Originally Posted by BBC UK

This weekend the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, told his followers he had lost hope of reaching agreement with China about the future of his homeland. The BBC's Asia analyst Jill McGivering assesses what this means.

For decades, the Dalai Lama's approach to China has been cheerfully patient and optimistic.
So the announcement he is giving up attempts to persuade China to grant greater autonomy to Tibet will come as a shock to many.

He has expressed frustration before - and threatened to go into political retirement. But the key question now is what implications this announcement will have.

Will it lead, for example, to a hardening of position by the Tibetan government-in-exile, if the Dalai Lama's middle ground of modest autonomy within China is abandoned?

And does it also mean that the Dalai Lama wants to extract himself personally from the political fray? That too is unclear.

Mounting anger

The full answers may not emerge until after a special meeting of Tibetan exiles, now scheduled for November.

It is clear that frustration in the Tibet camp has rarely been greater.

In the aftermath of the riots in Tibet and surrounding areas earlier in 2008, China promised fresh talks.

Some Tibetans said at the time that they feared this was an empty gesture, merely designed to ease international pressure on Beijing in the run up to the Olympics.

The apparent deadlock in the talks seems to have confirmed those fears.

There is also confusion about what new strategy might emerge from the Tibetan camp.

Despite China's allegations, the Dalai Lama has always stopped short of a demand for full independence. But pressure for independence has grown amongst a feistier young generation which feels years of attempts at compromise have achieved nothing.

It is unlikely the Dalai Lama would support a pro-independence policy, but there may be some hardening of the Tibetan position.

Bowing out?

As a political ploy, the Dalai Lama's move does help to push Tibet back into the spotlight.

Post-Olympics, many Tibetans feel forgotten. And there is also the wider question of whether the Dalai Lama may indeed decide this is the time to extract himself from the political process in which he's been engaged for so long.

That would have striking implications. His international profile is one of Tibet's strongest cards and the government-in-exile would surely be weakened without his advocacy.

But his absence would also raise the stakes for China. Many see the Dalai Lama as Beijing's best hope - and urge the Chinese to do business with him while they can.

They may find what comes next - in terms of policy and personality - much less acceptable.

Originally Posted by I Like Cake

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Originally Posted by Saberwing 9875

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Originally Posted by Felipe dos

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Originally Posted by I Like Cake

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Originally Posted by Vorpal Saint

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Originally Posted by Stealth the one

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Originally Posted by I Like Cake

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Originally Posted by Dan Agin

It's unfortunate that too many people in America are confused about the place of religion in a democracy. The tradition of this country, and one of the basics of its foundation, is religious freedom. What that means precisely is that each individual is free to practice his or her own religion without government interference--provided the government recognizes that what is practiced is indeed an acceptable religion. For example, a religion that practices homicide is not an acceptable religion in America.

What religious freedom does NOT mean is that any religious group is free to impose its values on other people. That is antithetic to the idea of religious freedom in this country and such a view is totally un-American. It's a true misery that some religious groups in the United States think it's appropriate for them to impose their religious values on the public at large, on people who are not of their religion. Some Catholic bishops, for example, need to be reminded that the United States is not the Holy Roman Empire.

Absolute truth proclaimed by authority is antithetical to any democratic society, especially to American democratic society. We're a pragmatic country, a people whose ideas are derived from many origins, religions, and cultures. We are not a theocracy and we are not a people who like ideology of any kind. In this country, we look at problems, try solutions, and then stick to what works. Any authority, religious or otherwise, proclaiming absolute truth to us is antithetical to what America is all about.

So is religion compatible with democracy? Yes, if you practice your religion or beliefs as you see fit without imposition on the lives of other people. Anything else is un-American, and that's what it needs to be called. Imposition of particular religious values by law or judicial declaration is un-American.

Originally Posted by Colleyville Texas Courier

In response to the historic election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, several unofficial protests were reported last week, most notably in schools that included Colleyville and Cross Timbers middle schools, as well as Grapevine and Northwest high schools.

Some of the protests had racial undertones; others, such as those in the middle schools, were more overt.

Following the election, students received multiple text messages on their mobile phones to dress in black as if they were in mourning, according to a parent of a Colleyville Middle School girl who received the message. The mother, who asked that her name be withheld, said her daughter did not participate.

The message also went out on the popular social Web site, Facebook, said Grapevine High School senior Scott Scheel, who did wear black on Wednesday.

There were also reports of several fights and students using derogatory language, including racial slurs.

Grapevine High School senior Carly Rosse, who wore black to school on Wednesday, said that students were "mourning the death of capitalism."

"It wasn’t racially motivated," Rosse said. "It was based on the fact that we didn’t agree with his policies. We didn’t like the outcome of the election and we were silently protesting."

Alysha Behn, also a senior at Grapevine High School, who called the behavior "silly," said it is just something that comes with living in a "red state," one with an overwhelming Republican majority.

"I wasn’t offend by it; it’s their right to be upset," said Behn.

Observers of the protest on Wednesday shared similar feelings; even those who supported the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.

"We [Democrats] won. They can wear black all they want, but it doesn’t bother me," GHS senior April Rushin said.

Other Democratic students like senior Emily Smith said she probably would have been equally upset if Sen. John McCain had won the election, but for different reasons.

Although students across the district wore black in what was clearly perceived as a staged event, a statement from the Grapevine-Colleyville school district said no formal demonstration took place. It went on to say that it could confirm there had been a few instances of comments being made among students at several schools that were "inappropriate" in response to the election.

"This behavior is not tolerated in GCISD at any time; it goes against the character education values we teach and the culture of our district," said district Public Information Officer Megan Overman in an e-mail.

"Any students engaging in such behavior have been dealt with appropriately at the campus level, and teachers are using the events surrounding the election as learning opportunities to help students gain context and understanding of current events," Overman said.

Numerous students were given in-school suspension for their actions.

"It’s a shame that we still behave the way we do ...," said a mother with children at Cross Timbers Middle School, who also asked that her name not be used.

"Heaven is going to be made up of all colors and all backgrounds. What is God saying and feeling as He sees our reactions?

"This starts at home," she added.

Lauren Sciarappa is the news editor of the GHS student newspaper, The Manestream. Lauren is also working this fall as an intern for the Courier.