Individuals and groups

Individuals and groups whose story doesn't fit into any other category.

Elam's reading includes his playbook, the Bible and the Quran

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Category: Individuals and groups
Created: Wednesday, 08 August 2007 05:03
Published: Wednesday, 08 August 2007 04:32
Written by Associated Press
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Jason Elam

(AP) DENVER -- Jason Elam's reading list these days includes much more than his new, thick special teams playbook. He's also poring over the Bible and the Quran, among other religious texts.

In his spare time, the Denver Broncos' 37-year-old kicker is studying the world's 12 major religions.

Elam recently enrolled in a distance-learning program at Liberty University's seminary in Lynchburg, Va., where he's pursuing a master's degree.

"That's just kind of a passion of mine and I enjoy traveling and meeting people in different cultures, knowing why people believe what they believe and then just as a Christian defending the faith," Elam said.

Elam, who is entering his 15th NFL season, first found himself defending -- and questioning -- his faith as a freshman at the University of Hawaii in 1989.

{josquote}And I had never met a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness or a Muslim or an atheist or a Baha'i.{/josquote}

"I was just this Atlanta, Southern, country guy and went off to college and I had friends from all over the world and with that diversity came a big diversity in faith," Elam said. "And I had never met a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness or a Muslim or an atheist or a Baha'i. I had never met those people before."

Elam, a communications major, soon realized he couldn't defend his beliefs because he wasn't sure why he held them in the first place.

"And that bothered me. I was like, 'Hey, you know what? Maybe they're right, maybe I'm wrong,"' Elam said. "So, I started from scratch and tried to put all my biases on the shelf and started examining things."

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Bahai temple builders tell all!

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Category: Individuals and groups
Created: Saturday, 04 August 2007 19:09
Published: Saturday, 04 August 2007 18:58
Written by jat, The Blingdom of God
Hits: 3174

OK, so this article about developer Soheil Mosun, Ltd., isn't actually all that salacious, but it does provide an instructive look at the folks who built the Baha'i Temple for South America, as well as a couple of mosques and a Jewish memorial:

In essence, the firm makes jewellery for high-end developments. It's the "bling" in buildings.

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Putting 'bling' into buildings

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Category: Individuals and groups
Created: Saturday, 04 August 2007 19:09
Published: Saturday, 04 August 2007 18:58
Written by Tony van Alphen, Toronto star
Hits: 3137

Soheil Mosun, front, with sons Cyrus and Darius, right, in lobby of company’s Toronto office.

Craftsman and entrepreneur Soheil Mosun is fond of saying that you can't soar like an eagle if you flock with turkeys.

Mosun and his two sons, Darius and Cyrus, want their business of making unique high-end building fixtures to take off into something much bigger.

Toronto-based Soheil Mosun Ltd. has produced everything from elevator interiors and fences to staircases, signs, sculptures and even major trophies during the last 35 years.

In essence, the firm makes jewellery for high-end developments. It's the "bling" in buildings.

{josquote}2004:
Company wins biggest project in its history as contractor to build Bahá'í Temple in Santiago, Chile.{/josquote}

But the family company, which generates annual sales of more than $10 million, has matured to the point where the owners are looking at capitalizing on their expertise so the firm can co-ordinate entire projects – from the concept and architectural phase to designing, building and manufacturing.

Full story...

Putting 'bling' into buildings

Details
Category: Individuals and groups
Created: Saturday, 04 August 2007 19:09
Published: Saturday, 04 August 2007 18:58
Written by Tony van Alphen, Toronto star
Hits: 3129

Soheil Mosun, front, with sons Cyrus and Darius, right, in lobby of company’s Toronto office.

Craftsman and entrepreneur Soheil Mosun is fond of saying that you can't soar like an eagle if you flock with turkeys.

Mosun and his two sons, Darius and Cyrus, want their business of making unique high-end building fixtures to take off into something much bigger.

Toronto-based Soheil Mosun Ltd. has produced everything from elevator interiors and fences to staircases, signs, sculptures and even major trophies during the last 35 years.

In essence, the firm makes jewellery for high-end developments. It's the "bling" in buildings.

{josquote}2004:
Company wins biggest project in its history as contractor to build Bahá'í Temple in Santiago, Chile.{/josquote}

But the family company, which generates annual sales of more than $10 million, has matured to the point where the owners are looking at capitalizing on their expertise so the firm can co-ordinate entire projects – from the concept and architectural phase to designing, building and manufacturing.

Full story...

I'm a Little Worried

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Category: Individuals and groups
Created: Tuesday, 17 July 2007 02:22
Published: Tuesday, 17 July 2007 02:19
Written by Priscilla Gilman
Hits: 3044

Quite a few friends and acquaintances from my Bahá’í past still don’t know I’ve withdrawn from the Faith. I haven’t withheld anything from them; we are just out of touch. The ones who matter the most to me are in Indonesia. I went there as a high-school exchange student before I’d ever heard of the Faith and went back on a year off from college to do service with the Bahá’í community. Internet connectivity is low there, so maybe I can still evade discovery by hiding behind the access disparity.

I’m afraid they won’t love me anymore, or they’ll love me with baffled pity for my wayward soul. I imagine that if I went back I could jump right into supporting whatever Bahá’í projects they had going. But could I really, even Ruhi? And why do I imagine it anyway? What am I trying to prove, at least in my own head? That I’m not, as one friend protested on my behalf, “a fallen leaf”?

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