A ground-breaking new book, "Families As We Are" reveals the rainbow of family forms now common around the globe. From two-parent "traditional" families to polygamous, matriarchal, same sex, and extended, they are all part of the tapestry of global society. Author Perdita Huston points out that the diversity of family forms reflects the dramatic transformation in political and economic structures in recent decades as well as human mobility and a quadrupled world population. Former UN Coordinator for the Int'l Year of the Family, Henrych J. Sokalsi, says for anyone hoping to understand the multiple forces shaping modern families, the book is an essential text. Guess we'd better send a copy or two ASAP to the White House!

There is a version of the Golden Rule (Do unto others…) in every major religion. Stephen M. Apatow, founder of the Humanitarian Resource Institute believes that if the Rule were followed, the gross inequities in the distribution of global wealth that exists today would disappear. As it is, while 1 child in every 165 in the U.S. dies before his fifth birthday, 1 in 10 children in developing countries dies before age 5. Since WWII, more have died from hunger and neglect than those killed in all the wars fought in the 20th century. The wealthiest 1/5 of the global population gobbles up 86% of all Earth's goods and services, while the poorest 1/5 scratches by on just 1%. Even in the U.S., last year 13% of the demands for emergency food and 23% of the demands for emergency shelter went unmet. Yet Bush wants the rich to have MORE, and won't sign Kyoto because it might "hurt" the U.S. economy. WHERE is that compassion conservatives claim to have? They must be hoarding that, too.