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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What are the Millennium Development Goals?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon. These eight time-bound goals provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty in its many dimensions. They include goals and targets on income poverty, hunger, maternal and child mortality, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality, environmental degradation and the Global Partnership for Development.

Adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015, the MDGs are both global and local, tailored by each country to suit specific development needs. They provide a framework for the entire international community to work together towards a common end – making sure that human development reaches everyone, everywhere. If these goals are achieved, world poverty will be cut by half, tens of millions of lives will be saved, and billions more people will have the opportunity to benefit from the global economy.

The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
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Monday, September 27, 2010

Burning of Korans

By Sharon Dunn

As we approach the ninth anniversary of the airliner suicide attacks by al-Qaeda, there is a worldwide controversy over the threat of burning Korans to mark the anniversary. The threat comes from Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, and even though nearly 3,000 people from over 70 countries were killed in the terrorist’s attacks in 2001, Muslims are being singled out and held responsible because the terrorists happened to be Muslims.

Simultaneously, there is another controversy taking place over the proposal to build an Islamic Cultural Center in York, including a mosque and a 911 memorial. Ground Zero is approximately two blocks away from the proposed cultural center. To culminate this week, we approach the anniversary of the terrorist’s attacks with the upcoming celebration of the end of Ramadan, the last day of the month-long Islamic
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Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Perspective on the Economy

by Maureen E. Ross

Daily we are confronted with headlines and stories that are filled with frightening and unrelenting accounts of personal bankruptcies, mortgage defaults, plummeting values in stock portfolios and retirement funds, and reminders of the highest unemployment indices since the Great Depression. Earlier this week it was announced that roughly 1 in 7 U. S. residents “found themselves in poverty in 2009.” Many people feel saturated by these stories of loss, lack, and personal despair that stir fear in the heart and direct our focus away from any positive sense of strength, self-determination, and personal autonomy.

United Centers for Spiritual Living recognizes that we stand in the midst of challenging economic times. And we believe that we collectively hold the keys to both personal and global financial health and
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Saturday, September 25, 2010

A World that Works for Everyone

By Karen Linsley
(used with permission)

The world is full of economic gloom and doom these days.  Everywhere I turn I see news reports of job loss and home foreclosures.  Even on Facebook some of my friends are lamenting the state of the economy.  I myself succumbed to that level of fear for a while, making myself sick in the process.  Indeed, I found a newspaper article that chronicled the stories of many whom, having lost their homes, then found themselves in a state of poor health because of the stress brought on by the financial losses.


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Marianne Williamson: Faith, Women and the MDG's


mashable on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
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Eddie Watkins Jr. Mowtown and Miracles Benefit Concert


Celebrate Dr. Edward’s Birthday at a special “Motown and Miracles” benefit concert by Eddie Watkins, Jr. on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Center’s General Fund. Reception at 6:30 pm, Concert at 7:30 pm.


Eddie Watkins, Jr. is the Music Ministry Director at the Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle. He has recorded with Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, James Brown, Santana, Cher, Diana Ross, and many more.


Winning tickets for raffle prizes contributed by members and friends of the Center will be drawn before the concert. You do not need to be present to win. If you have a raffle prize to donate to this benefit, please contact Dr. Edward at edward@cslsr.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . All raffle prizes must be submitted and delivered to the Center on or before Sunday, December 19, 2010. Thanks for your participation!


Biography:


Hailing from Detroit Michigan, Eddie is internationally known as one of the most prolific bass players in the music industry.


Eddie has recorded with Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, James Brown, Santana, Cher, Diana Ross,
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Friday, September 24, 2010

Nine Years After 9/11, Let’s End the Fear


By Sara S. Nichols, RScP student at Holmes Institute

Sacramento, CA               --Today marks the 9th Anniversary of the attack by Al-Quaida on the United States.  In the intervening period, it seems that the politics and culture of fear in the United States has escalated.    I am writing this statement today to declare that nine years of fear was enough;  let’s spend the next decade living in hope.

From 2001 to 2010 our government responded to and accelerated fear through an erosion of our civil liberties: the right to free speech, the right to assemble, the right to travel, the right to counsel, the right to confront your accusers, and the right to privacy all have been abridged, trampled upon and narrowed by the U.S. government in the name of safety from “terror.”  As a result it is harder to travel, harder to protest government actions, harder to communicate freely and above all harder to trust each other.

At the same time, a culture of parenting from a position of fear has taken hold.  “Helicopter” parents hover over their children’s every move.  Rather than being given the increasing freedom that growing older used to naturally bring, many of today’s children are prevented from walking or  biking to school or friends’ houses.  They are in constant contact with their parents and others through electronic devices.  They often spend most of their non-school hours glued to television, computers and video games rather than engaging in imaginative play, or being outdoors.  Those children who parents keep them active often pursue punishing schedules with an endless array of sports, lessons, and prescribed commitments.   A “good” parent worries about car safety, food safety, air safety, safety, safety, safety.

And yet as author Barry Glassner shows us in his book The Culture of Fear,  we’re quite capable of sustaining a level of fear irrespective of the actual statistics.  In one recent period, as perception of crime and
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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Proposition 8


By Karen Fry, RScP
Published with Permission


Proposition 8

Since at least 1977, Californians have been discussing, protesting, voting on, and grappling with the many emotions and opinions, primarily stemming from religious and (sometimes) political beliefs associated with same-sex marriage. Recently, there has been more attention and judicial movement in Proposition 8 by a ruling of Judge Walker in which he clearly states that marriage has always been a civil matter.

And yet, are we being civil about the topic? Same-sex marriage is certainly not only an issue in California. As you know, it has become a flashpoint across the entire United States with fierce protests and public demonstrations. When it comes to gays and lesbians, many people feel
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Social Activism and Spirituality

D. Jacquelyn Edwards, RScP, MPA (Organizational Change)
(published with permission)

The Ancient Wisdom and New Thought tenets that are the foundation of Religious Science include and promote the idea of loving one another.  This includes those on both sides of evil acts. Loving each other, finding the good (God) in all situations does not inhibit or prohibit our being proactive for the expression of good in the world.  The four introductory chapters of the Science of Mind textbook are entitled: The Thing Itself- God, The Way It Works – Through Us, What It Does – It impersonally rules, as Love, through Law, and How To Use It- through daily meditation and prayer. [1]  The italicized words are my very succinct summaries of the content of these sections, which of themselves are very short but powerful

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Oil Spill in the Gulf - A Student Speaks

By Franklin Privette (used with permission)


It was comforting to read in the newspapers last week that the Gulf of Mexico oil well that had been releasing oil into the gulf since April 20, 2010 had finally been successfully capped. Although this was the largest oil spill in United States history, oil spills and leaks are not unusual. There have been several in the U.S. alone in which millions of gallons of oil have been released into ocean bays. Despite the many safeguards used by the petroleum companies, there is no good reason to expect that there will not continue to be significant spills and leaks in the future.

This is only one side effect of our planet’s hunger for energy produced from fossil fuels. The damages to life on our planet (including human life) resulting from our increasing energy demands and use are enormous. Of course, oil is not the only fuel that comes with threats. Coal mining endangers human lives and creates erosion on the landscape.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web,
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Monday, September 20, 2010

Oil Spill Spirituality


By Lisa Hamilton (used with permission)



Article: Oil Spill in the Gulf


At a time when one might feel that Louisiana has suffered enough, what looks to be the largest oil spill in history has just taken place, accompanied by an explosion on a drilling rig killing 11 people and injuring 17 people in the Gulf of Mexico.  An estimated 840,000 to 1.68 million gallons gushed into the Gulf from the well one mile beneath the water’s surface. In his Presidential Address on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on June 15, 2010, President Obama called this “the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.” (Obama)

I am saddened by the loss of lives, and the economical issues that folks are now facing due to the loss of business. The devastation that has happened to our fragile environment appears to be very discouraging.  At the same time, my thoughts are drawn to the teachings of my faith tradition at the Centers for Spiritual Living. We are taught that thoughts are creative, and that our experience is a direct result of our thoughts individually and collectively. Although it can sound harsh to ask ourselves how we could have contributed to such a huge tragedy, I am
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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Loving This World

By Janet Tobin (used with permission)

We live on a beautiful planet. Like most people, I enjoy the grandeur of nature, and appreciate the way the earth seems to function like a gigantic body balanced in every way. So many systems of weather and geography operate together to sustain the life all around us. When something like the environmental disaster of an oil spill happens, we see the interplay of these forces disturbed. The impact is huge, in terms of ecological changes as well as the effects of economic costs to people dependent on the sea and shoreline for their living. When the earth bleeds and her people suffer we are called upon to respond in new ways, with
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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Spiritual Liberation

OCSL logo
Oakland Center for Spiritual Living
presents an evening with
Michael Bernard Beckwith
with Musical Inspiration by Rickie Byars Beckwith
Friday, October 8th 2010
7:00 p.m.
(doors open at 6 p.m.)
With book signing immediately following the program

Oakland Scottish Rite Center
1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, 94612
Discover why The Answer is YOU, and
- Express the talents, gifts and skills you have come to deliver on the planet
- Discover the direct impact of your thoughts upon your life

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Selfless Service: Devotion in Action

Satsangs with Babaji next week
Sep 21, 23 and 24
Inspirational talk & sharing
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Come be in Babaji’s presence as he explores the topic, Selfless Service: Devotion in Action. Babaji teaches that selfless service is an act of giving for which we expect nothing in return. When we are aware of all the blessings in our lives, we are filled with a sense of gratitude. The overflow of this fullness manifests as service in the world. Includes guided meditation and Q&A.
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7-8 PM in Sonoma
First Congregational Church of Sonoma, in the sanctuary
252 West Spain Street, Sonoma, Ca.   Additional satsangs in 2010: Oct 19, Nov 16  Thursday, Sept. 23, 7-8 PM in Cotati  at the Church of the Oaks, Cotati, Ca.
Corner of West Sierra & Page Streets, Cotati, Ca.   Additional satsangs in 2010: Oct 28, Nov 18  Friday, Sept. 24, 7-8 PM at Sonoma Ashram - 1087 Craig Avenue, Sonoma, Ca.
ONGOING EVERY FRIDAY
Donations welcome but not required Sonoma Ashram Foundation
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Calm Objection - is it possible?

Reading Mark Morford's column made me  wonder what an extreme act of radical love would look like?  Any ideas?

Extract:

"Where is the liberal outrage? Where are the extreme acts of radical love? Where is the crazed "Daily Show" fan secretly planning to dump 10,000 gallons of Astroglide on Fox News HQ because Jon Stewart appeared in a pot-induced fever dream and ordered them to?

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Monday, September 6, 2010

Controversia Sobre la Mezquita Principal en Nueva York Obscurece el Problema Mayor

(Community Spiritual Leader Dr. Hearn's message translated by Dr. Pina)

Por Rev. Dr. Kathy Hearn, D.D.  Ph.D.

A medida que el frenesí de los medios en torno a la controversia sobre la propuesta de una mezquita a unas cuadras de la Zona Cero ha seguido creciendo, y las agresiones verbales y físicas contra las personas Islámicas están a la orden del día, me llama la atención la idea de que muchos estadounidenses han olvidado los principios básicos, no sólo de la Constitución de los EE.UU., sino también dela  civilidad y decencia común.  Aunque entiendo los sentimientos amargos que rodean el sitio, que acertadamente se ha convertido en tierra sagrada a los nueve años desde la caída de las Torres Gemelas del World Trade Center, para mí no tiene sentido el negar los derechos a grupos que no tuvieron nada qué ver con la tragedia.  El 11 de septiembre no fue un acto del Islam. Fue un acto de terroristas que distorsionan los preceptos de esa religión.
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If Famous Poets Had To Make A Living Today

Lewis Carroll as a TV Critic

Frank Jacobs

'Twas Bunker and the Quincy Fonz
Did Mork and Mindy in the Soap;
All Angie were the Trapper Johns
And Dallas was Bob Hope.

Avoid the Starsky-Hutch, my son,
The Ironside with Chips beneath;
Beware the Hazzard Dukes and shun
The Mash of Osmond teeth.

But Kojak Swat may Brinkley Flo

for the complete parody, visit
http://www76.pair.com/keithlim/jabberwocky/parodies/tvcritic.html

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Thursday, September 2, 2010

New York mosque controversy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 2, 2010

Mosque Controversy Obscures

Bigger Issue

Golden, CO…As the media frenzy around the controversy over a proposed mosque within blocks of Ground Zero has continued to grow, and verbal and physical attacks against Islamic people take place, I am struck with the thought that many Americans have forgotten some basic tenets of not only the U.S. Constitution, but also of civility and common decency.

While I appreciate the raw feelings surrounding the site, which has rightly become sacred ground in the nine years since the fall of the World Trade towers, it does not make sense to me to deny rights to groups who had nothing to do with the tragedy. September 11th was not an act of Islam. It was an act of terrorists who distort the precepts of that religion.

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I have been through the book three times over three years, and am starting it again. This is not because the material in the book is not working, but because it is working so well! The weekly lessons keep me on track and focused on what is actually true and important, and help me experience more good in every area of my life. LS

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