Monday 09-26-11

Father upset over homework promoting polygamy, Islam

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- A father's complaint that his daughter's homework promotes the Muslim faith could lead to a lesson change in Cobb County.

Channel 2's Tom Regan talked to the father who showed him where his daughter’s homework which said there's nothing wrong with having multiple wives.

The assignment went home with seventh-graders at Campbell Middle School.

The school told Regan the assignment was used to compare the pros and cons of the school's dress policy.

But one parent said he thinks the material shows bias toward Islam and is completely inappropriate for the kids.

"Trying to relate this to school uniforms, the context they put it into, doesn't make much sense to me," parent Hal Medlin said.

Medlin showed Regan the assignment brought home by his 13-year-old daughter. The assignment consisted of a letter from Ahlima, a 20-year-old Muslim woman, and touts the advantage of a wearing a Burqa and finds the way western women dress to be "horribly immodest," according to the assignment.

The assignment shows Ahlima saying she doesn't mind if her future husband takes more wives. "I understand that some Westerners condemn our practice of polygamy, but I also know they are wrong," the assignment said.

"It's promoting or positively depicting their belief that polygamy is fine, if that’s what they believe. But I don't know how you could possibly state that and not have any kind of disclaimer that this is what these people think, but not necessarily what all of us believe," Medlin said.

Another page of the assignment lists the seven conditions for women's dress in Islam, including:

-It cannot resemble the clothing of nonbelieving women -It must protect women from the lustful gaze of men

It also states, "Islam liberated woman over 1,400 years ago. Is it better to dress according to man or God?”

"It represents Islam in a positive manner. That doesn't offend me as much as the fact that it represents no other religions," Medlin said. "To me, this material is being used the way it's used is like tearing a page out of text book and saying here's the whole story."

On Friday afternoon, Regan got an email statement from a Cobb Schools saying the school district didn't create the materials, they were provided by the state. The representative went on to say, “The district will review the material in question and determine if it can be taught in a more balance way or if it should no longer be used."

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/29284189/detail.html

China 'launches gold vending machine'

China, already the world's second largest bullion consumer, has installed the country's first gold vending machine in a busy shopping district in Beijing, state media said on Sunday.
Shoppers in the popular Wangfujing Street can insert cash or use a bank card to withdraw gold bars or coins of various weights based on market prices, the People's Daily said on its website.

Each withdrawal is capped at 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) or one million yuan (about $156,500) worth of gold, the report said.

Gold vending machines already exist in Britain, the United States, the Middle East and Europe.

The machine was launched Saturday by the Beijing Agricultural Commercial Bank and a gold trading company, the report said.

They plan to install an unspecified number of machines in secure locations such as gold shops and upmarket private clubs.

Gold is often used as a hedge against inflation and the machines could prove popular among Chinese consumers looking for a convenient way to safeguard their cash amid rising prices.

Chinese consumer demand for gold soared 27 percent year-on-year to 579.5 tonnes in 2010, according to the World Gold Council.

India, the world's top consumer, saw a 66 percent increase to 963.1 tonnes.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f4c0cf19383379475a875952cf853bc5.3b1&show_article=1

Would be nice if this caught on, but there would be alot of heart attacks by church treasurers

NJ Church Gives Away $30,000 in "Reverse Collection" Baskets

This was one collection basket parishioners couldn't pass up.

Liquid Church of New Jersey allowed parishioners at its Sunday services to forgo donating and instead take money out of the collection basket.

Church leaders gave away $30,000 cash in unmarked envelopes containing either a $10, $20 or $50 bill.

Lead pastor Tim Lucas says the "reverse offering" is meant to teach churchgoers that faith in God — not government — is the only route to recovery in the current financial crisis.

The Christian-based church has about 2,000 members and branches in Morristown, Nutley, and New Brunswick.

Church officials plan to donate an additional $60,000 to various projects, including helping communities with flood recovery, in each of the three northern Jersey counties they serve

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NJ-Church-Offers-Reverse-Collection-Baskets-130529858.html