police and individuals apparently associated wit... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

Nurdin Kaparov

12552

Massive Open Online Courses and Their Economic Value

This century has seen many innovations and transformations within the fields of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). They have brought forth new developments in education by transferring ... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

M. Fethullah Gulen

13187

Hubris or Becoming Tyrannical

Question: It is sometimes the case that people who are responsible for a certain area or who govern a certain place, after a period of time, begin to consider themselves as the owner of that place. Co... read more..

01 May

Issue 111 (May - June 2016)

The Fountain

13281

Science Square (Issue 111)

Artificial Skin That Can Sprout Hair and Grow Glands Takagi R. et al. Bioengineering a 3D integumentary organ system from iPS cells using an in vivo transplantation model. Science Advances, April 201... read more..