Love and its transformative power have long been at the center of Islamic Sufism. For Sufi writers profane love, perceived as the love of worldly beloved, was the first step on the path toward the union with the divine. Farid al-Din ‘Attar (1145-1221) was one of the most significant authors to espouse and articulate profane love as a representation of both earthly and heavenly love. 'Attar’s us...

The organization of the recruitment of tenured astronomers and astrophysicists in France is presented and compared with the setup in other countries. The ages for getting tenure have increased from 27-28 in 1980 to 31 today. Foreign scientists constitute at least 11% of the recruits and the delay in their hiring is quantified. The large reliance on national tenure committees is justified, while...

love and its transformative power have long been at the center of islamic sufism. for sufi writers profane love, perceived as the love of worldly beloved, was the first step on the path toward the union with the divine. farid al-din ‘attar (1145-1221) was one of the most significant authors to espouse and articulate profane love as a representation of both earthly and heavenly love. 'attar’s us...