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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Willem-Alexander Is New King of Netherlands




RVD/Jeroen Van Der Meyde, via European Pressphoto Agency
New Dutch King Willem-Alexander kissed his mother, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix, before the crowd on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, Tuesday, after Beatrix abdicated, leaving the throne to Willem-Alexander.




Multimedia





By ANDREW HIGGINS and ALAN COWELL
Published: April 30, 2013


AMSTERDAM — To the cheers of tens of thousands of people crammed shoulder to shoulder outside the royal palace here, Willem-Alexander of the House of Orange-Nassau became the Netherlands’ first king in 123 years on Tuesday as his mother, Queen Beatrix, ended a 33-year reign with the stroke of a pen, signing the act of abdication in an ornate chamber at the palace.

Seated on a gilded chair and flanked by the Dutch cabinet, Beatrix, 75, became the third successive Dutch queen to abdicate, changing her title to princess as supporters celebrating the continuity of the monarchy thronged Dam Square outside the palace. Many had gathered for hours, clad in orange, the royal color, to watch the brief, long-planned and relatively low-key event on large television screens.

The day’s events, a mix of tightly choreographed official pageantry and boisterous street parties across Amsterdam, helped lift the gloom created by a slumping economy, unpopular austerity measures and growing public recognition that, as the new king noted in an afternoon address, “it now seems less self-evident that the next generation will be better off than the last.”

Dressed in an orange suit, Bart Koops, an executive at a bed company and a fervent royalist, joined the throng of other revelers early on Tuesday. “Monarchy is what unites us and makes us Dutch,” Mr. Koops said. “This is a great day.”

He added: “The monarchy is a point of stability and unity. Politicians just fight each other.”

In contrast to the British royal family, he said, Dutch royals are far less formal, and they are in tune with the open, easygoing spirit of the Netherlands. “Look at the countries that don’t have royalty,” he said. “They are missing something.”

Beatrix announced in January that she would step down to make way for a younger generation. After signing the formal declaration of abdication shortly after 10 a.m., Beatrix, the new king and his Argentine-born wife emerged onto a flower-bedecked balcony to cheers from the crowd. Church bells rang out across the city.

In the early afternoon, the crowd in Dam Square roared as King Willem-Alexander, trailing a long fur-trimmed cape, and his wife, Queen Maxima, entered the 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church, next to the royal palace for the investiture ceremony.

Unlike royal rituals in England, there was no religious blessing or coronation.

Paying tribute to his mother and promising to continue her course, Willem-Alexander, 46, stressed the need to respect diversity and promised that “however varied our backgrounds, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands everyone can have a voice and can contribute to society on an equal footing.”

He also acknowledged his subjects’ growing economic woes as the country’s once robust economy struggles with its third recession since 2009. Populist politicians have exploited this pain to press demands that the Netherlands halt immigration and crack down on welfare payments to foreign-born residents.

“I succeed to the throne at a time when many in the kingdom feel vulnerable and uncertain, he said, according to an official translation of his remarks. “Vulnerable in their jobs or their health. Uncertain about their income or the environment in which they live.”

Before the swearing-in ceremony, the former queen clutched the hands of her son and daughter-in-law before the national anthem was played.

“Some moments ago I abdicated from the throne,” Beatrix said, seeming to struggle with tears. “I am happy and thankful to present to you your new king.”

Some of the cheers for the royal trio reflected the popularity of the new queen, who was born in Argentina and had a career as an investment banker before marrying Willem-Alexander in 2002, adding a dash of glamour and romance to an otherwise low-key and at times dowdy royal family.

More recently, Willem-Alexander has recovered from a scandal over his purchase of a holiday villa in Mozambique, which he sold last year. He is now widely seen as a sober-minded and responsible professional with a knack for connecting with ordinary people, Dutch experts said, but is also regarded as far less cerebral than his mother. He has mostly kept his views on society and politics to himself.

The new king is also Europe’s youngest monarch, and as such he has vowed that he and Queen Maxima, 41, will not be “protocol fetishists.” Dutch news media reported that the queen will attend the opening of a conference this summer on same-sex marriage, which has been legal here for years. On Tuesday, an anti-monarchist, Hans Maessan, stood in Dam Square waving a sign saying, “No Monarchy, More Democracy.” Instead of sporting orange like those around him, he wore a white shirt that said “I Don’t Want Him.” He conceded that the balance of opinion was running against his cause but said that even republicans liked a good party.

Opinion polls, however, show overwhelming public support for the institution.

“Monarchy is a big part of our sense of ourselves,” said Bas Heijne, a prominent Dutch commentator. “The Dutch don’t want to do away with the monarchy. If you are rational you say: ‘This is nonsense. We should get rid of it.’ But the anti-monarchists underestimate the way the monarchy is part of Dutch life, of being Dutch.”


Andrew Higgins reported from Amsterdam and Alan Cowell from London.


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Angus T. Jones phased out of 'Two and a Half Men'? Show renewed without controversial star


The 19-year-old, who unleashed a YouTube rant against the series, won't be a regular on the 11th season of the CBS show, though he's in talks to possibly become a recurring character.


BY MARGARET EBY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013, 4:14 PM



DAVID LIVINGSTON/GETTY IMAGES
Actor Angus T. Jones won’t be a regular on the next season of ‘Two and a Half Men.’



"Two and a Half Men" is returning next season without star Angus T. Jones as a regular.

CBS announced Friday that the show would return for season 11. While leads Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer have both signed on for another one-year contract, Jones is noticeably absent from the usual cast.

PHOTOS: TOP CHILD STAR MELTDOWNS


CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/CBS VIA GETTY IMAGES
Jones, 19, caused a stir last year with a video for his church that slammed the CBS hit.

Warner Bros. is reportedly talking to the actor about a possible recurring role in the series, but Jones won't be returning full-time.

Jones, who plays Jake in the hit sitcom, released a YouTube video last year slamming "Men." In the viral clip, which Jones recorded for a group linked to the Voice of prophecy Seventh-Day Adventist church, he blasts the show as "filth" and asks followers to "please stop watching."

RELATED: ANGUS T. JONES' REPORTED 'GIRLFRIEND' DEFENDS ACTOR

© MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS/REUTERS
The sitcom actor apologized for his tirade against the show, but won’t be rejoining the cast full-time.

The teen star later apologized for his condemnation, offering a mea culpa to the crew for "showing indifference and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed."

CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler remarked in January that the network would still like Jones to continue his role on the series.

RELATED: CHARLIE SHEEN TO ANGUS T. JONES: LEAVE 'TWO AND A HALF MEN' FOR MY SHOW

"The kid is 19 years old. I've got a 24-year-old. Between the ages of 19 and 24, there's been plenty of things my kid has said that I wish he hadn't. The bottom line is that cooler heads prevailed," Tassler told reporters.

"At the end of the day, they want him back and he wants to come back. He's tabling next week and that's it and we move on. We had a little bit of a glitch, but what else is new?"

VIDEO:
http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=90051&sitesection=nydailynews_ent_tv_sty_pp&VID=24774620


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Russia Assassinates 2 CIA-Linked Terrorists Tied To Boston Bombings



Monday, April 29, 2013 8:21



(Before It's News)

A Russian death squad killed two members of a CIA-backed Russian Jihad group operating in Dagestan in a raid earlier this morning that Russian intelligence has linked to Boston Bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

The assassinations are just the latest in a trail of blood being used to cover up the tracks implicating CIA involvement in the Boston Bombings.



Russian intelligence reports Shakrudin Askhabov, one of the two men assassinated by the hit squad, was an associate of the CIA-linked Abu Dujan terror cell.

The western corporate media is not reporting anything more than the talking points outlined in well-crafted government issued talking point memos.

But Russian intelligence and news agencies are telling an entirely different story reporting Askhabov was a key facilitator in recruiting and enlisting foreigners to take up against Russia.

The emerging narrative is Tamerlan was recruited into the organization by a William Plotnikov, a Jihadist known as the Canadian, which Tamerlan may have met through boxing circles.

Plotnikov in turn introduced Tamerlan to Shakrudin Askhabov, who is said to recruit Muslims into Jihad using Saudi Arabia’s relgious teaching and the through the CIA’s politcal propoaganda.

Abu Dujan, like Al Qaeda and numerous other Jihad groups, preach an extremist fundamentalist interpretation of Saudi Arabia’s Salafism which is propagated throughout the world through the nation’s vast oil wealth.

The Checnyan terrorist cell is uses by the CIA generated anti-Russian political propaganda and a direct result of overseas information operations funded by US foreign aid money to “promote democracy” in the region.

The CIA campaign by radicalize citizens in the region to take up the revolution through various means ranging from workshops encouraging citizens to develop, promot and assert their own independent national identity all the way to repeatedly leveraging Russian crimes committed against the locals decades ago while under communist rule such as the “mass deportation” and “genocide” committed during the World War II.

A quote from Russian President Vladmir Putin is very telling about the United States position on the terror cell:




MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said the bombings prove that Boston is a Chechen separatist terrorist group. Two bombers Boston, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsaranev, indeed citizens of Chechen descent.

So far, Russia asked the United States (U.S.) to enter into the Chechen separatist terrorist group list. But the U.S. rejected it because he considered militant Chechen rebel group as usual.

“I feel insulted when a terrorist group called the West Country as a rebel group in Chechnya,” Putin said

[...]

Tamerlan was obsevered by by Russian intelligence in 2012 meeting up with several members of the CIA-backed terror cell to wage Jihad against the Russia.

This clearly explains why Tamerlan was allowed to fly overseas despite warnings from Russian intelligence and being listed in US terror database and to American’s no-fly list.

According to the Russian media, Boston Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev met with Askhabov during his visit to Russia from January to July of 2012.

The National Post quotes the well respected Russian media news outlet Novaya Gazeta, which reported Tamerlan was also observed meeting with William Plotnikov, known as “The Canadian” and other Jihadists associated with the CIA-backed terror cell while in Russia.



It is unclear whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev, left, and William Plotnikov, right, met through boxing circles or only communicated online, but their life paths suggest such a meeting was possible.

The Post conjectures that Tamerlan was connected to Plotnikov placed in quarantine by the Jihadists waiting to be cleared to join the insurgency and after the Canadian and Tamerlan’s other contacts were killed he returned to America.

According to the Post, Tamerlan returned to America just two days after The Canadian was killed along with 6 other militants by Russian Security forces last July.

It is much more plausible that Tamerlan had already joined the CIA’s insurgency against the Russian’s and returned to America because his handlers had a much more sinister gunpowder treason plot they needed carried out.

It has also been revealed that Tamerlan’s Uncle was on the Feds payroll and linked to the CIA in his roles an oil comany executive involved in a mutli-billion dollar money laundering scheme involving offshore shell companies and Russian crime bosses.


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State Police & DHS Now Targeting Christians and Individuals Seen as Dissenters



Special Report




By Avalon
Intellihub.com
April 30, 2013

Update: Prowers County Sheriff Jim Faull said in a statement Sunday that the training should be suspended until it has been reevaluated and re-written. More here.

Update 2: The CSP told Examiner Wednesday that other officers did not interpret the instructor’s comments the same way that Undersheriff Trowbridge did, and the agency is not targeting Christians. More here.

According to a letter written by Ron Trowbridge, undersheriff with the Prowers County, Colo., Sheriff’s Office, Christians who believe the Bible is the literal word of God and others who do not agree with the changes taking place in America could find themselves under scrutiny by law enforcement authorities and Homeland Security, Steven H. Ahle wrote at Red StatementsFriday.

Trowbridge, a law enforcement officer with many years of experience, told Ahle that he recently attended a training session in La Junta, Colo., where, he says, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Joe Kluczynski gave a 2-hour presentation on the “sovereign citizen” movement.

“Kluczynski spent most of his two hours focusing on how, in his view and apparently the view of Homeland Security, people turn to the sovereign citizen movement,” he wrote.

Continue reading this story here…

[…]

News of the training comes on the heels of a report at K99.com that says “Colorado is being targeted with an attempt to set up loopholes that will allow the U.S. Secret Service to arrest and remove an elected sheriff for refusing to enforce the law, or anyone breaking the law.”

Recently, Colorado passed several sweeping gun control measures and some county sheriffs, like Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, have said they would not enforce mandates that infringe on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Trowbridge’s entire letter can be seen here.

Continue reading this story here…


Source:

Colo. undersheriff warns: State police, Homeland Security to target Christians

April 5, 2013

By: Joe Newby


Colorado State Police and Homeland Security Target Christians

Posted on Apr 5, 2013 in Liberal Kryptonite



Disclaimer:

The views expressed in Intellihub.com articles are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Intellihub.com. Intellihub.com will not be held responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in Intellihub.com articles. Intellihub.com reserves the right to remove articles from the website.

*****

Avalon is an Investigative Journalist and Strategist working for Intellihub.com


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Obama Phones Collins, Praises Him for Coming Out



Monday, 29 Apr 2013 10:12 PM

By Matthew Auerbach

In a show of support for Jason Collins, President Obama telephoned the NBA player on Monday to congratulate him for revealing his homosexuality, thus making him the first openly gay player on a major U.S. sports team.

According to a White House aide, Obama congratulated Collins and told him he was impressed by his courage.

In an article he wrote for this week's Sports Illustrated, Collins admitted to being gay. He cited Rep. Joseph Kennedy, D-Mass., as the inspiration behind his decision to come out.

Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Jay Carney also praised Collins.

“Here at the White House we view this as another example of the progress we've made and the evolution that has taken place,” Carney said.

“We commend him on his courage and support him in this effort and hope that his fans and his team support him going forward.”

Collins becomes the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to come out.


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Related:


Michelle Obama to Jason Collins: "We've got your back!"
CBS News - ‎6 hours ago‎
President Obama called NBA player Jason Collins Monday to offer his support after Collins announced he's gay, becoming the first openly gay major league professional athlete, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett has learned.


Source

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As Dutch prepare for new king, republicans ask to abolish monarchy (+video)


On Tuesday, Queen Beatrix will abdicate and her son will ascend to the Dutch crown. But some Dutch see the monarchy as an unwanted anachronism in an otherwise modern democracy.

By Peter Teffer, Correspondent / April 29, 2013


A man wearing shades displays a T-shirt depicting Dutch Queen Beatrix in a souvenir shop in Amsterdam today. The Netherlands is preparing for Queen's Day on April 30, which will also mark the abdication of Queen Beatrix and the investiture of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander.

Cris Toala Olivares/Reuters


AMSTERDAM


On Tuesday, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate and her eldest son, Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, will be inaugurated as the new king.

But just a few days ago, some 500 yards away from the Dam Square in central Amsterdam where the abdication and inauguration will take place, a small group of Dutch republicans met to discuss how best to call for the abolition of the country's 200-year-old monarchy and instate a true republic.

The workshop was organized by the movement #HetIs2013 – Dutch for "It's 2013" – which was started in February when a student protester named Joanna was forcibly removed by police from an event in Utrecht that the queen was attending.

Joanna had been holding up a sign that read "Away with the monarchy, it's 2013" – which the policemen took to be a violation of the Netherlands' lese majestelaw, which still prohibits insulting the royal family despite the country's general support of freedom of speech.

Willem-Alexander later said during a TV interview that the policemen had made "a mistake" by removing her. But the incident spurred like-minded Dutch to call for a royal-free future.

[Video]:
http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=90962&sitesection=csmonitor&VID=24766715


“I intend to visit the Dam wearing white and carrying white balloons,” says one of the attendants of the workshop. The republicans have called on people to dress in white instead of orange – the Dutch national color, derived from the royal family's last name Van Oranje – to show their opposition to the hereditary form of rule.

To be sure, the anti-monarchists numbers are small. The workshop in Amsterdam was attended by nine republicans – they were almost outnumbered by journalists.

Yet more and more people are becoming republican, says Anjo Clement, president of the New Republican Society. The organization, unrelated to but supportive of #HetIs2013, was established in 1998. At the beginning of this year it only had 1,200 members, but that number has more than doubled since Queen Beatrix announced her abdication plans. “The society has almost three thousand members now,” says Mr. Clement.

The goal of the society is to establish a Dutch republic. “We prefer an elected head of state,” says Clement. “Every government official should be subject to scrutinizing by voters. Our democracy is not finished yet.”
An unusual monarchy

The Dutch monarchy, established exactly two centuries ago this year, is something of an oddity inEurope. While many European nations had a monarchy first and then a republic, the Netherlands took a different, anachronistic route.

At the end of the 16th century, during a decades-long struggle against the Spanish king, seven northern provinces decided that they needed no ruler above them. They, in rather de facto fashion, formed a decentralized federation: the Republic of the Seven United Provinces.

In the following centuries, the Republic was alternately ruled by oligarchies and the descendants of nobleman Willem van Oranje (1533-84), who had led the revolt against Spain. Towards the end of the 18th century, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the region and set up a satellite state, to be governed by his brother. Louis Bonaparte became king of Holland in 1806 and actually became rather popular with the Dutch. But after a series of military defeats elsewhere in Europe, Napoleon decided to pull out his troops from Holland in 1813.

Dazed and disillusioned, the Dutch once again looked to a descendant of Willem van Oranje as their savior. Three self-proclaimed Dutch rulers sent out messengers to find the Prince of Orange, another Willem (1772-1843), and offer him the sovereignty of the Netherlands, on behalf of the Dutch people.

On December 2, 1813, he was inaugurated as King Willem I in Amsterdam, which became the new capital. Willem I was given substantial powers, and the monarchy received international legitimacy when the great powers of that day decide the Kingdom of the Netherlands should be expanded with Belgium, as a buffer state against France.

But just 30 years later, his son Willem II saw revolutions everywhere in Europe, and preemptively decided to give up many of his powers. Under the new constitution that Willem II ordered, the government would be led by a cabinet of ministers answerable to an elected parliament.

However, the monarch remains a part of the government up to present day. Queen Beatrix held weekly meetings with the prime minister, and Willem-Alexander has said he will continue that tradition, to the disapproval of the republicans.

“Those meetings are secret. Why? Do they have something to hide?” Clement asks. “We want to know what influence the king exercises and we call for an end to this sneakiness.”

Recently though, the most important remaining political power was removed. Until 2012, the monarch had the authority to appoint a person to lead coalition talks after an election. Last year, parliament decided that they no longer needed that help.
A cultural monarchy

Willem-Alexander “would obviously accept it,” if the Dutch parliament decides to take away all political powers, the upcoming king said in the recent interview.

However, there is no parliamentary momentum for a so-called "ceremonial monarchy."

Left-wing parties, which were much more vocal in their republicanism some decades ago, now acknowledge the affinity the Dutch people have with the royal family. If Willem-Alexander proves as popular as his mother, politicians will likely not see the need for change: an attitude towards the monarchy that Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad described as “rationally against, emotionally in favor.”

The public seems similarly unmotivated. In a poll that was released in mid-April, three out of four respondents said they would choose to maintain the monarchy if they had to make a yes-or-no decision. The same amount thinks monarchy is “part of Dutch culture.”

What doesn't help the republican cause is that the elected official who would replace the monarch as head of state would most probably come from a political party. While 67 percent of those recently polled have confidence in Willem-Alexander, only 12 percent have confidence in “politics.”

The monarchy also has the added appeal of all the traditions that come with it – many of which are highly popular with the public, and even with the activists present at the workshop in Amsterdam. One young woman who plans to protest says she hopes not to be arrested on the day of the abdication, which is also Queen's Day, a popular national holiday.

“I don't want to miss the party and the [Queen's Day] flea market,” she says.


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Monday, April 29, 2013

Violence Rises at Catholic Facilities




Philly.com


Student shoots himself in Roman Catholic school in Cincinnati

Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago


Written by Michael Muskal

A student at a Cincinnati parochial school was in critical condition after he pulled out a gun in a classroom and shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt, officials said.


Read more


............... ................




CBS News


Choir members stabbed at Albuquerque Sunday Mass
CBS News - ‎3 hours ago‎

(CBS/AP) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - At least four people were injured when a man stabbed members of the choir at an Albuquerque church Sunday morning as services were nearing an end, authorities said. Just as the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church choir ...

Read more



Gerald Celente - Roy Green Show - April 28, 2013





trendsjournal 


Published on Apr 29, 2013


Banks are villians, politicians are wiseguys for the Money Mafia (IMF). Governments are doing everything to protect themselves , protect the wealthy and protect power, while the people are losing everything. But...a brighter future is possible.

The Trends Journal® is the World's #1 source for the most important trends that are shaping the future. The Trends Journal® shows you how these trends will affect your life, how to profit from them, and what to do to avoid pitfalls. Regardless of business or profession, the Trends Journal® provides insights, strategies and opportunities to help you navigate these treacherous, unprecedented times.

www.TrendsJournal.com

Official Gerald Celente channels: "Gcelente" & "TrendsJournal".


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Powerful explosion rocks Prague building, injuring at least 35



Published April 29, 2013

Associated Press

April 29, 2013 - Paramedics help an injured woman after an explosion in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. (AP)




April 29, 2013: Policemen and firefighters inspect a scene of an explosion in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. (AP)


PRAGUE – A powerful blast believed to be a gas explosion ripped open an office building in the center of Prague on Monday, injuring at least 35 people and sending shockwaves through the heavily touristed Old Town. Authorities fear several people are buried under the rubble.

The blast shattered windows in the scenic district of charming streets and postcard-pretty buildings and left tourists stranded on street corners with baggage-loaded trolleys, unable to get into their hotels.

An AP Television cameraman filming at the time of the blast said the physical impact could be felt on the famed 15th- century Charles Bridge, which was packed with tourists.

The blast occurred on Divadelni Street at about 10 a.m., in one of a row of several-story tall brick buildings dating back about a century. The street was covered with rubble and sealed off by police, who evacuated people from nearby buildings and closed a wide area around the explosion site.

"There was glass everywhere and people shouting and crying," Vaclav Rokyta, a Czech student, told the AP near the scene.

Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda ruled out a terrorist attack, saying the blast was a gas explosion.

Officials had estimated that up to 40 were injuries, but Zdenek Schwarz, head of the rescue service in Prague later narrowed that down to 35. He told reporters that 30 of the injured, two of them with serious injuries, were taken to hospitals for treatment.

He said five people were treated at the scene. Some appeared bandaged and with faces still bloody.

Among the injured were two Portuguese women, another two women from Kazakhstan, a man from Slovakia and a German women, although none of their injuries was serious, the rescue service said.

Rescuers were still searching the rubble, using sniffer dogs, and two or three people were still believed to be missing, firefighter spokeswoman Pavlina Adamcova said.

Windows in buildings located hundreds of meters from the blast were shattered, including some in the nearby National Theater, an ornate 19th-century structure that is one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic.

Prague is a major tourist capital, visited every year by legions of students, backpackers and others from around the world. In 2012, a total of 5.4 million people visited the city as tourists, with a large majority those from outside the country -- many from Germany, Russia and the United States.

The Faculty of Social Sciences of Prague's Charles University and the Film and TV School of the Academy of Sciences of Performing Arts are located next to the damaged building, and students had to be evacuated.

"I was in the bathroom, no windows, the door was closed. Honestly, if I had been in my bed I would have been covered in glass," said Z.B. Haislip, a student from Raleigh, North Carolina, who was in a nearby building.

The road closures caused major traffic disruption and confused thousands of tourists.

Prime Minister Petr Necas said in a statement he was deeply affected by "the tragedy of the gas explosion."


Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/29/at-least-dozen-injured-in-building-explosion-in-prague/#ixzz2Rs1rh0eG

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The Secret Faith of Washington

 AUTHOR  Joshua DuBois



From Newsweek
Apr 29, 2013 4:45 AM EDT

A godless city? Please. President Obama’s former religious adviser on the surprising number of believers in D.C.’s corridors of power.


In 1993, Pat Robertson, the Christian broadcaster and stalwart of the religious right, sat down with legendary columnist Molly Ivins and gave a doozy of an interview. “It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-biased media, and the homosexuals who want to destroy all Christians,” Robertson declared. He also said that Washington was inflicting on Christians “wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history.”


Shotshop GmbH/Alamy


Now, Pat Robertson is not necessarily known for his rhetorical moderation. This is, after all, the guy who blamed the Haitian earthquake on voodoo, said the “feminist agenda” encourages women to practice witchcraft, and claimed that Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians have the “spirit of the anti-Christ.” Even most conservative evangelicals cringe whenever he speaks.

But in that interview, Robertson gave voice to a perception that’s still widely shared across the country: most of America thinks Washington is a pretty godless place.

Indeed, this pervasive image of Washington is probably stronger today than at any point in recent memory. Last year’s debate between the White House and the Catholic Church over contraception served for some believers as confirmation that the government simply doesn’t get the importance of faith. More recently, many Americans saw the relative lack of media coverage of the grisly trial of Kermit Gosnell—a Philadelphia abortion doctor—as evidence that Beltway journalists are contemptuous of religious values.

I’ve seen this stereotype about D.C. play out firsthand in my former role as President Obama’s religious adviser and director of the White House faith-based initiative. I recall sitting in the White House with groups of evangelical college students from Texas or Jewish seminarians from New York, who wondered aloud how I could be a practicing believer in a town that dislikes God so much.

Over the years, I saw, and had to respond to, the false email chains and rumors about Washington that have seeped into the consciousness of believers around the country. I remember being at a dinner party in California when a very prominent Christian asked me if Obama had really canceled the National Day of Prayer (he has not). And I spent countless hours explaining that it is not in fact true that military chaplains are prohibited from praying in Jesus’s name (they can, if they choose to).

Last month, Rick Santorum appealed to these beliefs when he accused Obama of seeking to create a society that is “anti-clerical, anti-God, where the government is the center, and they are the ones who care for us.” Listening to Santorum and Robertson talk about government, it would be easy to conclude that, aside from the religious right, believers in Washington simply don’t exist. But here’s the thing: they do exist—and not just in the places you’d expect. Everyone knows about the politicians and interest groups—mainly conservative—who wear their faith on their sleeve. Yet across the ideological spectrum, Washington is filled with people at the height of political power who are practicing their faith seriously and profoundly, but largely out of public view. I recently spoke to some of these people about the role that religion plays in their private and public lives. What their stories make clear is that—in coffee shops, vibrant local congregations, congressional offices, and White House corridors—God is far more present in Washington than most Americans realize.


The bible used by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to takes the oath of office is seen at the Naval Observatory on January 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/Getty)


FEW PEOPLE in Washington are as close to the center of the action as Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff. Since his appointment this past January, McDonough has helped the president navigate budget negotiations, the gun-control push, and a series of national crises from the Boston bombing to the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. He’s a seasoned vet in situations like these, having previously served in senior positions on the White House national security staff, the 2008 Obama campaign, and Capitol Hill. In the famous photograph of the Situation Room during the raid against Osama bin Laden, McDonough sat just a few feet away from Obama.

But as close as he is to the president, McDonough is even closer to his faith. In fact, he can sometimes be found in the basement of the West Wing, sharing an early morning breakfast and conversation with a bishop or priest. In a recent interview, his first-ever in-depth conversation with the media about his religious beliefs, MCDonough told me that his deep Catholic faith did not come by accident. In 1966, when his Irish Catholic parents, Bill and Kathleen, moved from Boston, Massachusetts, to Stillwater, Minnesota, his mother had two rules for their relocation: they had to live close to the kids’ school, and close to a Catholic church.


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In Romania, Adventists launch ‘Freedom Caravan’ to defend religious liberty



Apr. 23, 2013 Bucharest, Romania…RUC staff/Adventist News Network staff

As Romanian legislators consider changes to the national constitution, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is sponsoring a mass promotion of religious liberty with a marathon of town hall meetings, university lectures and inter-faith consultations.



Religious freedom proponents from six faith groups, along with government officials, met in Lugoj, Romania, last month as part of the Freedom Caravan 2013, an initiative to promote greater understanding of the need for freedom of conscience. The group met with delegations and addressed university classes in more than 20 cities. Images courtesy RUC/ANN



In the Eastern European nation, where more than 85 percent of the population identifies with the Eastern Orthodox faith, Adventists are aiming to promote to key audiences the importance of religious liberty. The self-titled “Freedom Caravan 2013” of church and legal experts held events in more than 20 cities last month.

“Even though Romania has taken important steps in promoting religious liberty, we must stay alert to make sure that the principles of religious liberty stay untainted,” said Nelu Burcea, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Adventist Church’s Romania Union Conference.

Main changes to the constitution could include revising the president’s role and the prime minister’s method for nominating the president.

But a few activists are also calling for the Orthodox Church to become the national religion. Though experts say this proposal isn’t likely to become law, Romania’s constitution up until 1923 did mentioned the Orthodox Church as the country’s official church. Various attempts over the years to reinstate the church as the state religion were rejected by parliament.

Media reports indicate that a national referendum on constitutional changes won’t take place until autumn.

“We are now analyzing each proposal and we are monitoring the situation so that we can have a prompt reaction and appropriate action if necessary,” Burcea said.

At one stop during the caravan initiative – at the University of Craiova Law School – representatives of the International Religious Liberty Association presented the organization’s latest “Fides et Libertas” translated into Romanian. The book is a collection of articles from experts promoting mutual understanding among the world’s various faith groups.

For two years, the book has spearheaded the Adventist Church’s religious liberty efforts and has been presented in universities and libraries.




Participants of the Freedom Caravan meet with politicians and religious leaders in Bucharest during last month’s initiative to promote religious liberty.

Some participants of the initiative said the country could further strengthen freedom of conscience with the upcoming constitutional change and called on the country to affirm freedom of belief for all religions.

“Romania should give a serious thought to introducing a comprehensive religious liberty law which would guarantee religious liberty for all people, all denominations, so that no church could be underprivileged,” said Greg Hamilton, president of the United States’ Northwest Religious Liberty Association, based in Ridgefield, Washington.

Romania has approximately 21 million people. There are about 67,000 Adventist Church members in Romania.

Romania has one of the Adventist world church’s highest broadcast penetrations through the outreach of Hope Channel subsidiary Speranta TV, which is viewable in approximately 80 percent of Romanian households. Adventist radio is also widely available throughout the country.

The International Religious Liberty Association is scheduled to hold a Freedom of Conscience conference in June to coincide with the release of the “Journal for Freedom of Conscience,” an 800-page publication with input from Romanian legal and political experts. The publication, Burcea said, is the first broad-reaching local attempt to focus on freedom of religion and belief from various perspectives.


Sourcehttp://www.interamerica.org/?p=7884#ixzz2RrbySP00


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The Full History of La Sierra University vs. Louie Bishop




APRIL 4, 2013


. MY STRUGGLES AS A CREATIONIST AT LA SIERRA UNIVERSITY Louie Bishop . Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership have encouraged me that laymen in the church, especially those alumni with first-hand experience like me, should be actively involved in bringing about change to the crisis at La Sierra University. It is my hope [...]


Ecumenical launch for 'The Church: Towards a Common Vision'


By staff writers
7 Mar 2013



A major ecumenical statement on the nature and purpose of the church, the broadest ever created, has been launched by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva.

World Council of Churches' General Secretary, the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, launched The Church: Towards a Common Vision at the WCC Executive Committee meeting on 6 March 2013, which took place at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Switzerland.

The document is a 'convergence text' (the bringing together of a range of documentary work) of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, in which Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, Evangelical, indigenous and Catholic Churches have participated over many years to seek a shared understanding of the nature and development of their common life and witness.

“The Commission on Faith and Order presents to us a gift, a statement about the Church,” says Dr Tveit in his foreword to the document.

“Work on ecclesiology [the nature and doctrine of the church] relates to everything the Church is and what its mission implies in and for the world. It reflects the constitutional aims and self-identity of the WCC as a fellowship of churches who call each other to the goal of visible unity,” he adds.

The Church: Towards a Common Vision identifies what Christians can say together about the church in order to grow in communion, to struggle together for justice and peace, and to overcome together their past and present divisions.

After twenty years in the making, The Church: Towards a Common Vision was finally approved by the Standing Commission on Faith and Order at its 2012 meeting in Penang, Malaysia.

The document was later received by the WCC Central Committee and commended to the churches for study and formal response.

It is the second major convergence text to be approved in the long life of the Commission, the first being Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, which was celebrated at the WCC 6th Assembly in Vancouver, in 1982.

“The aims of The Church: Towards a Common Vision are twofold. The first is renewal,” said Canon John Gibaut, the WCC director of Faith and Order. “Some reading this text may find themselves challenged to live more fully the ecclesial life; others may find in it aspects of ecclesial life which have been neglected or forgotten; others may find themselves strengthened and affirmed.”

“The second objective is theological agreement on the term 'Church'. The responses to the document will reflect the level of convergence on ecclesiology amongst the churches. Such convergence will play a vital role in the mutual recognition between the churches as they call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship,” noted Gibaut.

In his foreword, Dr Tveit declares: "Unity is a gift of life and a gift of love, not a principle of unanimity or unilateralism. We have a calling as a fellowship of churches to express the unity of life that is given to us in Jesus Christ, through his life, cross and resurrection so that brokenness, sin, and evil can be overcome."

The document is currently being translated to German, Spanish, French, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian. Cooperations for translations into additional languages are being explored. The English version has been published online.

* Read full text of The Church: Towards a Common Vision here:http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-an...

[Ekk/3]


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A Sure Foundation




Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Tim. 2:19.


The Lord will have a people as true as steel, and with faith as firm as the granite rock. They are to be His witnesses in the world, His instrumentalities to do a special, a glorious work in the day of His preparation. . . 

Ministers who have preached the truth with all zeal and earnestness may apostatize and join the ranks of our enemies, but does this turn the truth of God into a lie? "Nevertheless," says the apostle, "the foundation of God standeth sure." The faith and feelings of men may change; but the truth of God, never. . . .

It is as certain that we have the truth as that God lives; and Satan, with all his arts and hellish power, cannot change the truth of God into a lie. While the great adversary will try his utmost to make of none effect the word of God, truth must go forth as a lamp that burneth.

The Lord has singled us out and made us subjects of His marvelous mercy. Shall we be charmed with the pratings of the apostate? Shall we choose to take our stand with Satan and his host? Shall we join with the transgressors of God's law? Rather let it be our prayer: "Lord, put enmity between me and the serpent." If we are not at enmity with his works of darkness, his powerful folds encircle us, and his sting is ready at any moment to be driven to our hearts. We should count him a deadly foe. We should oppose him in the name of Christ. Our work is still onward. . . . Let all who name the name of Christ clothe themselves with the armor of righteousness. . . .

The time has come when we must know for ourselves why we believe as we do. . . . Let us lay up for ourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life. We must labor, not in our own strength, but in the strength of our risen Lord. What will we do and dare for Jesus? 


Maranatha, p.128
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Protestantism and Catholicism Uniting

(Left) Barry Black, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.
(Right) Patrick Conroy SJ, Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives;





Bible Echo and Signs of the Times


February 1, 1887

By Mrs. E. G. White

Romanism is now regarded by Protestants with far greater favor than in former years. There is an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy; the opinion is gaining ground that, after all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed, and that a little concession on our part will bring us into a better understanding with Rome. The time was when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience which has been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to abhor popery, and held that to remain at peace with Rome would be disloyalty to God. But how widely different are the sentiments now expressed.

The defenders of popery declare that she has been maligned; and the Protestant world is inclined to accept the statement. Many urge that it is unjust to judge the Romish Church of today by the abominations and absurdities that marked her reign during the centuries of ignorance and darkness. They excuse her horrible cruelty as the result of the barbarism of the times, and plead that civilization has changed her sentiments.

Have these persons forgotten the claim of infallibility, for eight hundred years put forth by this haughty power? So far from relinquishing this claim, the church in the nineteenth century has affirmed it with greater positiveness than ever before. As Rome asserts that she has never erred, and never can err, how can she renounce the principles which governed her course in past ages?

Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground in our country upon every side. Look at the number of her churches and chapels. Look at her colleges and seminaries, so widely patronized by Protestants. These things should awaken the anxiety of all who prize the pure principles of the gospel.

Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.

In the days of Rome’s supremacy there were instruments of torture to compel assent to her doctrines. There was the stake for those who would not concede to her claims. There were massacres on a scale that will never be known to mortals, Dignitaries of the church studied, under Satan their master, to invent means to cause the greatest possible torture, and not end the life of their victim. The internal process was repeated to the utmost limit of human endurance, until nature gave up the struggle, and the sufferer hailed death as a sweet release.

Such was the fate of Rome’s opponents. For her adherents she had the discipline of the scourge, of famishing hunger, of bodily austerities in every conceivable, heart-sickening form. To secure the favor of Heaven, penitents violated the laws of God by violating the laws of nature. They were taught to sunder every tie which he has formed to bless and gladden man’s earthly sojourn. The churchyard contains millions of victims who spent their lives in vain endeavors to subdue their natural affections, to repress, as offensive to God, every thought and feeling of sympathy with their fellow-creatures.

The Romish Church now presents a fair front to the world, covering with apologies her record of horrible cruelties. She has clothed herself in Christlike garments; but she is unchanged. Every principle of popery that existed in ages past exists today. The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held. Let none deceive themselves. The popery that Protestants are now so ready to embrace and honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up at the peril of their lives to expose her iniquity. She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption that lorded it over kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when she crushed out human liberty, and slew the saints of the Most High.

Popery is just what prophecy declared that she would be,—the apostasy of the latter times. It is a part of her policy to assume the character which will best accomplish her purpose; but beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon, she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent. “We are not bound to keep faith and promises to heretics,” she declares. Shall this power, whose record for a thousand years is written in the blood of the saints, be now acknowledged as a part of the church of Christ?

It is not without reason that the claim has been put forth that Catholicism is now almost like Protestantism. There has been a change; but the change is in Protestants, not in Romanists. Catholicism indeed resembles the Protestantism that now exists; but it is far removed from Protestantism as it was in the days of Cranmer, Ridley, Knox, and other reformers.

As the Protestant churches have been seeking the favor of the world, false charity has blinded their eyes. They do not see but that it is right to believe good of all evil; and as the inevitable result, they will finally believe evil of all good. Instead of standing in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints, they are now, as it were, apologizing to Rome for their uncharitable opinion of her, begging pardon for their bigotry.

A large class, even of those who look upon Romanism with no favor, apprehend little danger from her power and influence. Many urge that the intellectual and moral darkness prevailing during the Middle Ages favored the spread of her dogmas, superstitions, and oppression, and that the greater intelligence of modern times, the general diffusion of knowledge, and the increasing liberality in matters of religion, forbid a revival of intolerance and tyranny. The very thought that such a state of things will exist in this enlightened age is ridiculed. It is true that great light, intellectual, moral, and religious, is shining upon this generation. In the open pages of God’s holy word, light from heaven has been shed upon the world. But it should be remembered that the greater the light bestowed, the greater the darkness of those who pervert or reject it.

A prayerful study of the Bible would show Protestants the real character of the papacy, and would cause them to abhor and to shun it; but men are so wise in their own conceit that they feel no need of humbly seeking God that they may be led into the truth. Although priding themselves on their enlightenment, they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. They must have some means of quieting their consciences, and they seek that which is least spiritual and humiliating. What they desire is a method of forgetting God which shall pass as a method of remembering him. The papacy is well adapted to meet the wants of all these. It is prepared for two classes of mankind, embracing nearly the whole world,—those who would be saved by their merits, and those who would be saved in their sins. Here is the secret of its power.

A day of great intellectual darkness has been shown to be favorable to the success of popery. It will yet be demonstrated that a day of great intellectual light is equally favorable for its success. In past ages, when men were without God’s word, and without the knowledge of the truth, their eyes were blindfolded, and thousands were ensnared, not seeing the net spread for their feet. In this generation there are many whose eyes become dazzled by the glare of human speculations, “science falsely so called;” they discern not the net, and walk into it as readily as if blindfolded. God designed that man’s intellectual powers should be held as a gift from his Maker, and employed in the service of truth and righteousness; but when they are idolized, and laid upon the shrine of Satan to be employed in the service of a false religion, then intelligence can accomplish greater harm than ignorance.

In the movement now in progress in America to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the State, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for popery to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World. And that which gives greater significance to this movement is the fact that the principal object contemplated is the enforcement of Sunday observance,—a custom which originated with Rome, and which she claims as the sign of her authority.

The spirit of the papacy,—the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commands of God,—is permeating the Protestant churches, and leading them on to do the same work of Sunday exaltation which the papacy has done before them. Would the reader understand the agencies to be employed in the soon-coming contest? He has but to trace the record of the means which Rome employed for the same object in ages past. Would he know how papists and Protestants united will deal with those who reject their dogmas? Let him see the spirit which Rome manifested toward the Sabbath and its defenders.

The records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome toward the true Sabbath, and the means which she employs to honor the institution of her creating. The word of God teaches that these scenes are to be repeated as papists and Protestants shall unite for the exaltation of the Sunday. For nearly forty years Sabbath reformers have presented this testimony to the world. In the events now taking place is seen a rapid advance toward the fulfillment of the prediction. There is the same claim of divine authority for Sunday-keeping, and the same lack of scriptural evidence, as in the days of papal supremacy. The assertion that God’s judgments are visited upon men for their violation of the Sunday-Sabbath, will be repeated. Already it is beginning to be urged.

Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Romish Church. And the Christian world will learn what Romanism really is, when it is too late to escape the snare.


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Satisfying both sides in the worship war



St John’s Church, Mickleover, Derbyshire, during the UK’s first wifi service
Rod Kirkpatrick/F Stop Press

Bradley
Last updated at 10:39PM, April 16 2013


At a time when many churches use PowerPoint overheads for singing and when pop and show songs are twice as likely as hymns to be requested at funerals, it takes faith and courage to launch a new hymn book.

Ancient & Modern, the latest offering from the most venerable of all hymnal publishers, which weighs in at 1.3kg for the full music edition and contains 847 items, represents a resounding vote of confidence in the durability of the congregational hymn and provides a fascinating indicator of current tastes in Anglican worship.

It was the first edition of Hymns Ancient &


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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Call for Applications: ADRA Vice President for Programs



Tuesday, April 23, 2013


Vice President for Programs Search Announcement Adventist Development and Relief Agency International



The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International announces the search for its Vice President for Programs.


The Agency


The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA International) is the global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that exists to demonstrate God's love and compassion by means of seeking just and positive change in the world through empowering partnerships and responsible action.

ADRA International was established by the Church as a way to follow Christ's example of serving and caring for those in need. In its efforts to improve lives it works to eliminate deprivation and social injustice throughout the world. To this end ADRA International invests in the holistic potential of individuals, families, and communities through engaging in advocacy, promoting health and nutrition, developing sources of revenue, and responding to human crisis everywhere.

From its beginnings in November 1956 ADRA's work now embraces major programs in a variety of countries emphasizing community development, food safety and distribution, institutional development, and ongoing disaster relief. From an initial staff of approximately 600 ADRA has increased its human resources steadily to its current workforce of 5,131 employees in more than 120 countries throughout the world.

ADRA is currently one of the leading non-governmental relief organizations in the world. In 1997 the agency was granted General Consultative Status by the United Nations, a unique opportunity giving ADRA added voice in the international community. In 2011 it assisted more than 32.5 million people with nearly US$64 million in aid through 1643 development projects. As new challenges and needs arise, ADRA continues to strive to realize its mission on behalf of the people of the world.

The Vice President for Programs is ADRA's administrative officer responsible for providing coordination and leadership to the main functions of the Agency’s international programs and projects.

The ADRA International President invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice President for Programs of ADRA international.


Vice President for Programs Responsibilities and Expectations

ADRA International seeks a visionary Vice President for Programs with an innovative and farsighted perspective. The candidate must be an energetic, forward-thinker with creative attitude combined with high ethical standards and an appropriate professional image. Candidate must be committed to fostering collaborative relationships among ADRA's worldwide network of participating agencies and be capable of initiating, developing and maintaining partnerships with other organizations and USAID which are imperative to ADRA’s work. The Vice President for Programs must have the capacity to relate to people at all levels of an organization using excellent communication skills, demonstrated through an ability to respond effectively to sensitive or complex issues, including awareness and respect for cultural differences. Candidate must be able to demonstrate competency in USA based funder grants, contracts, and other award management and planning.

The Vice President for Programs reports to the ADRA International president and operates within the imperative to collaborate with ADRA International leadership—to maximize the strategic trajectory of the agency toward achieving its mission. ADRA's Vice President for Programs is expected to be an advocate for justice and quality of life throughout the world and typically must travel up to 50% time, often on short notice, for extended periods, in international and domestic settings.


The Vice President for Programs' specific responsibilities includes:


Relationship to Internal Agency and Network Leadership.

Providing knowledgeable information about the industry; plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate the organization’s programs; planning and management function and performance; participate and lead as requested in the development of the agency’s strategic plans and programs; evaluate and advice on the impact of long term planning, introduction of new programs/strategies, funding agreements, and regulations; participate in the program planning and management teams by providing timely and accurate analysis of relevant documents and information in order to lead senior executives in performing their responsibilities; enhance and develop, implement and enforce program planning and management policies and procedures of the organization using systems that will improve the overall operation and effectiveness of ADRA International; and provide advice on any contracts into which the agency may enter related to programs and projects.


Relationships to External Stakeholders.


This position serves as the primary liaison and facilitator for the agency’s portfolio of programs and projects in connection with governments, public and private organizations, donors, and media; striving to ensure the effective positioning of the agency and its programs; representing the agency to organizations that have strategic value to the agency's mission and encouraging appropriate opportunities for such representation by agency staff; taking progressive steps to seek, acquire, and sustain government and private funding; overseeing the agency's development, performance, and regulatory compliance for programs funded by government grants, cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, and private donations, including ensuring that the agency operates within all applicable laws and regulations and policies, limiting risks and exposure to the agency.


Qualifications for Consideration for the Position

  • A practicing member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in good standing
  • An advanced degree in the field of international development or related field
  • A minimum of eight years of experience in senior management in a non-profit environment
  • Executive leadership experience in the field of international development and relief
  • Demonstrated analytical abilities, wisdom in judgment, participatory decisiveness, and expertise in successful organizational and team dynamics
  • General administrative skills and abilities, self-direction, articulate, written and verbal communication skills, and sound technical skills

Instructions

For consideration, nominations and applications must be received by May 15, 2013. All applicants must submit the required documents: a cover letter expressing interest and summarizing qualifications, a comprehensive resume or curriculum vitae, and three professional references along with their contact information to president@adra.org by the same date, May 15, 2013. Additional information, documentation, and interviews will be required of finalists only. Please be informed that no hard copies or documents will be returned.

The successful candidate will be contacted immediately upon selection. Please direct all inquiries to this same email address. No phone calls will be entertained.


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They're watching: why city-wide surveillance failed to stop the Boston bombing



"If everyone becomes a suspect, then nobody is a suspect."

By Matt Stroud on April 24, 2013 01:25 pm




All day Sunday, police directed traffic around a blocked-off section of Boylston Street in downtown Boston where bombs had gone off nearly a week earlier, killing three and wounding hundreds. A makeshift memorial had been set up to honor the dead with personal messages and flowers, and old running shoes hung from metal barricades. Similar makeshift memorials were set up in suburbs outside the city proper, at least one designed in the dried blood of a dead suspect.


About a mile northwest from Boston’s ground zero, across the Charles River in Cambridge, a small but notable memorial had been set up. This one lay on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s campus, on a concrete walkway beside MIT’s Ray and Maria Stata Center. Famous for its Frank Gehry-designed architecture, Stata is all kitty-cornered frames and weirdly metallic boxes, like something out of a futuristic claymation video or Pee-wee’s Playhouse. This memorial seemed out of place. It was set up to honor an MIT police officer, Sean Collier, who had been shot and killed here while on duty, allegedly by the brothers suspected of carrying out the bombings downtown days earlier.


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ALERT!!!: New virus that may be planting child porn to set up people as pedophiles


April 19, 2013 by Ben Franklin


Author: Ben. Franklin

Subject: False Flag

Notice: There are ways of combating this type virus and other horrible viruses but is not 100% bulletproof, none of these methods are the silver bullet but it is better then having no protection from these set ups and technological witch hunts. You are recommended to use ESET and McAfee and any other anti-virus that covers the emule type sharing viruses.

A new virus has been spotted that seems to be planting and distributing suspected child pornography files and is likely being used by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force to conduct raids, searches and seizures, all data taken including irreplaceable family photos and videos, police threatening to harm family if the person of interest doesn’t fess up, and then last but not least then go before the grand jury then have the person indicted then successfully convicted as a child exploiting sex offender for life or as prosecutors would love to call them, child sex offenders even though every person just caught with only images are either virgins or never harmed a child themselves or even not have a desire to but nevertheless have a few of these so called images and likely the computer virus along with it but forensics only confirms the images are on the computer and when the images were viewed then railroad the suspects to prison.

Because of how grave the situation is, somebody whom is already under police criminal investigation is the source of the intel and won’t allow me to reveal his name for personal reasons. He has been telling me that he got into a operation where he was exposing political corruption then had the virus planted without his authorization while the police were harassing and surveilling him. Then a month later the police showed up at this guys house with a state sanctioned search warrant telling him that he was under investigation and that they are searching the premises for the suspicion of distributing and possession of child pornography. They took everything, his family threatened, and was forced to confess to wanting to harm little children out of a sense to protect his family from harm by the police. Of course that was a lie as he never was around any children and has all the alibis proving he was innocent but confessed to the crime even though innocent because the police threatened his family and questioned over political investigations and articles he was writing for a major news outlet, and I’ll just leave it at that. He told the police since day one about the virus, as he conducted more of an investigation he remembered that the virus had three rogue programs, Ares.exe, Shareaza.exe, and emule.exe. While opening the file location using the Windows Vista or 7 Task Manager, the directories looked like regular emule sharing directories and went inside Incoming, and saw hundreds to thousands of child porn files were planted in that directory which he freaked out then deleted then tried whatever he could to disable the program but there were enough security holes to get control of his computer, then of course how convenient the ICAC shows up at his front door. That was when he decided to talk to a few other individuals he believed was either targeted or shut down their sites out of chilling effects and fear. When former alternative media reporter got word of this, remnants of that organization decided to release reports on the virus which they call the ‘emule virus’ as emule was mainly what the police accusing this source of using to share the material, and so they released reports and conducted a large investigation until they finally received the variant and codeword of the virus according to ESET and also claimed to found the same virus variant from McAFee virus reporting site.

According to ESET the virus has been classified as the Win32/MoliVampire.A, the file is what many suspected as a trojan, size 10067968 B, and reveals a lot of details of this virus. McAfee also details the virus but has a different codename and has a different file size so these viruses are all different in variants and threat level. The variant that shares child porn could likely have been created by the government to make the war on child porn look really effective as it is not effective unless many people are convicted of child porn whether they be pedos or not, even with false convictions on set up politicians and activists but that is just speculation and is not a certifiable fact as of yet since nobody really investigates into this since anyone who talks about child porn and is not in favor of dirty and underhanded tactics are usually labeled bad guys or pedo supporters just for questioning the narrative by government people.

So whom would benefit off of sharing child porn and downloading it to set people up? Corrupt government elements as a greater moral crises on the Internet will lead to more controls, bans and restrictions on P2P as Cary Sherman (RIAA President whom bragged about child porn on P2P) would have dreamed of, corrupt police that need to fill their quotas, the private prison contractors that need a guaranteed occupancy and have no other way to convict people so they switch to setting people up with child porn, and politicians that need to kill their enemies characters so that they can get rid of them physically.

Alberto Gonzales the former US Attorney General, before Eric Holder, would benefit off of the child porn crises as he begged for mandatory data retention type laws where all internet activities, emails, and other sensitive data would be logged then retained for months and that the police can have access to this personal data history without a warrant and would allow the RIAA and MPAA to sue people at will using mandatory data retention as the opportunity to know who exactly shared copyrighted material using discovery motions at all court junctions. Cary Sherman or future presidents of the RIAA would benefit off of the child porn crises as they can use that in their case for the witch hunt against file-sharers and converting them all into possible child sex offenders to burn at the stake with prejudice. There are wide variety

So anyone whom receives this virus or variants of Trojans similar to this virus, is at risk of being accused of distributing and possessing child pornography then having the computers and family photos, videos, and other personal data taken away forever. Then will likely end up years in federal or state prison then receives a lifetime sex offender record, isn’t that just great!!!!!

Also other organizations other then the ICAC are also engaging in dirty undercover operations to set up autistic people and techno geeks with child porn charges with very little chance of getting out of them and that is if your lucky and have enough evidence to overturn the prosecution arguments and forensics investigative reports. The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) investigative arm, also known as the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that conducted Operation Flicker that was mainly for undercover child porn investigations, caught over 5,000 employees working for the Pentagon and Department of Defense (DOD) purchasing and downloading child pornography but were never fully investigated and were never prosecuted, is in the process of investigating and prosecuting a 17-year-old autistic youth for downloading child pornography when the only things he was downloading was music files from the Limewire P2P file sharing network.

His name is Andrew Rose, Facebook has a support group which allows people to talk about the injustices of these child porn stings since there are very dirty and underhanded methods being used to net these suspects. This article will fully explain why Andrew’s predicament is unnecessary and why his defense is credible.



The dirty tactic that was used is the worst thing the government could have ever done and does nothing to catch child predators, and should immediately receive a inquiry by Congress and the state governments that are cooperative in these operations. The dirty tactic was that child porn was embedded in a normal everyday mp3 music file, likely within the MP3 tag which every mp3 file has or a non-encrypted stenography software appended child porn to the music file to where the file was on the computer but was attached to the music file. These are the only two technologically feasible methods that were likely used that this article can and will reveal, however if there are any vulnerabilities then that could also be another method of choice if it exists.

MP3 Tag method




Every music file contains a tag identification system also called a MP3 tag and in other music formats there is likely something similar. Every MP3 file allows you to customize the album art, edit the track info, and allow you to add comments. Advanced MP3 tag software will allow you to attach photos to be embedded into the tag of the music file.



If ICE wanted to set people up as possible child molesters for their pre-crime style program where your not guilty because you hurt a child, your guilty for possibly having images and that you may hurt a child future, not because your planning to commit a felony, not because you did, but because you may, then all ICE has to do is add a child porn image to the MP3 tag of the music file then use modified law enforcement versions of emule, Limewire, and other P2P clients that is bugged with logging software and other identifier systems to share the bugged child porn embedded music files, then as any music file sharer and downloader likes collecting music files to listen to will download the file or files and then receive a visit from ICE or the ICAC task force then their families threatened by police or even detectives to put a person under so much anxiety and fear that they will undoubtedly confess even though the person is not guilty.

All it takes ti be arrested and convicted as a child sex offender is downloading music files, yes downloading music files. If you don’t believe this is technologically possible then just view the screenshot of freeware software products such as MP3Tag which makes planting child porn files as easy as 123. Then all the police have to do is share hundreds to thousands of pirated music files with child embedded in them, then they can make the war on child porn look really effective with all the pedophile patsies, and people being set up, we can at last finally fight crime by putting innocent people in prison. The fact that Congress has not investigated the ICAC and ICE for planting child porn and embedding it in normal music files and other kinds of files is beyond me. As long as the children are being protected, why should we care if Andrew Rose goes to prison and gets beat up on by other inmates, why should we care if innocent people are thrown into prison as a sex offender, why should we care about dirty corrupt methods the government uses to catch criminals and predators. Let’s just put teenagers in prison, let’s just put every music downloader in prison and call them pedophiles because that is the new AmeriKa and the USSA (United Soviet States of America).

Stenography methods

There are certain stenography programs that only attach files or embed files within files unencrypted. That way since there are Content ID type systems where files are scanned to find any illicit material, since child porn can be attached to one file, these systems would flag and detect it then monitor all whom download and share it or the government does this then are the sharing perpetrators and can get away with it by claiming it was a “Undercover Operation” and that is why agents shouldn’t be held accountable for planting child porn in ordinary everyday files shared on P2P. Just like how cops can freely murder, rape, and commit other crimes and get off easy or without any punishment due to the police Bill of Rights where cops are held accountable differently then average ordinary commoners where the book is constantly thrown at them and are subject to jail-guard abuse.

This article reveals the truth, that government can commit crimes and set people up and get away with it unless people stand up and say no to it then maybe the ICAC and ICE can finally be held accountable for their dirty corrupt undercover operations.


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