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Eye on the World: Friday, June 15, 2012
NEW: Egyptian supreme court dissolves Parliament
Egypt’s supreme court ruled on Thursday that the country’s parliamentary elections, held last year in the wake of President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, were illegitimate, and that the lower house of the parliament should be dissolved. Egypt has been preparing to select its next president in elections this weekend, and many Egyptians fear that the court’s ruling sets the stage for the country’s military council to consolidate its power.
“Fearless prayer for North Africa and the Middle East,” written shortly after President Mubarak stepped down last spring, explains how each of us can pray to support fair, inclusive, honest political processes in Egypt and elsewhere. The author writes, “Our insistence on the presence of this one Mind, guiding all toward peace and justice, will lead to solutions that are satisfying and complete.”
Afghanistan war nears 11-year mark
As the 11-year anniversary of American involvement in Afghanistan approaches, many Americans and Afghans are assessing what has been accomplished since the war’s start. The Afghan National Army is more self-sufficient, Al Qaeda has been weakened, and there’s more political freedom in the country than 11 years ago; however, support for the Taliban is growing in rural areas and corruption remains a huge problem. Lots will hinge on how well Americans and Afghans can build a stable government between now and the scheduled troop withdrawal in 2014.
“Afghanistan: why peace and stability are possible” takes a spiritual look at Afghanistan. Because the peace that the Christ gives is always in operation, the author asserts, Afghanistan and its people can never be lost, and stability is not just an optimistic hope.
Teaching empathy in the classroom
Standardized tests are a centerpiece of many classrooms, but a growing body of research suggests that focusing on empathy – being able to collaborate by seeing problems from another’s point of view – helps kids learn better. Several schools in China and the US argue that the ability to appreciate others’ ways of looking at the world is a key to innovation and creative problem-solving.
“Practical education” discusses how creative problem solving in the classroom can come from a recognition that we all – students, teachers, parents, and the general public – reflect infinitely varied facets of God, the one creative, divine Mind.