It's the "financialization" of management. The question is now "how much profit can be squeezed out" vs. "let's make a profit by providing value and reliability".

China is pretty keen on high speed rail.

Your assumption is still mostly right, but the traffic isn't symmetrical. Most broadband providers provide higher download speeds than upload speeds, but the upload speeds are still important (even if only to acknowledge the packets you receive).

Still, considering that Netflix is number 4 on the upstream hints at the sheer magnitude of traffic (I'm guessing most of the upstream traffic is control messages and acknowledgments).

Why are we only focusing on Dr. Tart or Batchelor? There's other thinkers out there, from Sam Harris to Fritjof Capra.

Or maybe it's because Batchelor got a blurb from Christopher Hitchens?

There is the burden of theory... of which not much is offered.

Yeah, I also find the used of loaded terms and strawmen (the "scientific establishment") distracting from the main point. It seems Dr. Tart has his own axes to grind...

Source? Or to channel Wikipedia: [citation needed]

As one might say, the devil is in the details...

I'd like to add: what bothers me about discussions like this is a certain lack of intellectual and philosophical rigor; unfortunately, how many have studied Buddhist philosophy as well as Thomas Aquinas and Philo?

But the gods, devas, etc. are/were also subject to samsara, impermanence, karma, etc. I'd say they were demoted in power and stature.

Though, speaking of Zen practice, I've seen in one practice that "Buddha nature" is replaced with "Christ nature" and worship of Christ continues; it reminds me a lot of Amitabha and Pure Land Buddhism.

Hate to use labels, but the term Chan (Zen) come to mind...

Anyway, at least in Taiwan, many temples have a Taoist, folk and Buddhist shrines in them.