Zen

"When are you going to take the leaf blower out of the box?" It wasn't the first time I'd heard such a request. When my wife bought me a digital camera as a holiday gift a few years ago, she had asked that very question the following spring with the digital camera still in the box, never opened, just like a circular saw bought for me years earlier. Not that I wasn't curious about the camera, but I'd depended on a very faithful, 35-mm single-reflex camera my whole adult life. Once I opened the new camera and tried digital photography, like a lot of other people, I never looked back.

NEW YORK - In the war against terrorism, the Buddhists of New York are suffering collateral damage. Messages of peace and compassion that once seemed attractive to New Yorkers are now anathema, Buddhists are discovering. Six months ago, Buddhism - Tibetan and Zen - was on a phenomenal upsurge in the New York area, attracting eager students to rural monasteries and urban meditation centers. Then came the attacks on the United States and the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Nonviolence is no longer in fashion, particularly in New York, where the scars go deep and wounds are still fresh months after the destruction of the World Trade Center.

JANWILLEM VAN DE WETERING, 77 Detective series author Janwillem van de Wetering, a Dutch-born author who penned a popular detective series set in his home country, died July 4 of complications from cancer in Surry, Maine. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Mr. Van de Wetering moved to Maine in 1975 and enjoyed Zen Buddhism, motorcycles and jazz. He lived in a number of countries, including Japan, where he joined a Zen monastery, which he wrote about in The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery.

HONG KONG -- The highest official of the Roman Catholic Church in China used the 17th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre yesterday to strongly criticize the Chinese government and call on it to hold a full and open review of the killings. The criticism by the official, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, is the latest sign that the Vatican may not be willing to compromise on human rights to establish diplomatic relations with mainland China. Pope Benedict XVI has pursued the normalization of ties with China for the past year.

On June 23, 2005, WILLIAM W. "BILL" MORGAN OF Whittman formerly of Pasadena; devoted husband of Betty Morgan; beloved father of Kelly L. Zenzen and her husband Chris; loving son of William and Jeanette Morgan; caring brother of Fred Morgan and his wife Sharon; dearest brother in law of Boots and his wife Rose; cherished grandfather of Aidan, Hannah and Alexis Zen Zen. He is also survived by many loving nieces and other loving family members. A Memorial Service will be held at the family owned Singleton Funeral Home, 1 Second Avenue, SW, (at Crain Highway)

The Orioles are dying in third place, and we are all in a low place. So, clear your mind. Breathe deeply and prepare to travel the ancient, uncluttered and wise path toward Enlightenment.We shall find the Way to Camden Yards to Experience the Playing of Baseball. And Zen will comfort us and teach us to Understand and Accept what simple, cluttered minds call "losing."Come, children. There is much to learn.*The only joy in the world is to begin.We find the way to Wednesday's game. The O's are playing the Cleveland Indians, which have been "winning" two out of every three games.

Zen music player is a worthy rival to Apple iPod Creative Technologies, the longtime standard-setter in PC-based music, has finally produced a portable digital player that rivals Apple's elegant iPod - for less money. The Nomad Jukebox Zen ($300 after a $50 rebate) packs a 20-gigabyte hard disk into a 9.5-ounce, 3-by-4.4-by-1-inch package. It's slightly larger and heavier than the 20-gigabyte iPod, and a bit large for a shirt pocket. But it's still a small package, considering that it stores 400 albums' worth of music in MP3 format.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Jockey Richard Cornwell had a banner day at the Charles Town Races yesterday, booting home five winners during the 10-race card.Cornwell, 29, a native of Alexandria, Va., won the fourth race with TLF Broodmare Partnership's Reason To Ramble, the fifth race with Brian Jones' Dancer Rullah and the sixth race with Elmer Miles' My Disco.After sitting out the seventh race, Cornwell captured the eighth race aboard K. and W. Anderson's Zen Again and then guided Faye and Victor Espinosa's Faye's Friend to victory in the ninth.

STORMVILLE, N.Y. - In a room where the cinder block walls are painted white, 14 men sit in facing rows, each man on a small, round pillow, his legs folded, his gaze lowered. Nearby sits a robed Buddhist monk, a small altar at his back. The stillness is so profound it seems to muffle the blare of a television in the next room. The Lotus Flower Sangha, as this group is called, is meeting deep inside the Green Haven Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison that houses 2,000 men convicted of serious crimes such as armed robbery and murder.

From your pumpkin, toasty little snacksAs you carve your jack-o'-lantern, take a few minutes to separate the pumpkin seeds from the strings. Coat the seeds lightly with a little vegetable oil and spread on a coookie sheet. Dry in a 225-degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper or Mexican seasoning and toast in a toaster oven, stirring once, or bake at 350 degrees in the oven until lightly toasted.A Halloween treat so easy, it's scaryIf you like to make your own Halloween treats, here's one that's easy enough for kids to do: Dip sourdough pretzels in melted white chocolate, place them on waxed paper and decorate with candy corn or colored sprinkles.