Da Vinci Drawing of Magi

WASHINGTON – A sketch Leonardo da Vinci made for his first large painting, “Adoration of the Magi,” will make its U.S. debut next week at the Library of Congress

For two days — next Thursday and Friday — people can view the drawing, which bears some similarities to his famed painting.

The drawing, created in 1481, has been displayed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, on a limited basis. This is the second time it’s been shown outside Italy.

B16 Reaffirms Christian European Roots While in Turkey

POPE Benedict XVI put the brakes on his charm offensive in EU-hopeful, Muslim majority Turkey, stressing Europe’s “Christian roots” and taking a strong stand on religious freedoms and minority rights.

Flanked by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I after mass at the patriarchal Church of S. George, the pontiff complained in a speech that “the process of secularisation has weakened the hold of (Christian) tradition” in Europe.

“In the face of this reality, we are called, together with all other Christian communities, to renew Europe’s awareness of its Christian roots, traditions and values, giving them new vitality,” he said.

From News.Com.AU

Chalk Up Another Failure to Diversity

In the name of “diversity,” academic institutions admit students of sub-standard qualifications in preference to those with better credentials.  This, they say, leads to greater understanding and learning than would be the case if all applications were given equal weight based on qualifications.  Remember that never does “diversity” include diversity of thought or ideology, only liberal notions of diversity which presently include race, gender and sexual preference.

Low and behold, employers are beginning to figure out the scam.  From no less than the NYT’s comes an article that certain law firms see their minority recruits as something of a problem.

Thanks to vigorous recruiting and pressure from corporate clients, black lawyers are well represented now among new associates at the nation’s most prestigious law firms. But they remain far less likely to stay at the firms or to make partner than their white counterparts.

A recent study says grades help explain the gap. To ensure diversity among new associates, the study found, elite law firms hire minority lawyers with, on average, much lower grades than white ones. That may, the study says, set them up to fail.

The new study proposes an explanation. It found that the pool of black lawyers with excellent law-school grades is so small that firms must relax their standards if they are to have new associates who resemble the pool of new lawyers.

So when those admitted to colleges, universities and professional schools on the basis of something other than merit cannot perform only several things can happen.  The schools can fail and remove those that cannot perform to the established standards of the institution (thereby thwarting the stated objective of diversity) or they can lower the standards for purposes of retention.  What is unanswered here is why there are so few black law school graduates with good grades in the pool.  Could it be that those elite undergraduate universities, in the name of diversity, have recuited and promoted students who would be better served at other institutions? 

Educators can fool themselves as to what is happening, but ultimately, employers will see that they have failed to deliver the goods.  Hold every student to the same high standard and given some time, black students will perform to the same level as others.  But the process must begin in the elementary schools, middle and high schools. 

The Bishop Who Would Be Queen

Katherine Jefferts Schori, the newly elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, has made it clear that things will change in the church under her tenure. And in many issues, she has set herself and the Episcopalians on a collision course with the Anglican Communion. In fact, some think that she may be provoking a schism to form an independent liberal denomination. Jordan Hylden, a junior fellow at First Things, writes:

With great frequency and clarity, she [Schori] has committed herself to the full affirmation of homosexual practice, including ordination to the episcopate and same-sex marriage. This, she has stated, is the “reasonable conclusion and consensus” of the Episcopal Church, regardless of the contrary decisions of the Anglican Communion as a whole and the continued objection of a sizeable minority within ECUSA. In fact, she has said that their continued objection is “schismatic,” distracts from the real mission of the church (i.e., social justice), and will no longer be tolerated.

The problem is that she is on a direct collision course with the rest of the Anglican Communion. And, while she will not admit it in so many words, it has become increasingly clear that Bishop Schori and her supporters know perfectly well that their actions will end in a final break with Canterbury and the Global South. The church’s Executive Council has already proposed the formation of an “Anglican Convocation of the Americas,” comprising liberal churches such as ECUSA, Canada, and Brazil. Even the Episcopal Church’s name no longer officially includes reference to the United States, which Bishop Schori has stated reflects the “transnational” character (better put, “ambition”) of the church. Liberal voices from England and elsewhere have signaled their desire to join such a convocation, which almost certainly will set itself up as a “progressive” alternative to mainstream Anglicanism.

Given the nature of changes in the Episcopal Church and horror of the more orthodox in the Anglican Communion, expect the schism under the reign of Schori. As I pointed out, the first schism leads to countless others.

The Battle for Christmas

Nice to see that the “secular progressives” (I prefer the term progressively liberals) of this are oh so tolerant of those different than themselves.  As has been pointed out in the past, “tolerance” and “diversity” are two of the greatest virtues of the “PC” religion.  To display their tolerance this Christmas season, Chicago officials have asked that one particular sponsor of the Christkindmarket (which, according to my college German knowledge means “Christ Child market) want ads for the new movie, “The Nativity Story”, removed from the market.  You see, the pagans may be offended.

The city does not want to appear to endorse one religion over another, said Cindy Gatziolis, a spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. She acknowledged there is a nativity scene, but also said there will be representations of other faiths, including a Jewish menorah, all put up by private groups. She stressed that the city did not order organizers to drop the studio as a sponsor.

“Our guidance was that this very prominently placed advertisement would not only be insensitive to the many people of different faiths who come to enjoy the market for its food and unique gifts, but also it would be contrary to acceptable advertising standards suggested to the many festivals holding events on Daley Plaza,” Jim Law, executive director of the office, said in a statement.

The only group that the city doesn’t mind offending is of course the Christians, the very ones for whom Christmas has the most meeting.  Go figure.

George Washington’s Proclaimation of National Thanksgiving

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee 78 requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th. day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.  

George Washington October 3, 1789

China’s Organs Problem

Since the first organ transplant was performed. doctors, “ethicists,” and other interested parties have debated morally acceptable means of procuring organs.  Some have suggested that prisoners condemned to death constitute an acceptable pool for organ harvest.  China now admits that human organs for transplantation are largely derived from executed prisoners.

For the first time, the Chinese government has admitted selling the organs of executed prisoners for profit, a gruesome business it had denied for years.

Speaking at a national conference of transplant surgeons in Guangzhou last week, Vice-Minister of Health Huang Jiefu admitted, “Apart from a small portion of traffic victims, most of the organs from cadavers are from executed prisoners,” according to the China Daily, a state-run English-language newspaper published in Beijing.

Harry Wu, an outspoken critic of the Communist government, has long accused the Chinese of harvesting organs from executed prisoners.  China has previously denied the practice.  Further,

Wu says that poor Chinese are selling their organs on the black market, even though it is now illegal in China to sell organs for profit. 

Sophie Richardson, an Asia expert for Human Rights Watch, says China still has a long way to go to improve its human rights standards. “This is the beginning of an effort to look like it’s responding to concerns about some pretty grotesque behavior.”

More blood on the hands of the Communists.

This Is Why The US Needs John Bolton

The Democrats are about to take control of the House and Senate will likely block the nomination of John Bolton as US Ambassador to the United Nations.  He can still be appointed by Bush but would have to serve without salary.  In any case, here’s why the US needs John Bolton at the UN:

The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, launched a scathing attack on the United Nations Friday.

Bolton was furious over the adoption by the General Assembly of a resolution which said the assembly regretted the deaths of 19 civilians in an attack by the Israeli military in the town of Beit Hanoun last week.

Despite the resolution being significantly watered down at the behest of the United States, and being passing by 156 votes to seven, Bolton launched a blistering attack on the UN, and many of its members.

“Many of the sponsors of that resolution are notorious abusers of human rights themselves, and were seeking to deflect criticism of their own policies,” he said.

“This type of resolution serves only to exacerbate tensions by serving the interests of elements hostile to Israel’s inalienable and recognized right to exist.”

“This deepens suspicions about the United Nations that will lead many to conclude that the organization is incapable of playing a helpful role in the region,” Bolton continued.

“In a larger sense, the United Nations must confront a more significant question, that of its relevance and utility in confronting the challenges of the 21st century. We believe that the United Nations is ill served when its members seek to transform the organization into a forum that is a little more than a self-serving and a polemical attack against Israel or the United States,” he said.

“The Human Rights Council has quickly fallen into the same trap and de-legitimized itself by focusing attention exclusively on Israel. Meanwhile, it has failed to address real human rights abuses in Burma, Darfur, the DPRK, and other countries,” Bolton charged.

“The problem of anti-Israel bias is not unique to the Human Rights Council. It is endemic to the culture of the United Nations. It is a decades-old, systematic problem that transcends the whole panoply of the UN organizations and agencies,” he continued.

Ouch!  Tough talk to a group of out of control of thugs at the UN.  Forget “Trick or Treat for UNICF.”  How about sending little kids out to collect money for John Bolton’s salary?

Diversity is All The Rage

Last weekend, I had dinner with some neighbors. We live in a very liberal neighborhood within a very liberal city. I always look forward to discussing various topics with my liberal neighbors and usually the conversations are enjoyable and instructive. The range of subjects is generally unlimited but usually include those areas where liberals and conservatives can mostly disagree. In the course of the evening, one subject that was considered was that of diversity. It has always been my belief that diversity, as implemented by the left, centers around race or gender or sexual preference rather than diversity of ideas. The virtue of diversity is lauded, but when asked to show how diversity really helps a particular institution, for example a university, little evidence (even empiric) can be sited.

More Practitioners of the Religion of Peace

Atlas Shrugs blog has some disturbing pictures from Islamic Jihad in Indonesia.  Be forewarned that the photos are violent and revolting, but capture a particularly brutal aspect of Islam in this part of the world.  One wonders why these events have not been reported in the mainstream media.  I have no doubt that had Christians been accused of such murderous activity, the New York Times would be all over the story.