June 2008 - this political season

Written by larryowen

Just thinking about the crazy current political season, and the basic differences between how things are run today and the Bahai principles. Heard today about Barack Obama's vetting team to pick a Vice president had one member (of 3) resign, due to some perception problems.   imagine a process in which a candidate cannot pick a vice president by himself, but needs a small committee... Doesnt sound unusual, but think about it.   here is a person who is being selected to lead the free world (politically) - presumably for his or her capacity, judgement, ability, etc - and yet someone who cannot be expected to pick a vice president.   A VP who will be able to survive examination, be honest, capable, with no hidden issues.    What of a society in which the prime candidate for the highest office in the land cannot find even one person on his own, who combines the necessary qualities and who is likely to make it thru the gauntlet of press coverage and scutiny and survive ?   How sad that there are not instead long lists of such eligible candidates?   Maybe the problem could be how to pick one from such a long list...instead of "how can one be found" ?  For sure, prayers are in order, as always for the US of A.

Site to Share Baha'i Education Resources

Written by Diane Heveran Rothaar

Check out our new interactive site for assisting each other in Baha'i education of young people: http://www.snohobahaischool.org . Features: Resources for Baha'i Education of Children & Junior Youth - categories for curricular materials, lesson plans, and activity guides; curricular content; methods/techniques; audio-visual aids/multimedia; teacher tools; teacher development; parent resources; education administration tools; Baha'i Writings on education. Lyrics for Baha'i Education - compilation of song sheets from many places & many years (almost 1000 already) Forum on Baha'i Education - discussion board for all related issues. Discuss curriculum, format, outreach, methods, ideas, concerns. Events for & by Children, Junior Youth & Youth - for announcing & discussing events Classes & Clubs for Children, Junior Youth & Youth - publicize your classes, clubs, groups Teacher/Facilitator Trainings & Study Circles - for announcing & discussing teacher/ facilitator training sessions, development workshops, study circles for Core Curriculum Teacher Training & Teacher Development Workshops, Ruhi Books 3, 3A..., 5, 7 Music & Devotions Page - share resources & ideas for programs for children & junior youth Holy Days & Service Project Page - share resources & ideas for involving children & junior youth Library Page - share resources & ideas on materials for children & junior youth Kid Talk - page for kids to connect socially and support each other in safe environment Junior Youth Connect  - Page for junior youth to connect with each other, support each other, share ideas & projects with chat rooms, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, photo gallery, file sharing... Youth - Moving the World - Page for youth to connect in environment of Baha'i standards, with tools available to use and create discussion boards, chat rooms, blogs, wikis, user web pages, database/photo gallery, slideshows, questionnaires for conducting surveys, and more.        Add your classes & clubs, your events, your ideas and concerns, your favorite resources, and participate in this joint effort to assist each other!  http://www.snohobahaischool.org

RESPONSE TO CRITICISM: LAURA RIDING

Written by RonPrice

RESPONSE TO CRITICISM: LAURA RIDING   Early in the new millennium I began to receive criticisms of my prose and poetry. Some of those are found here. In 1936, right at the start of the Baha’i teaching Plan, Laura Riding wrote to a correspondent, "I believe that misconceptions about oneself that one does not correct where possible act as a bad magic…." That "bad magic" has been at work on the reputation of Laura (Riding) Jackson for many, many years. One of the criticisms leveled at her in her later life, and repeated by Dr. Vendler (who predictably finds her, in this, "more than a little monomaniacal"), was that she "spent a great deal of time writing tenacious and extensive letters to anyone who, in her view, had misrepresented some aspect, no matter how minute, of her life or writing." It is true that despite advanced age and failing health, she continued to the end her vigorous (and one might even say valiant) attempt to halt the spread of misconceptions about herself, but the "bad magic" was too powerful to be overcome. (Incidentally, that was the view of "magic" held by a woman who has been accused of witchcraft.) ___________________________________________________________ Why was she so scrupulous in her attempts to correct misconceptions, "no matter how minute," of her life and writing? Because she recognized the importance of details to the understanding of human character. "The detail of human nature is never a matter of infinitesimals," she wrote in an essay published in 1974. "Every last component of the human course of things is a true fraction of the personal world, reflecting a little its general character." –Elizabeth Friedman, "Letter About Laura (Riding) Jackson," The New York Review of Books, 3 February 1994. ____________________________________________________________ My approach is more diverse. Sometimes I ignore the comment; sometimes I am tenacious and write an extensive response; sometimes I write something brief and to the point. I certainly agree with Riding that we should not be judged by some infinitessimals. After three or four years of written and critical feedback it hardly amounts to much that is of any significance. But I thought this personal comment here would be a useful summary position. ---Ron Price---10 March 2007 ______________________

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