“A veteran of Bosnia who was at the event in Tuzla where Hillary Clinton falsely claimed to have landed under sniper fire is accusing the Senator of theft of valor. As General Walter L. Stewart Jr. of the Pennsylvania National Guard said earlier today on a conference call, soldiers who actually have been in war zones and performed under fire deeply despise those who falsely claim such valor. They feel this way because it attempts to cheapen or make less, their real and actual valor. “
According to the editor of the Obamesque blog, Jeremiah Wright’s March 11, 2007 letter to the New York Times reporter that allegedly interviewed him under false pretenses is self-explanatory. Check it out and see if you agree:
My book, Taneesha Never Disparaging, got 2 advance reviews yesterday! Those are reviews that come in before the book is published, which it won’t be until September 1, 2008. I am soooooo psyched about getting these! Here they are:
“Taneesha Never Disparaging is a joy to read. M. LaVora Perry addresses the issues many kids face today—overworked parents, bullying, and social awkwardness—with a fresh and positive perspective. Don’t miss this beautifully and skillfully written novel.”
-David Richardson, Book Review Columnist for Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association
~~~
“Taneesha’s voice is fresh, funny, and true as a lotus blossom in a muddy pond. Readers will become familiar with the word ‘disparaging’ as Taneesha navigates her way through fifth grade as a Buddhist, daughter, and good friend to all. Taneesha Never Disparaging is a warm and welcome read amidst a sea of cynicism.”
-Kelly Easton, Author of Hiroshima Dreams, White Magic, Aftershock, The Life History of a Star, Walking on Air, and The Betts Pets Mysteries
You can read a synopsis, Chapter 1, and new reviews that come in here.
Each year, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda presents a comprehensive peace proposal to the United Nationss. Many of his suggestions have been adopted by UN member organizations.
Here is an excerpt from Ikeda’s 2008 proposal, which is available in full at SGI.org:
Almost twenty years have passed since the end of the Cold War, almost ten since the start of the new century, and still the contours of a new and different way of organizing the world have yet to take shape. While the processes of globalization possess a seemingly unstoppable momentum, this can hardly be considered a global order. Rather, the effort to contain through the application of force the many highly explosive situations around the world has met with limited success at best. The situation could perhaps be characterized as one of global disorder.
Important efforts, however, are being made. Recently (January 15-16), the Alliance of Civilizations Forum was held in Madrid, Spain. Based on the belief that the maintenance of international peace and security requires the overcoming of cultural animosities, more than 75 UN member states and international organizations participated in this event. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged further action toward peace, saying, “You may have different backgrounds and perspectives, but you share a common conviction that the Alliance of Civilizations is an important way to counter extremism and heal the divisions that threaten our world.”
On October 17, 2006, Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., Dean of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta, Georgia, appeared on Singapore television to explain the significance and contemporary relevance of the “Gandhi-King-Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace” exhibit, which has been displayed in several countries. The exhibit, the accompanying Community Builders prize, and the YouTubed GKI video that follow the Singapore interview in this post were conceieved by Dr. Carter.
Dean Lawrence Carter on Singapore Television, Oct. 17, 2006
Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 1 of 3
Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 2 of 3
Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 2 of 3
This video, posted in a 4-part simplified version on YouTube in 4 parts and on the SGI.org website in its entirety, explains the philosophy of the SGI Nichiren Buddhist movement. See related post in the Religion/Spirituality/Buddhismcategory of this blog.
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 1 (simiplified).
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 2 (simiplified).
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 3 (simplified)
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 4 (simplified)
From Daisaku Ikeda.org
Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist leader, peacebuilder, a prolific writer, poet, educator and founder of a number of cultural, educational and peace research institutions around the world.
As third president of the Soka Gakkai (value-creating society) and founder of the Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda has developed and inspired what may be the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world today. Based on the 700-year-old tradition of Nichiren Buddhism, the movement is characterized by its emphasis on individual empowerment and social engagement to advance peace, culture and education. Click here for more…
From JoseiToda.org
Josei Toda (1900-58) was the second president of the Soka Gakkai, one of Japan’s most influential lay Buddhist movements. Based on the teachings of the 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren (1222-82), Toda developed a methodology of personal transformation called “Human Revolution” that has become the foundation underlying the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide organization of engaged Buddhists promoting peace and personal empowerment throughout the world. Click here for more…
Author, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian Marc Aronson will appear on Book TV at 9 p.m. EST March 25 to read his latest book for teens, Race: A History Beyond Black and White (Ginee Seo, 2007), at the Brooklyn Library in New York City. See more on my Book Cover blog:
This week I received the proof–loose manuscript pages–of my first novel’s, Taneesha Never Disparaging. While my husband spent the evening moving the last of his office stuff to a new space downtown, I spent the first hour of a rollerskating outing with our three kids rollerskating with our three kids. The last two hours, after having fallen three times and nearly broken my wrist, I listened to mostly hip hop and some R & B while the mostly teen crowd skated, my kids included.My children are not teens, but at the skating rink, I discovered a while back that “Teen Skate” really means “suggested teen skate.” So anyone can do it, even 40- somethings like me and not-yet-teens like them.Tonight, I went back out there for a few more rounds, achy wrist and all (I iced it). But then I had to hit the laptop (I’d brought it–I had a plan), and start proofing my proof. Which means, I’m going over it to see that everything reads like I want it.My kids kept trying to get me back out there. But I’d done my required 30 minutes of cardio for the day. I may have even hit 45 minutes. And the book was a’calling.
We’ll do it again soon, though. Obviously, I’ve let too much time pass since we did it last–hence the three falls, one in which I slid clear across the floor. But each time I got right back up and went out there again. I couldn’t let my kids see me quit just because I fell on my butt.
Anyway, the last time we went it was December ‘07. By the time we go again, maybe next week, I’ll be done proofing. But that’s no guarantee that I’m whipping around that rink for three hours. It’s fun, and I’m okay at it, really. What I like the most is when I’ve been on the floor for a few songs and my body starts getting into the music and I can just forget about falling and groove while the real skaters whip past me like pure rhythm in jeans and a tee shirt.
But three hours? I seriously doubt that that scenario is in my near future. I’m not trying to be a teen again. I like their energy though. It inspires me and gives me hope.
This blog was getting unorganized—a state of being that I know on an intimate level. So I’ve decided to create a new blog just for writers and readers of books for children and teens. I’m now in the process of moving all the posts related to this subject from this general interest blog to the children’s lit focused blog. Swing over to bookcover.wordpress.com to see what it’s all about.
By the way, I’ve just discovered that WordPress makes all this moving of files stuff very easy with their “export” “import” function. If you have a blog, don’t get caught like me—doing this all manually.
Author, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian Marc Aronson will appear on Book TV at 9 p.m. EST March 25 to read his latest book for teens, Race: A History Beyond Black and White (Ginee Seo, 2007), at the Brooklyn Library in New York City. See more on my Book Cover blog:
