Here's a look at some news of interest to the Pagan community at large:

As with just about any Pagan holiday, the summer solstice seems to be an invitation for the media to take note that Pagans exist. This year, Pagans in Russia got some attention as did a few in Texas. And of course, we cannot forget Stonehenge

As a Neo-Hellenic Polytheist, I am always fascinated with news coming out of Greece and a fellow member of the Hellenic Pagan Yahoo group posted a great article about connecting with Poseidon in Athens and another one that got me even more excited about shows performed at the open air amphitheater at Epidaurus. I was excited because I've been there, though I didn't get to see a show. I am not sure there were shows back then. But I'm ready to head back to Greece at the first opportunity.

I'm not sure how I feel about this article about sex offenders. The offenders interviewed just happen to be Pagan, but that's not what the article is about. I've always thought our sex offender laws needed a bit of an overhaul and maybe they do, but that is one heck of a loaded topic. Kudos to the journalist who tackled it, but I'm not sure he got to the point. How should sex offenders be dealt with? And more to the point of Witchmoot, how should the Pagan community address this issue?

Much Ado About the Lawn
As a Greek Orthodox church prepared to plant a community garden earlier this month they were "shocked" to discover their 1-acre plot had been vandalized. A pentagram had been cut into the lawn with a lawn mower. As far as vandalism goes, pretty harmless but boy what a hullabaloo. However, they will continue undaunted, as if a Pagan fertility symbol would daunt their efforts to plant a garden, and purify the land and carry on. Or I guess they could just mow the rest of the lawn...

Archaeologists Ponder Old Stuff and New Old Stuff
I am obsessed with Anthropology and Archaeology and I just love sites like Vesuvius. I had the opportunity to visit once and let me tell you, it cannot be described. You must go there. Unfortunately, a lot of what was there is no longer there. As this article points out, much of the site was stripped of anything valuable by collectors before the scientists got to it.

In other, perhaps less redundant Archaeology news, Archaeologists in Germany believe they have found the oldest man-made human figure. Of course she's a woman.

Obama, Sex, Babies and Catholics
Has pragmatism really come to Washington? Obama has done stuff I don't like, and stuff I like. I am not dancing with joy over his budget (I don't know that he is either) but I am glad that it seeks to end annoying and harmful programs like abstinence only sex education.

In related news, his invitation to deliver the commencement speech at Notre Dame sent the Catholic pro-Life folks into a tizzy leading them to decide it was appropriate to interfere with one of the great milestones in the lives of thousands of students to show off pictures of aborted fetuses and otherwise display their complete lack of respect for everyone present. I'm all about free speech. But there is a time and a place. But I also get that I don't get it. Read his speech and see where he stands on the issue (he thinks we need to focus on preventing abortions.)

Various Freedom of Religion Ruckuses (Ruckusi?)
Dorchester County Council in South Carolina had a disagreement over whether to characterize America as a Christian Nation.

Meanwhile, an Ohio school board has been notified that it should lay off the prayers in its graduation ceremonies. Wow. So much graduation drama.

Faith and Healing
Here's a heartwarming story about a young cancer survivor and her family who is working to bring healing to others. Why am I including this in a Pagan blog? Because they happen to be Wiccan and use energetic and holistic healing methods.

Gay Pagans?
A Q&A column out of Jacksonville, Florida asks the question, "Do Pagans think it's Okay to be Gay?" See what people had to say about it. I was down with pretty much all of it until M. Macha Nightmare started rambling about the Law of 3-Fold Return, which a good chuck of us (Pagans) completely reject as being foolishness (one-fold I can see, threefold makes no logical sense.) and doesn't relate to the question anyway.

What do you think about these stories? I'd love to hear your thoughts on these and your input on more I haven't found.