Source: Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0407080280jul08,1,1851065.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

On July 8, 2004 the Chicago Tribune reported, "Learned Muslim clerics, Buddhist monks and Roman Catholic cardinals rarely find themselves in the same place at the same time with gurus, cult followers and mystics. But the Parliament of World's Religions, convening a weeklong...

Source: The Scotsman/PA News

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3173370

On July 7, 2004 PA News reported, "The Prince of Wales today opened a multi-faith garden in a primary school. Charles was visiting Deansfield Primary School in Eltham, south– east London, and was greeted with applause by waiting schoolchildren when he arrived this morning...The cloister garden at the school was designed and built by an alumni of the Prince’s Foundation for the Built...

Source: World Council of Churches (WCC) News

http://www.wfn.org/2004/07/msg00077.html

On July 7, 2004 World Council of Churches (WCC) News reported, "'Asia's rich heritage and culture of being together in diversity should be adopted as a model which will further strengthen ecumenism in the 21st century,' WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia said in an address to Asian and Hong Kong ecumenical and church leaders. Kobia was speaking during a 5 July public reception organized...

Source: The Courier Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/features/2004/07/06/weddings.html

On July 6, 2004 the Courier Journal reported that , "For more and more American couples, the standard wedding is fast being replaced by ceremonies with deep family meaning that incorporate the couple's ethnic heritage.couples, the standard wedding is fast being replaced by ceremonies with deep family meaning that incorporate the couple's ethnic heritage... The...

Source: Tennessean

http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/06/53722458.shtml?Element_ID=53722458

On July 4, 2004 Tennessean reported, "As the nation celebrates today's Independence Day holiday, members and leaders of the Wat Lao Buddharam temple [MURFREESBORO, TN] are holding a celebration of their own. It's the completion of the Sim, a sacred ordination hall vital to any Buddhist temple. But for many like Souk Wisithaphong of Nashville...

Source: Rockford Register Star

http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040628/NEWS0107/406280309/1004/NEWS

On June 28, 2004 Rockford Register Star reported that in "Cherry Valley, IL [last] Sunday's celebration was ostensibly about the new Lao Buddhist temple on South Mulford Road... The last Laotian temple on this site, off a rural stretch of South Mulford next to farm fields and forest preserves, was destroyed by fire in...

Source: The Standard Times

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-04/06-28-04/a01lo737.htm

On June 28, 2004 The Standard Times reported, "New York Buddhists [from the Grace Gratitude Buddhist temple in Manhattan's Chinatown] recently bought nearly 300 turtles in Manhattan markets and drove them to Dartmouth and released them into the ocean near Padanaram... Every year, the New York Buddhists continue the tradition of buying animals destined for slaughter...

Source: San Mateo County Times

http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11268~2239791,00.html

On June 28, 2004 San Mateo County Times reported, "Though savory Japanese cuisine and carnival games were among the offerings drawing crowds to the San Mateo Buddhist Temple's annual bazaar this weekend, event organizers and participants contend it's the group camaraderie that keeps them coming year after year. Flags beckoned Sunday to...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/travel/27nabe.html

On June 27, 2004 The New York Times ran a travel piece by novelist Michael Mewshaw in which he reflects on the increasing religious diversity of Rome: "I used to entertain the antic notion that I could walk from one end of Rome to the other by ducking in and out of the city's hundreds of churches. I imagined myself strolling beneath an almost continuous canopy of frescoed ceilings swarming...

Source: The Ledger

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040627/NEWS/406270367/1021

On June 27, 2004 The Ledger reported, "It may come as a surprise that Polk County contains enough Laotians to support their own organization. The 2000 U.S. Census found 321 Laos-born residents of Polk, almost half the number of Vietnam natives and nearly one-tenth of the statewide population. Many of Polk's Laotian-Americans are part of a...

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/features/religion/ny-lsfaith3867476jun26,0,601224

On June 26, 2004 Newsday reported, "Buddhists in the West often preach the virtues of renunciation: letting go and moving on without looking back or leaving a trace; all is impermanent. John Daido Loori prefers to interpret Buddhist teaching as living by incorporation. He uses his experiences as a U.S. Navy officer, husband, father, corporate executive and...

Source: The San Diego Union Tribune

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20040626-9999-1m26temp.ht

On June 26, 2004 The San Diego Union Tribune reported, "City Councilman Tom D'Agosta is breathing new life into a proposal for a Tibetan Buddhist temple in a northeast Escondido neighborhood, saying he would favor it under certain conditions. D'Agosta says he would change his vote against the plan as long as a conditional-use permit for the...

Source: Anchor Daily News

http://www.adn.com/life/story/5223005p-5157198c.html

On June 23, 2004 Anchor Daily News reported, "Venerable Sarit Phumjan puts it like this: Wherever people from Thailand live, you'll find two things, a Thai restaurant and a Thai temple. If you want to find out where the temple is, call the restaurant. If you want to find the best Thai food in town, call the temple... Maybe the real secret is that some of the best Thai food in Alaska is found...

Source: The Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/108798332

On June 23, 2004 The Plain Dealer reported the recent events of the interfaith conference "Stand Against Hate" held in Cleveland to engage cultural and religious sensitivity. "There were 12 presentations Tuesday at the third annual conference, which focused on the public's misunderstandings and misconceptions about certain cultures and religions....