"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Producer claims 'God' censored from Disney ad:Spot for 'Ten Commandments' film altered, network insists change not about religion

The producer of an upcoming animated Hollywood feature starring the creator of the universe, "The Ten Commandments,"claims Radio Disney censored the words "chosen by God" from a radio ad for the film.Promenade Pictures founder and CEO Frank Yablans-a former partner of Walt Disney himself-told WND he had no choice but to go ahead with Radio Disney's version of his ad after paying for the spot."I could go to jail for what I would like to do to them," the studio pioneer said. "It's just outrageous that in the United States of America they won't allow the name of God."Radio Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague insists the script change had nothing to do with censoring God. She told WND it was done to make the text understandable and because corporate policy requires including the name of the production company in any ad.The line "Chosen by God" was replaced in the 30-second spot with the line "From Promenade Pictures."Asked to respond to Disney's explanation, Yablans said, "They're saying that now because they got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar."The non-profit Christian legal group Liberty Counsel announced today it has launched a petition drive to ask Radio Disney to "stop its ridiculous censorship of the word 'God.'" Yablans – formerly president of Paramount Pictures where he developed blockbusters such as "The Godfather" and "Chinatown" – said only Radio Disney has chosen to remove "God" from the "Ten Commandments" ads airing on various media outlets. The film opens in theaters Friday."If the script was suitable to everyone else, it was suitable to them," he said. Yablans, who co-founded Buena Vista Pictures with Walt Disney in the late 1950s, said the legendary Mickey Mouse creator would have fired the person who removed "God" from the ad."That's for openers," Yablans said."Better yet, he never would have hired him."
'Chosen by God'
In an Oct. 2 e-mail obtained by WND, Radio Disney sales associate Jason Atkinson informed the media representative hired by Promenade, Casey Baker, that the network's broadcast standards and practices department said scripts for the "Ten Commandments" radio spots should "omit the following line: CHOSEN BY GOD."Reached by telephone, Atkinson acknowledged he had heard something about the script change but said he was unsure of the details. When asked specifically about the e-mail he sent, Atkinson said, "I can't comment." Radio Disney's McTeague told WND that Promenade's media buyer accepted the change and placed the spot."We don't change the script for anybody," she said. "We make suggested edits to comply with our guidelines."Nothing in the guidelines, she maintained, would require removing a reference to God.After providing WND with Promenade's original script, McTeague explained that the line "From Promenade Productions" needed to be included, and by inserting it in the place of "chosen by God," it would help prevent confusion in the text. The lines before "chosen by God" listed four of the voice talents, she noted, and listeners mistakenly could take that to mean the actors, not Moses, were "chosen by God."Furthermore, the Radio Disney spokeswoman argued, a line by an actor portraying the voice of God remained in the spot.
The original script Promenade gave Radio Disney is as follows:
CMP HOME ENTERTAINMENT
PROMENADE PICTURESTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS 10/1/07NARR: ANDY GELLERMUSIC: SCORE / 24 UNCOMMON HERO
"EPIC STORY - RADIO" (PRE-STREET) :30 v2
NARR: ONE OF THE GREATEST STORIES OF ALL TIME… IS NOW AN ANIMATED MOVIE EVENT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY…
NARR: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!
God: "Moses, give them my message and they will follow you out of Egypt."
NARR: AN ORDINARY MAN…AN EXTRAORDINARY CALLING!
Moses: "Let my people go!"
NARR: WITH BEN KINGSLEY… CHRISTIAN SLATER…ALFRED MOLINA… AND ELLIOTT GOULD!
NARR: CHOSEN BY GOD…
Moses: "On to the promised land!"
NARR: THE TEN COMMANDMENTSRATED GNow in theatresCHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS....
To read more and listen to the ad go to:
As in the days of Noah.....

Diposting oleh

WITHOUT FAITH.....

"But without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please him:for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"
Hebrews 11:6
Diposting oleh

China's Web Censors Delete Blogs, Unplug Servers

BEIJING-At first, Liu Xiaoyuan just fumed when his online journal postings disappeared with no explanation.Then he decided to do something few if any of China's censored bloggers had tried. He sued his service provider."Each time I would see one of my entries blocked, I'd feel so furious and indignant," said Liu, a 43-year-old Beijing lawyer."It was just so disrespectful."Liu's frustration is hardly unique. For China's 162 million Web users, surfing the Internet can be like running an obstacle course with blocked Web sites, partial search results, and posts disappearing at every turn.Blog entries like Liu's, which mused on sensitive topics such as the death penalty, corruption and legal reform, are often automatically rejected if they trigger a keyword filter. Sometimes, they're deleted by human censors employed by Internet companies.In the lead-up to the sensitive Communist Party Congress, which convenes Monday to approve top leaders who will serve under President Hu Jintao through 2012, authorities have been casting an even wider net than usual in their search for Web content they deem to be politically threatening or potentially destabilizing."What you see now is unprecedented," said Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley."They are forcing most of the interactive sites to simply close down and have unplugged Internet data centers.These are things they haven't done before."Thousands of sites suddenly went offline in August and September when Internet data centers, which host Web servers, were shut down.In three cities, some services were temporarily cut off, while some interactive Web sites remain unplugged-until after the congress.It's not uncommon for authorities to crack down on public opinion before party congresses, which are held every five years.In an increasingly wired China, political rumors and speculation that used to end up in Hong Kong's more liberal media are now often found circulating first in Chinese cyberspace.At the party congress, there's plenty of opportunity for commentary, speculation and gossip."Who's going to be up and who's going to be down? Who's going to retire and who's going to be in the Politburo? The losers in the Internet age aren't necessarily going to go down quietly," said Xiao.The government has built a patchwork system of controls that include software to root out offensive keywords and block blacklisted Web sites.Government censors, known as Net nannies, surf the Web looking for pornography, subversive political content or other illegal material.Major Internet portals like Sohu.com Inc. and Sina Corp. employ their own censors to make sure nothing runs afoul of government restrictions.China is among a handful of countries that have extensive filters for political sites.Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam also strictly block political content, according to the OpenNet Initiative, a collaboration between researchers at Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Harvard University and the University of Toronto.In a report this week, Reporters Without Borders said China's Internet censorship system "is unparalleled anywhere in the world and is an insult to the spirit of online freedom."Commercial sites that don't comply with censorship orders are criticized, fined, forced to fire the employee responsible for the error, or closed down, the Paris-based group said.A point system is also used to keep track of compliance, with sites that rack up a certain number of demerits at risk of losing their business licenses, it said.To underscore its determination, the government also imprisons people who mail, post online, or access politically sensitive content within China.Reporters Without Borders says 50 Chinese "cyber dissidents" are currently in prison.All the controls reinforce a climate of fear and obedience that keep most Internet users in line, experts said.But if self-censorship fails, "Sohu will protect you from yourself," said Rebecca MacKinnon, a new media expert at Hong Kong University.Liu, the Beijing lawyer, did not want to be protected. He has tried to sue Sohu for breach of contract for blocking nine of his blog entries.Yang Bei, a Sohu spokeswoman in Beijing, said the company had no comment on the case.Liu insists the postings conformed with Sohu's user guidelines as well as Chinese law.He said that identical material posted to his Sina blog was not blocked. He is not asking for compensation, only to have his entries restored.A Beijing district court dismissed his suit in August, saying that it did not meet unspecified criteria. His appeal is pending with the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court.Despite the controls, Chinese cyberspace is also a surprisingly dynamic environment with online auctions, film and music downloads, social networks, huge virtual gaming populations and even spirited debate on social and political issues — though often conducted in protective double speak."You don't say 'tanks in Tiananmen,'" explains Xiao, referring to the 1989 military crackdown on democracy protesters. "You say 'the tractors that came into the city.' You don't say 'press freedom,' you say 'press professionalism.'"Anxiety over such veiled conversations likely prompted the closure of several data centers last month, a move that affected thousands of small personal and commercial sites and warned millions of others.The centers were told the shutdown was part of a larger campaign to clean up the Web ahead of the congress.MacKinnon said the government appears afraid that something from one of those smaller sites will "jump out and bite the regime."An employee with the Zitian Internet Data Center in the central city of Luoyang who would only give his surname, Feng, said its servers were unplugged on Aug. 23 and resumed on Sept. 5.But interactive sites, such as bulletin boards and blogs, were closed until after the congress, which is expected to last about 10 days, on orders from state-run China Telecom, he said.Shanghai's Waigaoqiao Internet Data Center was shut down Sept. 3-14 on orders from a China Telecom subsidiary, said an employee named Tang. Again, customers were told their interactive sites could reopen after the congress.Another in the southeastern city of Shantou was also shuttered around the same time.
A Chinese blogger writing in English under the name Moonlight, catalogued the shutdowns in a post titled "Chinese Internet censorship goes crazy."Xiao from Berkeley said the measures were intentionally heavy-handed."It's overkill to scare other people. Now the other IDCs are shaking," he said.China's Ministry of Information Industry, which is the main government body in charge of the Internet, and China Telecom did not respond to a request for comment about the Internet data center shut downs.Meanwhile, Chinese bloggers who have been censored say they've been "harmonized," a nod to President Hu's goal of creating a "harmonious society."
One sarcastic Chinese blogger called Xiucai-or the Scholar-mockingly posted a banner to his or her site on Sept. 4 saying: "Joyfully welcome the 17th Party Congress, building a harmonious society together. The Scholar is a good comrade. This site has temporarily shut down comments and forum features."Within two weeks, Xiucai took the banner down too.

As in the days of Noah...
Diposting oleh

Pentagon Report: Let's Put Solar Power Collectors in Orbit

WASHINGTON-A Pentagon-chartered report urges the United States to take the lead in developing space platforms capable of capturing sunlight and beaming electrical power to Earth.
Space-based solar power, according to the report, has the potential to help the United States stave off climate change and avoid future conflicts over oil by harnessing the Sun's power to provide an essentially inexhaustible supply of clean energy.The report, "Space-Based Solar Power as an Opportunity for Strategic Security," was undertaken by the Pentagon's National Security Space Office this spring as a collaborative effort that relied heavily on Internet discussions by more than 170 scientific, legal, and business experts around the world.The Space Frontier Foundation, an activist organization normally critical of government-led space programs, hosted the Web site used to collect input for the report.Speaking at a press conference held here Oct. 10 to unveil the report, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Paul Damphousse of the National Space Security Space Office said the six-month study, while "done on the cheap," produced some very positive findings about the feasibility of space-based solar power and its potential to strengthen U.S. national security."One of the major findings was that space-based solar power does present strategic opportunity for us in the 21st century," Damphousse said. "It can advance our U.S. and partner security capability and freedom of action and merits significant additional study and demonstration on the part of the US so we can help either the United States develop this, or allow the commercial sector to step up."

As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

PESTILENCE WATCH:Rare Tropical Fungus Infects Four, Kills Two in Washington State

BELLINGHAM, Wash.-A rare tropical fungus has found its way into Washington state infecting at least four residents, two of whom have died, a health official said.Cryptococcus gattii, invisible to the naked eye and found mostly in trees and soil, has infected at least four residents this year, two of them fatally, county health officer Greg Stern said.The fungus first appeared in British Columbia six years ago and is believed to have crossed the border into Washington's Whatcom County."I'm concerned about the emergence of a new disease, but it still is relatively rare and that part is reassuring," Stern said. "Even on Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, where the assumption would be fairly significant exposure to the spores, very few people get sick."
Scientists haven't found a way to reduce the risk of getting the disease, he noted.Cryptococcus gattii is sometimes resistant to medication that is used to treat a more common, related fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, which typically infects people whose immune systems are impaired.
Courtney Blomeen, 16, of Blaine, the county's fourth known case this year, first thought she had a severely strained shoulder muscle and a chest cold last month, but a computer imaging scan revealed otherwise."I couldn't breathe, it scared me so much," her father, Greg Blomeen, told The Bellingham Herald."Her left lung had completely blocked off. There were marble-sized nodules that were showing bright white. It was so bad that the one lung was at collapse."The next day the teenager and her parents had to stay in a special room at Children's Hospital in Seattle until doctors confirmed that the lung problem was not contagious.Back at her mother's house in Blaine, she still finds breathing difficult at times and expects to be on anti-fungal medication for about a year but is glad to be getting better."There's not much air space in there," she said. "Other than that, it's not that bad. I can walk now."When Cryptococcus gattii infections usually begin in the lungs but can also spread to the brain and develop into deadly meningitis.The fungus was believed to be largely confined to the tropics until 2001, when it was first diagnosed on Vancouver Island. Since then it has been found in dogs, cats, horses and porpoises, as well as humans, and has been blamed for the death of eight people in British Columbia.Spores of the fungus have been found on trees and in soil, air and water throughout eastern Vancouver Island, mainland areas around Vancouver and more recently on a fence post just south of the border, health officials said.No parks or other areas in British Columbia have been closed to the public because of the fungus."I certainly don't recommend people stop going outdoors or avoid being near trees," Stern said. "That's not likely to make a difference."Out of about a million people who are exposed to the fungus annually in the province, 20 to 30 become seriously ill and a total of about eight have died, British Columbia health officials say.Most British Columbia residents who contracted the illness had healthy immune systems, but 45 percent — like the Blaine teenager — were smokers, and 73 percent had smoked at one time.
Other ailments also may be a factor, Stern said, noting that one of those who died of the fungus in Whatcom County had a compromised immune system from other factors.

As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

Olmert Plays Down Hopes for Breakthrough in Talks With Hezbollah

JERUSALEM-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday said the return of two soldiers being held by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon is far off, dashing hopes that a prisoner swap a day earlier would pave the way for a bigger exchange.Monday's exchange of three bodies and one prisoner on the heavily guarded Israeli-Lebanese border was the fourth between Hezbollah and Israel in recent years.Although the swap was small in scale, its success was widely seen as improving the chances of further exchanges. Hezbollah even had some rare positive words for Israel, praising the exchange "as an expression of humanitarian goodwill by both sides."In a speech broadcast on national radio Tuesday, Olmert urged caution, saying it would be a long time before Israel brought home the two soldiers, Ehud "Udi" Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, whose capture by Hezbollah sparked a 34-day war last year.He also said it would take time to bring home a third captured soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who is being held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas-linked militants."Yesterday we passed a certain stage of the process but unfortunately, as I said, the process of returning Udi and Eldad in the north and Gilad in the south is long," Olmert said in a speech in the southern town of Ashdod.In Monday's deal, Israel sent one prisoner and the bodies of two Hezbollah guerrillas to Lebanon in return for the corpse of a drowned Israeli civilian. The International Red Cross served as an intermediary,
Hezbollah also said it had transmitted to a U.N. mediator some "information relating to humanitarian issues that are of common interest" to Israel and the militant group."Hezbollah hopes that this goodwill gesture will help bring about progress to end all issues pertaining to the prisoners and the detainees," the group said.Both Lebanese observers and Israeli media speculated the statement could refer either to the two abducted soldiers, or to Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator who disappeared after his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986. The Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar said Hezbollah had turned over papers dating back to Arad's capture and written in his handwriting.Israel's government said the exchange was linked to efforts to win freedom of the two Israeli soldiers captured last year.Their abductions, in a cross-border raid, prompted Israel to launch a war against Hezbollah. As many as 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, including 40 civilians, were killed in fighting.
Hezbollah has given no signs of life of the two men, who were severely wounded during the abduction, and it has not allowed the Red Cross to see them.In his speech, Olmert said the government has never stopped trying to bring its soldiers home and said "processes are taking place behind the scenes.""For years, our enemies have tried to raise the price that Israel pays for fragments of information and more than that, the return of kidnapped soldiers and civilians, or God forbid, bodies," he said."We're talking about an ugly and cynical bargaining over the Israeli public's emotions and sensitivities," he added. "Sometimes we have no choice but to pay the painful prices, but I was told that the deal completed last night was carried out fairly and for a price the state of Israel can pay."The U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution that halted the fighting last year demanded that Hezbollah turn over the seized soldiers.But Hezbollah has repeatedly said the two soldiers would be freed only in exchange for freedom of all Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.Israel is holding at least six Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kantar, who has been imprisoned since 1979 for killing three members of an Israeli family.His release would be extremely politically charged given the brutality of the killings. Kantar shot a man in front of his 4-year-old daughter, then killed the girl with his rifle butt. The man's wife smothered their 2-year-old daughter while hiding from Kantar in a crawl space in the family apartment.Israel said the two Lebanese militants it handed over Monday were killed in the war last summer, and that the Hezbollah captive was released for medical reasons. The Israeli citizen handed over was a Jewish immigrant from Ethiopia who drowned in 2005, and whose body washed up on the Lebanese coast.

As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

Tropical Storm Kiko Forms off Mexico's Pacific Coast

MEXICO CITY-Tropical Storm Kiko formed Tuesday off the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the National Hurricane Center said.The storm was stalled far out to sea, and wasn't expected to strengthen or even move much in the coming days, forecasters said. It had sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and wasn't expected to threaten land.

As in the days of Noah...
Diposting oleh

Chicago Researchers Look for 'Gay Gene'

CHICAGO-Julio and Mauricio Cabrera are gay brothers who are convinced their sexual orientation is as deeply rooted as their Mexican ancestry. They are among 1,000 pairs of gay brothers taking part in the largest study to date seeking genes that may influence whether people are gay.The Cabreras hope the findings will help silence critics who say homosexuality is an immoral choice.If fresh evidence is found suggesting genes are involved, perhaps homosexuality will be viewed as no different than other genetic traits like height and hair color, said Julio, a student at DePaul University in Chicago.Adds his brother, "I think it would help a lot of folks understand us better."The federally funded study, led by Chicago-area researchers, will rely on blood or saliva samples to help scientists search for genetic clues to the origins of homosexuality. Parents and straight brothers also are being recruited.While initial results aren't expected until next year-and won't provide a final answer-skeptics are already attacking the methods and disputing the presumed results. Previous studies have shown that sexual orientation tends to cluster in families, though that doesn't prove genetics is involved. Extended families may share similar child-rearing practices, religion and other beliefs that could also influence sexual orientation.Research involving identical twins, often used to study genetics since they share the same DNA, has had mixed results.One widely cited study in the 1990s found that if one member of a pair of identical twins was gay, the other had a 52 percent chance of being gay. In contrast, the result for pairs of non-twin brothers, was 9 percent. A 2000 study of Australian identical twins found a much lower chance.Dr. Alan Sanders of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute, the lead researcher of the new study, said he suspects there isn't one so-called "gay gene."It is more likely there are several genes that interact with nongenetic factors, including psychological and social influences, to determine sexual orientation, said Sanders, a psychiatrist.Still, he said, "If there's one gene that makes a sizable contribution, we have a pretty good chance" of finding it.Many gays fear that if gay genes are identified, it could result in discrimination, prenatal testing and even abortions to eliminate homosexuals, said Joel Ginsberg of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.However, he added, "If we confirm that sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic, we are much more likely to get the courts to rule against discrimination."There is less research on lesbians, Sanders said, although some studies suggest that male and female sexual orientation may have different genetic influences.His new research is an attempt to duplicate and expand on a study published in 1993 involving 40 pairs of gay brothers.That hotly debated study, wrongly touted as locating "the gay gene," found that gay brothers shared genetic markers in a region on the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers.That implies that any genes influencing sexual orientation lie somewhere in that region.Previous attempts to duplicate those results failed. But Sanders said that with so many participants, his study has a better chance of finding the same markers and perhaps others on different chromosomes.If these markers appear in gay brothers but not their straight brothers or parents, that would suggest a link to sexual orientation. The study is designed to find genetic markers, not to explain any genetic role in behavior.And Sanders said even if he finds no evidence, that won't mean genetics play no role; it may simply mean that individual genes have a smaller effect.Skeptics include Stanton Jones, a psychology professor and provost at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. An evangelical Christian, Jones last month announced results of a study he co-authored that says it's possible for gays to "convert" — changing their sexual orientation without harm.Jones said his results suggest biology plays only a minor role in sexual orientation, and that researchers seeking genetic clues generally have a pro-gay agenda that will produce biased results.Sanders disputed that criticism."We do not have a predetermined point we are trying to prove," he said. "We are trying to pry some of nature's secrets loose with respect to a fundamental human trait."Jones acknowledged that he's not a neutral observer. His study involved 98 gays "seeking help" from Exodus International, a Christian group that believes homosexuals can become straight through prayer and counseling. Exodus International funded Jones' study.The group's president, Alan Chambers, said he is a former homosexual who went straight and believes homosexuality is morally wrong.Even if research ultimately shows that genetics play a bigger role, it "will never be something that forces people to behave in a certain way," Chambers said. "We all have the freedom to choose."The Cabrera brothers grew up in Mexico in a culture where "being gay was an embarrassment," especially for their father, said Mauricio, 41, a car dealership employee from Olathe, Kan.They had cousins who were gay, but Mauricio said he still felt he had to hide his sexual orientation and he struggled with his "double life." Julio said having an older brother who was gay made it easier for him to accept his sexuality.Jim Larkin, 54, a gay journalist in Flint, Mich., said the genetics study is a move in the right direction.Given the difficulties of being gay in a predominantly straight society, homosexuality "is not a choice someone would make in life," said Larkin, who is not a study participant.He had two brothers who were gay. One died from AIDS; the other committed suicide. Larkin said he didn't come out until he was 26.
"I fought and I prayed and I went to Mass and I said the rosary," Larkin said. "I moved away from everybody I knew ... thinking maybe this will cause the feelings to subside. It doesn't."
PS:This is an attempt of trying to find the "something that makes me the way I am"...it's the highest expression of running away from the fact that homosexuality -as any other sin- is that....just that...."SIN"yes there is-it seems - more prevalence of certain sexual deviations in some families,more than others,but that has to do more with spiritual bondage and familiar curses that go from generation to generation till they are identified properly and dealt with.
There is not real DELIVERANCE from homosexuality apart from Jesus.(1 John 3:8)

As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

US Patriot Missile Hits Qatar Farmlands

WASHINGTON-A U.S. Patriot missile was accidentally fired from a military base in Qatar, hitting a nearby farm, the Pentagon said Tuesday.Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the missile landed in an "unpopulated farm area" and no one was injured.The incident-which occurred Monday night in Washington time, Tuesday in Qatar-is being investigated, Whitman said."It's been described as an accidental discharge; beyond that it's just not clear at this time" what happened, Whitman said.The official Qatar News Agency, quoting an unnamed official with Qatar Armed Forces General Command, said the missile was erroneously fired from Camp As Sayliyah, located on the outskirts of Doha and caused no damage.The Patriot is an air-defense guided-missile system and the military is secretive about where it bases the Patriot batteries.It was originally designed to shoot down aircraft, but gained attention in the first Gulf War when it was used against Iraqi scud missiles.Later, there was criticism of its effectiveness and technical improvements were made.A number of problems with Patriot missile defenses and related systems contributed to three friendly fire deaths during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Pentagon has said.Patriot batteries misidentified and shot down an American and a British fighter in separate incidents, leaving three air crew members dead. A Patriot system also mistakenly tracked another U.S. fighter, which bombed a radar in response. The incidents took place in March and April 2003.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SAE9G00&show_article=1
As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

Obama church event features campaign 'altar call'...

The invitation appeared one Sunday in Joanna Chase's church bulletin: Come to a "faith forum" and join a conversation about the intersection of religion and politics.Living in New Hampshire, Chase is accustomed to pitches from presidential hopefuls, especially those focusing on values-voting Republicans. But this one came from the team of a Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama.The candidate himself wasn't on the bill. But about 50 people showed up to talk about the war, poverty and trying to seize back the moral mantle some in the GOP claim. The night also featured an [[[[Obama video and a campaign altar call-an invitation to become a "congregation contact" and rally support for the candidate.]]]]"I don't know if I will vote for Barack Obama," said Chase, 62, who was inspired enough to organize a similar forum at her United Church of Christ congregation in Northwood, N.H. "There are several candidates I like very much. But I love that he has the character and confidence to allow people to do this. He doesn't have to own every bit of it."The leading Democratic contenders for the White House all have made a point of talking about religion this campaign season. They discuss their faith journeys and how their beliefs influence their policies. The campaigns of Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards all are doing outreach to religious communities.But Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has made religion a signature part of his campaign through his own public appearances in places where Democrats rarely venture, and a faith-based voter mobilization, topped by forums in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that could prove key to organizing."I don't think a Democratic presidential candidate has come close to doing anything like this before," said Mark Silk, director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
To read more go to:
PS:I don't like to tqalk about politics in this blog at all,but there it goes another sample of a candidate using "religion" to woe evangelical voters....Some candidates think that true christians are stupid.....
By the way in the pic above he is praying.....to be the party nominee....!!!!!hahahahahaah
As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

ENVIRO CRAZE WATCH:Human waste can help save planet: Indian expert

A cheap system to recycle human waste into biogas and fertiliser may allow 2.6 billion people in the world access to toilets and reduce global warming, an Indian environmental expert said Tuesday.Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, said his group plans to push the system at the seventh annual World Toilet Summit, to be held in New Delhi at the end of October.The organisation is dedicated to providing toilets to nearly 730 million people in India who lack them."The Millennium Development Goals set in South Africa in 2002 aim by 2015 to cut by half the 2.6 billion people worldwide who lack toilets and provide them to all by 2025," Pathak said at a briefing ahead of the summit.He said India's contribution would be a toilet system that organically breaks down faeces into trapped biogas that can be burned to provide cooking fuel and electricity, and convert urine into fertiliser."Now we want others to know about this technology which was recently installed at Kabul, Afghanistan, because it can help meet the Millennium Development Goals and reduce global warming."Founded in 2001 as a non-profit organisation, the World Toilet Organisation aims to make sanitation a key global issue and now says it has 55 member groups from 42 countries.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071016141117.ah36q4fz&show_article=1
As in the days of Noah....
Diposting oleh

DECEPTION WATCH:Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes

This[[[ fiery figure is being hailed as Pope John Paul II making an appearance beyond the grave]]].The image, said by believers to show the [[[Holy Father with his right hand raised in blessing, ]]]was spotted during a ceremony in Poland to mark the second anniversary of his death.Details appeared on the Vatican News Service, a TV station in Rome which specialises in religious news broadcasts.Service director Jarek Cielecki, a Polish priest and close friend of John Paul II, travelled to Poland after hearing an onlooker had photographed the image.Father Cielecki said [[[[he was convinced the picture showed the former pontiff.]]]][[[["You can see the image of a person in the flames and I think it is the servant of God, Pope John Paul II," ]]]]he said.The pictures were being broadcast continuously on Italian TV and also posted on religious websites, some of which crashed as thousands logged on to see for themselves the eerie figure formed by the flames.The bonfire was lit during a service at Beskid Zywiecki, close to John Paul's birthplace at Katowice, southern Poland, on April 2 - the second anniversary of his death.Hundreds had attended the ceremony. Gregorz Lukasik, the Polish man who took the photographs, said: "It was only afterwards when I got home and looked at the pictures that I realised I had something. [[["I showed them to my brother and sister and they, like me, were """"convinced the flames had formed the image of Pope John Paul II.'''"I was so happy with the picture that I showed it to our local bishop who said that Pope John Paul had made many pilgrimages during his life and he was still making them in death."]]]](sigh....sigh....sigh....)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=487764&in_page_id=1811
PS:If this is not DECEPTION....I don't know what can possibly be.....
According to the Scriptures:
"And it is appointed unto men once to die,but after this the judgement"(Hebrews 9:27)
According to the Bible,there is nothings like "many pilgrimages".
After somebody is dead,there are only two destinations:either heaven or hell....
You draw your own conclusions about the pope.....
He may be waiving alright......(sigh)But that to show you that where he is right now is really,really hot.....
I'm not hateful.I tell the truth and the truth it is that he was a Mary and idols worshipper.....
If the priests are so blinded....picture the flocks....!!!!

As in the days of Noah...
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Putin: Delay in completion of Bushehr power plant has no political reason

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the delay in completion of Bushehr power plant has no political reason and Russia is seriously working to complete it as soon as possible.He told IRNA and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that there are issues which should be settled between the two parties."Experts from Iran and Russia are currently working to resolve the issue," he said.Asked about the delivery of fuel by Russia, he said that fuel should be delivered three months ahead of putting the reactor into operation."We have signed agreement with Iranian friends according to which the burnt fuel should be returned to Russia. Experts will discuss this issue today too." He said that the Bushehr power plant from which a German company withdrew in the late 1970s has outdated equipment which should be replaced with modern ones and that was the reason for the delay.The Russian president gave assurance that the delay in completion of Bushehr power plant has emanated from technology and legal issues and there is no political reason.He said that the Russian Federation has undertaken to complete the project and will honor its undertaking.
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SIGN of the TIMES:San Francisco's Support for supervised drug injection is growing

Two months ago I wrote about an idea for a place in San Francisco where intravenous drug users could shoot up under the supervision of trained personnel. A lot of people thought it sounded crazy.Well, get ready to hear about it again, because the idea is gaining momentum.On Thursday, an all-day symposium-co-hosted by the city Department of Public Health-will examine the idea of creating safe injection centers where users could bring their drugs, shoot up and leave, without fear of arrest.The idea is to decrease overdoses, keep dirty needles off the street, and cut the risk of spreading HIV and hepatitis C. Those are all good things. It is the idea of providing addicts with their own injection clinic that riles people up."What's next?" a reader wrote when the first column appeared. "Giving them the drugs, too?"No. But there's no doubt that if San Francisco ever established such a center, even as a pilot program, there would be an enormous brouhaha."It would be huge international news," said Peter Davidson, a researcher at UCSF in the epidemiology and biostatistics department. "It would be the first facility in the United States, and there would probably be a firestorm for a while."You can count on that. The conservative radio talk show hosts are probably already jump-starting their tonsils. Wacky San Francisco, providing a party room for junkies.Nor are public officials eager to jump on the bandwagon. Asked for a comment from Mayor Gavin Newsom, spokesman Nathan Ballard said, "The mayor is not inclined to support this approach, which quite frankly may end up creating more problems than it addresses."Organizers of Thursday's conference are hardly surprised by that reaction."Down the road there will be a lot of strong feelings," said Hilary McQuie, Western director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, a national group that combats the adverse effects of drug use. It is organizing the event."It's a big topic, and we hope to start a conversation," McQuie said.Oh, it'll start all right. But Barbara Garcia, the city's deputy public health director, asked where it will go. "We don't want to create a lot of backlash," she said.San Francisco and the rest of the country may not be quite ready, but injection centers are getting a lot attention in other parts of the world. Grant Colfax, director of HIV prevention for the city Public Health Department, says there are now 65 centers in eight countries.In Vancouver, British Columbia, where an injection clinic opened in 2003, "the data ... seem to show that it is actually a benefit to the community," Colfax said.Opening a shooting gallery benefits the community? How does that work? Well, Dr. Thomas Kerr, the University of British Columbia physician who has been involved with the Vancouver center since its inception, says it is having success treating addicts, even though they are coming to inject themselves."We published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed that we had a 33 percent increase in the use of detox facilities from our population," Kerr said.But would the addicts actually use the center? McQuie says they have in other cities, and the reason may be something people don't ordinarily associate with drug users - fear."I think that a lot of injectors are very afraid of overdosing and dying," McQuie said. Many overdoses happen when users are alone, she said.Then there is the question of what neighborhood would host an injection center. Davidson says he thinks the Tenderloin would be the logical place, noting that a 2003 survey in which he took part found that more than a third of the city's overdose deaths occurred within 100 yards of the intersection of Turk Street and Golden Gate Avenue.McQuie says centers attract a certain type of user, probably one whose health is not the best and who is somewhat desperate."It's not for everybody," she said. "It's not the most fun place in the world. "Vancouver's center has small booths where users step in, inject and come out. With scrubbed floors and bright overhead lights, it is sterile in every sense of the word."They are really for the people (whose lives) are most chaotic," Kerr said. "Homeless people with mental problems who are likely to use public spaces to inject."Exactly, in other words, those who have the worst effect on the neighborhood and community. Ask Garcia. Not long ago she opened the front door of her house and found a man passed out on the stoop. She was able to call an ambulance in time, but he nearly died of an overdose."So," she says, "I am sympathetic to the dangers."The rest of San Francisco should be, too. This is a problem that is on everyone's doorstep.
by C.W. Nevius'
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CULTURE of DEATH:Prescribe 'the pill' at middle school? Student health officials say a broad contraceptive program is 'totally needed.'

Students who have parental permission to be treated at King Middle School's health center would be able to get birth control prescriptions under a proposal that the Portland School Committee will consider Wednesday.The proposal would build on the King Student Health Center's practice of providing condoms as part of its reproductive health program since it opened in 2000, said Lisa Belanger, a nurse practitioner who oversees the city's student health centers.If the committee approves the King proposal, it would be the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available to some students in grades 6 to 8, said Nancy Birkhimer, director of teen health programs for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Most middle schoolers are ages 11-13.Although students must have written parental permission to be treated at Portland's school-based health centers, state law allows them to seek confidential health care and to decide whether to inform their parents about the services they receive, Belanger said.Proponents say a small number of King students are sexually active, but those who are need better access to birth control.Of 134 students who visited King's health center during the 2006-07 school year, five students, or 4 percent, reported having sexual intercourse, said Amanda Rowe, lead nurse in Portland's school health centers."This is a service that is totally needed," Rowe said. "It's about very few kids, but they are kids who don't have the same opportunities and access as other students."The percentage of middle school students in Maine who reported having sexual intercourse dropped from 23 percent in 1997 to 13 percent in 2005, according to the Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey."Thirteen percent is still more than one in 10 students," Birkhimer said.The School Committee will meet at 7 p.m. in Room 250, Portland Arts and Technology High School, off Allen Avenue.Robert O'Brien, who chairs the committee's policy subcommittee, said his panel has yet to discuss the proposal.He declined to comment until after the matter has been aired.The issue could stir controversy, as it has in the past."I'm personally fine with it, but I know some parents might not be," said Jennifer Southard, wife of City Councilor Edward Suslovic, who has two daughters at King. "I think information and access are good things. I would hope my children would come to me, but some students might not have that option."The city's Division of Public Health, which made the birth- control proposal, operates seven health centers in Portland Public Schools in an effort to increase access to physical, dental and mental health care.They are located at Portland High School, Deering High School, Casco Bay High School, King Middle School, West School special education program, and two elementary schools-Reiche Community School and East End Community School.The first centers opened in the high schools more than a decade ago, Belanger said.There are 27 school-based health centers in Maine, 20 of which are funded and overseen by the state, including those in Portland, Birkhimer said.There are more than 1,700 school-connected health centers in the United States.One in four provides birth control ranging from condoms to prescription contraception, said Divya Mohan, spokeswoman for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care.Last year, Portland's program cost about $500,000 to operate, including state and foundation grants, MaineCare/Medicaid and private health insurance reimbursements, and in-kind contributions of space and services provided by the city, Belanger said.Of 2,877 students eligible to attend Portland's seven health centers last year, 1,261, or 44 percent, were enrolled. The center at King, which has 510 students, enrolled 134 students and tallied 266 visits last year, Belanger said.
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Women’s secret sect raided after follower dies in savage beating

Police raided the headquarters of a secretive, female-dominated cult yesterday after one of its followers was beaten to death, allegedly for failing to carry out a group ritual properly. Detectives believe that about ten followers of the Kigenkai cult subjected Motoko Okuno, 63, to an hour-long ordeal of kicks and punches, and there are fears that the cult may have carried out more violent attacks in the past.Four hundred police officers raided several of the sect’s premises and hauled in for questioning more than 20 of its leaders - all women. Several of those led away from the cult’s compound were teenagers. Detective initially suspected Ms Okuno’s husband, daughters and son-in-law, who all said that the violence was the result of persistent family quarrels. But when they discovered that the family were all members of the sect, they began to focus their investigation on the cult itself.One of the cult’s many rules is that when a person becomes a devotee, their whole family must join and it is believed that Ms Okuno, who owned a sushi restaurant, was coerced into the sect. Police further suspect that Ms Okuno was attacked at one of the cult’s properties, which include an elaborate Shinto-style shrine. Her husband, 35, remains under suspicion and has been rearrested for destroying evidence.The public image of religious sects in Japan has been forever coloured by the atrocities of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which was responsible for releasing sarin gas on the Tokyo underground in 1995. The gas killed 12 people and injured 3,800, and Shoko Asahara, the cult’s leader, awaits the death penalty for masterminding the attacks. Another Japanese cult known for displaying bizarre behaviour is the Panawave Laboratory, whose devotees expected Armageddon in May 2003 and draped trees and river banks in white sheets to protect themselves from it.The Kigenkai cult, whose main office is in the northwestern prefecture of Nagano, is thought to have about 300 followers across Japan and has been active for more than 35 years. For the past decade, it has been officially registered with the Ministry of Education as a religious institution. But what began life as a relatively straightforward group of fortune-tellers has, say critics, evolved in a stranger direction.Residents of Komoro, the town nearest to the group’s headquarters, take a dim view of its activities, which include making votive offerings to the local river by hurling fruit, vegetables and fried food into it. The group is notorious for its methods of extracting “donations” from followers: it has been known to sell ordinary pebbles as so-called “spiritual stones” for about £1,200 each.The cult also offers a mineral elixir called “kigensui”, which, it says, cures diseases such as cancer. The bottles, which sell for about several hundred pounds, are thought to contain little more than normal water. Soaks in a full bath of the supposedly magical liquid are also available for a price, and many members take them because cult rules forbid them from visiting mainstream doctors.The cult’s religious convictions are based loosely on Shintoism, the traditional animist belief system of Japan that makes deities out of trees, waterfalls and other natural phenomena.

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SIGN of the TIMES:Vienna to host world's first-ever 'divorce fair'

Vienna is to host what organisers have dubbed the world's first "divorce fair" this month, aimed at couples whose wedding dreams have turned sour and who need help in untying the knot as painlessly as possible.At the October 27-28 event, would-be divorcees can consult, anonymously if they wish, a whole host of lawyers and mediators on their rights and obligations, and seek advice on frequently difficult questions, such as alimony and child access.They can also consult experts on how best to organise their new post-married lives.Nearly 50 percent of all marriages in Austria end in divorce-the figure is 66 percent in Vienna-and the two-day fair is being held under the motto: "Start your life afresh". Organisers are hoping it will bloom into a twice-yearly event.Up to 20 exhibitors have so far registered, not only lawyers and mediators, but also estate agents, life-crisis experts and-reflecting the messier side of divorce-private detective firms and DNA laboratories offering paternity tests.The archdiocese of the city of Vienna will also have a stand, as will a company offering package holidays for freshly divorced people.There will also be a series of lectures ranging from a children's view of divorce to single-parenting.

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Iraq seeks talks on Turkey threat

Baghdad has called for "urgent negotiations" over Turkey's threat to carry out cross-border raids against Kurdish rebels.Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki held an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the crisis."The Iraqi government calls on the Turkish government to hold urgent talks," said Mr Maliki's spokesman.But Turkey has said its patience has run out over the handling of Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.Turkey is seeking parliamentary permission for a cross-border operation to hunt down Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members.Ankara argues the group is a terrorist organisation responsible for the deaths of at least 15 Turkish soldiers in the past two weeks, and says the Kurdish separatists enjoy freedom of movement in northern Iraq.Iraqi Vice-President Tareq Hashemi has arrived in Ankara in an attempt to dissuade Turkey from staging a cross-border offensive.The Sunni vice president was expected to discuss "all aspects of bilateral ties" with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, a Turkish diplomat told AFP.
'Multiple operations'
Turkey hopes it will not be forced to resort to military action, even if its motion gained approval in parliament, Mr Erdogan said on Tuesday."I sincerely wish that this motion will never be applied," he said in televised comments."Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow." Mr Erdogan's AK Party, which has a parliamentary majority, is expected to vote in favour of the motion on Wednesday. If passed, the vote will authorise cross-border operations for one year with the government deciding on the timing, scope and frequency of any incursions.Mr Erdogan called on Iraq's government and the regional administration in the country's north to crack down on the rebels, saying they should "build a thick wall between themselves and terrorist organisations".He added that any military operation would respect Iraq's territorial integrity and only target the rebels.Jamal Abdallah, a spokesman for the government of Iraqi Kurdistan, told the BBC there was no co-operation with the PKK."We have not helped the PKK and we are not helping it," he said. "Their bases are not under the control of the Kurdistan regional authorities."Iraq signed a counter-terrorism pact with Turkey last month, but opposes any military incursion into its territory.The US has also warned Ankara against ordering any incursions into Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7046765.stm
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Indonesian Volcano Poised to Erupt...

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Genetically modified plants vacuum up toxins

CHICAGO-Scientists have figured out a way to trick plants into doing the dirty work of environmental cleanup, U.S. and British researchers reported on Monday.Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically altered poplar trees to pull toxins out of contaminated ground water, offering a cost-effective way of cleaning up environmental pollutants.A group of British researchers, meanwhile, has developed genetically altered plants that can clean residues of military explosives from the environment."Our work is in the beginning stages, but it holds great promise," said Sharon Doty, an assistant professor of forest resources at the University of Washington, whose study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Doty's research is part of an emerging area of study known as phytoremediation, which aims to use trees, grasses and other plans to remove hazardous materials. "Phytoremediation is basically a solar-powered pollutant-removal system," said Doty in comments e-mailed to Reuters."It uses the plant's natural ability to extract chemicals from water, soil, and air," Doty said.Using plants to do environmental cleanup is more than 10 times cheaper than other technologies. It is also less intrusive and more aesthetically pleasing, she said.Genetically modified poplar trees in Doty's lab sucked 91 percent of the toxin trichloroethylene from a liquid solution. Natural plants were only able to remove 3 percent of the toxin, which is the most common ground water contaminant in the United States.The genetically modified plants in the study were grown in vials and were just several inches tall. But these tiny plants were able to metabolize the pollutant into harmless byproducts 100 times faster than the natural plants.Researchers at the University of York, meanwhile, devised genetically modified plants using genes from microbes that can degrade the explosive RDX, a potential cancer-causing agent.To test their system, they introduced genes into Arabidopsis plants-the plant equivalent of lab rats.Researchers Rosamond Jackson, Neil Bruce and colleagues found that the modified plants removed RDX from contaminated liquids and soil far faster than unaltered plants."The studies here illustrate that these genes ... could be engineered into plant species suited to growth on military training ranges and used to remediate RDX," the authors wrote.As with genetically modified foods, some people deem genetically modified plants as a potential threat.Doty and colleagues, for example, chose poplars because they are fast-growing and can grow for several years without flowering-allowing time for them to be harvested before they develop seeds.Because of these concerns, she said these efforts would be limited to carefully monitored government cleanup sites under the Environmental Protection Agency's 1980 "Superfund law," which was created to address hazardous and toxic chemical spills.Of course, naturally occurring plants can do the work as well, but they are too slow. And she said intensive, expensive engineering methods are often abandoned. "We need a faster, less expensive method to remove carcinogenic pollutants from the environment so they will no longer be ignored," she said.

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Bush to meet with Dalai Lama today

WASHINGTON - The White House vigorously defended President Bush's plan to meet with the Dalai Lama Tuesday, brushing aside China's warning that it would damage relations between Washington and Beijing.Both Bush and members of Congress-who are presenting him with the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday-are stirring anger in China by honoring the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists."We solemnly demand that the U.S. cancel the extremely wrong arrangements," said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing. "It seriously violates the norm of international relations and seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and interfered with China's internal affairs."At the White House, presidential spokesman Tony Fratto said:"We understand the concerns of the Chinese." But he also said Bush always has attended congressional award presentation ceremonies, has met with the Dalai Lama several times before and had no reason not to meet with him again."This is a meeting with a spiritual leader. This is not a meeting with a, for example, a head of state," Fratto added.No media access was to be allowed to the meeting that Bush was having with the Dalai Lama later Tuesday in the private residence of the White House.While the Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, Beijing reviles the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and claims he seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet, where the Dalai Lama is considered a god-king.The Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari, said earlier that the president of the United States standing side by side with the Dalai Lama at the ceremony would send a clear message that "people do care about Tibet. We have not been forgotten.""I have no doubt this will give tremendous encouragement and hope to the Tibetan people," he told reporters ahead of the visit. It also "sends a powerful message to China that the Dalai Lama is not going to go away."The Dalai Lama says he wants "real autonomy," not independence, for Tibet. But China demonizes the spiritual leader and believes the United States is honoring a separatist. The Dalai Lama's U.S. visit comes as China is holding its important Communist Party congress.Chinese diplomats have worked doggedly since the congressional award was voted on last year to get the ceremony and meeting with Bush scrapped and to "correct this mistake," Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an interview.A U.S. State Department official said Monday that China was protesting U.S. honors for the Dalai Lama by pulling out of an international strategy session on Iran sought by the United States and planned for Wednesday. China objected to participating in the meeting on the day that the Buddhist leader is to receive the congressional honor, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe another country's motives.Wang Baodong, a Chinese Embassy spokesman here, did not directly dispute the U.S. depiction but said that the date for the Iran meeting was "not suitable" for the Chinese delegation.The State Department also played down the visit. Spokesman Tom Casey said this week's events are unlikely "to change the basic shape and structure of U.S.-Chinese relations.Congress has long championed the Dalai Lama; lawmakers also regularly criticize Beijing for human rights abuses and a massive military buildup and claim that China ignores abuse by unsavory foreign regimes in Sudan and Myanmar in its pursuit of energy and business deals.The Bush administration also finds fault with China but is usually more measured as it seeks to manage a booming trade relationship and a desire to enlist Chinese cooperation on nuclear standoffs with North Korea and Iran.Analysts say Bush's decision to attend the public congressional ceremony reflects his concern over the situation in Tibet.Judith Shapiro, a China author and professor at American University, says the visit is "not going to profoundly affect ties in either direction. China needs the U.S., the U.S. needs China, and issues like Tibet are a bit of a sideshow to the basic relationship."The Dalai Lama is immensely popular in Tibet, which China has ruled with a heavy hand since its communist-led forces invaded in 1951. He has been based in India since fleeing his Himalayan homeland in 1959 amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

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Rice wins Egypt's support for conference

CAIRO, Egypt-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday won tempered Egyptian support in her quest to nudge Israelis and Palestinians closer together ahead of a Mideast peace conference to be held in November or December.Egypt, a key mediator between the Arabs and Israel, and other key Arab allies have expressed skepticism over the conference in past weeks, fearing it would be merely symbolic without making real progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A day earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit spoke of postponing itBut Aboul Gheit said his meeting with Rice on Tuesday "gives us a lot of trust and confidence" about American intentions for the conference, though he cautioned that preparations to hammer out the agenda could take more time.Rice "has helped us to understand the American objective. She shed a great deal of light on the current American efforts," he told reporters."We feel encouraged regarding what we heard from Secretary Rice and promised her that we would help and we would help the parties as well in order to achieve the objective which is launching the permanent status negotiations that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state on both the Palestinian territories," he said.Rice and Aboul Gheit said the timing of the conference depended on progress in Israeli-Palestinian talks on hammering out an agreement to be sealed at the gathering, expected to be in Annapolis, Md. The Palestinians want the document to address core issues of the peace negotiations, while Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants a vaguer statement."We will continue to work and help them to create this document and we will then be in a position I think fairly soon to talk about when this meeting ought to take place," Rice said.Rice was heading later in the day back to Jerusalem for further talks with Olmert.Still, Aboul Gheit said the conference should be put off if a strong deal is not reached."We have to go into the meeting ready to launch negotiations," he said. "It can be done if we have enough determination on the part of the (Bush) administration."Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams met for a second time on Monday to try to thrash out details of the joint document. "So far, no advances have been made, and we are not deluding ourselves," Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo said Tuesday.Last week, Arab League chief Amr Moussa-whom Rice was also meeting Tuesday-derided the conference, saying the Americans were just hoping for a photo opportunity between Saudi and Israeli officials.But Aboul Gheit on Tuesday suggested Egypt would work with the Palestinians and Israelis to help solidify the agenda. "All of us are required to help in drafting the parameters, the principles, the understandings, whatever will launch the negotiations on a sound basis," he said.There were some tensions over U.S. criticism of human rights in Egypt. Rice told their press conference that in her talks with Mubarak and Aboul Gheit she brought up the issue of the detentions of four independent newspaper editors given prison sentences or put on trial for criticizing Mubarak."When we touch on issues we considered sensitive and internal, I listen. But my response is always that it is due process," Aboul Gheit retorted."This government does not interfere in Egyptian legal procedures."On Monday and earlier Tuesday, Rice pressed Israeli and Palestinian leaders to push ahead in their talks on the conference agenda. In one of her strongest statements yet on the issue, Rice declared that creation of a Palestinian state is a key U.S. interest and urged the two sides to drop contentious demands and reach consensus on a substantive joint statement.After meeting both sides again Tuesday and Wednesday, Rice will travel to London to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II, trying to build support among skeptical Arab nations.

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Putin warns US against attacking Iran

TEHRAN, Iran - Russian leader Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart Tuesday and implicitly warned the U.S. not to use a former Soviet republic to stage an attack on Iran. He also said nations should not pursue oil pipeline projects that are not backed by regional powers. At a summit of the five nations that border the inland Caspian Sea, Putin said none of the nations' territory should be used by any outside countries for use of military force against any nation in the region. It was a clear reference to long-standing rumors that the U.S. was planning to use Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, as a staging ground for any possible military action against Iran."We are saying that no Caspian nation should offer its territory to third powers for use of force or military aggression against any Caspian state," Putin said.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also underlined the need to keep outsiders away from the Caspian."The Caspian Sea is an inland sea and it only belongs to the Caspian states, therefore only they are entitled to have their ships and military forces here," he said.A State Department spokesman, Tom Casey, said the United States is not planning military action against Iran."We are pursuing a diplomatic course with respect to Iran that includes with respect to its nuclear program as well as with respect to its support for terrorism and other issues that are out there," he said.Putin, whose trip to Tehran is the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, warned that energy pipeline projects crossing the Caspian could only be implemented if all five nations that border the Caspian support them.Putin did not name any specific country, but his statement underlined Moscow's strong opposition to U.S.-backed efforts to build pipelines to deliver hydrocarbons to the West bypassing Russia."Projects that may inflict serious environmental damage to the region cannot be implemented without prior discussion by all five Caspian nations," he said.Other nations bordering the Caspian Sea and in attendance at the summit are: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.The legal status of the Caspian-believed to contain the world's third-largest energy reserves-has been in limbo since the 1991 Soviet collapse, leading to tension and conflicting claims to seabed oil deposits.Iran, which shared the Caspian's resources equally with the Soviet Union, insists that each coastal nation receive an equal portion of the seabed. Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan want the division based on the length of each nation's shoreline, which would give Iran a smaller share.Putin's visit took place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid hopes that personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to an international standoff on Iran's nuclear program.Putin has warned the U.S. and other nations against trying to coerce Iran into reining in its nuclear program and insists peaceful dialogue is the only way to deal with Tehran's defiance of a U.N. Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment."Threatening someone, in this case the Iranian leadership and Iranian people, will lead nowhere," Putin said Monday during his trip to Germany. "They are not afraid, believe me."Iran's rejection of the council's demand and its previous clandestine atomic work has fed suspicions in the U.S. and other countries that Tehran is working to enrich uranium to a purity usable in nuclear weapons. Iran insists it is only wants lesser-enriched uranium to fuel nuclear reactors that would generate electricity.Putin's visit to Tehran is being closely watched for any possible shifts in Russia's carefully hedged stance in the nuclear standoff.The Russian president underlined his disagreements with Washington last week, saying he saw no "objective data" to prove Western claims that Iran is trying to construct nuclear weapons.Putin emphasized Monday that he would negotiate in Tehran on behalf of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members-United States, Russia, China, Britain and France-and Germany, a group that has led efforts to resolve the stalemate with Tehran.

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"Big Brother" restaurant opens to study diners

WAGENINGEN, Netherlands-Does service with a scowl put you off at lunch? Will you eat more greens if you are surrounded by plants? Does romantic, pink lighting encourage you to linger over your fruit salad?A new research center-dubbed the "restaurant of the future"-at the Dutch university of Wageningen hopes to help answer these questions and more by tracking diners with dozens of unobtrusive cameras and monitoring their eating habits."We want to find out what influences people: colors, taste, personnel.We try to focus on one stimulus, like light," said Rene Koster, head of the Center for Innovative Consumer Studies, as overhead bulbs switched through green, red, orange and blue."This restaurant is a playground of possibilities. We can ask the staff to be less friendly and visible or the reverse," he said. "The changes must be small. If you were making changes every day it would be too disruptive. People wouldn't like it."The stylish new facility has glass walls, black marble countertops, a polished bamboo floor and self-service tills which allow diners to scan their lunch while they and their trays are weighed by a set of scales built into the floor.University staff who want to eat at the new restaurant have to sign a consent form agreeing to be watched.From a control room, researchers can direct cameras built into the ceiling of the restaurant to zoom in on individual diners and their plates. They watch how people walk through the restaurant, what food catches their eye, whether they always sit at the same table and how much food they throw away."You're already watched by cameras everywhere like 'Big Brother' so what difference does it make here?" said Bert Visser, a plant scientist eating a chicken sandwich. "Presentation really influences what you choose."Patricia van der Souven, a research assistant eating pumpkin soup and a salad, agreed: "One day they had blue lights and I didn't come in because the food didn't look nice. Blue light isn't warm, it's too business-like."
UNCONSCIOUS CHOICES
Koster said researchers can experiment with variables like noise, smells, furniture and food packaging. Is the same ham and cheese sandwich more appealing if it is wrapped in cellophane, under a glass cover or on offer in a vending machine?They had already noticed that one table where the plastic chairs had pink flowery covers was always occupied.Koster said observation is much better than questionnaires for consumer research as many choices are unconscious."I can imagine that music or smell make a difference," said Marco Hoeksma, a consumer scientist for a food company that is working with the university."It will be very interesting to see what you can manipulate," he said, tucking into a typical Dutch meat and potato croquette.The new research center-which cost almost 3 million euros ($4.26 million)-was set up in partnership with French catering group Sodexho Alliance and other companies interested in using the restaurant to test their products.The kitchen staff are also being spied on-cameras watch how they work with new gadgets like adjustable work benches and cleaning hoses."It's not to see if they are working hard but how they are working," Koster said.Koster said he also hopes the centre's work will help governments and health organizations promote a more balanced diet, particularly given the modern rise in eating out.The center has an oral laboratory where sensors are attached to the face and neck to monitor how a food tester bites, chews, sucks and swallows a new product, for example a sauce that should taste creamy but contains less fat.Koster wants to experiment on how to reduce food wastage and encourage people to sort leftovers into a biogas generator, perhaps by telling them how much energy they are saving."Eating and drinking are primal. How you were brought up to eat is very important so there's no point trying to use words or sanctions, but you can influence behavior more subtly," he said.

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THERE IS NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

Dear friends,visitors and faithtful readers:
I've been away from the PC for a couple of days due to an unexpected passing in the family.
George Adams,for whom prayers had been lifted up to heaven for decades is now walking thru the streets of gold,thanks to God's faithfulness....!!!
George had resisted the idea of God for many many years and didn't even wanted to be talked about God at all.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer some two years ago and since then his health started to deteriorate rapidly.
Many had visited him,many had shared with him about Jesus but nothing seemed to happen.
A month ago or so he started showing signs of an expected worsening in his health.
All along he refused all quimio and treatments of any kind,so he was basically home and when he felt pain of some kind he was given medicine and that was about it.
Four weeks ago,we had a week of revival at church and the Lord started moving in a fresh new way in the congregation and it seems even though the preacher is gone the Amazing Presence of God is still among us and during some services we just have to worship him.The gifts of the Spirit are manifesting like never before and even really shy teen agers had started prophesying and giving messages in tongues with interpretation.
People is getting healed and delivered...
In that frame,our pastor one night felt strong in his spirit to pray for our lost loved ones that God would send an "earthquake" in their lives and we received faith to believe that would be possible,even in the worst cases of rebellion against God.
It was exactly two weeks ago today that pastor felt in his heart to go visit George.
So he did and nothing happened during their chat,so pastor said to himself,well....it's time to go....
He said goodbye and was leaving the house,when the anointing of the Holy Ghost fell upon him at the porche of the house and he heard the Lord telling him strongly:
"Go back.Today is George's day"
So he turned around opened the front door and went to where George was and pointing a finger at him said:
"George,today is your day to get straight with God....!Do you wanna pray...?
And to pastor's surprise,George lifted his head and with tears in his eyes,he replied:
-"Yes"I need Jesus now....!!!!
So they knelt right there and George started crying out loud:
"Jesus help me....!!!I'm a sinner....!
And he started confessing his sins and asked the Lord to come into his heart.
After that they prayed through and through and George was so joyful!!!!
The miracle is that George that day was in the right frame of mind,cause lately he had started also showing neurological signs of either Alzheimer or a tumor in his brain....
So pastor left so full of joy that when he brought the news I started crying and jumping ,we didn't know what to do!!!!

The next day,George woke up and while he was walking to the kitchen fell down and hit his head on the floor.
He was admitted in the hospital for treatment and released and the doctors said he wouldn't live much longer.
Hospice was called in and he wasn't alert anymore and he started dousing in and out of conciousness till he passed away last wednesday.

This whole salvation was a TRUE MIRACLE cause George got saved a week before he passed away.
His funeral was yesterday and was beautiful.
George is today running the streets of gold and praising Jesus for ever.
PRAISE GOD...!!!!

I felt like sharing this with you.
May be you are praying for a loved one and may be you've been praying for years...Well....let me tell you...GOD IS FAITHFUL and He is always ON TIME....!!!!!

God bless you....!
Keep believing and praying for salvation.Don't give up...!!!!
Let me know if you want us to pray for the salvation of your loved ones.
It would be a privilege to help you in that and a joy to see your whole household in heaven someday....!!!!
JESUS hasn't changed!!!!!

In His Mercy

As in the days of Noah....
as_in_the_daysofnoah@yahoo.com
Diposting oleh
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