by Sun Ruijun and Bao Erwen
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The world has undergone remarkable changes this year, but international security situation on the whole remained stable with "peace" and "development" prevailing as the themes of the times.
in 2008, the world has continued moving toward multi-polarization, resulting in a distinctive shift of international forces. Globalization is developing in depth and regional cooperation is gathering momentum.
The world has been confronted with one hotspot issue after another and non-traditional threats are increasing. The world economic growth took a turn for the worse due to the outbreak of the global financial crisis.
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'Spirit of inclusion': 'Jesus Christ himself would have gathered everyone around him' 
The decision by a New York village to place the Islamic star and crescent alongside the community's official Christmas tree has a Catholic leader wondering if there are any wise men among the town's leaders.
Supervisors for Armonk, N.Y. voted to display a menorah and a star and crescent at tonight's Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the town's gazebo.
"We've decided to go in the direction of being all-inclusive," Supervisor Reese Berman told Associated Press.
The village had added the menorah previously. Last year, town resident Asad Jilani, saying the Christmas season is an appropriate time to celebrate all cultures, asked the board to include Islamic symbols as well.
"I said 'Oh, there's a menorah and a Christmas tree and where is my crescent?'" said Jilani.
Berman, who is Jewish, said the town did not have time to adequately address Jilani's request last year and, to not make Muslims feel they were being specifically excluded, the menorah was removed to a local synagogue.
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But 1 who teaches 'Marxist theory' ridicules concerns
If documents someday prove Barack Obama is not eligible to be president under the U.S. Constitution, none of the 538 Electoral College members who vote him into office Monday will be able to claim ignorance.
That's after 3,653 citizens had enough concern over the allegations, they participated in a WND effort to deliver letters to every elector, urging them to investigate.
The campaign followed an earlier campaign among WND readers that sent more than 60,000 letters by overnight delivery to the U.S. Supreme Court when a case contesting Obama's eligibility for the Oval Office was pending.
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Critic: 'This is a horrible time to try such a crazy scheme'
By Bob Unruh
A public policy organization has issued an urgent alert stating affirmative votes are needed from only two more states before a Constitutional Convention could be assembled in which "today's corrupt politicians and judges" could formally change the U.S. Constitution's "'problematic' provisions to reflect the philosophical and social mores of our contemporary society."
"Don't for one second doubt that delegates to a Con Con wouldn't revise the First Amendment into a government-controlled privilege, replace the 2nd Amendment with a 'collective' right to self-defense, and abolish the 4th, 5th, and 10th Amendments, and the rest of the Bill of Rights," said the warning from the American Policy Institute.
"Additions could include the non-existent separation of church and state, the 'right' to abortion and euthanasia, and much, much more," the group said.
The warning comes at a time when Barack Obama, who is to be voted the next president by the Electoral College Monday, has expressed his belief the U.S. Constitution needs to be interpreted through the lens of current events.
Tom DeWeese, who runs the center and its education and grassroots work, told WND the possibilities stunned ...   more »

Temple of Advanced Enlightenment seeks religious exemption from DEA   
By Judy Harrison
BANGOR, Maine — Every Tuesday and Sunday afternoon the living room in the Rev. Kevin Loring’s apartment becomes a tiny house of worship.
The head of the 3-year-old Temple of Advanced Enlightenment earlier this week stood next to a round table as five others sat on sofas and chairs pushed back against the walls. They formed an uneven circle in the second-floor walk-up.
“We use music as a form of prayer,” Loring, 28, told them as the service began. “It helps us to see a little bit more clearly.”
He played Ben Harper’s “I’ll Rise” as the worshippers bowed their heads. After the song, the minister gave thanks to the Pure One and to Mother Earth. Then the minister prepared the sacrament by placing a small amount of marijuana in a wooden pipe.
“The taking of the sacrament is a very serious tradition,” he said. “It’s a very holy spiritual tool. It is with great respect that we take part in the sacrament.”
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