Benazir Bhutto: The Rose of Pakistan is Crushed in Winter

Benazir Bhutto, June 21, 1953 - December 27, 2007.

It was a tragic Thursday, yesterday, December 27, 2007, as Benazir Bhutto, the twice elected former Prime Minister of Pakistan was murdered in cold blood by an unidentified assassin who blew himself up after shooting her fatally in the neck and chest at her political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

The Spirit of Rawalpindi

It was in the twilight after the storm in Rawalpindi
I saw a feminine being, looking so fair
In immaculate white shawl, and flowing white robes
She seemed to be walking in mid air.
When the wind blew, I saw her face
It was the radiant face of Benazir
Her eyes were blazing and her lips were red
She brought out her right hand clutching a red Persian Rose flower
She stretched the Persian Rose flower to me.
Roses will grow in this place where my blood was shed.
Roses will blossom and bloom in Rawalpindi
There will be a rose for every Pakistani.
Then I saw a bed of roses under my feet
And I saw her white shawl flying in the air
I heard her voice echoing in the sky.
I am the sacrifice for peace
For Pakistan I have was born and for Pakistan I have lived
and for Pakistan I have shed my blood.
So that every Pakistani may live to see a New Pakistan.



Benazir Bhutto in-front of the portrait of her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Born on June 21, 1953, Ms. Bhutto, the first child in her family, reveled in telling friends that she was her father’s favorite. One of her most cherished anecdotes about her childhood involved her father’s encouraging her to set aside traditional Muslim views of a woman’s role and to have ambitions beyond the home, a message she said he conveyed with stories about Joan of Arc and Indira Gandhi.

After attending a private Christian-run school in Karachi, where the family maintained a luxurious mansion, Ms. Bhutto studied at Radcliffe College, earning a Harvard B.A. in 1973, and later at Oxford, where she gained a second B.A. in 1976. At Oxford, she was the first woman to become president of the Oxford Union, the prestigious debating society that nurtured several British prime ministers.

New York Times Biography

Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post who knew her when she was the first female President of the Oxford Union, called her "fearlessness epitomized"

Yale Scholar's Guide to Sexual Ethics Wins Grawemeyer Religion Award

7 Dec 2007 03:00 Africa/Lagos


Yale Scholar's Guide to Sexual Ethics Wins Grawemeyer Religion Award

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

A Yale scholar who says justice is an essential part of sexual ethics has won the 2008 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.


Margaret Farley, a professor emerita of Christian ethics at Yale Divinity school, earned the prize for the ideas set forth in her 2006 book, "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics." Her work was selected from among 52 entries from the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil.


Human sexual relationships must be not only loving but fair, because justice is the quality that forms, guides and protects love, Farley writes.


"It's an important message in light of all the confusion surrounding sexuality today," said Susan Garrett, a professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary who directs the award program. "The religious right issues stark decrees while the entertainment industry tells us 'anything goes.' People are confused about what's right."


Farley draws "clear and compelling guidelines from Christian tradition on what makes love 'just,' which helps us understand sexuality in the context of our faith," Garrett said.


A Roman Catholic nun, Farley was the first woman to teach full time at Yale Divinity School and is past president of the Society of Christian Ethics and Catholic Theological Society of America. She holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Detroit and master's and doctoral degrees in religious studies from Yale.


Her Grawemeyer-winning book, "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics," published by Continuum Group in 2006, is the seventh book she has written or co-written.


The Grawemeyer Foundation at the University of Louisville awards $1 million each year -- $200,000 each -- for works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology, education and religion. The religion award is given jointly by the university and the Presbyterian seminary. Winners of the other Grawemeyer Awards also were announced this week.


For more details or Farley's photo, contact Michele Melton at 502-992-9358, 800-264-1839 or mmelton@lpts.edu or see http://www.grawemeyer.org/.


Source: University of Louisville

CONTACT: Michele Melton of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary, +1-502-992-9358, +1-800-264-1839, mmelton@lpts.edu


Web Site: http://www.grawemeyer.org/
http://www.louisville.edu/

How Christmas Can Impact the Culture!

4 Dec 2007 11:10 Africa/Lagos


How Christmas Can Impact the Culture!

BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ --

We often worry that Christmas has become routine. Many communities across the country have settled for mere "holiday" celebrations focused on the secular side of the season. It seems that our culture is rapidly becoming ignorant about the real purpose of the holiday.


According to Phil Cooke, who has a Ph.D. in theology, and works specifically with non-profit and religious clients, producing national advertising for some of the largest companies in the country, "One of the reasons we are losing our focus is the way the media depicts the holiday, constantly focusing on the secular more commercial side of the holiday. In fact, it doesn't take much to see that the media's influence in our lives is pervasive, and today, education, business, religion, leisure, science, even family-life are all measured against that influence."


Cooke believes that the key to change is cutting through the overwhelming media clutter, and sharing the key elements of faith through casual conversations, the pulpit, and even through the media itself. "Essentially, it's about getting the real Christmas message heard. It's about telling the story of Christ's birth, and making that story connect," he says.


Although the true reason for Christmas has taken a beating, it's far from gone, and this year, we have the opportunity once again to remind the culture what Christmas is all about. Cooke has some tips for sharing the real Christmas message:


Don't be afraid to express your faith in the community or public square. Because of recent court rulings Christians shy away from anything remotely religious at Christmastime -- especially in public. Ask Christian attorneys for advice, or contact the American Center for Law and Justice (http://www.aclj.org/) for information on how to share your faith appropriately in a public forum.


Be confident but courteous at your office or school about expressing your faith. Stop arguing with people, and begin developing a relationship of compassion and trust.


Finally, it's not Santa's fault. Too many Christians blame Santa for distracting people from the story of the incarnation. Obviously Santa Claus isn't the reason for the season, but don't rob your children the joy of giving and experiencing the wonder and excitement of the big guy in the red suit.


"Give gifts, it is a fantastic way to develop a discussion with a non-Christian about God's ultimate gift," Cooke says. "Let's all lighten up and enjoy the North Pole, the reindeer, and the anticipation of the sound of hooves on the roof at midnight. But let's not forget to teach children and grandchildren the story of how God gave us the greatest gift of all."


Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Phil Cooke http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=69701


Source: Phil Cooke

CONTACT: Jackelyn Viera Iloff of End Results, Inc., +1-713-254-2284, for
Phil Cooke


Web site: http://www.endresultsinc.com/
http://www.brandingfaith.com/
http://www.philcooke.com/
http://www.aclj.org/


NOTE TO EDITORS: Cooke is available for interviews or to write columns on media and culture, branding, mega church media development, religion and entertainment issues. For information on Cooke's book Branding Faith and bio go to http://www.brandingfaith.com or more information go to http://www.philcooke.com.