Friday, July 22, 2011

Temp hits 104 in NYC


JULY 22, 2011, 3:45 P.M. ET

Temp hits 104 in NYC

NEW YORK — The temperature has hit 104 degrees in Central Park.

Officials from a variety of city agencies, including the Office of Emergency Management, held a briefing Friday.

Among other things, they reminded the public that cooling centers are available.

There have been some outages and voltage reductions — and conservation is strongly urged.

The National Weather Service says the 104-degree mark was hit around 2:40 p.m.

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Irish prime minister slams Vatican over child sex abuse


Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has accused the Vatican of not taking adequate steps to deal with child abuse by priests.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has accused the Vatican of not taking adequate steps to deal with child abuse by priests.



By the CNN Wire Staff
July 20, 2011 10:56 p.m. EDT

CNN) -- Ireland's prime minister has launched a stinging attack on the Vatican, a week after a report said the Catholic Church in Ireland did not take serious steps to stamp out child abuse by priests, even after the scandal blew up worldwide.

Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the Cloyne report, focused on the area around the southern city of Cork, had exposed the Vatican as seeking to frustrate an inquiry into child sex abuse for its own benefit.

"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold, instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and reputation," he told Ireland's lower house of parliament, or Dail, as it debated a motion on the report.

On listening to the evidence of humiliation and betrayal, Kenny said, "The Vatican's reaction was to parse and analyze it with the gimlet eye of a canon lawyer ... this calculated, withering position being the polar opposite of the radicalism, humility and compassion upon which the Roman Church was founded."

The report exposed "a tale of a frankly brazen disregard for protecting children," Kenny added, as he praised the courage of the victims of abuse who had spoken out to investigators.

Released July 13, the report into abuses in the diocese of Cloyne demolished claims by the Catholic Church in Ireland that policies it put in place in 1996 had enabled it to get a handle on the problem.

It also accused Bishop John Magee, who was responsible for policing abuse in his diocese, of not backing the policy himself and failing to take action against abusers.

While criticizing the Vatican, Kenny also said the state shared some of the blame for failing to "get its house in order" on child protection.

"For too long Ireland has neglected its children," he said, as he announced moves to introduce new legislation that would put "children first."

The government "awaits the considered response of the Holy See," he said.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, said in a statement Tuesday that some criticisms of the Vatican went too far and "demonstrate little awareness of what the Holy See has actually done over the years to help effectively address the problem."

Referring to a 1997 letter from the Vatican's ambassador to Ireland to Irish bishops, which was highlighted in the report, he said, "There is no reason to interpret that letter as being intended to cover up cases of abuse."

His statement was not the formal Vatican response, he said, which "will be forthcoming in the most appropriate time and manner."

Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter called Lombardi's statement "unfortunate and disingenuous" and said he had expected a more formal response from the Vatican.

The 421-page Cloyne report details how complaints against 19 clerics in the diocese were dealt with between 1996 and 2009.

CNN's Richard Allen Greene and journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.

Explosion Rocks Oslo Gov't Offices



Published on Jul 22, 2011 by

A loud explosion shattered windows Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. (July 22)

Heatwave causes brownouts in NYC as power use spikes

The stadium is reflected in the glass as young fans sit in an air-conditioned restaurant and watch the New York Mets play the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning of their MLB National League baseball game at CitiField in New York, July 21, 2011. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine

The stadium is reflected in the glass as young fans sit in an air-conditioned restaurant and watch the New York Mets play the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning of their MLB National League baseball game at CitiField in New York, July 21, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Ray Stubblebine


NEW YORK | Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:51pm EDT

(Reuters) - A brutal heatwave caused brownouts as homes and businesses in New York City and Westchester County crank up their air conditioners and could push power usage to a new all-time record on Friday, said power provider Consolidated Edison.

Power companies across the Northeast, including Con Edison, said they had enough electricity to meet the demand, but warned heavy usage could stress some power lines and generating facilities, which could leave some customers in the dark temporarily.

Con Edison reduced the voltage, a so-called brownout, due to equipment failures in several neighborhoods in Westchester and Queens overnight, affecting more than 100,000 customers.

The company said it fixed the problems and ended both the Queens and Westchester brownouts Friday morning.

Customers do not lose power in a voltage reduction. Con Edison had only 500 customers without power early Friday.

Many customers do not notice the voltage has been reduced. The reduction primarily affects things like incandescent lights, hot water heaters and some motors.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning until 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT) for the New York City area.

Temperatures in New York will reach 99 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) on Friday with the humidity making it feel more like 112 F, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.com.

The heatwave will not break until Sunday when the mercury returns to more normal levels in the 80s and low 90s F.

Con Edison said usage peaked at 12,710 megawatts on Thursday. That was shy of the all-time record of 13,141 MW set in August 2006 before the economic recession weakened demand.

The company said demand could top the record on Friday.

VOLTAGE REDUCTION

Con Edison said it reduced the voltage in parts of central and western Queens early Friday morning affecting about 107,000 customers due to problems on electrical equipment.

Con Edison reduced the voltage in parts of Westchester, including the towns of Elmsford, Greenburgh, Ardsley, Irvington and Tarrytown, affecting about 29,000 customers.

Both voltage reductions ended Friday morning.

The company reduced the voltage in both areas as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain service as crews work to repair the problem.

During the voltage reduction, Con Edison asked customers in the affected areas not to use appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment and to turn off lights and televisions when not needed.

In addition to the customers affected by the voltage reduction, Con Edison urged all consumers to conserve power to help keep the lights on and air conditioners humming.

Con Edison and other energy service providers in the state and across the U.S. Northeast activated some of their demand response programs, which pay consumers to reduce power usage during peak times when needed.

Customers can reduce their power usage by turning up the air conditioner thermostat, turning off lights, elevators and other electrical equipment, and for those with backup generators on site, producing their own electricity.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich and Lisa Shumaker)

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Shots fired at Norwegian youth camp

July 22, 2011 12:42 PM

Utoya, an island in Tyrifjorden in the county of Buskerud, Norway, houses a summer youth camp that was the scene of shootings Friday, July 22, 2011.

Utoya, an island in Tyrifjorden in the county of Buskerud, Norway, houses a summer youth camp that was the scene of shootings Friday, July 22, 2011. (Utoya AS)

(CBS/AP)

Last Updated 1:00 p.m. ET

OSLO, Norway - Police say they are sending anti-terror police to a youth camp outside Oslo after reports of a shooting there following the bomb blast at the government headquarters.

The news site VG reported that a man dressed in a police uniform opened fire at the camp. It says several people were injured.

A former prime minster was due to speak at the youth camp, sponsored by the ruling Labor Party on Utoya, an island in Tyrifjorden. Approximately 560 people were attending, according to AFP.

Panic has spread as people are trapped on the island, which reports children are desperately trying to call their parents, or are trying to swim away.

Oslo police chief Anstein Gjengdal said anti-terror units were being sent to the camp at Utoya, outside the Norwegian capital.

He had no other information on that incident, which came hours after a bomb blast outside the government headquarters killed at least two people and injured 15.

Bomb damages gov't building in Oslo, 2 dead

Assistant Chief of Police Kurt Lier had little information about what had happened on the island, but said if people are leaving island swimming, it is a "long swim."


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California Brings Gay History Into The Classroom

by ANA TINTOCALIS
San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk is seen in the city's 7th annual gay freedom parade in 1978. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Earlier this month, the state became the first in the nation to mandate teaching of gay history in social studies classes.
AP

San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk is seen in the city's 7th annual gay freedom parade in 1978. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Earlier this month, the state became the first in the nation to mandate teaching of gay history in social studies classes.


July 22, 2011
from KQED

Gay history is now a requirement in California public schools because of a new state law that says the contributions of gays and lesbians must be included in social studies instruction. Now teachers are figuring out how to incorporate the new material into their classes.

Teachers Take Lessons On New Lessons

Even though the first day of school is a long way off, teacher Eleanor Pracht-Smith is getting her lesson plans together. She's from a small district near Sacramento, but she and other educators traveled to San Francisco to learn about how they can address gay and lesbian issues in the classroom.

"I think it's important to recognize that people from any background can contribute to history, to affirm that they've made accomplishments is nice," Pracht-Smith says. "And I think that helps people who recognize themselves and identify with those groups."

The law adds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to a long list of groups that should be represented in social studies classes, such as African-Americans or Mexican-Americans. Pracht-Smith says she's a bit conflicted about how she'll put the law into practice.

"I feel like we're labeling if we're saying that, this person contributed to history and by the way, they are such and such," she says. "It seems like we're meeting a quota, and that I don't like," she says.

'It Isn't About Teaching Sex'

One of the people Pracht-Smith can turn to for help is Will Grant. He teaches history at a private school east of San Francisco, The Atheanian School. He's led teacher workshops on how to include gay and lesbian history into social studies classes.

"People act as if gays and lesbians popped into the historical world in 1969, and when people find out that gays and lesbians have been a part of all cultures, going past recorded history, then that really shifts the way that people think about things," Grant says.

Grant says it isn't about teaching sex — it's about recognizing sexual identity.

"Sex is something that you cover in health class," he says. "Sexual identity is this idea of who does your sexuality make you into, and how does that affect a person's — and a group of peoples' — social position and the way society looks at them, and the way they look at society. That's what we cover."

State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced the measure requiring public schools to teach the historical contributions of gay Americans. It was approved by the Assembly 49-25 on a party line vote July 5, and was signed into law nine days later.

Rich Pedroncelli/AP

State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced the measure requiring public schools to teach the historical contributions of gay Americans. It was approved by the Assembly 49-25 on a party line vote July 5, and was signed into law nine days later.

Supporters of the new law also believe teaching gay history will help to foster tolerance on campus. UC Berkeley professor Tina Trujillo says a change in instruction can shift students' opinions on a given subject.

"We already have state law that mandates that we teach about women, that we teach about Asian-Americans, that we teach about various other groups, marginalized and non-marginalized, Trujillo says. "And the intention behind that law, is to make sure that students develop a well-rounded understanding in their communities."

Some Divided Over Law

Not everyone is supportive. Randy Thomasson is with the nonprofit group Save California, and he says teaching gay history will simply distract students and teachers.

"This is not tolerant, it's promoting something," Thomasson says. "If you go into a classroom with second graders and say, 'Let me tell you about a man who was really attracted to other men.' Those kids will squirm, they'll bust up laughing. Why? They're not even sexually developed."

But others, like Judy Elliot, say it's about empowering kids. Elliot is in charge of curriculum for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She says teaching about influential gay and lesbian leaders sends a message to gay and straight students that they have promising futures. She says teachers should no longer side-step the issue.

"So there will be lots of opportunities to take a standard, and then find an interesting article or an interesting something or other," Elliot says. "There are many historians that we study right now that were gay, but nobody talks about them, right?"

The new law means California will begin buying new textbooks that include gay and lesbian history once the state budget improves. California is one of the biggest buyers of teaching materials in the U.S. That means these textbooks will most likely be offered to other states as well.

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Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them


Deuteronomy 29

1These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

3The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:

4Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

6Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.

7And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

8And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

9Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

10Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,

11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

12That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:

13That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

15But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:

16(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;

17And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)

18Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

19And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

20The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

21And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:

22So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;

23And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

24Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

25Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:

26For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:

27And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:

28And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.


29The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
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Thursday, July 21, 2011

The "Heat Dome" Is Here

The "Heat Dome" Is Here

Thursday, Jul 21, 2011 | Updated 7:19 PM EDT
Dangerously high temperatures in the D.C. area kept emergency room workers busy Thursday. As Jackie Bensen reports, even those accustomed to working outdoors in the summer were overcome by the extreme heat.

Dangerously high temperatures in the D.C. area kept emergency room workers busy Thursday. As Jackie Bensen reports, even those accustomed to working outdoors in the summer were overcome by the extreme heat.


You probably saw this coming, too. Three straight days of 100 degrees have been in the forecast all week, so why not three straight days of excessive heat warnings?

A warning has been issued for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Furthermore, today's warning has been extended two hours to 10 p.m., and Friday's warning has been expanded by four hours and will be in effect from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

News4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer doesn't expect any record high temps, but highs of 100 three days in a row has only happened three times before in D.C. history.

We didn't quite get there Thursday, at least not at Reagan National Airport, where the high reached 99 degrees and the heat index 112.

By 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the heat index had reached 120 in Calvert County, Md., and 125 in Fredericksburg and Warrenton in Virginia, Kammerer reported. Late Thursday afternoon, the heat index was at 118 in LaPlata and 119 in Huntingtown.

Friday will be worse, Kammerer said. He again expects a possible high of 101 Friday and triple digits again Saturday before we see any relief from a cold front expected to move in Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Along with the heat and humidity, the region also has to deal with poor air quality. The breeze helped out Thursday, but it will not hang around for Friday, meteorologist Chuck Bell reported. A Code Red air quality alert will be in effect Friday. Everyone should limit strenuous outdoor activity because the air is unhealthy to breathe. Turn off as many lights and appliances as possible, don't drive if you don't have to, do not apply chemicals to your lawn or garden, and avoid mowing.

Stay indoors if you can, but if you have to go out, keep your physical activity to a minimum. Stay hydrated and look out for the elderly and pets.

In the midst of the skyrocketing temps, one of the old standbys for staying cool -- the Warwick Pool in Alexandria, Va. -- temporarily closed due to a telephone outage, because health department guidelines insist a public pool can't be open without a working landline. The pool had reopened before 3 p.m.

Maryland State Police are on the look out for stranded drivers to help them in the heat. Troopers are directed to help drivers with disabled vehicles as quickly as possible through Friday, police said. Drivers should be sure to carry plenty of water and a working cell phone and, of course, should not leave a child or pet in a car alone.

Virginia State Police also are on heightened alert for disabled vehicles. They're asking motorists to make sure their vehicles are in top shape, their gas tanks and other fluids filled, and their tire air pressure checked. But if you do need to fill your gas tank, try to do it early or late when the heat isn't so bad because of the air quality.

The Maryland Transit Administration is taking steps to protect MARC trains, equipment and passengers during the heat wave, saying the severe heat pushes equipment to the limit. The agency will aggressively address issues as they occur and resolve them as quickly as possible.

In June 2010, hundreds of passengers were stranded for two hours on a broken-down MARC. Several were treated for heat-related issues.

At Union Station in Washington, water coolers will be provided.

Metro riders should remember that the transit agency is often dealing with air conditioning problems, so if you wind up on a hot car, get off at the next stop, walk down two cars and get back on. Metro railcars operate as pairs so every two cars share the same problem.

Power companies are preparing to deal with outages. Pepco and Baltimore Gas & Electric say the region's power supply is expected to be enough to meet demand, but the utilities are advising customers to take steps to save energy. Pepco and BGE are staffing to quickly address any equipment issues that may arise from heat or potential storms resulting from the heat.

Set air-conditioning thermostats at 78 degrees and use an electric fan, which doesn’t require as much energy, and the air will seem cooler without sacrificing comfort.
Keep window shades, blinds, or drapes closed to block the sunlight during the hottest part of the day and retain cooler air inside your home or business.
Limit the use of electrically heated water and turn off non-essential appliances and as many lights as possible.
Limit opening refrigerator or freezer doors.
Postpone using high-energy appliances like electric stoves, washing machines, dishwashers and dryers until the evening.

This NOAA animation shows the predicted high temperatures through Thursday:




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'Campus Crusade For Christ' Out, 'Cru' In

Campus Crusade For Christ

First Posted: 7/20/11 05:30 PM ET Updated: 7/21/11 02:51 PM ET



By Adelle M. Banks
c. 2011 Religion News Service

(RNS) Campus Crusade for Christ is out. "Cru" is in.

The 60-year-old evangelical ministry announced its new name at a staff conference in Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday (July 19), saying the old name had become problematic.

"We've been having issues with two words in the name -- campus and crusade," said Steve Sellers, a vice president who oversees the ministry's U.S. operations, in an interview.

Though the Orlando, Fla.-based organization began on campuses in 1951, it has expanded to more than two dozen ministries focused on topics such as families, athletes, the military and inner cities.

When Campus Crusade was founded by the late Bill Bright and his wife Vonette, the word "crusade" typically referred to the large, stadium events held by evangelists like Billy Graham.

"In today's culture it carries more weight in terms of its historic meaning," Sellers said, with people thinking "more to the days of the Crusaders and dealing with the Middle East as opposed to a positive use of the word."

Cru isn't the only religious organization that has moved away from "crusade." Wheaton College, Graham's alma mater in Illinois, changed its mascot from Crusaders to Thunder in 2000. Graham's son Franklin leads "festivals" instead of crusades, and his grandson Will holds "celebrations."

Most recently, Crusader Lutheran Church in Rockville, Md., changed its name to Living Faith Lutheran Church out of concern that the old name had "militaristic" and "non-Christian" overtones.

Sellers said the Crusade-to-Cru change is part of that trend.

"We don't want the words that we use to get in the way of the message that we have," he said.

In a Frequently Asked Questions feature on its website, the ministry explained why leaders also opted to take the word "Christ" out of its title.

"Cru enables us to have discussions about Christ with people who might initially be turned off by a more overtly Christian name," the response read. "We believe that our interaction and our communication with the world will be what ultimately honors and glorifies Christ."

During the extensive renaming process, Sellers said researchers found that 9 percent of Christians, and 20 percent of non-Christians, were turned off by the original name. A total of 1,600 alternatives were considered.

The name Cru -- already used on many U.S. college campuses -- will be used throughout the United States. Most of the international ministries affiliated with Cru use a name other than Campus Crusade for Christ. Its Canadian affiliate is called Power to Change and European ministries use the name Agape.

Sellers said the name of the umbrella organization, Campus Crusade for Christ International, will still be used for now. The global organization includes more than 25,000 full-time and part-time people in 191 countries.

"From the beginning, Bill (Bright) was open to changing our name. He never felt it was set in stone. In fact, he actually considered changing the name 20 or 25 years ago," said Vonette Bright said in a statement. "We want to remove any obstacle to people hearing about the most important person who ever lived -- Jesus Christ."

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