I am saddened by the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist and world-renowned conservationist, at age 91. Her curiosity, dedication to science, and commitment to the natural world redefined our understanding of animal behavior and inspired a global movement to environment stewardship.
A government shut-down! The military training for combat on people in U.S. cities! Health care lost! What else is Trump doing? Lecturing our military leaders. Refusing to be a global partner. What can we do? We must resist. This is a tree I see out my window. It stands tall in all its various colors. We can too.
. For 150 years, over 500 Indian boarding schools operated in the United States, where Native children were forcibly taken from their families and communities, prohibited all expression of Native language and culture, and required to perform manual labor, with a goal to "kill" the Indian in them.“ Religious organizations collaborated with the federal government in operating more than half of these federally-funded schools.
Our three sons: Mark, Joel, and Kirk, Pictured in 1972: 9, 5, 3. Pictured in early adulthood. National Sons Day.
Des Moines Public School Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts was arrested by ICE Friday. He was born in Guyana, but grew up in New York. He has a doctorate in education and has served in public education for over 20 years. Some accounts say Dr. Roberts was fleeing ICE, had a gun and a knife in his car and is a public safety risk. Others say Roberts was stopped for a traffic violation and is a hunter. Dr. Roberts was the first DM Public School superintendent of color. Now he is in jail. What do you think?
The United Nations was created 80 years ago in 1945, following the devastation of the Second World War, with one central mission: the maintenance of international peace and security. I remember! The dedication I wrote for my 2004 book, "Church Conflict: From Contention to Collaboration" reads, "To all people who address conflict not through violence, but through collaborative means of justice, shared power, peacemaking and partnership in interdependent communities locally and globally, particularly the United Nations."
The United Nations is "we" not "you." I am deeply troubled that the current president of the U.S. scolded the U.N. at the General Assembly in NYC today. He was not only rude, but wrong, insulting, and arrogant. This United States has supported the U.N. for 80 years and must so in the future.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins the evening of Monday, Sept. 22, and lasts for two days, the beginning of the High Holy Days.
The High Holy Days are a time for repentance and reflection. The daylong fast of Yom Kippur is a week after Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur, the annual day of atonement begins at sundown of Wednesday, Oct 1st and ends at nightfall on Thursday, October 2.
Just in: The U.K., Canada and Australia have just recognized the State of Palestine.
Burton and I had our COVID-19 booster shot this week. Just a small prick--could not even feel it. It will protect us, our family and neighbors. Dr. Anthony Fauci played a pivotal role in the urgent development of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2020 and by publicly assuring Americans of the process's integrity. Pres. Biden made sure the vaccines were distributed. Now, there are opposing opinions in regard to the COVID booster. We need to work to help people in every state receive the vaccine.
Years ago our cat saw that it was raining outside the front door. Disappointed, she went to the kitchen door to see if it was raining there too. Yes, of course! That happened to Burton and me just now. But a different outcome. Looking one direction off our deck, we saw it was raining hard; however, looking straight ahead no rain at all. That went on for about 15 minutes. Rain and no rain! (The pictures don't show it well)
This is Constitution Day, Sept. 17. I taught a class today at North Iowa Community College "Lifelong Learning" on "Trust: Building a Trustworthy Environment. in Challenging Times." We live in challenging times in our country and globally. Whom do you trust? Whom or what do you not trust? What do we do when trust is broken? The group had engaging conversation about how to build trustworthy environments to be different together.
Sunday is the Holy Day for Christians, a time to worship, and teach about the faith. Friday is a holy day for Muslims. Shabbat is a holy day for Jews, starting at sunset on Friday and ending at nightfall on Saturday. People of other faiths and atheists nurture their beliefs at their particular time. In a time of Christian Nationalism we need to remember the First Amendment to the U.S. constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Public schools need to be open to all in a pluralistic society. They may sponsor the study of religion but not not sponsor the practice of religion. The school may expose students to all religious views, but may not impose any particular view. The school's approach to religion is one of instruction, not one of indoctrination. The function of the school is to educate about all religions, not to convert anyone to religion or any specific religion.
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