Some stories you might have missed over the past couple of weeks:

A Tibetan nun died today after self-immolating in the Sichuan province of China, reports AFP.

A group of Christians in Tennessee are trying to start a new movement: Occupy the Altar. No word yet on whether or not you can actually fit a tent on an altar.

Apparently a Jewish mandolin orchestra (yes, those exist) in Poland has re-formed after decades of hiatus. The group was disbanded during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II, but a San Francisco man managed to gather a few like-minded musicians (e.g. – the ROCK STAR at left) for something of a rockin’ reunion concert. Check out the video on this one, if only to see what a “bass mandolin” looks like. (hint, it’s big)

The Dharma Folk blog looks at the “Dharma of Trick Or Treating.” (via Tricycle magazine)

The New York Times has an extensive piece on Michael Muhammad Knight, an American Muslim convert who “straddles the Worlds of Islam and Hip-Hop”

Huffington Post Religion lists the top five things everyone should know about Shariah Law.

Finally, the Tweet of the Day comes from Buddhist Geeks, who link to an article entitled “Monkeys Meditate for Marshmallows” the only way they know how:

@BuddhistGeeks – Another day, another meditating monkey story ; ) http://bit.ly/o3SXcw