Antarctic Ice Shelf Beginning to Break Up
Massive ice chunks are crumbling away from a shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula, researchers said Wednesday, warning that 1,300 square miles of ice — an area larger than Rhode Island — was in danger of breaking off in coming weeks.
The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been stable for most of the last century, but began retreating in the 1990s. Researchers believe it was held in place by an ice bridge linking Charcot Island to the Antarctic mainland.
But the 127-square-mile (330-square-kilometer) bridge lost two large chunks last year and then shattered completely on April 5.
“As a consequence of the collapse, the rifts, which had already featured along the northern ice front, widened and new cracks formed as the ice adjusted,” the European Space Agency said in a statement Wednesday.
Pope’s Visit To Israel Fraught With Potential Minefields
The official Israeli government Web site for Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming trip to Israel and the West Bank promotes the May 11-15 visit as a “Bridge for Peace.”
Others, however, describe it as a potential minefield where various factions may try to exploit the pope’s presence for political gain.
“Both Jewish and Muslim ideologues are determined to stop the pope crossing that bridge,” wrote Catholic religion journalist Damian Thompson in his blog for the U.K. Telegraph, “either by smearing him as an anti-Semite or by making his visit to a Palestinian refugee camp look like a politically motivated reproach to Israel.”
The German-born pontiff leaves for the Middle East on May 8; he will spend three days in Jordan before flying to Israel.
HR 1913 – Will Hate Crime Bill Silence Pastors
April 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under new world order
The U.S. House today approved a federal “hate crimes” bill that would provide special protections to homosexuals but leave Christian ministers open to prosecution should their teachings be linked to any subsequent offense, by anyone, against a “gay.”
The vote, 249-175, came despite intense from Republicans who argued the measure would create a privileged class.
Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. of the High Impact Leadership Coalition also condemned the action, offering a warning about the nation’s future.
He was interviewed on the issue by Greg Corombos of Radio America/WND, and the audio of his interview is embedded here:
Social conservatives say their right to free speech will be jeopardized if hate crimes legislation now headed to the Senate becomes law.
A Senate hate crimes bill that would extend federal protection to gay and transgender victims is rousing the ire of social conservatives who say their right to free speech will be jeopardized if it becomes law.
“In and of itself this law can be applied to speech. The nature of assault — putting someone in fear of their safety — what will that mean for someone preaching against homosexuality?” said Mathew Staver, founder of the Liberty Council, a law firm that works on religious freedom cases.
“It elevates homosexuality to the same protective category as race. It’s all part of the radical homosexual anarchist agenda,” Staver said.
For much of the last decade gay rights activists have been fighting for inclusion within the federal hate crimes law, which places greater penalties on crimes that are committed based on race, ethnicity and religion. Social conservatives, including former President George W. Bush, have fought the legislation on the grounds it could be used to prosecute religious groups who say homosexuality is morally wrong.
But with Democrats now controlling both houses of Congress and the White House, gay rights activists are confident the law will pass and President Obama will sign it. The bill passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 249-175.
Parents Excluded from Multisexual Issues in Schools
April 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Stories Of Interest
Parents are being purposely excluded from multisexual issues in schools, as seen in mounting evidence from California school districts, the National Educational Association, and more.
Students discuss different kinds of families, including kids raised by a mom and dad, grandparents, and same-sex parents. In all age groups, the multisexual message is being woven into everyday instruction.
“This is a mainstream effort to force parents out of the classroom. If it’s not this way in your school, it is only a matter of time before your school is confronted with efforts to exclude parents,” said Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute.
State law now mandates that schools provide special accommodations for homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual behaviors. San Francisco Unified School District explicitly interprets state law to mean that it does not need to notify parents about multisexual curriculum and activities.
In a website launched just this month, SFUSD wrote, “As long as human sexuality is not the focus of the discussion, parent notification is not required.” It claims a right to teach about same-sex romantic attraction, same-sex parenting, and much more—starting in kindergarten.
“California leads the nation, and on this issue, San Francisco is leading California. Other school districts and influential organizations are pushing to follow the same path,” England said.
“Do you want San Francisco school policies coming to your school district next?” she said.
The NEA issued standards for multisexual issues several years ago, which instruct school employees to “respect confidentiality.” “This includes not telling other colleagues or a student’s parents or guardians that someone has ‘come out’ to you without a specific reason,” it said.
Study Delves Into Why Americans Change Religions
Americans are fickle consumers of religion, with about half changing religious affiliations at least once in their lives as they drift away from childhood traditions or stop believing in the teachings of their faiths, according to a national survey released Monday.
Such religious switching has swollen the ranks of the unaffiliated, according to researchers from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Still, religion remains a strong force in American life, even among those raised in nonreligious homes.
“Many times, changing religions is a gradual process rather than a decision or event that takes place at a particular moment,” Greg Smith, a forum research fellow, said Monday.
The survey, “Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S.,” is a follow-up to a major study released last year by the Pew Forum. The 2008 analysis found that 44% of U.S. adults have switched religious affiliations or abandoned ties to a specific religion.
Monday’s survey, based on follow-up interviews with 2,800 people, delved more deeply into the reasons behind the religious churn among Roman Catholics, Protestants and the unaffiliated. Jews, Muslims and other groups were not included because their numbers were not large enough to produce reliable results, the researchers said.
The survey found that most people who leave their childhood faith do so by the age of 24, and many change religions or denominations more than once.
The researchers found 16% of the adult population to be unaffiliated. Most said they had moved away from religious observance because they no longer believe in God or religious teachings. Many without religious belief also said they found religious people to be hypocritical, judgmental or insincere.
via Source
Russia to Test Fire at Least 5 New Ballistic Missiles
Russia will conduct at least five test launches of a new-generation intercontinental ballistic missile this year, the deputy defense minister was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said the Bulava missile needs thorough testing because “the reliability of all aspects of the rocket needs to be achieved” in comments carried by state news agency RIA Novosti.
The submarine-launched Bulava missile has a reported maximum range of about 6,200 miles and capacity for up to six individually targeted nuclear warheads. It has been hailed as a key future component of Russia’s nuclear forces, although mixed results in testing have tempered enthusiasm.
Popovkin, speaking in Istanbul, said if the test launches were successful another five would be scheduled, the agency said.
The Bulava is to be test-fired from the Dmitry Donskoi nuclear submarine this year, Navy Admiral Oleg Burtsev told RIA Novosti separately.
Is Israel Heading For Clash With US?
It is Israel’s Independence Day – traditionally time for leading Israeli politicians to give big interviews about their country’s past and future.
Israel’s new Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has remained conspicuously tight-lipped.
Israeli voters went to the polls in February.
Mr Netanyahu knows their number one priority is personal and national security.
This would have been an ideal moment for him to set the scene as regards foreign policy, but it looks like Israelis – and the impatiently expectant international community – will have to wait a little while longer.
In a region where sparks can fly and wars can start without too much warning, Mr Netanyahu’s spokesmen have announced the world view of this new Israeli government will only be revealed around 18 May.
via BBC NEWS | Middle East | Is Israel heading for clash with US?.
Pupils Aged 11 To Learn About Gay Sex – UK
April 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Moral Decay
Compulsory sex and relationships lessons for 11-year-old children are to include classroom discussions on gay unions and civil partnerships. Secondary pupils will learn about contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while primary school children will learn about their bodies and friendships, a review of sex education has concluded.
The review was ordered in October after ministers announced that sex and relationships education (SRE) lessons should be made compulsory to help primary and secondary pupils to “navigate the complexities of modern life” and to ensure that children learnt their sex education from the classroom, not the playground.
Study – Prayer Leads to Good Health
Meditation and prayer can improve your physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being and may even slow the brain’s aging process, according to a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Writing in his new book, “How God Changes Your Brain,” Andrew Newberg, reports the results of brain scans that he and his team conducted on more than 100 meditating or praying people.
Newberg, director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind, says his research shows that the physical and emotional benefits of spiritual observances dramatically accrue over years of practice, but even recent converts exhibit healthier brains, according to the San Francisco Chronicles David Ian Miller.
In one of Newbergs studies his team did brain scans on people who had never meditated before and went on to teach them simple meditative methods, Miller writes. After a mere eight weeks of just 12 minutes a day of meditation, there was a considerable improvement in memory scores and a measurable decrease in anxiety and anger.
Newberg told Miller, “A lot of the new research that we’ve been doing shows that when people engage in religious or spiritual activities and practices, or they have religious experiences, by and large they tend to have a positive impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. That helps them accomplish their goals, to set a path for themselves, and therefore helps them survive. At the same time, religion and spiritual pursuits help us change and grow over time by giving us a model for transforming ourselves. Ultimately, they’re our way of asking ourselves to follow the ideals of what we think a good human being should be”.
Newbergs study echoes a 1999 study, “Scientific Research of Prayer: Can the Power of Prayer Be Proven?” by researcher Debra Williams
Jordan: Israel Faces War If It Does Not Agree To Arab Terms
Israel faces all-out war within 18 months if it does not come to terms with the Arab world and allow the establishment of a new Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
The Hashemite monarch also declared on America’s Meet the Press television program Sunday that threats from Iran and Al Qaeda will fade away once Jerusalem is divided.
His position basically echoed the Palestinian Authority (PA) stand that its demands are a condition for peace and are not a matter for negotiation, despite diplomatic and media language about Israel and the PA each making concessions.
The king responded to virtually every question concerning the Middle East by pointing to Jerusalem. “In Arab and Muslim minds, the most emotional aspect is the Palestinian cause and that of Jerusalem. And from there leads all the other problems,” he argued.
When program host David Gregory asked if it’s not a “fantasy’ to think that the problem of Al Qaeda will disappear so easily, the Jordanian monarch answered, ”What — what is Al Qaeda’s platform is — is the plight of the Palestinians in Jerusalem under occupation.”
China Calls For Reform Of Global Monetary System
April 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under new world order
China called Sunday for reform of the global currency system, dominated by the dollar, which it said is the root cause of the global financial crisis.
“We should attach great importance to reform of the international monetary system,” Chinese Vice Finance Minister Li Yong told the spring IMF/World Bank Development Committee meeting in Washington.
A “flawed international monetary system is the institutional root cause of the crisis and a major defect in the current international economic governance structure,” Li said, according to a statement.
“Accordingly, we should improve the regulatory mechanism for reserve currency issuance, maintain the relative stability of exchange rates of major reserve currencies and promote a diverse and sound international currency system.”
As the world’s main reserve currency, US dollars account for most governments’ foreign exchange reserves and are used to set international market prices for oil, gold and other currencies.
As the issuer of the key reserve currency, the United States also pays less for products and can borrow more easily.
Li did not name the dollar but in late March the People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said he wanted to replace the US unit which has served as the world’s reserve currency since World War II.
“The outbreak of the crisis and its spillover to the entire world reflected the inherent vulnerabilities and systemic risks in the existing international monetary system,” Zhou said, suggesting the International Monetary Fund could play a greater role.
Strong Earthquake Rattles Nerves In Mexico
A strong earthquake struck central Mexico, swaying tall buildings in the capital and sending office workers into the streets.
The quake had a magnitude of 5.6 and was centred near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles south-west of Mexico City or 50 miles from the resort of Acapulco, according to the US Geological Survey.
Obama Messiah Art To Be Unveiled In Times Square
April 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Stories Of Interest
On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be “crowned” in messianic imagery at New York City’s Union Square.
Artist Michael D’Antuono’s painting “The Truth” – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square’s South Plaza.
According to a statement released about the portrait, “The 30″ x 54″ acrylic painting on canvas depicts President Obama appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross: atop his head, a crown of thorns; behind him, the dark veil being lifted (or lowered) on the Presidential Seal. But is he revealing or concealing, and is he being crucified or glorified?”
Even the title of the piece, “The Truth,” suggests a play on biblical themes, as Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Church Giving ‘Great Sex’ Sermons Might Get Booted
April 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Stories Of Interest
A church giving sermons about sex may have to find a new home. Brevard Public School District’s risk-management department has threatened to boot New Hope Church out of Sherwood Elementary because of a worship series titled “Great Sex for You.”
Church leaders mailed 25,000 fliers, asking residents “Is Your Sex Life A Bore?” The three-week program kicked off inside the school auditorium. Pastor Bruce Cadle had said the Christian church has been “shamefully silent” on the taboo topic.
Mark Langdorf, the director of risk management, says the mailers generated complaints, were not appropriate for elementary school children and shouldn’t be used to advertise the sermon in the school.
