Monday, September 14, 2009

Defense Contracting in Afghanistan at Record High



September 1st, 2009 by Steven Aftergood


There are more Department of Defense contractors in Afghanistan today than there are uniformed U.S. military personnel, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. Not only that, the ratio of contractors to troops in Afghanistan is higher than in any prior military engagement in U.S. history.


“As of March 2009, there were 68,197 DOD contractors in Afghanistan, compared to 52,300 uniformed personnel. Contractors made up 57% of DOD’s workforce in Afghanistan. This apparently represented the highest recorded percentage of contractors used by DOD in any conflict in the history of the United States,” the CRS report (pdf) said. A copy of the report was obtained by Secrecy News.


At a time when the deployment of U.S. forces in Afghanistan may be increased (or reduced), the CRS report casts a detailed and fairly nuanced spotlight on the role of defense contractors there. The report notes, for example, that more than 75% of the DoD contractor personnel in Afghanistan are local nationals. Only about 15% are U.S. citizens.


Contractors provide essential logistical, translation and other services, while offering increased flexibility. But they also pose management challenges in monitoring performance and preventing fraud. In the worst cases, “abuses and crimes committed by armed private security contractors and interrogators against local nationals may have undermined U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the CRS report noted. See “Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background and Analysis,” August 13, 2009.

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State Department contracting scandal: Kennedy on the hotseat


Mon, 09/14/2009 - 6:01pm

This morning, former lawmakers and experts carried out the time-honored tradition of roasting an administration official over an open flame in the wake of a highly publicized embarrassing scandal, in this case, the flagrant antics of State Department contractors engaged in debauchery in Afghanistan.

The Wartime Contracting Commission, set up by legislation last year and tasked with investigating contracting abuses in Southwest Asia, set its sights on Patrick Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management. Kennedy, shown at left in 2008, was in the unenviable position of responding to photos of guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul performing "deviant sexual acts" as part of an apparent hazing ritual by contractors employed by ArmorGroup.
Commission cochairman and former GOP Rep. Chris Shays led off the hearing by lampooning State Department oversight practices, which, according to him, had failed to address the contractor misconduct since reports first surfaced last December.

"How did flagrant breaches of ArmorGroup's code of conduct and its contractual obligations go unobserved and unreported by senior management for months?" Shays asked, "Why did ArmorGroup's supervisors delay reporting news of misconduct and attempt to intimidate people who might report it?"

Democratic cochair Michael J. Thibault piled on.

"The contracting issues that require very close oversight have been going on for 27 months," he said, "It's troubling -- and I'm going to ask for your comments -- whether that continuous employee misconduct ... hasn't been disclosed or revealed."

"There is no question, Mr. Chairman, that we should have done more, and I make no brook for that," Kennedy said, adding that the State Department had just assumed that the contracting company was managing the conduct of its employees. "We simply made a mistake."

The State Department was never told that such misconduct was going on during the time period in question, Kennedy claimed, promising to place State Department overseers permanently at the site from now on.

The now-infamous June 15 party where some of the most gruesome photos were taken -- and first brought to light by the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group -- should have been the last straw, Kennedy acknowledged.

"I've seen the pictures. You've seen the pictures. It's a no-brainer," Kennedy testified, "That conduct is appalling and should have been stopped immediately."

Some commissioners bristled at the State Department's contention that the deviant behavior did not jeopardize the safety and security of personnel on site.

"This June 15 incident, the August incident, all of these, I would argue, have the potential so to inflame Afghan opinion in general, and in particular the opinion of Afghan personnel on the embassy, as to endanger the lives of our personnel," said commissioner Clark Kent Irvin.

But the State Department witnesses resisted attempts by the commissioners to delve into what punishments the ArmorGroup or its employees might suffer.

"A public hearing is not really necessarily the place that we need to have a discussion about the future of contractual actions," said William Moser, deputy assistant secretary of State for management.

Commissioner Robert J. Henke pointed out that under current rules in Afghanistan, guards must go the embassy or the ISAF commissary to purchase alcohol, which means they often drive drunk back to their homes in armored convoys.

"My question for you is, why do you allow alcohol sales at the embassy in Kabul?" asked Henke.

Kennedy responded, "Because we believe that for -- that if individuals behave responsibly, they should be able to drink."

Alcohol use at Camp Sullivan, the compound where the guards live, has since been banned.

Hyperbole may have overtaken some of the commissioners during the hearing.

"This is the equivalent of Abu Ghraib for Afghanistan," said commissioner and former Pentagon official Dov Zakheim.

Shays continued on the theme.

"It appears that what happens in Camp Sullivan stays in Camp Sullivan," he said, adding, "In Abu Ghraib, we had a military unit run amok. In Camp Sullivan, we had [ArmorGroup] run amok."

File Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
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"GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES"


"GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES"
by Garry D. Pifer


How many times have we heard the familiar passage “God helps those who help themselves?” We hear it quite frequently, don’t we? In order to fully understand that passage let us turn to it. You all know where it is located don’t you? Maybe it is in the book of Hezekiah or possibly Phillips 66:1. No, that’s not right. Look as we may we won’t find that passage in the Bible. Although often quoted and stated this phrase doesn’t come from the Bible nor is it even Biblical in origin.


In fact this quotation has come down to us from GREEK MYTHOLOGY! Specifically it comes to us from one of Aesop’s fables, of the 6th century B.C. Let’s read this fable entitled “Hercules and the Waggoner.” “A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy way. At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules the Strong.


‘O Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress,’ quoth he. But Hercules appeared to him, and said: ‘Tut, man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.’


The gods help them that help themselves.”


The saying “the gods help those that help themselves” evolved to “God helps those who help themselves” as the phrase was repeated and passed on from culture to culture throughout the centuries. And, Christians, as well as others, often quote this phrase thinking it is Biblically based, without realizing that it actually originated from pagan mythology.


But, you may say, isn’t it still true? Doesn’t God expect us to work as hard if we were doing it all and yet expect Him to work things out for us? That is what most of us have been taught BUT that isn’t the teaching from Scripture.


Let us notice just a few passages.


Psalms 25:3 “Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.”


Psalms 25:5 “Lead men in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”


Psalms 25:21 “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.”


Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”


Psalms 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”


Psalms 37:9 “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”

Psalms 62:5 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation [is] from him.”

Psalms 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”

Psalms 145:15 “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.”


Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.”


Lamentations 3:25 “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.”


Hosea 12:6 “Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgement, and wait on thy God continually.”


What does it mean to “wait?” These are only a few of the many verses that tell us to “wait on the LORD.” What are we being told to do? To “wait” means to “stay or rest in expectation and patience; to stop or remain stationary, till the arrival of some person or event.” It is our human nature to take matters into our own hands and try to make things happen on our own.


Before we discuss what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing let us look at a few more Scriptures.


Psalms 4:5 “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”


Psalms 37:3 “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”


Psalms 73:28 “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”


Psalms 115:10-11 “O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.”


Psalms 118:8-9 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.”


Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”


Proverbs 28:25 “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.”


Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”


So, the question we need to answer is, “Are we to sit around like lazy bums waiting for life to be handed to us on a silver platter?” Do we work at everything as if we were doing it all? We do know that faith without works is dead. We must be doing certain things. The Word is quite clear that we are to carry on our daily lives working to provide for our families. Yet, even that is within the framework of Scripture; it is God that gives us the power to get wealth (Deut. 8:17-18).


There are many areas in our lives that are beyond our human capacity to address. And, there are areas that God gives us specific instructions and teaching.


Some areas are much like the Israelites at the Red Sea. God tells us to “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD...” There are times that God gives specific instructions of what to do. You may remember the account of Naaman recorded in 2 Kings 5. Elisha, the man of God, sent a messenger to tell Naaman to go and wash himself in the Jordan seven times and then he would be healed of his leprosy. Jesus instructed the ten lepers to go and shew themselves to the priests. And, as they went they were cleansed.


As an aside, you might notice that in neither of these cases were the individuals told to go to the doctor. And, there are no Scriptures instructing us to go to doctors. James tells us rather to call for the elders of the church, to be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14) Earlier in the book he had told us to “ask in faith, nothing wavering...” (James 1:6) He continues in the next verses stating that if one wavers he shouldn’t think that he would receive anything. Verse 8 is pretty pointed, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Being double minded is saying you are looking to God, putting your trust in Him and at the same time looking to the arm of flesh, to man to take care of the situation.


As the Psalmist said, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” We read from Isaiah that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength.”


About now some of you are asking, “What about James’ statement that faith without works is dead?”


Have we ever considered that “waiting,” “trusting the LORD,” and “the trying of our faith working patience” are the real WORKS that God wants? Perhaps the hardest “work” we will ever do is waiting on God to act, trusting Him with patience.


Because waiting, trusting, believing, exercising patience is SO hard we want to “look to our own understanding.” We want to look to the flesh, the physical. We say we know God can do all things!


And, we know that He says that if we believe we will receive whatsoever we desire when we pray. Yet, we want to “do something” to help God. We don’t appear to really believe and trust Him.


Let’s look at one last Scripture, Jer. 17:5. I quote this from the Bible in Basic English as it is a bit clearer. “This is what the LORD has said: Cursed is the man who puts his faith in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart is turned away from the LORD.”


The saying “God helps those who help themselves” is a false statement. A truer statement is “God helps those who place their trust in Him.”


Sunday, September 13, 2009

Washington Adventist Hospital Names Chief Operating Officer


By Lydia Parris


Joyce Portela (pictured) joined Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH) as chief operating officer (COO) and campus administrator. Portela was formerly the COO at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., and Tennessee Christian Medical Center in Madison, Tenn. She has worked for more than 20 years in Adventist hospitals in California, Florida, Kansas, and Tennessee.

Portela is a mother, musician, and worship leader. She is also a member of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, currently seeking a church home in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. Portela has taken three mission trips to Cape Town, South Africa, in support of the Living Hope organization, which is dedicated to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic through accurate medical approaches and faith-based initiatives.

“Joyce is deeply committed to our mission and leading Washington Adventist Hospital in continually delivering safe, high-quality, compassionate care as the hospital also works to expand access to care for the communities we serve as part of our Vision for Expanded Access,” says Jere Stocks, WAH president.

Washington Adventist Hospital has been serving its communities in Montgomery and Prince George’s County for more than 100 years.

“I am proud of our hospital’s long legacy of healing and feel humbled and privileged to be part of the continued mission to improve the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing,” comments Portela.

For more information about Washington Adventist Hospital's Vision for Expanded Access, visit expandedhealthaccess.com. Also, visit Washington Adventist Hospital on Facebook at washingtonadventisthospital.com/facebook for the latest hospital news.



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Osama bin Laden warns Americans in tape -website


Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:25pm EDT

(Updates with background, details)

DUBAI, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden issued an apparently new audio tape on an Islamist website on Monday, warning the American people over their government's close ties to Israel.

The message, entitled "A statement to the American people", was approximately 10 minutes long and appeared on a website often used by supporters of al Qaeda.

The same website said earlier this month it would soon carry a "present" to Muslims from bin Laden, who is thought to be hiding in the mountainous terrain along the Afghan-Pakistani border, on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The message comes a few days after the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by al Qaeda operatives in 2001 in which nearly 3,000 people died in the United States.

In his last previous known message in June, bin Laden said U.S. President Barack Obama had planted the seeds of "revenge and hatred" towards the United States in the Muslim world.

Those remarks were issued just before a major speech by Obama who said he sought a "new beginning" between the United States and the Muslim community.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)


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Souce: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLE539246

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P.S. He's back to promote the 'war on terror'.
............... What, no Ramadan Kareem?
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There is life after Analog Television



Yes, there is life after DTV!

More than 3 Months have passed since the FCC mandatory switch of television broadcast signals from analog to digital; Yet, I've been able to survive.
As I had decided before the February deadline, I would not subscribe to cable or satellite. So, when the new deadline of June 12, 2009, arrived I was ready for the change.
I did get a digital converter box which didn't work; It turns out, that the digital signal is weaker than the analog was, and since I live in a suburban area it's even harder to get reception; Therefore, I just accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get the digital 'Boob Tube' signal.

Life goes by just fine without CBS, NBC, and ABC. Now, I get my news from the Internet, and from radio; Though, radio signals are also weak in my vicinity, and the variety is small. Still, I have discovered that there is life beyond the set. So, I can assure you with confidence that Television is just a luxury we can live without; My mind is not controlled by HBO or ESPN. And, I thank God for that!

Arsenio.
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Today on the Sunday Talk Shows


By John Amick

State of the Union: Collins Won't Support a 'Trigger'

Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins (D-Maine) said she would not support a "trigger" option in any legislation, meaning a provision to delay a public option and allow health insurance companies to lower costs on their own. "The problem with the trigger is it just delays the public option," Collins said on CNN's "State of the Union." Collins also said she believes the president erred at the beginning of the health-care reform effort and lost many independent voters by not focusing on costs. "He did not initially focus on cost," Collins said. "That is the number one concern, as I talk to my constituents. They're concerned that we may be creating an expensive new entitlement program. They're worried about the amount of debt that we already have accumulated."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reiterated today President Obama's support for a public option in health-care reform, yet Gibbs also said the president will not insist on the inclusion of a public option at all costs.

When asked to respond to New York Times' columnist Maureen Dowd's Sunday column calling out many Obama detractors as racist, Gibbs veered away from the assertion to highlight a struggling economy as the cause for consternation with Obama's policies. "I don't think the president believes that people are upset because of the color of his skin," Gibbs said. "I think people are upset because on Monday we celebrate the anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse that caused a financial catastrophe unlike anything we've ever seen."


This Week: Landrieu: Public Option Will Hurt Insurance Companies

Conservative Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) made clear she will not support any kind of explicit public option in health reform legislation, saying she's worried about its effect on insurance companies. "Many of us believe ... that it will undermine the private insurance system," Landrieu said on ABC's "This Week" She expressed her desire to find ways to inject competition in the market while avoiding additional government-run health care. When asked if she would support the "trigger" option, Landrieu was vague. "I can support potentially a fallback, but only if the private sector is allowed and given a great opportunity to get this right," Landrieu said. "I believe they can." Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), a strong advocate of a public option, said Landrieu's reply on the "trigger" was "too easy an answer" and said he will continue to press for a public option that, he feels, will only attract around five percent of the American population, despite larger predictions from conservatives.

More Sunday show wrap-ups after the jump.

Face the Nation: Snowe: President Should Take Public Option Off the Table

Republican moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), the most serious member of the GOP to work with Democrats on health-care reform to this point, says she would like to see President Obama eliminate an immediate public option from the reform debate. "I urged the president to take the public option off the table, because it's universally opposed by all Republicans in the Senate," Snowe said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "And therefore, there's no way to pass a plan that includes the public option. So I think he's recognizing that, because it is a roadblock to building the kind of consensus that we need to move forward." White House adviser David Axelrod echoed the administration's claims of support for a public option, but he downplayed its importance in final legislation. "We believe competition and choice will help bring prices down and improve care and give a better deal to consumers," Axelrod said. "So he continues to believe it's a good idea. He continues to advocate it. And I'm not willing to accept that it's not going to be in the final package."


When asked if she would be willing to be the lone Senate Republican to vote for a reform plan, Snowe said she'll only vote for what she thinks is right, no matter what that means for Republican support.

"I'll do what's right based on what is the right policy," Snowe said. "But I think it is important to build support. And that's what I'm looking for."



Posted at 12:21 PM ET on Sep 13, 2009

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Documentary about Jesuit missionary to China screened at Venice Film Festival


Fr. Matteo Ricci


Venice, Italy, Sep 12, 2009 / 06:13 pm (CNA).- A new documentary on the life of Fr. Matteo Ricci, a pioneering Jesuit missionary to China, was screened at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday.

The film is part of a revival of interest in Ricci, whom Pope Benedict XVI has called a model for a “fruitful meeting” between civilizations.

The movie, directed by Italian filmmaker Gjon Kolndrekaj, was shot in China and Italy.

Political and religious dignitaries from both countries attended the screening, ANSA reports. They included the Patriarch of Venice Cardinal Angelo Scola, China’s Ambassador to Italy Sun Yuxi and the Chinese Embassy’s cultural counselor Zhang Jianda.

Matteo Ricci was born in 1552 in the Marche town of Macerata. He became a Jesuit priest and a scholar of mathematics and astronomy before leaving for the Far East at the age of 26.

Audience members from Ricci’s hometown of Macerata included Bishop Claudio Giuliodori, Mayor Giorgio Meschini. The Governor of Marche Gian Maria Spacca was also in attendance.

Ricci spent four years in Goa on the west coast of India before traveling to China. There, he settled in Zhao Qing in the southernmost Guangdong Province and began studying Chinese. During his time there he produced his global Great Map of Ten Thousand Countries, which revolutionized the Chinese understanding of the rest of the world.

In 1589 he moved to Zhao Zhou and began sharing European mathematics discoveries with Chinese scholars. He became known as “Li Madou” and was renowned for his extraordinary memory and knowledge of astronomy. He eventually became a member of the court of Ming Emperor Wanli.

In 1601 he was allowed into the Forbidden City of Beijing, where he worked until his death in 1610.

Ricci’s work is familiar to Chinese schoolchildren of all ages but he was not well known in Italy until recently, ANSA says. Two successive exhibitions and a TV film have revived interest in his life.

Governor Spacca said that Father Ricci is one of his region’s “most important sons.”

“The fact this film is being shown on September 10 is also a special coincidence, as this was the very day in 1583 when Ricci left Macao and set out for inland China, the province of Canton,” he continued, according to ANSA.

Pope Benedict XVI recently sent a message to the Bishop of Marcerata which described the Jesuit missionary as a model for a “fruitful meeting” between European and Chinese civilizations.

“Matteo Ricci sets an example for our communities of people from different cultures and religions to bloom in the spirit of hospitality and mutual respect,” the Pontiff said.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009

Eight years after 9/11, Taliban roils 80 percent of Afghanistan



The hijacking of a NATO supply truck and Stephen Farrell’s kidnapping have focused attention on rising insecurity in Afghanistan’s north, strikingly illustrated on a new map.

By Aunohita Mojumdar Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the September 11, 2009 edition

Kabul, Afghanistan - A retaliatory NATO airstrike that killed scores of civilians. The kidnapping of New York Times journalist Stephen Farrell. The deadly shooting of his Afghan translator and the death of a British soldier in a violent and controversial rescue operation days later.

The events of this week have drawn attention to the unraveling security in northern Afghanistan in a way months of the creeping insurgency had not.

Long considered one of the most stable and peaceful parts of the country, the northern provinces have seen rising violence as heavy insurgent activity has spread to 80 percent of the country – up from 54 percent two years ago. (See map.) Under increasing pressure in southern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, militants who have long sought to extend their reach have turned their attention to the north, where NATO has established a second supply route in the wake of debilitating attacks on its southern pipeline.

"[Militants] have been trying to widen the ground for the insurgency in Afghanistan and now they have got momentum," says Waliullah Rahmani, executive director of the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies. "The militants are eager to target this route to prevent a smooth supply chain from northern Afghanistan."

Last week's airstrike targeted two fuel tankers headed to supply NATO troops in Kabul that had been hijacked by the Taliban. Up to 70 civilians who had gathered to siphon fuel from the trucks, which had become mired in mud in Kunduz Province, were killed in the strike.

Kunduz has seen a particular uptick in insurgent activity, says Thomas Ruttig, founder of the Afghan Analysts Network, which he attributes to pressure on insurgents in neighboring Pakistan. On Friday, Pakistan announced it had captured a senior Taliban leader, Muslim Khan.

"The IMU [Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan] have been pushed out of Waziristan and the north has Uzbek minorities," making the area hospitable for Uzbek militants, says Mr. Ruttig. While Kunduz itself does not border Uzbekistan, the neighboring province of Balkh borders Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan and could become the main supply route for NATO supplies if security continues to worsen in Kunduz province.

The map mentioned above also shows supply routes and the incremental increase in Taliban control of the country.


Frustrated Pashtuns sympathetic to Taliban

While the upsurge in violence is relatively recent, the conditions have been festering for some time, say Mr. Rahmani and Ruttig. The violence has been directly linked to districts with large Pashtun populations, whose grievances the government has long failed to address – making them sympathetic to the Taliban, who share their ethnicity and language.

"The districts which are turning violent are those which have had a very recent history of abuses against the Pashtuns. The government has allowed these conditions to go unaddressed and this is now being addressed by the population by giving shelter to the Taliban and other insurgents," says Prakhar Sharma, the head of research at the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies, an Afghan research organization.

Humanitarian groups concerned, but still operating

The growing insecurity is of particular concern to humanitarian and aid agencies which have been working in the more stable northern areas. Aid agencies like Oxfam, Care, and Save the Children have long argued that they are better able to deliver sustainable aid in these areas than in southern Afghanistan.

In fact many organizations have stopped working in the more insecure areas, not just because of the problems of access but also because of the conditions attached by donors who would like the development aid and humanitarian agencies to be used in pursuit of military goals. Aid groups felt that doing so would compromise their independence

While aid agencies approached by the Monitor said the growing insecurity had not stopped them from working in the north, they all expressed concern over the recent developments.

Ashley Jackson of Oxfam International says staff have had to change the way they work and pull back temporarily after the Kunduz bombing.

"So far we have not seen anything impacting on our work but we are definitely concerned," says Jennifer Rowell of Care. "We would like to make sure that the civil military guidelines are respected as are humanitarian laws and that we have access."

The militarization of aid has made it difficult for organizations like Care to engage in southern Afghanistan, says Ms. Rowell, and "we will have to be extra vigilant in the North."



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Did the Coast Guard or CNN cause the 9/11 panic on the Potomac?


A US Coast Guard boat patrols the Potomac River near Washington, DC on September 11, 2009. (Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP)

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Did the Coast Guard or CNN cause the 9/11 panic on the Potomac?


Most of the criticism for erroneous reports of gunshots is aimed at the Coast Guard exercise. But news organizations take hits too for going live with unconfirmed reports reminiscent of Chicken Little.


By Brad Knickerbocker Staff writer/ September 12, 2009 edition


The United States Coast Guard continues to take flak for its exercise on the Potomac River in Washington Friday. Critics say it should have been more sensitive to the mental atmosphere on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“The anxiety caused by this situation on such a solemn day is extremely disturbing,” said Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, senior Republican on a homeland security subcommittee. “It sounds very much like the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.”

Senior Coast Guard officials promise a “thorough review” of the incident in which there was a simulated attack on a “suspicious vessel” involving a radio broadcast of mock gunfire but no actual shots being fired.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs pushed back against suggestions that this week’s episode was somehow like one earlier this year when the Air Force conducted an unannounced photo op over New York City in which Air Force One appeared to be chased by fighter jets. Since many New Yorkers immediately remembered the day when hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Center, it seemed insensitive to say the least.

Gibbs pointed out that the initial breathless report on CNN was based on what someone heard on a radio scanner — unconfirmed by the Coast Guard, which in essence had said it didn’t know what the CNN reporter calling for comment was talking about. Based on what CNN had reported but without doing its own checking, Reuters and then Fox News went with the story as well.

“Before we report things like this, checking would be good,” Gibbs said. To which many media experts could only say, “Duh!”

“The higher the stakes, the more careful you have to be to make sure you are correct,” Tom Fiedler, dean of Boston University’s College of Communication, told the Los Angeles Times. “Unfortunately, this is one of those examples of ready-fire-aim journalism.”

Al Tompkins, a faculty member at the Poynter Institute, a journalism center in St. Petersburg, Fla., also told the LA Times: “It’s a really dangerous practice to use radio traffic as your principal source of information, because it so often turns out to be incorrect.”

Listening to the police radio scanner for stories to chase has been common practice in newsrooms for decades. But with cell phone texting and Twitter tweets, it brings to mind something Winston Churchill said: “A lie gets half way around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

In this case, it was a half hour — eternity in an age of Internet communication — before CNN corrected its first report.

It’s not an isolated problem, Tompkins writes on PoynterOnline.org:


“Reputable news organizations reporting bad information appears to be a growing problem in the American news media. Some newsrooms are cutting corners by not verifying information. Others are recycling incorrect information by simply reposting the work of others on their Web sites.


“Although cable news programs face a certain pressure to be first and fill a lot of time with breaking news, all newsrooms can stumble in the race to be first. The skill of verifying facts is more important than ever. And it may be the only thing that elevates journalism above the rest of the noise on the Internet.”


There are lessons in all of this, especially for young journalists in an increasingly competitive profession.

“As an editor, I forbade reporting off the [police] scanner, tempting though it is,” writes Dean Miller, director of the Center for News Literacy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in an email to reporters and columnists. “CNN’s 9/11 debacle this week is a perfect teaching moment.”Did the Coast Guard or CNN cause the 9/11 panic on the Potomac?
Most of the criticism for erroneous reports of gunshots is aimed at the Coast Guard exercise. But news organizations take hits too for going live with unconfirmed reports reminiscent of Chicken Little.

Source: http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/12/did-the-coast-guard-or-cnn-cause-the-911-panic-on-the-potomac/

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Chavez’s grip strengthens



By The Daily Progress

Published: September 13, 2009

Much diplomatic tut-tutting was sparked by Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez’s gift of a book to President Obama at the Summit of the Americas in April.

The book, “The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent,” wasn’t just an afterthought of a gift. Mr. Chavez, a political theater expert, made sure that the cameras captured the surprise gift and handshake, evidently intended to make a statement at Mr. Obama’s expense. That’s because the book makes the case against the U.S. and Europe for meddling in South America economically, politically and militarily.

President Obama sloughed off criticism of the warm greetings between the two, saying at the time that “Venezuela is a country whose defense budget is probably 1/600th of the United States’... . It’s unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands … with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States.”

Since the time of the infamous handshake, Mr. Chavez has been busy. He’s tried to prop up an ideological pal in Honduras, handed off anti-tank rocket launchers to terrorist insurgents in Colombia and closed 32 radio stations and two television stations in his own country. He’s criticized Peru for granting asylum to a leading political opponent in the 2006 Venezuelan presidential race, whom Mr. Chavez since tried to jail on corruption charges. He’s also proposed legislation prescribing prison terms for anyone convicted of “media crimes” in Venezuela.

Mr. Chavez has also been busy strengthening an axis between Venezuela and Iran. Although Iran is oil-rich, it falls about 40 percent short of its needed refining capacity. So, recently, he announced a deal to export 20,000 gallons of gasoline a day to Iran.

But in the most ominous development since the Obama-Chavez handshake, the Venezuelan leader announced plans to build what he called a “nuclear village” in Venezuela with Iranian cooperation. He offered no details, other than to defend his ally against charges it’s trying to build a nuclear weapon. CNN quotes him as saying, “Soon they will accuse us also of building an atomic bomb.”

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau warned just that in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece (“The Emerging Axis of Iran and Venezuela,” Sept. 8). Pointing to a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report, Mr. Morgenthau wrote that Venezuela has an estimated 50,000 tons of uranium ore in the ground. The report, he said, hints that Iran could be the beneficiary of any Venezuelan mining. Mr. Morgenthau’s office has investigated illegal Iranian bank transactions designed to hide the transfer of more than $300 million in cash to pay for nuclear weapons components and missiles. He wrote that his office believes Iran and Venezuela are working together to get around sanctions on weapons sales.

Mr. Chavez is opening up Venezuela to Iran because his “regime is bent on becoming a regional power and is fanatical in its approach to dealing with the U.S.,” Mr. Morgenthau said. And, he warned us all: That handshake in April is no reason to assume the threat has diminished. In fact … we are entering a period where the fruits of the Iran-Venezuela bond will begin to ripen.”

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Source: http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/opinion/op_ed/article/chavezs_grip_strengthens/45280/

Note: Bolds and Italics added.
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A Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On




Thousands pack D.C. to protest spending, taxes

Fiscal conservatives converge for 'March on Washington'



Demonstraters fill the streets in the nation's capital Saturday to protest what they consider the federal government's out-of-control spending.


View related photos



WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of protesters fed up with government spending marched to the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, showing their disdain for the president's health care plan with slogans such as "Obamacare makes me sick" and "I'm not your ATM."

The line of protesters clogged several blocks near the Capitol, according to the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Demonstrators chanted "enough, enough" and "We the People." Others yelled "You lie, you lie!" and "Pelosi has to go," referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Throngs of people waved U.S. flags and held signs reading "Go Green Recycle Congress" and "Obama Bin Lyin.'" Men wore colonial costumes as they listened to speakers who warned of "judgment day" — Election Day 2010.

Other signs — reflecting the growing intensity of the health care debate — depicted President Barack Obama with the signature mustache of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Many referred to Obama as a socialist or communist, and another imposed his face on that of the villainous Joker from "Batman."

‘It's going to cost too much’
Richard Brigle, 57, a Vietnam War veteran and former Teamster, came from Paw Paw, Mich. He said health care needs to be reformed — but not according to Obama's plan.

"My grandkids are going to be paying for this. It's going to cost too much money that we don't have," he said while marching, bracing himself with a wooden cane as he walked.

FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative organization led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, organized several groups from across the country for what they billed as a "March on Washington."

Organizers say they built on momentum from the April "tea party" demonstrations held nationwide to protest tax policies, along with growing resentment over the economic stimulus packages and bank bailouts.

Armey and other speakers directed their ire at Pelosi — Armey took a photo, telling the crowd he wanted to be able to prove to her they were there.

"If it's necessary, we'll come back here next year," he said.

Many protesters said they paid their own way to the event — an ethic they believe should be applied to the government. They say unchecked spending on things like a government-run health insurance option could increase inflation and lead to economic ruin.

‘We got a nightmare’
Terri Hall, 45, of Starke, Fla., said she felt compelled to become political for the first time this year because she was upset by government spending.

"Our government has lost sight of the powers they were granted," she said. She added that deficit spending is out of control, and said she thought it was putting the country at risk.

Race also became an issue when a black Republican leader denounced African-American politicians that she said had an "affinity" for socialism.

"I'm outraged prominent black politicians use the race card" to cover up their failed policies, said Deneen Borelli of New York.

One woman held a sign with images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama, with the words printed alongside: "He had a dream, we got a nightmare."



Sept. 12: Tea Party protesters march from the Freedom Plaza to the U.S. Capitol. WRC's Derrick Ward reports.
msnbc tv


Lawmakers also supported the rally. Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, said Americans want health care reform but they don't want a government takeover.

"Republicans, Democrats and independents are stepping up and demanding we put our fiscal house in order," Pence, of Indiana, told The Associated Press.

"I think the overriding message after years of borrowing, spending and bailouts is enough is enough," Pence said.

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., also spoke at the rally.

Other sponsors of the event include the Heartland Institute, Americans for Tax Reform and the Ayn Rand Center for Individuals Rights.

Connie Castleton, 52, of Irving, Texas, said she drove 20 hours from her home to attend the rally. The nurse said she's motivated to try and get others involved in opposing Obama's health care plan.

"There's a lot more people mad about what's going on than I thought," she said.

Several protesters said they represented a "silent majority" or referred to themselves as "community organizers" — a phrase often associated with the president.

"This isn't some right-wing conservative agenda," said 30-year-old Adam Moore of Rochester, Mich. "This is a true grass-roots movement."

Erica Coyle, who's in her 50s and is from Louisville, Ky., said problems began before Obama took office, but she said the situation has worsened and people are "finally waking up."

"This is his Waterloo," Coyle said of Obama
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Related:
Sept. 12: Fiscally conservative demonstrators rally against the president’s health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.
Nightly News
NBC Video: Politics

Obama appeals for support in health push
Sept. 12: Speaking in front of an enthusiastic crowd, President Barack Obama sought the support of those who already have insurance. NBC’s Mike Viqueira reports.
Thousands pack D.C. to protest spending
Obama: 'The time for bickering is over'
GOP lawmaker: 'A lot of us want to do reform'
U.S. accepts Iran's offer to talk
Slideshow

First 100 days
Striking images from President Barack Obama’s jam-packed first 100 days in office.
more photos
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Some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not


23And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

24And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

26Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

29And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
Acts 28:23-29.
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10 Things NEVER to Do on a Cruise

http://www.concierge.com/images/ideas/top_hawaii_hotels_video/cathayche_hanamaui_001p.jpg
by Cathay Che


Roughly 35 million people take a cruise ship holiday every year and spend upwards of $60 billion dollars. Maybe it’s the appeal of only having to unpack your suitcase once, or the idea that you travel from destination to destination while you sleep, maximizing your precious vacation time. But yes, cruising can be fun. Of course, there are the occasional accidents, illnesses, crimes and mysteries – with that many people onboard in somewhat cramped quarters, how could there not be? Also, being out on the open ocean has its inherent risks. But for those who don’t care to fly or who have their grandmothers in tow, cruises are a solid, family friendly option, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

NEVER: Touch a Bible!

No one is judging you for your piety or lack thereof, but Bibles were among the items replaced in cruise ship cabins after multiple outbreaks of the Norwalk virus from 2002 to 2007. The Norwalk virus is named after Norwalk, Ohio, the town where the earliest documented cases over thirty years ago. Though the symptoms are rarely life-threatening, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for up to three days is no picnic on the high seas. The Holland America line got serious about debugging their ships and enlisted 600 crew and subcontractors supervised by Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist Megan Murray. Everything touched by hands that might have carried the virus—from Bibles to poker chips, railings to remote controls—had to be sanitized to a temperature of 170 degrees or thrown out. NEVER: Rock the boat.
(Excerpt of Article)
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P.S. This is the only point that I wanted to cover here; The headline shocked when I read it, and shows me just one of the reasons why people are so confused now a days.
If you'd like you're welcome to read the rest of this article.
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The Sower and The Seeds



1And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14The sower soweth the word.

15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:

32But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

33And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.

34But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.


Mark 4:1-34.

Friday, September 11, 2009

8 Years Later...Speeches......and rain


On September 11, 2001:

According to the 911 Commission's findings 4 passenger airplanes were hijacked; 3 of the commercial jets were crashed into the World Trade Center Towers, and the Pentagon; The other passenger plane crashed and burned in Pennsylvania. Within a matter of minutes of the disastrous assaults pictures of Muslim foreigners, and list of their names were released. Also, it was decided that Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attacks, since he had been recorded on video declaring a Jihad against the United States in 1997.


On September 11, 2009:

It was a stormy morning in New York City where ceremonies were conducted to commemorate the 8th anniversary of the deadliest assault in American history. The names of the victims of September 11, 2001, were read, and a moment of silence was observed in memory of the thousands who perished during the impact of the planes and the collapse of the buildings. The solemn ceremonies were held at the site of the World Trade Center, now called Ground Zero; Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated, and pledged to commemorate the day with an emphasis on volunteerism.

In Washington D.C. there was a false alarm* when a Coast Guard training exercise touched-off some confusion. CNN reported that a "911" call had claimed that someone heard a "bang", which unfolded in a commotion in the Capital City.

This rainy Friday morning at the Pentagon, President Barack H. Obama laid a reef at the site where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed and killed 184 people. Obama, who designated Sept. 11 as a national day of remembrance and service, said coming together as a nation is "the strongest rebuke to those who attack us" as well as paying the "highest tribute" to those who died. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/09/11/UPI-NewsTrack-TopNews/UPI-85691252685497/
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How much has changed in 8 years. When the terror attacks occurred, Osama Bin Laden the leader of Al Quaeda was blamed; An invasion of Afghanistan was promptly justified to chase down and kill Osama Bin Laden. Still, Osama Bin Laden is on the run.
This is Obama's first September 11, in office; He has pledged to find Osama.
Yes, we now have a new administration: Barack H. Obama and Joe Biden;
8 years have passed, an anniversary, yet, no sign of Osama Bin Laden.
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*Another thing that hasn't changed is that they continue to have "training excersices" on September 11; The same way they had several "military training excersices" on that fateful day, 8 years ago.
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Were there not ten cleansed?


11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.


Luke 17: 11-18.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009

Nurse Won't Comply with State Vaccination Order

Nurse Won't Comply With State Vaccination Order


[link to rochester.ynn.com]


09/06/2009

A vaccine for the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, is still a month away at best. But health care workers are already being bumped to the front of the line.


Those who work in health care are being strongly urged by the federal government to get immunized once the swine flu vaccine is available. The state of New York is taking it one step further by making vaccination a requirement.

Health care professionals do have an obligation to protect their patients, but at what cost? For one health care worker the new state directive intended to stop the spread of H1N1 goes too far.

Just a word like pandemic is enough to scare anyone in the health care field. For registered nurse Deborah Gerhardt, there are words even scarier.

"Whenever you hear mandatory required, you start to get a little bit anxious," says Gerhardt.

She's been a nurse for 15 years and has never had a flu shot.

"I feel that everyone should have a choice," says Gerhardt.

She recently learned she doesn’t have a choice.

"It was just one day we were told you will receive the flu injection," says Gerhardt.

The New York State Department of Health is ordering tens of thousands of health workers be immunized against seasonal and swine flu.

"As a parent, as a doctor, as a public health professional please get your vaccine," New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Richard Daines asked during a news conference last week.

The commissioner says refusal to be immunized against H1N1 could increase the spread of the virus and stress and already overwhelmed medical system. He says when a vaccine is approved, there's no reason to believe it won't be safe.

"It goes through that same system and the testing so I'll have every confidence the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control put in it," says Daines.

After her own research, Gerhardt isn't as confident in a potential vaccine.

"It's left a lot of questions for me," she says.

Questions that have left her with one final decision.

"I so strongly don't want a vaccine that I'm not comfortable having injected into my body," says Gerhardt. "If I refuse I can' work in nursing."

It's a choice she wishes she didn't have to make.

"This is just so surreal right now," says Gerhardt. "I don't know what I will do."

Gerhardt says she's never had the flu and practices simple preventative measures like hand washing and simple sanitation techniques. She believes that's even more effective.

She realizes she could lose her job for speaking out, but says it's important since she knows others in the health care field have the same concerns.

Conquer your enemies with love and kindness.

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Christianity is not a religion, it's a reality.

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Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)

Source: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message876299/pg1

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Missing Link found in church


Missing Link found in church

A Catholic who believed his prayers were answered when he was rescued from a lift was killed when he went to church to give thanks and the stone altar fell on him.

Gunther Link, 45, died instantly as he was crushed under the ancient 860lb monument in the Weinhaus Church in Vienna, Austria.

Link's body was found by parishoners attending Mass the next day after he had been reported missing by his cousin.

Police spokesman Roman Hahslinger said: "He was a very religious man and had been scared when he was trapped in the lift and had prayed for release.

"A short while later he was pulled out of the elevator and he went straight to the church to thank God.

"He seems to have embraced a stone pillar on which the stone altar was perched and it fell on him, killing him instantly.

"We have found his fingerprints on the pillar. We are now investigating the case further."
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The History of The House of Rothschild

The History of The House of Rothschild

UN Says New Currency Is Needed to Fix Broken 'Confidence Game'


UN Says New Currency Is Needed to Fix Broken ‘Confidence Game’


By Jonathan Tirone

Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar’s role in international trade should be reduced by establishing a new currency to protect emerging markets from the “confidence game” of financial speculation, the United Nations said.


UN countries should agree on the creation of a global reserve bank to issue the currency and to monitor the national exchange rates of its members, the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development said today in a report.


China, India, Brazil and Russia this year called for a replacement to the dollar as the main reserve currency after the financial crisis sparked by the collapse of the U.S. mortgage market led to the worst global recession since World War II. China, the world’s largest holder of dollar reserves, said a supranational currency such as the International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights, or SDRs, may add stability.


“There’s a much better chance of achieving a stable pattern of exchange rates in a multilaterally-agreed framework for exchange-rate management,” Heiner Flassbeck, co-author of the report and a UNCTAD director, said in an interview from Geneva. “An initiative equivalent to Bretton Woods or the European Monetary System is needed.”


The 1944 Bretton Woods agreement created the modern global economic system and institutions including the IMF and World Bank.


Enhanced SDRs


While it would be desirable to strengthen SDRs, a unit of account based on a basket of currencies, it wouldn’t be enough to aid emerging markets most in need of liquidity, said Flassbeck, a former German deputy finance minister who worked in 1997-1998 with then U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to contain the Asian financial crisis.


Emerging-market countries are underrepresented at the IMF, hindering the effectiveness of enhanced SDR allocations, the UN said. An organization should be created to manage real exchange rates between countries measured by purchasing power and adjusted to inflation differentials and development levels, it said.


“The most important lesson of the global crisis is that financial markets don’t get prices right,” Flassbeck said. “Governments are being tempted by the resulting confidence game catering to financial-market participants who have shown they’re inept at assessing risk.”


The 45-year-old UN group, run by former World Trade Organization chief Supachai Panitchpakdi, “promotes integration of developing countries in the world economy,” according to its Web site. Emerging-market nations should consider restricting capital mobility until a new system is in place, the group said.


The world body began issuing warnings in 2006 about financial imbalances leading to a global recession.


The UN Trade and Development report is being held for release via print media until 6 p.m. London time.


To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 7, 2009 09:52 EDT





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Remembering 9/11


Every year when September 11 comes around, we in the Fire Service pay our respects to those killed that horrible day in many ways. This year, Engineer Matt Cole with the Sacramento Metro Fire District organized an event that we hope to continue for many years.

Tomorrow morning, September the 11th at 8:00 A.M., 343 Firefighters from throughout the Sacramento Region will participate in a “9/11 Memorial Climb” at the Renaissance Tower at 8th & K Streets in Downtown Sacramento.

This event is to pay tribute to the 343 New York City Firefighters who were killed on September 11, 2001. Firefighters will climb the inside stairs, to the top of the building four times, for a total of 110 flights. The 110 flights represent how tall the World Trade Center Towers were.

Each Firefighter has paid a registration fee and all proceeds from this event will go to the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Widows and Orphans Fund. This event is not open to the public, however anyone can contribute to the charity by visiting this site; www.ufanyc.org/funds/widows_and_children.php

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 and could not be possible without the help of the Renaissance Tower, USAA Real Estate Company, and SITQ.

No matter what you do tomorrow, please keep in your heart the memory of the Firefighters and all of the victims that were killed that tragic day. It has been 8 years since these terrorists committed this horrible crime, but we must never forget.

Below is a portion of an email that Sacramento Fire Department, Battalion Chief Marc Bentovoja, sent out today to our Fire Department. He was one of many from Sacramento that responded to the World Trade Center on that day;

“As an agency, eight years ago this week the Sacramento Fire Department responded to WTC. The events were incomprehensible and many that responded took home indelible life altering images and memories. To a person, those that responded will state that it was an honor to have been able to represent our agency and City at this tragic incident. As we come to another anniversary of 9/11 we will all be swamped with media accounts and public comment by those that have the luxury of only remembering the events of that day once a year. I commend those of you that have chosen/volunteered in formal ways to memorialize those that gave their lives in efforts to save others. Events such as the 110 flight stair climb are great ways to raise the public consciousness in remembrance of the 343 from WTC. But if we want to truly honor their memory, we need to honor it daily. We're all personally responsible for our own Knowledge Skills and Abilities relative to our job. The Department has a responsibility to provide us with a level of training, a foundation if you will. But we as individuals, officers, etc. have much more control over our level of performance. Average is not good enough, mediocrity kills. We've all been apart of, or a witness to, an on the job "Close call". Did we survive these "Close calls" because of good training/preparation, or did we create the "Close call" because of a lack of training/preparation?

Our profession has come a long way over the years. Some changes have been for the good, some not so good. Technology has made available training aids and information never before seen. My opinion is that "Lap top" Computers in recliners don't train us for the next time our abilities will be tested by a high risk, low frequency situation. We'd better be ready! Captains, are your personnel going home everyday because you've prepared and trained them, or because of the "luck of the draw" they just weren't tested that tour?

So, as 9/11 approaches hug your kids a little tighter, appreciate life a little more. But honor those that "gave" their lives by preparing for the event that we pray never happens. I don't want to deal with another 9/11. I do want to sleep at night knowing those I work for, with and supervise, are better trained because we've done everything in our power to prepare them for even the unimaginable!”



Still asking for signs and wonders? Read the Scriptures.


Many people today are still asking (despite all the evidence) God to show them a sign, to dazzle them so they can believe in Him; Others, pray for God to grant them a wish, to show them a miracle so they can "truly" believe that He exists.

The Lord through His Son Jesus Christ has provided us ample proof to show that He loves us; His Son died on a cross to save humanity from its assured damnation due to sin. The Holy Bible gives us all the proof we need to believe in Him; Then, to heed His invitation to be born again, repent and become a child of God.


46And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

49But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
,,,,,,,,,,Luke 6:46-49.

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The Lord's Apostles didn't fully understand what He had told them would happen. They went to the Lord's tomb, and wondered what had happened to His body. This shows that in spite of having seen, heard and walked with Jesus for 3 1/2 years; they never completely discerned the Lord's instructions.

There is a lesson to be learnt form this: We must not only understand the Scriptures, but, also live them in our deeds. We must comprehend His words, and recognize that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is the ultimate truth; which will come to pass without equivocations. His Word is Gospel Truth.


6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

9For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. John 20:6-9.

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In the Parable of the Rich Man and the Leper, Jesus taught us that 'reiligiosity' without a change of heart is worthless; It will take us straight to hell, unless our profession corresponds with our actions. We can not believe the Holy Scriptures, if we don't treat our fellowman as we would have them treat us. The Jews had Moses and the Prophets, or the Old Testament to show them what Jehovah (JHVH) expected from His people. The Lord lead His people from Abraham until the birth of John the Baptist, through His Patriarchs, Prophets, and His Word the Old Testament; Yet, they constantly resisted, and rebelled against Him. When His Son Jesus came to dwell among the professed children of God, most of them, especially the High Priests, the Scribes, and the Pharisees, rejected Him, and sought to slay Him; Which they ultimately achieved; That's why Jesus in this parable states: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ; If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.


In the Parable, Jesus was foretelling their present unbelief, and also their future rejection after His death and Resurrection.


Have things changed any? Are we not all guilty of being just as rebellious as the rich man in Hades (hell)?

27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
.....Luke 16:27-31.

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Friends, brethren If we believe that He is? We must heed His warnings, take His advice, be converted and live according to His commandments. This is the only possible way to believe in Him; By doing His will.


We know that even the Apostles doubted what the Lord Jesus has told them would happen. Need we be like them? We who walk daily with Jesus; Need we also doubt His sure word of prophecy? Will we also ask: Where is His body? Where is His coming? He's not really coming soon?


Folks, we have the New Testament and the Old Testament to show us what the Lord wills for us; Need we anymore signs or wonders? Can we not see in the words of our Lord Jesus the truth? Do we need an extraterrestrial to come and tell you something we already know, so you can believe there is life in the universe? Our Savior Jesus was killed and lives! Isn't the Word of God sufficient?


We will see greater things than that which we can imagine when we see the Son of God coming in the clouds with thousands of angels in glory and majesty. Will you be ready to meet Him. Or. do you need more proof? I pray you read the Bible, and realize that the Lord means what He says. Don't you ever doubt Him.


He is coming, as the Scriptures say. Will you believe, and act accordingly?


Can you read the signs, and wonder, when? Maranatha.



Arsenio.


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