Clipmarks | Faith Clips

Ambaji pilgrims pledge before Goddess to fight female foeticide

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:13:42 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Pilgrims at the famous Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district found a new way to check the dwindling female sex ratio in the state - ‘Sankalp Patras’. The Ambaji Temple Committee members made the devotees sign the ‘Sankalp Patras’ to curb sex discrimination and female foeticide, along with a pledge to save the girl child. A total of five lakh ‘Sankalp Patras’ were signed.

“While the idea has been implemented for the first time at any religious place, the chances of its success are quite high as people have willingly taken a pledge before the goddess and are most likely to abide by it.

Patel said: “We have plans to extend the experiment to other religious destinations in the area as well. This is for the first time that such an experiment has been undertaken at a religious place in the state. However, with the active participation of future devotees, the awareness campaign is bound to be effective.”

Tags: goddess, faith, babies, female, religion, infanticide

Guantanamo prosecutor who quit had 'grave misgivings' about fairness

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:26:40 GMT

clipped by: Kelika

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

WASHINGTON -- Darrel J. Vandeveld was in despair. The hard-nosed lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, a self-described conformist praised by his superiors for his bravery in Iraq, had lost faith in the Guantanamo Bay war crimes tribunals in which he was a prosecutor.

In a declaration and subsequent testimony, he said the U.S. government was not providing defense lawyers with the evidence it had against their clients, including exculpatory information -- material considered helpful to the defense.

Saying that the accused enemy combatants were more likely to be wrongly convicted without that evidence, Vandeveld testified that he went from being a "true believer to someone who felt truly deceived" by the tribunals. The system in place at the U.S. military facility in Cuba, he wrote in his declaration, was so dysfunctional that it deprived "the accused of basic due process and subject[ed] the well-intentioned prosecutor to claims of ethical misconduct."

Breath of fresh air

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:29:54 GMT

clipped by: JULIE PENKOVA
clipper's remarks: POEMS TO LIFT THE SPIRIT

Clip Source: www.breathfreshair.org

Take a deep breath of the Spirit -
then exhale on the world

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Guantanamo prosecutor who quit had 'grave misgivings' about fairness

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:31:52 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Cont....

Vandeveld is at least the fourth prosecutor to resign under protest. Questions about the fairness of the tribunals have been raised by the very people charged with conducting them, according to legal experts, human rights observers and current and former military officials.

Vandeveld's claims are particularly explosive.

In a declaration and subsequent testimony, he said the U.S. government was not providing defense lawyers with the evidence it had against their clients, including exculpatory information -- material considered helpful to the defense.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Convinced that key evidence was being withheld from the defense, Lt. Col. Darrel J. Vandeveld went from being a 'true believer to someone who felt truly deceived' by the tribunals.

His work was top secret, making it impossible to talk to family or friends. So the devout Catholic -- working away from home -- contacted a priest online.

Even if he had no doubt about the guilt of the accused, he wrote in an August e-mail, "I am beginning to have grave misgivings about what I am doing, and what we are doing as a country. . . .

"I no longer want to participate in the system, but I lack the courage to quit. I am married, with children, and not only will they suffer, I'll lose a lot of friends."

Tags: justice, torture, guantanamo, show trials

Protesting nuns branded terrorists

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:52:22 GMT

clipped by: zalisan
clipper's remarks: What would Sally Field have done? "Democracy is built on these elements on being able to speak out to speak what we believe is truth," Sister Carol said.

Clip Source: www.washtimes.com

Pair classified by state police; names placed on national list

BALTIMORE | For decades, Sister Carol Gilbert and Sister Ardeth Platte have practiced their Roman Catholic faith with an unwavering focus on world peace. Their antiwar activities even landed them in federal prison earlier this decade for trespassing onto a military base and pouring blood onto a nuclear missile silo.

Now they face fresh infamy as two nuns secretly branded by Maryland State Police as terrorists and placed on a national watch list.

"This term terrorist is a really serious accusation," Sister Ardeth, a nun for 54 years, told The Washington Times on Thursday in the first interview that the women have given since being informed they were among 53 people added to a terrorist watch list in conjunction with an extensive Maryland surveillance effort of antiwar activists.

"There is no way that we ever want to be identified as terrorists. We are nonviolent. We are faith-based," she said.

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

Obama is not a muslim

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:38:25 GMT

clipped by: armoredbaby
clipper's remarks: Get over it you fearful simpletons -- two words: urban legend.

Clip Source: urbanlegends.about.com

Comments: We are asked to believe that Senator Barack Obama, who for 20 years has professed to be a practicing Christian and has spoken publicly of his "personal relationship with Jesus Christ," is in fact secretly a Muslim and has lied all along about his true religious affiliation.

No proof is offered by those who make these claims -- no sightings of Barack Obama attending a mosque, no pictures of him reading the Koran, praying to Mecca, or observing Islamic holidays with his family. The entire case, such as it is, rests on a confused and error-ridden recitation of Obama's upbringing and purported childhood influences. It also rests on -- or exploits -- a deep fear and mistrust of the Muslim faith.

Is it true that when Obama was sworn into office he used the Koran (Qur'an) instead of the Bible?

Those making this allegation have apparently confused Obama with Congressman Keith Ellison, who actually is a Muslim and was sworn in on January 4, 2007 using a copy of the Koran.

Tags: obama, muslim, barack, myth, lies

Cuando no se alcanza la satisfacción

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:10:57 GMT

clipped by: alvarezval

Clip Source: tourismtechnology.rezgo.com

What is a BBB Accredited Business?

If a business has been accredited by BBB, it means BBB has determined that the business meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB Accredited Businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

BBB accreditation does not mean that the business’ products or services have been evaluated or endorsed by BBB, or that BBB has made a determination as to the business’ product quality or competency in performing services.

Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.

Travelocity
Expedia
Orbitz
CheapTickets.com
Hotwire
Priceline
World Choice Travel
Travelnow.com/Interactive Corp (Not a BBB Accredited Company)
Viator
TripAdvisor (Not a BBB Accredited Company)
Hotels.com

Tags: satisfacción

False Apology Syndrome

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:27:18 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: "False Apology Syndrome — which is not yet found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association or the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases, tenth edition — is a therefore rich but poisonous mixture of self-importance, libertinism, condescension, bad faith, loose thinking, and indifference to the effects it has on those who are apologized to.

I am, of course, sorry if you disagree."

Clip Source: www.incharacter.org

There is a fashion these days for apologies: not apologies for the things that one has actually done oneself (that kind of apology is as difficult to make and as unfashionable as ever), but for public apologies by politicians for the crimes and misdemeanours of their ancestors, or at least of their predecessors. I think it is reasonable to call this pattern of political breast-beating the False Apology Syndrome.

What is this all about, and what does it signify? Does it mean that at long last the powerful are making a genuine effort to see things from the point of view of the weak, or is it, on the contrary, a form of moral exhibitionism that subverts genuine moral thought and conduct?

apologies for distant events, however important or pregnant with consequences those events may have been, are another matter entirely. They have bad effects on both those who give them and those who receive them.

The levels of idiocy in the Mccain base

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:41:05 GMT

clipped by: armoredbaby
clipper's remarks: A comment on a fact-check page. There are some folks who seem to be -- all I can call them is Retard-Brown Shirts. Obama is not a Muslim and even if he was -- not all Muslims are terrorists!

Clip Source: trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

Why don't you "fact check" 155 Obama lies - also "fact check" Obama pushing the "wrong button" 6 times when voting. Duh! Also fact check Obama's Muslim faith, and he now lies about it. His brother said he was a muslim and proved it with a picture. Fact check Obama's Houston Office with paid staff - and a Communist Cuban flag hanging on the wall. Google and UTube these. Obama is not a patriot. McCain is - This election matters and people need to know the real Obama.

Google Reigns Supreme

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:55:17 GMT

clipped by: socialexpert
clipper's remarks: The media offers the momentum, while many web users watch the search engine war with anticipation, keeping faith that somehow, one of the new kids will prove Google-worthy. While at first sight these entities look promising, deeper scrutiny reveals their inferiority to Google.

Clip Source: www.sitepoint.com

Google Reigns Supreme

The media offers the momentum, while many web users watch the search engine war with anticipation, keeping faith that somehow, one of the new kids will prove Google-worthy. While at first sight these entities look promising, deeper scrutiny reveals their inferiority to Google.

Tags: search, google, semantic, power, query, engine, powerset, search engine

Palin the "darling" of conservatives

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:02:10 GMT

clipped by: georgecf

Clip Source: www.ajc.com

You can already see the mythology beginning to take shape. Palin is being positioned by conservative media outlets as the stalwart defender of the faith, the true believer who is fighting the infidel with all her power but lacks a committed partner in McCain.

Sarah Palin, by contrast, will reign as the party’s crown princess.

Palin’s the one making the arguments that conservatives most want to hear, such as accusing Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” When the McCain campaign decided to pull out of Michigan, it was Palin who repeatedly and publicly disagreed, insisting that the cause was not yet lost and that she could turn things around.

Palin’s star will shine even brighter in defeat than in victory, and that would not bode well for her party.

Tags: mccain, palin

Global Depression?

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:29:34 GMT

clipped by: nchnted
clipper's remarks: The jig is up.

Clip Source: www.minyanville.com

The question that has yet to be answered is whether a severe recession or possible depression is inevitable regardless. The country has a national debt of $9.6 trillion, annual deficits of $600 billion, unfunded future liabilities of $53 trillion, a trade deficit of $600 billion, inflation of 6%, 2 wars costing $12 billion per month, and a weak currency. Therefore, we have entered an extremely dangerous period without strong economic fundamentals.

The parallels to the early 1930s are eerie

Corrupt politicians, Washington bureaucrats, Wall Street fat cats, and clueless commentators have failed to realize that the jig is up. Our entire financial system has been built upon deception, lies and debt.

The only thing keeping the system afloat was blind faith in our government and financial leaders to do the right thing. That trust has been shattered into a billion pieces.

Change the Story

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:11:11 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.changethestory.net

Huge numbers of Americans profess to having little knowledge of Islam despite the fact that there may be as many as five million Muslims living in the U.S. ChangeTheStory.net is an on-line resource aimed at transforming harmful stereotypes about Muslims that persist in society.

The site offers an interactive experience where users—Muslim and non-Muslim alike—can meet their neighbors, learn about Islam and apply techniques of interfaith dialogue and action to local communities. Here you will find tools and helpful information for educators, religious leaders and individuals concerned about building bridges of understanding across lines of faith and culture.

Tags: islam, muslims, united states

New BBC Series on America

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:29:01 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: The first episode of The American Future: A History will be broadcast on Friday 10 October on BBC Two at 9pm BST. There are three further episodes on subsequent Fridays, at the same time, covering war, faith, and immigration.

Video at source. Series will perhaps we available at BBC site.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Barack Obama's emergence as a presidential candidate in the US represents a profound change in the American psyche, distinguished historian Simon Schama argues in his new series for the BBC, The American Future.

He says that although Americans have a belief in their country as a "city on a hill" - a shining example to others - they are not complacent about the economic and foreign policy issues facing the US.

Americans are by no means as militaristic as the rest of the world seems to believe, he says, with the debate about how big the military should be going right back to the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

But Professor Schama believes that one of America's great strengths is its ability to re-invent itself at the time of crisis.

And at the moment America's self-image is being remade.

Tags: simon schama, american politics, history

What Must Change: Intentionally Misleading Voters is Legal

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:51:30 GMT

clipped by: zizzy

Clip Source: www.866ourvote.org

Every state provides some method to challenge the eligibility of a voter. However, bad-faith challenges may cross the line and can constitute voter intimidation, particularly when mass challenges are based only upon a voter’s race or status and the challenger lacks personal knowledge of the voter’s eligibility

State laws differ regarding who can make challenges, when challenges can be made, what are the proper grounds for a challenge, which party has the burden of proof, what evidence is relevant, and who decides challenges

Deceptive practices deliberately mislead or intimidate voters in order to alter the outcome of an election

Instead of employing physical threats, those who wish to intimidate voters have turned to more sophisticated and nuanced tactics to fraudulently prevent turnout in targeted communities

Disturbing example

armed gunmen intimidating, mocking and misinforming voters at heavily Latino precincts in Arizona

providing false information about where to vote

deceptive fliers