Fairness at Yale in the Politically Correct Way

Yale University

Yale has come under public pressure for its admission of Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, former ambassador-at-large for the Taliban, as a non-degree student. Critics on both the right and left have questioned the University's decision, both in light of Yale's refusal to allow ROTC on campus and the University's lack of support for programs offering educational opportunities for the victims of the Taliban regime.

Yes to Taliban and no to ROTC.  What do you think?

Tags: Taliban, Yale, Hashemi, ROTC, Yale University, Ambassador-at-Large

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ON THIS DAY INSIGHT: Dred Scott decision - Emancipation Proclamation and the destiny of America - Principled Leadership

The recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the treatment of detainees ( terrorists ) has parallels with the Dred Scott decision and the Emancipation Proclamation. Both are are key events pf this date in America's history. The timeline shows the importance of the founding spirit of The Declaration of Independence that ". . . all men are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights. . . ."

The Supreme Court Error - following the crowd:

Dred Scott v. Sandford: Information From Answers.com: The 1857 ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States that made slavery legal in all US territories. Scott was a slave whose master had taken him in 1834 from a slave state (Missouri) to a free state and a free territory, then back to Missouri. Scott sued for his freedom in Missouri in 1846, claiming his residence in a free state and a free territory made him free. The opinion of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney declared that Scott was not entitled to rights as a US citizen and, in fact, had “no rights which any white man was bound to respect." Taney and six other justices struck down the Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional, maintaining that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories (see states' rights). The decision, a clear victory for the South, increased Northern antislavery sentiment, strengthened the new Republican Party, and fed the sectional strife that led to war in 1861.

The Correction - Leadership in Principle :
Emancipation Proclamation, in U.S. history, the executive order abolishing slavery in the Confederate States of America. On this this day in 1862 this Edict issued by U.S. Pres. Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves of the Confederacy. On taking office, Lincoln was concerned with preserving the Union and wanted only to prevent slavery from expanding into the Western territories; but, after the South seceded, there was no political reason to tolerate slavery. In September 1862 he called on the seceded states to return to the Union or have their slaves declared free. When no state returned, he issued the proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. The edict had no power in the Confederacy, but it provided moral inspiration for the North and discouraged European countries from supporting the South. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1865, officially abolished slavery in the entire country.

America and the world needs principled leadership. What do you think?

Poverello Coffee: Fundraising

Poverello Coffee: Fundraising: "We make fundraising fun!
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, with more than 160 million Americans drinking coffee each day. It is almost effortless to sell our coffee, because it is roasted fresh and guaranteed to taste great.

They have a good point and they've got the coffee. Good luck.

Townhall.com::Are videotaped beheading covered by Geneva?::By Ann Coulter

Townhall.com::Are videotaped beheading covered by Geneva?::By Ann Coulter: "McCain, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John Warner -- or, as the Times now calls him, the 'courtly Virginian' ('fag-hag by proxy to Elizabeth Taylor' being beneath his dignity these days) -- want terrorists treated like Americans accused of crimes, with full access to classified information against them and a list of the undercover agents involved in their capture. Liberals' interest in protecting classified information started and ended with Valerie Plame.
As Graham explained, he doesn't want procedures used against terrorists at Guantanamo 'to become clubs to be used against our people.' Actually, clubs would be a step up from videotaped beheadings.
Or as The New York Times wrote"
====
There is more to chew on in this article. Click here.

CISA: Controversial archbishop faces Vatican suspension - Catholic Online

CISA: Controversial archbishop faces Vatican suspension - Catholic Online: "CISA: Controversial archbishop faces Vatican suspension
9/20/2006
Catholic Information Service for Africa (www.cisanews.org/)
VATICAN CITY (CISA) – The Holy See has written to controversial Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo asking him to repent and again leave the Korean woman he had 'married' in 2001 and to stop his activities with the 'Married Priests Now!' lobby group he has created.

Advertisement
According to a report by Associated Press, the former archbishop of Lusaka, who married a South Korean acupuncturist, Maria Sung, in a ceremony celebrated by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church, has received a letter from the head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops demanding that Archbishop Milingo send a letter of repentance to the pope by Oct. 15 or face 'canonical suspension.'
'Your behavior, activities and public statements during these past few months are completely contrary to the obligation of every bishop,' Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re wrote in a letter to Archbishop Milingo.
'In the name of Jesus Christ, I beg you to reflect seriously on your behaviour and all its consequences.'
Asked how he would respond, the archbishop said, 'I will stay with them', referring to the married clergy advocacy group.
'The new association of married priests called 'Married Priests Now!' is calling for those priests who are currently married, and all national and international married priest organizations to unite in an open call to the Roman Catholic Church to reconcile married priests to active service,' the archbishop says on his Web site (www.archbishopmilingo.org).
About 120 couples from the group are reportedly meeting this week . . . " Click here to read the rest.

"The new association of married priests called 'Married Priests Now!' is calling for those priests who are currently married, and all national and international married priest organizations to unite in an open call to the Roman Catholic Church to reconcile married priests to active service," the archbishop says on his Web site (www.archbishopmilingo.org).
About 120 couples from the group are reportedly meeting this week in New York City. Archbishop Milingo had previously renounced his marriage to Maria Sung following a personal appeal from John Paul II.
In July, he reappeared in the United States to announce his new organization. He says he now lives with his wife in the Washington area.
However, other Catholic advocates of a married priesthood are keeping their distance from Archbishop Milingo, The Houston Chronicle reported , citing his links with the Unification Church.
===
The universally accepted whipping boy (UC) is mentioned and portunes something evil this way comes.

Learn Korean

Click here to get your own player.

This has some good ways to learn Korean.  Good luck.

technorati tags:Korean, Language, Study, Practice, Multi-Media Language, Multi-Media Study, English

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Article 3 of the Third Geneva Convention (GCIII Article 3) and "Unlawful Combatants"

THIRD GENEVA CONVENTION (Treatment of prisoners of war)

Article 3 describes minimal protections which must be adhered to by all individuals within a signatory's territory (regardless of citizenship or lack thereof): Noncombatants, combatants who have laid down their arms, and combatants who are hors de combat (out of the fight) due to wounds, detention, or any other cause , , ,

shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, including prohibition of outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment. The passing of sentences must also be pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples. Article 3's protections exist even if one is not classified as a prisoner of war. Article 3 also states that parties to the internal conflict should endeavor to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of GCIII.

4.1.2 Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, provided that they fulfill all of the following conditions:

• that of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;
• that of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance (there are limited exceptions to this among countries who observe the 1977 Protocol I);
• that of carrying arms openly;
• that of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.

===
Well, this looks pretty damming (see the area separated for emphasis). However, if you read on you may understand what benefit can come from the moral high ground debate.

My opinion: The recent decision of the Supreme Court forces a necessary re-evaluation of the Geneva Conventions in the shadow of our current experiences with world-wide "religio-fanatical" terrorists. This can also accelerate the reforms needed in the United Nations. Reforms which embrace partnership with representatives of the world's religions.

===

technorati tags:non-combatants, war, terrorist, terrorist, religion, religious, Islam, Muslim, Geneva, GCIII, Geneva Convention

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Scientists find child 'Lucy' skeleton

By Peter Gorner
Tribune science reporter
Published September 20, 2006, 4:53 PM CDT

A 3.3-million-year-old skeleton of a young child curled up in a ball no bigger than a cantaloupe—a unique fossil described as "a bright beam of light" on human evolution—was unveiled today by paleontologists working in the sun-baked badlands of Ethiopia.

The tiny bundle of bones may be the best fossil yet found of the primitive human ancestor Australopithecus afarensis. That is the same species as the superstar fossil dubbed Lucy, a 3.2 million-year-old adult female who was discovered nearby in 1974.
Scientists find child 'Lucy' skeleton article

THE MISSING LINK IS COMING SOON.  They take a big jump to insist that the brain is more developed than Lucy's.  Boy, scientists know everything!  Hmmmm what do you think?

Tags: evolution, darwin, id, intelligent design, lucy, little lucy, paleontologists

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1st Draft/Proposal for : CULTURE OF PEACE CENTER

This was the first draft of the proposal for a Cultural center

Proposal for:

CULTURE OF PEACECENTER

===========================================

FOR LEASE:

Palmetto Expressway and NW 27 avenue:

2,500 sqft. @ $ 17.00/sqft. plus $ 5.00 CMA (common maintenance area charges) – a total of: $ 22.00/sqft. – 3 year minimum: $ 4,583.33 per month

FOR SALE: Zoning for church, banquet hall etc., sufficient parking, handicapPalmetto Expressway and NW 47 avenue:

Option 1: 3,228 sqft. - $ 613,320.00 (4878 NW 167 street)

Option 2: 5,266 sqft. - $ 1,000,540.00 (4842-4846 NW 167 st)

Association fee: cost per year $ 2.20 / sqft. includes:

Property Insurance, security 7 PM – 7 AM, water, waste, trash, landscaping, outdoor lightning

Cost and expense comparison for option 1:

Average cost for build $ 20.00/sqft.

Build out includes: dry walls for offices, electrical, paint,tile and/or carpet flooring, drop ceiling $ 64,560.00

Furniture for office, banquet room and meeting hall $ 30,000.00

A/C unit and duc work $ 12,500.00

Kitchen and equipment $ 10,000.00

Total estimate: $ 117,060.00

Present church property in Kendallest. value: $ 550,000.00

Purchase price: $ 613,320.00

Down payment: $ 400,000.00 (present asset $ 550,000.00)

Mortgage balance: $ 213,320.00

Monthly Payment @ 7.5% $ 1,488.00 per month

Association fee: $ 270.00 per month

FPL monthly: ??

Possible Income: Banquet halls and meeting rooms for 3,000 sqft. (without serving food) renting on an average between $ 500 and $ 1,200 per day.

Estimated 3 days per month rental income would pay for monthly expenses.

=== added later ====

I (GC) forgot to mention that there have been several updates, including the salary of a “property manager”. The most updated version will be given on Sunday at the Hotel Intercontinental (NW 87th Avenue off of NW 25th Street, west of the Palmetto), at 10 a.m.

Also there will be a presentation of the financial situation of the church.

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AND COFFEE TOO: Nun to Somalia Killers "I forgive, I forgive"

AND COFFEE TOO: Nun to Somalia Killers "I forgive, I forgive"

This is the true love bomb which will have
more effect in this world than any army or terrorist with their war toys and
fear. Watch out world, the light from this love bomb will light up the
conciences of millions world-wide regardles of relilgion or nation. What
do you think?

Third World Tour Speech

Address to the World Peace Tour of the Universal Peace Federation

God's Ideal Family and Peace Kingdom

August 31 to October 14, 2006



Chung Hwan Kwak

Chairman, Universal Peace Federation



Distinguished guests; leaders from all fields; Ambassadors for Peace;
and blessed families:



Welcome to this solemn occasion dedicated to the establishment of God's
Ideal Family and Peace Kingdom, that is, a universal homeland of eternal
peace for all humanity, a realm that encompasses all of heaven and earth
under God!



Thank you for participating in this historic World Peace Tour of the
Universal Peace Federation.



On this day, we will receive the message of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. This is
no ordinary message and he is no ordinary man. This message is a
textbook for our lives, and a roadmap to lasting peace. Moreover, his
life is a model for our lives. Please do not look at today's event
externally or superficially as merely a social or academic event.
Today's event brings us into a direct encounter with God's Word, God's
Blessing and God's Providence of Restoration.  



The purpose of God's Providence of Restoration is to completely restore
the Fall of Adam and Eve, and to establish God's ideal family worldwide.
According to God's original will, Adam and Eve were to have grown to
become God's true son and daughter, and the True Parents of humanity.
However, due to their Fall, they did not fulfill their responsibility as
True Parents and God's will was not realized at that time. Furthermore,
as the descendants of Adam and Eve, all human beings have inherited a
fallen nature.



At this time in God's providence, Father and Mother Moon have restored
the position of the True Parents. With God as the incorporeal, vertical
True Parent, Father and Mother Moon stand in the position of the
corporeal, horizontal True Parents-the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and
Humankind. True Parents manifest God's original ideal of the true
parent, true teacher, true owner and true king. They are fulfilling
God's providence to establish the universal peace kingdom, centered on
true love, true life and true lineage. Therefore, without exception,
each of us must be reborn and engrafted into the lineage of God through
the True Parents.



In January of 2001, True Father offered the Coronation Ceremony for
God's Kingship in order to open the way for a peaceful, ideal world. He
then connected this heavenly fortune to the history of God's providence
to establish the Kingdom of the Peaceful Ideal World. On June 13 of this
year, he brought this providence to a victorious conclusion with the
opening of the Cheon Jeong Goong Peace Palace and through the Coronation
Ceremony of the King of Cosmic Peace.



The realization of a peaceful, ideal world is the hope of humankind and
the ideal God has been seeking since the time of the Creation. Such a
world begins from a true family centered on God's true love. True
Father's sacrifice and all his remarkable and miraculous achievements
throughout his life have been dedicated to the purpose of laying a
foundation, substantially, for the realization of this ideal.



For example, True Father has tirelessly invested himself in promoting
interreligious dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation for the sake of
God's providence and world peace. He also launched and maintained
numerous humanitarian relief and service activities to alleviate human
suffering. He led the way in contributing to the end of the Cold War
Era, by providing the essential critique and counterproposal to
materialistic communist ideology. For the sake of peace, he founded
federations that bring together the peoples of island nations, peninsula
nations, and continental nations, as well all peoples of Mongolian
descent.



By establishing the Universal Peace Federation-which has its roots in
the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace-he
created a movement to build an "Abel-UN," a God-centered UN-type
organization guided by the principle of living for the sake of others,
and dedicated to building a world of everlasting peace. He has also
initiated the "Peace Kingdom Police Force" and "Peace Kingdom Corps"
to
carry out peacebuilding activities worldwide.



Aside from these initiatives, Rev. Moon has built a diverse
international foundation in the fields of education, culture, the arts,
sports and industry. These remarkable accomplishments have all been
carried out for the fulfillment of God's will and to realize the
ultimate hope of humankind for an ideal world characterized by freedom,
peace, unity and happiness.



Most fundamentally, since 1960, he has led a global movement to
establish true families, centered on absolute values and true love. To
this end, he carried out thousands of inter-cultural exchange Marriage
Blessing Ceremonies for millions and millions of couples
worldwide---including people of every race, religion, nationality,
culture and ethnic background---promoting a universal culture of heart
among all human beings.



The internal and fundamental prerequisite for the realization of a
peaceful, ideal world is the establishment of an ideal family that
manifests God's original and unchanging ideal of true love and true
family. This heavenly ideal was to have been established within Adam's
family at the outset of human history. That is, God's true love, true
life and true lineage were to have been securely and perfectly
established on earth and horizontally expanded through the three
generations of Adam and Eve, their children and grandchildren. Due to
the Fall of the first human ancestors, God has had to endure tremendous
sorrow. God has never been able to embrace His own true grandsons and
granddaughters.



On September 12, 2005, True Father inaugurated the Universal Peace
Federation and immediately embarked on an inaugural World Peace Tour
that took him to 120 nations. Shortly thereafter in 2006, True Mother,
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, together with many of True Parents' thirteen
children, carried out a second World Peace Tour, proclaiming the
heavenly way and bringing the national-level Marriage Blessing to 180
nations.



On the foundation of the two World Peace Tours, True Parents blessed
four of their grandchildren on August 28, 2006, fully establishing the
foundation of victory for God's ideal of a True Family of three
generations, centered on true love. Now, beginning on August 31 in
Korea, three generations of the True Parents' family are carrying out
this third World Peace Tour. In each nation, on every day of the tour,
12 members of the True Family-parents, children and grandchildren-will
go out, each to a different city, to deliver the Founder's Address.



Today's event is a historic rally for the purpose of passing on to each
of you and to your nation, the foundation of cosmic victory by which
God's vertical true love ideal has been fully established on earth
through the perfection of the family ideal over the course of three
generations.



Respected leaders, Ambassadors for Peace and blessed families:



By your attendance at today's program, you are able to reap the benefits
of God's providence at this time, receiving so much grace and heavenly
fortune. This is made possible by the fact that we are alive at the same
time as the True Parents. This is a time of great hope, a time when the
ideals that humanity has longed to realize throughout the course of
history may be fulfilled.



Let us become the leading force in realizing a kingdom of cosmic peace.
Let us determine to allow the words that we hear today serve as the
essential guidebook for our life. Let us follow the path of true love
that True Parents have opened, and, together, build a world of universal
peace.



May God's blessing be with each of you, your family and your nation. 

Catholic World News : Archbishop Milingo defies warning from Rome

Catholic World News : Archbishop Milingo defies warning from Rome: "Archbishop Milingo defies warning from Rome
Sep. 18 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has warned Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo that he risks suspension if he continues to flout Church discipline, the African prelate has told Associated Press.
Archbishop Milingo spoke on Sunday evening, September 17, at a New Jersey conference organized by proponents of a married priesthood. He was accompanied by Maria Sung (who now identifies herself as Maria Milingo), the Korean woman to whom he was joined by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a mass ceremony organized by the Unification Church in 2001.
Since his return to the Catholic Church after that attempted marriage in 2001, Archbishop Milingo had lived quietly outside Rome until this summer, when he unexpectedly left Italy, traveled to the US, and appeared at a forum in Washington, DC, arguing for married priests. He has continued to lobby for an end to priestly celibacy, while telling reporters that he has joined other former Catholic priests associated with the Moon cult.
Archbishop Milingo showed Associated Press a letter from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (bio - news), the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, warning him to cease his activities, which the cardinal described as 'completely contrary to the obligation of every bishop.' The African archbishop said that he had no intention of complying with the Vatican demand. "

Hmm. Cult. Christianity was once a cult. So, I ok with that lable. Now, Let's pray for Milingo. Do you think the 4th Famtima Letter speaks of married priests?

In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. Its separate status may come about either due to its novel belief system, because of its idiosyncratic practices or because it opposes the interests of the mainstream culture. Other non-religious groups may also display cult-like characteristics.

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary definitions are:
A particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies;
An instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers;
The object of such devotion;
A group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc;
Group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols;
A religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader;
The members of such a religion or sect;
Any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

Walter Martin, the pioneer of the Christian countercult movement gave in his 1955 book the following definition of a cult:
"By cultism we mean the adherence to doctrines which are pointedly contradictory to orthodox Christianity and which yet claim the distinction of either tracing their origin to orthodox sources or of being in essential harmony with those sources. Cultism, in short, is any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith."

Purpose Driven - Churches Changing Lives on Purpose

Purpose Driven - Churches Changing Lives on Purpose: "2007 Small Group Conference Feb. 20-27
Your goal is clear: You want a healthy church, a church passionately committed to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But how do you connect your team – your congregation – to reach that goal? The answer isn’t starting another program or ministry."

Ever wish you could talk with a coach about your small group ministry? Are you stuck trying to navigate through a small group ministry and feeling alone? Do you want to start a small group ministry but don’t know how? This program will walk you through how to connect your congregation in 90 days.
Pastors all over North America desire to connect their congregation by developing healthy small group ministries.
That’s why Purpose Driven has teamed up with Brett Eastman, former small group champion at Willow Creek and Saddleback, to deliver a unique small group coaching program to help you and your church realize the dream. This proven coaching program will offer breakthrough strategies designed to help you connect your congregation and catalyze a small group movementin your community!

The 10 CD audio course costs $195.00 and I'd say it is worth it. What do you think?

Match.com for Families HMMM

Match.com for Families

Friends For Families, a sort of match.com for families, quotes a study that says 25% of people claim that that they have no close personal friends. They aim to help families find other, compatible families to establish friendships. At its core it’s a match.com for families (without the dating and sex, I assume). It will officially launch on September 19.

There is no free version of the site (mistake no. 1) - users must pay a yearly fee of $20 to participate or even to browse member profiles. You can view a Flash tour from a link on the home page if you want to see some of the features. I went ahead and spent the $20 to take a look. You fill out a very detailed profile (I’m a single father with my adopted “child”, a brown labrador retriever named Laguna). The questionairre includes questions on lifestyle, political views, income, restaurant habits, hobbies, and even an incredibly inclusive range of religions (I chose “primal-indegenous” and “neo-paganism”).

The company then uses this profile information to match you with other local families that share similar interests. You can then network with each other and arrange BBQs and softball games, I suppose.

The company is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. For those lonely families out there, this may be just the thing you were looking for.

FriendsForFamilies

Tags: family, match.com, socialnetworking, techcrunch, web2.0, web_2.0

technorati tags:family, families, family compatibility, compatibility, not sex

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