Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/283558092?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, February 9, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Point Weekly ? Wiley Lectures to ask: What is truth?
On February 8, 2013 by pointweeklyeditor
By Guimel Sibingo
staff writer
If you walk into the School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Smee Hall, you?ll probably no?tice the stained glass windows, the smell of the office, the couches and the quiet environment. This week, however, you would also notice a number of bright green and blue posters strategically placed around the building. These posters adver?tise the upcoming H. Orton Wiley lectures taking place Feb. 11 to 13 in Crill Performance Hall. The lectures will feature Dr. James K.A. Smith, an author and professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
According to the STCM web?site, the Wiley lectures have taken place nearly every year since 1951. Founded by former PLNU presi?dent H. Orton Wiley, they serve as a forum where the Christian aca?demic community can participate in theological conversation, said Will Turner, ASB director of spiri?tual life.
?It?s a really neat opportunity to be able to engage in critical think?ing and in long-term lecture with somebody who?s really active in doing something incredible in that world,? Turner said.
This year?s topic, relativism, is one often discussed in the field of philosophy. According to Brad Kelle, professor of Old Testament at PLNU and director of the Mas?ter of Arts Program in religion, relativism is an issue pertaining to whether there is truth in a state?ment or religion.
?Particularly [Smith] is think?ing about [relativism] from a Chris?tian point of view? it?s that ques?tion of ?What is true? or ?What is truth??? Kelle said. ?How does that fit in into the question of what is true or is Christianity true??
Unlike other years, the Lec?tures will be covering a topic that pertains to philosophy instead of theology. Associate Professor of philosophy Heather Ross is pleased with this prospect.
?I?m very excited that we will have the topic of the Wiley lec?tures to be philosophy, and I think it will be for the first time,? she said. ?I think [it] will be interest?ing to a lot of our students be?cause they?ll get a sense of philos?ophy outside the context of their general education courses.?
Smith is a prominent philoso?pher and author among Christian circles, especially in Christian colleges. His book, Desiring the Kingdom, which won him a Chris?tianity Today Book Award in 2009, has been read by some students at PLNU this past year.
Turner was one of the students who read Smith?s book in a class last semester. He talked about the opportunity to meet and dialogue in person with someone he had read and studied.
?I love the things he has to say,? Turner said. ?These are some of the people that we study in the classroom and [can] actu?ally dialogue about their work and what they are doing. That?s really amazing.?
Kelle, who also serves as lo?gistical coordinator for the lec?tures, said Smith?s influence in colleges makes him a good fit as this year?s speaker.
?We?re really excited,? he said. ?He is somebody that is [not only] familiar with us and ? what we do here but also [someone] who?s study of faith and culture ? really fits well with the Christian college setting.?
Smith is looking forward to dia?loguing with the PLNU communi?ty. He said that despite his Calvinist background, he?s spent much time with other Wesleyans.
?It?s an honor to be part of the rich tradition of the Wiley Lec?tures, which in the past has in?cluded scholars that I respect and value,? he said via email. ?Plus, I don?t mind leaving Michigan in the middle of February to visit sunny San Diego!?
Although the lectures are ad?vertised to those in ministry edu?cation, Kelle encourages students from other majors to attend.
?I think it?s something that?s interesting to students from all disciplines because all disci?plines are in one way or another asking this question about what is truth,? he said. ?To me it goes well beyond just people who are interested in Bible or theology or Christian ministry.?
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Source: http://www.pointweekly.com/2013/02/08/wiley-lectures-to-ask-what-is-truth/
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Expertise vs. Humility ? A Writer's Battle Royale? | Write to Done
You?re an expert on something.
Maybe that?s one of the reasons you started writing.
Unfortunately, experts tend to be a bit self-promoting and arrogant, and arrogance is a sure way to lose your readers.
The opposite approach won?t work either. Timid, non-confrontational storytelling doesn?t do justice to the value you can contribute to your readers.
So, what?s a writer to do?
This is precisely the question I asked myself at the outset of my blogging journey.
Starting On The Wrong Foot
Whatever I?ve learned was a result of doing things wrong at first. When I began blogging, I imagined a Battle Royale between writing with humility and demonstrating expertise.
I believed that inserting too much ?me? into a post would reveal my lack of age and experience, and that everyone would just get bored.
I veered toward broad generalizations, making concise assertions that I believed were true based on what little experience I had.
The resulting posts were preachy and flimsy. I sounded like an egotistical computer. HAL, maybe.
Finally, I did something smart and started to study the pros, bloggers like Leo Babauta who write with a perfectly unassuming authority.
Eventually, I noticed that humility and expertise are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they make for a powerful combination.
Humility & Expertise Go Hand In Hand
How can we achieve both humility and expertise in the same breath? Here are 7 lessons I?ve learned so far.
1. Remember that humility is endearing and demonstrates strength.
Humility creates a natural connection to your reader. Acknowledging failures makes you seem human to your readers. On top of that, your failure validates how you came into the knowledge that you?re presenting. Failures can even be a great source of humor.
Being authentic and vulnerable also shows confidence. You?re willing to lay it on the line, imperfections and all. This confidence ? without arrogance ? is exactly what will draw readers to you.
2. Stay present to your own learning journey.
In our excitement to share what we know, it?s easy to forget that whatever knowledge we now possess is the result of a learning process.
Recounting your experience allows your reader to relate to you. By identifying with your story, your readers can make inferences and convince themselves of the relevance of what you have to say.
By staying present to your own journey ? where you started, how you transformed, where you are now ? you give your knowledge necessary context.
3. Limit generalizations.
Generalizations have their time and place ? they?re great for headers, topic sentences and summarizing points. I think of them as structure ? the pathway, walls and doors that guide your reader to the place you want them to go.
Once you?ve used generalizations to create structure, you can dive right into the details, which bring your expertise to life.
4. Get your narrative voices straight (?I? vs. ?you? vs. ?we?).
?I? is the most powerful way to tell a story. Your stories are powerful credentials and hooks. They draw your reader in, letting them know who you are (a human, just like them!). Telling a story in the first person is also a kind of evidence-based approach to making an argument. Just as citing your sources lends you credibility, citing your experience does so as well.
?You? is the voice we use when speaking to a friend. This is the riskiest voice because it can easily become preachy, but it is also essential in order to connect with your reader. Every time you use this voice, try speaking the lines aloud as if to an imagined friend over a drink or dinner. If you don?t feel comfortable saying it to a friend, it won?t sound right to your reader either.
?We? is a great voice for making generalizations. Just because we know something and want to share it with our readers doesn?t mean we?re superior, right? ?We? is a great way to humbly make assertions about the way things are because we show ourselves as equals to our readers.
5. Demonstrate humility and expertise in separate parts of the post.
A (brief) personal back-story gives necessary context, makes you seem more human, and validates your expertise. This is a good time to foreshadow your learning but you don?t need to make assertions yet.
Once you?ve established context and humility, you?re ready to share the lessons you?ve learned. Now you can switch to the second person or first person plural.
6. Stand for what you believe, while acknowledging it?s just your belief.
Just because you?re humble doesn?t mean you aren?t going to put a stake in the ground.
Equivocating ? reporting information without adding your perspective ? will bore your readers to death. After all, it?s your perspective that your readers are after.
We merely need to recognize that what we?re presenting is not a dogma handed down from on high. It is not a universal truth. It is a truth in our lives, at this moment.
Acknowledge the limits of your knowledge and you can largely preempt the challengers and naysayers.
7. Re-read and re-write your post aloud a few days later (or more).
Even using every trick in the book, we can?t always strike the proper tone. Putting our writing aside and revising it later may still be the best tool of all.
Hear yourself reacting to the tone and word choice, and re-write the post while you can still feel that reaction. Your instinct will easily recognize places where you?ve been too abstract or impersonal, too assertive or preachy, or just too verbose.
No need to be down on yourself for missing the mark on the first try ? that?s what you and countless other great writers throughout history have had to do to get to the right end result.
Please share your own experience in the comments: How do you strike a balance between humility and expertise?
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About The Author:
Taylor Jacobson is an adventurer, entrepreneur and blogger at 21 Switchbacks, a community of thoughtful people committed to creating remarkable lives. Join him and get instant access to 10 Resources To Change Your Mind & Life.
Image: Conflicted? courtesy of Bigstockphoto.com
Source: http://writetodone.com/2013/02/08/expertise-vs-humility-a-writers-battle-royale/
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Michelle Obama to attend funeral of slain Chicago girl
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - First lady Michelle Obama will attend the funeral in Chicago on Saturday of a 15-year-old girl who was shot to death eight days after performing with her high school band at President Barack Obama's inauguration.
Hadiya Pendleton, a majorette in her school band, was fatally shot on January 29 as she and her friends were shielding themselves from rain under a canopy in a Chicago park. Chicago has been plagued by gun violence and her killing has become a rallying cry for those calling for stronger gun controls.
Police have called it a case of mistaken identity and are offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to her killer.
A White House official said the first lady would be accompanied at the funeral service by senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Obama is not expected to speak at the service. Her husband has proposed a series of recommendations aimed at tightening gun regulations after the December shootings of 20 students and six educators at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michelle-obama-attend-funeral-slain-chicago-girl-222201508.html
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Thursday, February 7, 2013
What to expect at the Best of News Design judging ? The Society for ...
 
February 6th, 2013
Editor?s note: On Friday, a bevy of visual journalists will come to Syracuse University to help with the Society for News Design?s annual creative competition. Some will judge the competition, but many students and professionals will help as ?facilitators.? It?s a tough job, but one that comes with incredible learning opportunities and gives everyone involved a wealth of inspiration. Last year we asked judging veteran Andrea Zagata to write this guide for first-time facilitators. She?s coming back, and so is this post, because it?s full of common-sense tips on what to pack ? and what to expect ? if you are also coming to SND34. Even if you aren?t coming, she gives great insight into the type of things that go on over this weekend.
Also, check snd.org all weekend and Monday for live coverage of both the Best of News Design and the World?s Best Newspaper competitions. For the first time, both competitions will be judged simultaneously.
What to bring
Pack comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes, a heavy jacket and clothing to layer. It is cold outside in Syracuse in February, but warm inside with so many people constantly on their feet.
Friday
You will probably end up on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel with someone else who is attending the conference. It might be someone you haven?t met. You will recognize them as an attendee when you see them eyeing your Converse All-Stars, nerdy glasses, and other hipster attire suspiciously. Introduce yourself. This will be your first of many introductions, so get used to it.
When you check in at the hotel, you will receive a packet with an itinerary at the front desk. If you don?t, say ?Where is my packet with the itinerary?? The most common reason (I have encountered) to not receive a packet is because you look like a student. This might only be a me problem, but fair warning just in case. There will be an Identification badge in your packet. Check to make sure your name is spelled correctly, get your sharpie marker out if it isn?t, but DO NOT LOSE THE BADGE.
If you have time, go to your room and take a nap. Trust me. I know you didn?t get any sleep on that plane, and you?re going to need it.
You may get a note under your door regarding an impromptu facilitator dinner. If you do, attend. Attend everything you are invited to, even if you are exhausted. It?s worth it.
Whenever possible, introduce yourself to someone new. Ask what they do. Talk about design. Talk about your dog, cat, kid, paper, website, pay wall, ebooks, mobile apps. Introduce yourself to somebody on the elevator in the hotel. Try not to be shy, everyone?s pretty nice, whether this is their 10th contest or their first.
Saturday-Monday
Early in the morning, you will meet in the hotel lobby and be bused to Drumlins (the judging facility.) Don?t be late, don?t miss the bus or you will be shunned. Wear your coat ? it?s cold out there, folks. Sit by somebody you don?t know, or maybe somebody you met on Friday. Get ready to see more newspaper pages than you could possibly imagine.
Eat bagels and fruit for breakfast when you get to Drumlins. Hang up your coat. Not necessarily in that order.
The judges are split up into teams that handle each category, and the facilitators are split up in a similar manner. Each group has one facilitator with some contest experience and good grasp on the operation to take charge of the pace for that team. They are your team captain, and they should be able to answer any questions you may have. At some point, your team captain will contact you and let you know that you are there to serve them until Monday when the contest is over. They will order you around because they know what needs to be done and in what order. Get used to it and don?t take it personally if somebody gets bossy. You will have downtime to look at pages yourself, and to get to know the people in your group, so take advantage of it, but only after you make sure you?re not needed elsewhere. The mechanics of how the judging itself works will be explained to you by somebody who is not me.
You will see judges looking around blankly and standing by a page. They are looking for YOU. They probably need you to read a translation on a page, or check to see if they have voted or some such. Make yourself available to help them, that?s your job. Ask them what they need, or at least stay in close proximity so they can call you over. Introduce yourself, so you can be known by your name, and not ?Hey you.?
You will eat lots of fruit and small blocks of cheese. Not because you are hungry, but because it is there. You may witness a sled race or a cracker-eating contest. It?s all part of the experience.
There are students around to help, so don?t be afraid to ask them. If you aren?t sure what you?re supposed to be doing, ask your team captain or somebody else in your group who has been there what you can do to help. It may be that nothing?s needed, but it doesn?t hurt to ask.
Expect to work long days and be exhausted. Expect to be ordered around by people who have been there before. Expect to nearly fall asleep on the bus ride back to the hotel and need coffee in the morning. Expect to see and speak more design than you will for the rest of the year.
You will be fed breakfast, lunch and dinner. Introduce yourself to more people, people not on your judging team, at meals. Or maybe take advantage of the time to get to know your team better. If you see their name tag and you?re a HUGE FAN, tell them so, but try not to faint. Fainting is not a good first impression.
Expect to have extremely strong feelings about some of the work you see on the tables. Keep it to yourself. Never tell a judge how you feel about an entry or let them hear you talking about it. If someone wanted your opinion, you would be a judge and not a facilitator, and even then you wouldn?t be allowed to talk until the medal discussions.
Take note of who is standing around you before you speak. Always.
Listen to lots of discussions about design. Sit in on medal discussions if nobody needs you elsewhere. You will learn more than you thought possible. Try to soak it all in and feel encouraged and inspired.
Learn. Network. Work your butt off. Sing Karaoke. Syracuse.
Andrea Zagata is a sports designer for The Buffalo News. This will be her fourth time as a facilitator at the creative competition in Syracuse.
Source: http://www.snd.org/2013/02/what-to-expect-at-the-best-of-news-design-judging/
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Ohio Amish set for sentencing in beard attacks
BERGHOLZ, Ohio (AP) ? More than 50 Amish children could lose one parent to prison ? and most of the youngest could lose both ? on Friday when 16 men and women are sentenced in beard-cutting attacks on fellow members of their faith in Ohio.
Most defendants could face as long as 10 years in prison and are asking the judge for leniency so they can return to their homes and farms, teaching their sons a trade and their daughters how to sew, cook and keep house.
But their bid faces an uphill battle. Victims of the 2011 attacks, which the government called a hate crime and an attempt by a splinter group to shame members who left or denounced it, say justice is needed, especially for the ringleader.
In a rare interview last week in Bergholz at the community's sprawling farm amid rolling hills in eastern Ohio, unmarried 19-year-old Edward Mast, grandson of ring leader Sam Mullet Sr., said he is anticipating a life of mentoring Amish children and sharing in child-rearing if the parents go to prison.
While he spoke, a 15-year-old used a chain saw to cut fence planks and a 12-year-old crisply drove nails into the planks as a 10-year-old held up the board. The youngest trudged in boots through ankle-deep mud and a creek surging with melting snow.
Prison terms will make the whole operation harder to maintain, Mast told The Associated Press. "It will be a mess," he said, shaking his head under a wide-brim hat.
Mullet broke away from the mainstream Amish in 1995, seeking stricter cultural rules and Scriptural interpretation than is the norm in the eastern Ohio community, authorities said. He was the undisputed leader of his group, counseling relatives on religious matters, negotiating drilling rights on his land and denouncing Amish who questioned his authority.
Mullet's community, like many Amish groups, grew through marriage and the purchase of farmland to sustain extended families that work and pray together, mostly shut off from outside influences like electricity, autos and electronics.
Amish communities have a highly insular, modest lifestyle, are deeply religious and believe in following the Bible, which they believe instructs women to let their hair grow long and men to grow beards and stop shaving once they marry. Contact with the modern world is limited, and glimpses from the news media inside Amish communities even rarer.
The five beard- and hair-cutting attacks followed years of animosity, traced in part to a nasty custody battle involving Mullet's daughter and his strict demands on religious observance. The custody dispute led to a contentious history with local law enforcement over the county's seizure of two Mullet granddaughters from their mother.
One of Mullet's daughters-in-law and a former brother-in-law told investigators that he allowed others to beat members who disobeyed him, according to an affidavit. He punished some by making them sleep in a chicken coop for days and was sexually intimate with married women to "cleanse them of the devil," the two relatives said in the affidavit.
Mullet's defense argued there was no proof of such sexual conduct.
His community had contact with other Amish groups, often because of family ties throughout the region or when gathering at livestock auctions or to buy farming equipment.
Some Amish spoke out against his authoritarian style, and the government said that led to the attacks as Mullet tried to discipline dissenters who left his community and Amish bishops who condemned him.
Arlene Miller, 48, of Carrollton, whose husband, an Amish bishop, was among the victims, said she thinks Mullet deserves a tough sentence and the others should get less time if they get cult deprogramming counseling.
"It's a cult," she said. "Their minds were programmed in the wrong way by Sam Mullet, so we feel like these people are very deceived and they are actually victims of Sam Mullet."
She said there were no winners in the ordeal. "There's no happy ending to this," she said.
Some Amish remain fearful of Mullet, whose family denies his community is a cult.
"I don't want Sam Mullet to be around my nieces and nephews for the threats he made and things he done. So please keep Sam in jail," one person said in a letter to the court. The name and hometown were blocked in the court filing because of fear of retaliation.
"Please understand that we have many fears of him being released," another writer said. Prosecutors submitted 14 letters, some warning that Mullet and his family would disturb the peace of the Amish community. One called Mullet an evil, dangerous person.
The government asked for a life sentence for Mullet, saying he orchestrated the attacks and controlled members of his Amish settlement and frazzled nerves in quiet Amish communities in Ohio and neighboring states. His attorney asked for a sentence of 1? to two years.
The government said the cuttings were an attempt to shame members Mullet believed were straying from their beliefs. His followers were found guilty of carrying out the attacks.
Mast said that women whose husbands are facing prison are anxious for them to return home, and that the children ask about their fathers.
"They're always talking about the day when Dad comes home again; what they are going to do and what they want to do," Mast said.
Nine of 10 men who were convicted have been locked up awaiting sentencing. The six women, who all have children, one with 11, have been free on bond. The defendants were charged with a hate crime because prosecutors believe religious differences brought about the attacks.
Mast said the Mullet community has been steadfast in its belief that the beard- and hair-cutting attacks didn't rise to the level of a hate crime, but amounted to discipline amid a church feud that shouldn't involve civil authorities.
"The beard, what it stands for me, what I know about it, once you're married you just grow a beard, that's just the way the Amish is," Mast said.
As for the victims, he added, "They got their beard back again, so what's the big deal about it?"
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-amish-set-sentencing-beard-attacks-204933420.html
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Chinese TV: VOA incites Tibetan self-immolations
By Ed Flanagan, Producer, NBC News
Published at 12:40 a.m. ET: BEIJING ? A controversial new documentary released by Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV, is alleging that the American government?s official broadcaster, Voice of America, is encouraging Tibetans to set themselves on fire.
The story comes as China braces itself for the 100th Tibetan self-immolation since 2009.
The 25-minute documentary, roughly translated as, ?Outside Tibetan Separatist Cliques and the Southern Gansu self-immolations,? ran on the CCTV show, ?Focus Today? and showed a Tibetan man in a hospital bed who allegedly attempted to self-immolate.
Seemingly prompted to explain why he had attempted to light himself on fire, the man says, ?I did it after watching VOA, I saw the photographs of self-immolators being commemorated. They were treated like heroes.?
The documentary coincides with a story printed earlier this week in the English language government newspaper, China Daily, which also suggested that the American government broadcaster was influencing Tibetans? decision to set themselves alight.
Citing the example of one 18-year old Tibetan named Sangdegye, who attempted to self-immolate last December, the China Daily noted that he ?adored the self-immolators VOA reported on,? citing them as ?heroes.??
In addition to accusing VOA of inciting Tibetans to self-immolate, the CCTV piece also sensationally accuses the company of employing secret codes to send messages to people inside Tibet.
VOA Director David Ensor categorically denies the accusations.
In a press release issued by Voice of America on Wednesday after the Chinese stories came out, Ensor called the documentary?s accusations ?totally false? and called the self-immolations a sign of distress in Tibet.?
?We do report these tragic stories,? Ensor said from VOA?s headquarters in Washington D.C., ?We do not encourage these self-immolations. That is wrong.?
Regarding allegations that the American broadcaster was transmitting secret coded messages to Tibetans, Ensor said, ?That is one of the more amazing parts of the CCTV report.? That suggestion is totally absurd.?
Calls by NBC News to the VOA office in Beijing were referred back to their U.S. headquarters. VOA is asking that CCTV and the China Daily both retract their reports.?
Voice of America has been broadcasting internationally since 1942 and serves as the American government?s official means of communicating with foreign populations. ?Generating approximately 1,500 hours of content each week in 43 languages, the network has sometimes run afoul of foreign governments.
Simmering tensions in Tibet
Over the years, Tibet has become an increasingly sensitive topic for China?s ruling Communist Party. Dramatic protests by hundreds of Tibetan monks in 2008 in the provincial capital, Lhasa, and ethnic Tibetan areas around China forced Beijing to crackdown on what they call ?separatist activities? incited by a ?Dalai Lama clique.?
Since then, a heavy military presence has installed itself in Tibetan towns and temples and foreign travel to the restive region has been curtailed. Foreign journalists have been unable to travel to Tibet except by invitation by the Foreign Ministry.
A mass migration of ethnic Han Chinese to Tibetan areas for economic opportunities has many Tibet-watchers accusing China of eroding Tibetan culture and placing their economic benefits over those of poorer ethnic Tibetans.
Visits to Tibetan regions outside of Tibet ? forbidden now without permission from the government ? by foreign media have shown similar rising tensions?among?ethnic Tibetans.
The phenomenon of Tibetans self-immolating has been extensively covered by foreign press here in China, but is largely ignored by domestic media. A high-profile court case last week though made big news in local press as a Tibetan monk and his nephew were found guilty of ?intentional suicide? and sentenced to a suspended death sentence with two year reprieve and 10-years in prison respectively.
The pair was accused of inciting eight Tibetans to self-immolate, three of whom later died.
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