Where true equality begins

clipped from newsweek.washingtonpost.com Religion hasn't caught up to its own precepts about love, forgiveness, and the equality of souls, yet there's widespread dismay and shame over that failure. In the end, giving women and minorities true equality begins with the individual. Anyone who aspires to raise his or her consciousness can begin here; the results will be far more rewarding than any legislative movement that puts the right laws in place while allowing the wrong attitudes to fester.

Forked Tongue

I'm all for those of a foreign culture learning and speaking English when living in this country. But when walking down the street and talking to their friends - who obviously can speak/understand that language - when does it become your business what language they speak?

clipped from www.nytimes.com “We certainly need diversity,” said Johanna Bees, a Republican committeewoman who spoke outside the city library. “But the school board had to consider qualifications first.” Ms. Bees paused and then added: “One of my gripes is that all these people should learn English. When they’re walking on the street and they’re jabbering in Spanish, it really annoys me.”

Jailed Blogger's Supporters to Go Offline and "Flood the Jail with Mail"

Twenty-two year old law student Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman marked the first of a four year sentence in an Egyptian prison last November. His crime was "defaming the President of Egypt" on his blog. His first year in prison included isolation and physical torture.

The one thing that's made a big difference for Kareem, his supporters say, has been international attention. Now those supporters are calling for a two week campaign of snail-mail sent to the jail.

The goal is to let Kareem, and his jailers, know that the situation is far from forgotten. Past mail and media coverage have also improved physical conditions in the jail. Below are links for more info, including a link you can use to add a reminder of the letter writing campaign to your Google Calendar.

For the rest of the story, please see...

Jailed Blogger's Supporters to Go Offline and "Flood the Jail with Mail"
Marshall Kirkpatrick
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:45:28 GMT

Life In The Shadows

Spreading the word. These are the real results of little boys playing war games.

The Our Man Inside Blog: Life In The Shadows

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Monk vs. common men

clipped from www.nytimes.com Onpo Lobsang, rushing up the road on his way to pick up a banner for a demonstration, said he backed the march to Lhasa despite the Dalai Lama’s reservations. “Our goal is the same, we need both sides,” said Mr. Lobsang, 29, who came here with his parents at age 9. “He’s the supreme leader, but we don’t need to listen to everything he says. He is a Buddhist monk. We are common men.”

Choose

The building doesn't create the beliefs. The people create the beliefs. I can follow my beliefs anywhere. Remaining among those who have obviously made choices I say I vehemently oppose - then defending them - makes no sense to me.This is a decision that needs to be made. More crucial decisions will come.

clipped from www.buzzmachine.com No. A church is a choice. I left a church because it was bigoted toward gays. I left one congregation and the entire Presbyterian Church with it. Oh, one could try to explain their bigotry, to give it context and history, to caution that they should not be tossed aside because of this belief. But that, in my mind, would be every bit as bad as staying in a church or a country club that refused to allow black people in. That would be every bit as bad as refusing to condemn the hate speech of a Pat Robertson or a Jerry Falwell. It would be as bad as trying to explain away the racism of George Wallace or Lester Maddox with context and history. I did not want to endorse or support this church myself and I certainly did not want to raise my children in their atmosphere of discrimination. A church is a choice and I chose to leave.

Coach, Therapist, Wimp

But if you don't have the nerve to tell someone to whom you're paying a hefty sum what you want, how's this coach going to help? Isn't that just another person who's giving you their opinion, that you then still may not have the nerve to disagree with? Just call it what it is - a project manager. And grow a pair.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Remodeling coaches often act more like marriage counselors than like building consultants, and, like therapists, they are best when brought in as early as possible.

Seeking Enlightenment and Hope

So, Allvoices has a "Conflict & Tragedy" catagory. Where's the "Enlightenment & Hope" catagory? Is it a sign of our basic spiritual void that we focus so intently on one, and not the other? I'm not talking religion here. I'm talking about the good, the hope, the caring around the world (regardless of religion.) Maybe if we saw more of that, we would do more of that.

Protection

While you may not be a fan of marriage, don't let your kids suffer for it. Although there are some exceptions (Florida, for instance) in most states, children who are left out of a Will may not be able to inherit anything when you die. So if you forgot to use one form of protection, make sure you at least protect the results of that decision.

Ledger’s Will Leaves Daughter’s Inheritance Uncertain
Mary Randolph
Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:52:21 GMT

 

Technorati Tags: children,inheritance,law,Will,estate planning

Caught

I don't know whether this makes a case for legalizing prostitution or regular lie-detector screenings for public officials. Or immunity for a wife given one hour and a whip. Altho that may bring up problems of a different sort.

clipped from www.nytimes.com ALBANY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer continued to weigh whether to resign early Tuesday, a day after law enforcement officials said he was a client of a high-end prostitution ring broken up last week by federal authorities.

Hormones, Genes, and the Corner Office

clipped from www.nytimes.com Women’s brains aren’t inferior, she argues, but they vary considerably from men’s, and this is the primary explanation for the workplace gender divide. Women care more about intrinsic rewards, they have broader interests, they are more service-oriented and they are better at gauging the effect they have on others. They are “wired for empathy.”

Ring Around The Rosie

Dear Mashable,

Why, when I click on the Office Live Workspace link in your article about Microsoft's worldwide launch of its public beta (telling me it's now available), does it send me to your article of several month's ago, telling me it's coming soon?

I hate being annoyed before I've had my coffee.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace Now Available to Everyone

Thank You

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Continuing the fantasy

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The Big Con

http://www.nytimes.com/…4fake.html

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The Virtues of Song

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Price Breaks

Especially software that's not yet ready for prime time.

clipped from bits.blogs.nytimes.com No matter how good Vista may be, there is another force at work here: The price people are willing to pay for software is coming down.