Sunday, October 30, 2011

Survive the Zombie Apocalypse: The Cost of a Survival Kit

October 30, 2011

By Casey Bond

zombie survival kitWhen it comes to your emergency savings fund, have you set aside some money in preparation for a real emergency? For instance, when the zombie apocalypse hits, will you be ready?

One of the key possessions you should have on hand is azombie survival kit. Putting one together requires quite a few items, and the cash to fund it, so make sure you budget for this end-of-the-world must-have.

Emergency Essentials

While there are endless items it would be nice to have in your zombie survival kit, at least make sure you’re covered all theemergency essentials you’ll need to stay alive. Keep in mind, you want to keep you kit light, so try to scavenge for things like food and weapons along the way to the nearest COSTCO.

bic lighterBic lighter: $1

With no gas or electricity, you will need a way to keep warm. Lighters are small and lightweight, though they don’t last long. Consider stocking up on several.

can openerCan opener: $10

Canned food will likely be the most abundant and lost-lasting sustenance available, so be sure you can actually get to it.

mylar blanketMylar blanket: $2

Made from the same material as those foil-like balloons, protect yourself from the elements by wrapping up in this shiny, durable blanket.

aluminum water bottleAluminum Water Bottle: $15

After most disasters, fresh water is hard to come by–keep a refillable aluminum water bottle on hand for when you come across clean water sources.

first aid kitFirst Aid Kit: $20

If you’re bitten, game over. However, there are a number of ways you could be injured while navigating the post-apocalyptic world. Make sure you’re prepared with bandages, disinfectant and tape.

maglightMaglight: $18

This heavy duty flashlight allows you to find your way around in the dark, and doubles as a handy brain-basher for close encounters with the walking dead.

batteriesAA Batteries: $15

Keep your flashlight going and be able to juice up any useful small electronics you find. Pro tip: Rubbing a battery and steel wool together will start a fire if there aren’t any lighters or matches around.

pocketknifePocket knife: $10

Like duct tape, you can accomplish just about any task with a pocket knife.

backpackComfy Backpack: $80

Invest in a durable and comfortable backpack. You’ll likely be on foot most of the time and need to carry the above items on you.

Total Cost of Survival = $171

Don’t worry if you don’t have any of these items, you can divide up the total cost into manageable monthly increments. And luckily, even if the undead never attack, your zombie survival kit will work well as an emergency preparedness kit in the even of any disaster.



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The day is at hand


11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Romans 13

Pope travels to Assisi by train, with representatives from all major religions



October 27, 2011. (Romereports.com)(-ONLY VIDEO-) Benedict XVI traveled to the town of Assisi to start off the inter-religious meeting. The journey, by train, lasted about an hour 45 minutes.

Upon arrival all representatives from the world's major religions gathered to pray for world peace.

Among the representatives were Bartholomew I, who serves as the Patriarch of Constantinople and is the main leader of the Orthodox Church. Anglican Primate, Rowan Williams was also there as well as the prince of Jordan and the Chief Rabbi of Rome.


JMB/KLH
CTV
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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Pope took tricky interfaith path to Assisi

Published: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 6:49 p.m. MDT

VATICAN CITY — When Pope Benedict XVI departed from a seldom-used railway station inside Vatican City on a train taking him to Assisi, he followed the tricky path of interfaith dialogue first explored by his predecessor, John Paul II.

In the central Italian town, the 12th century birthplace of St Francis, the pontiff on Thursday met representatives of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and the world's other major religions.
Andrew Medichini, Associated Press

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI, center, leaves a train as he arrives for a peace meeting in Assisi, central Italy, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011.

The Vatican says that by calling the gathering Benedict intended to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic meeting organized there by John Paul 1986.

"The world today, as it did 25 years ago, needs peace," Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said on presenting the program for the gathering.

"Following two and a half decades of collaboration and joint witness among religions, it is time to assess the results and to relaunch our commitment in the face of new challenges," Turkson added.

The Ghana-born cardinal, who is one of the highest ranking Africans in the Vatican, emphasized how the current global financial and economic crisis offered many points of reflection for religious leaders.
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Nearly 1.5M lose power in Oct. snow storm

October 29, 2011 7:17 AM


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-20127407/nearly-1.5m-lose-power-in-oct-snow-storm/

CBS/AP) Last Updated 6:26 p.m. ET


A powerful storm system bringing a mix of rain and snow chugged up the East Coast, knocking out power to nearly a half-million customers Saturday. The nor'easter is expected to dump up to 10 inches or more throughout the region, and the unseasonably early snow has already broken records in New York City.Most of those without power are in Pennsylvania. Utilities there say 428,000 customers have lost power - more than 160,000 are in Philadelphia and its suburbs.

In Connecticut, utilities reported more than 125,000 without service.

In New York, sporadic power outages are centered near Poughkeepsie and Newburgh.

Half a million are without power in New Jersey, including Gov. Chris Christie, who declared a state of emergency.

Spokesman Todd Meyers says Potomac Edison, the dominant utility in western Maryland, had more than 26,000 outages.

Flight delays are reported of three hours at Philadelphia International Airport; five hours at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia in New York City; and six hours at Newark Liberty. Teterboro Airport in New Jersey is closed.

The National Weather Service said that as of 2 p.m. today Central Park recorded 1.3 inches of snowfall - the most to fall there in October since snowfall records were kept beginning in 1869.

Forecasters say New York could see up to four inches.

18 Photos
Rare Oct. snowstorm hits Northeast
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The heavy, wet snow combined with fully leafed trees could lead to downed tree branches and power lines, resulting in numerous power outages, officials said.

West Penn Power reports Saturday afternoon about 16,000 customers are without power in Pennsylvania. In Maryland 27,000 Potomac Edison customers are without power. In West Virginia, outages are affecting nearly 26,000 Mon Power customers.

CBS "Early Show" meteorologist Addison Green reports that 12 states are currently under a Winter Storm Warning, spanning from Virginia and West Virginia up to Maine.

Almost a foot of snow was reported in Snowshoe Mountain, W.Va., with 11" as of 2 p.m. Central Pennsylvania has seen half a foot around State College and about 2-4" near Harrisburg.

Snow is continuing to melt as it comes down and hit the ground but as it does so, it is also cooling the ground, so snow will start sticking and piling up as the storm system tracks to the northeast along the coast.

For instance, Hartford, CT could see around 8" fall from the sky, but only about half of that will stick and pile up on the ground.

The rain just started to come down in Boston and they could see an inch or so of snow once the precipitation changes over later in the overnight hours.

Further up in New Hampshire, it is just cloudy, but rain will quickly move in for places like Concord and Portsmouth and then change over to snow by 9 tonight.

Records for snow could be broken up and down the I-95 corridor.

For the month of October, Philadelphia saw a record breaking 2.1" back in 1979 and Boston just over an inch (1.1") in 2005.


Here are some forecast snowfalls in the East:

Philadelphia - 1-3"
New York City - 4-6"
Albany - 2-4"
Pittsfield, Mass. - 5-7"
Scranton, Pa. - 3-5"
Worcester, Mass. - 6-8"

The other problem with this storm is the wind. A 30 mph wind gust was reported in LaGuardia Airport earlier in the day, 33 mph in Atlantic City, N.J, 31 mph at Logan International in Boston, and 24 mph in New York City.

A High Wind Warning with wind gusts of 40-60 mph is reported for Cape Cod, eastern Mass., most of Rhode Island and the eastern half of Long Island later this evening and in the overnight hours.

By tomorrow morning, the storm system will be east of Maine where Portland and Bar Harbor will be dealing with wet, heavy snow and wind gusts over 40 mph.

Relatively warm water temperatures along the Atlantic seaboard could keep the snowfall totals much lower along the coast and in cities such as Boston, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson said, with 1 to 3 inches of snowfall forecast along the I-95 corridor.

October snowfall records could be broken in parts of southern New England, especially at higher elevations, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson said. The October record for southern New England is 7.5 inches in Worcester in 1979.

More than 6 inches of snow could accumulate in parts of Maine on Saturday. Parts of southern Vermont could receive more than a foot of wet snow Saturday into Sunday.

In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy warned residents that they could lose power due to the anticipated wet, heavy snow.

In Pennsylvania, snow was falling in Allentown and Reading in the eastern part of the state. Philadelphia has seen mostly rain with a few drifting flakes, but that is expected to turn to snow as temperatures fall, the weather service said.

Philadelphia was expected to get 1 to 3 inches, its first measurable October snow since 1979 -- with 2 to 4 inches in some suburbs, meteorologist Mitchell Gaines said.

Allentown is expected to see 4 to 8 inches, likely to break the city's October record of 2.2 inches on Halloween in 1925.

"This is very, very unusual," said John LaCorte, a National Weather Service meteorologist in State College, Pa., where heavy snow was falling Saturday morning.

LaCorte said the last major widespread snowstorm to hit Pennsylvania this early was in 1972.

"It's going to be very dangerous," he added.

Rain and snow are expected to fall most of the day Saturday in New York City, with just snow falling overnight. Forecasters predict 2 to 4 inches will accumulate.

October snowfall is rare in New York; there have been just three October days with measurable snowfall in Central Park in the last 135 years when record-keeping began, according to the National Weather Service. The largest on record was in 1925 when eight-tenths of an inch fell in Central Park.

In New England, the first measurable snow usually falls in early December, and normal highs for late October are in the mid-50s.

"This is just wrong," said Dee Lund of East Hampton, who was at a Glastonbury garage Friday getting four new tires for her car before a weekend road trip to New Hampshire.

Lund said that after last winter's record snowfall, which left a 12-foot snow bank outside her house, she'd been hoping for a reprieve.

But not everyone was lamenting the unofficial arrival of winter.

Two Vermont ski resorts, Killington and Mount Snow, planned to start the ski season early by opening one trail each over the weekend, thanks to the recent snow and cold.


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Jesuit Sabotage of E.G. White books in China - David Kang

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Uploaded by on Jun 23, 2011

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Atlantic Union College insists it still has plans to reopen


Wednesday, October 19, 2011


By Karen Nugent TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF


LANCASTER — While a planned merger with a fellow Seventh-day Adventist college fell through, Atlantic Union College will not close, according to church and college officials.

Donald G. King, president of the South Lancaster-based Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said talks have recently concluded with the state Department of Higher Education for plans to reopen. The plan has not yet been approved by the state agency.

Mr. King said there are no plans to sell the campus.

“Instead, we intend to continue to improve the campus even as we prepare to restructure and reopen at a later date,” he said in an email.

Earlier this month, trustees of Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., voted to suspend further negotiations after the two colleges were unable to reach an agreement about operating a WAU branch campus on the Lancaster site. The vote followed months of talks.

After that vote, AUC trustees also voted to discontinue plans to form a partnership.

The decision to merge with the larger Maryland university was made last year, after AUC learned its accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges would end as of July 31, mainly for financial reasons.

A branch campus was scheduled to open for the fall semester, but was put on hold after the state Higher Education Department did not approve the satellite plan by September. College officials were told approval of the plan could take up to nine months.

A spokeswoman from the state Department of Higher Education said yesterday AUC’s application is pending before the board and is still under review.

She said a date has not been set for when it will be discussed or a decision made.

Some AUC staff and faculty were offered jobs at Washington Adventist University, but many employees were laid off in July. Students were allowed to transfer to the Maryland university, and a WAU newsletter said those arrangements will continue to be honored.

Atlantic Union College, which was founded in 1882 and drew approximately 450 full- and part-time students, is under the jurisdiction of the Atlantic Union Conference, which includes New England, New York, and Bermuda.

College President Norman L. Wendth said in July that if the state did not approve the merger, the college would likely close.

He said its property, which includes several buildings and acreage in South Lancaster, the historic seat of New England Adventism, would revert back to the Adventist Church.



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Preference versus Conviction


Uploaded by on Apr 23, 2011

(A few years ago the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists brought a lawsuit against Pastor Rafael Perez and the Eternal Gospel church in West Palm Beach-Florida, for using the name "Seventh-day Adventist" which was trademarked in 1981.)

A Great Reformation


"The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would be the result?--The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath, of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement."


Selected Messages, Book 1, p 204-205

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Heavy snow to hit northeast US

Page last updated at 18:13 GMT, Friday, 28 October 2011 19:13 UK


Heavy snow to hit northeast US

Heavy snow and rain are forecast to affect the northeastern states of the US
over the next couple of days.

An area of low pressure tracking across the eastern seaboard will bring
significant snowfall, which could cause severe disruption across Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York State and parts of New England.
John Hammond has the latest forecast for the areas likely to be hit by the
snow.
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Cardinals win?


"The pacific tone of Rome in the United States does not imply a change of heart. She is tolerant where she is helpless. Says Bishop O'Connor: 'Religious liberty is merely endured until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the Catholic world.'. . . The archbishop of St. Louis once said: 'Heresy and unbelief are crimes; and in Christian countries, as in Italy and Spain, for instance, where all the people are Catholics, and where the Catholic religion is an essential part of the law of the land, they are punished as other crimes.'. . .

"Every cardinal, archbishop, and bishop in the Catholic Church takes an oath of allegiance to the pope, in which occur the following words: 'Heretics, schismatics, and rebels to our said lord (the pope), or his aforesaid successors, I will to my utmost persecute and oppose.'"--Josiah Strong, Our Country, ch. 5, pars. 2-4.

It is true that there are real Christians in the Roman Catholic communion. Thousands in that church are serving God according to the best light they have. They are not allowed access to His word, and therefore they do not discern the truth.[See Appendix] They have never seen the contrast between a living heart service and a round of mere forms and ceremonies. God looks with pitying tenderness upon these souls, educated as they are in a faith that is delusive and unsatisfying. He will cause rays of light to penetrate the dense darkness that surrounds them. He will reveal to them the truth as it is in Jesus, and many will yet take their position with His people.

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

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



The Great Controversy
, pp. 565-566.
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Happy Sabbath



Israel hater in Vatican?

Op-ed: Pope’s chumminess with Holocaust deniers raises questions about his intentions

Giulio Meotti

Published: 10.27.11, 18:14 / Israel Opinion


This week Pope Benedict XVI holds a global interfaith meeting in Assisi, Italy, where he has invited religious leaders from around the world “solemnly to renew the commitment of believers of all religions to live their religious faith as a service to the cause of peace.” However, brewing scandal over an ultra-traditionalist Catholic fraternity means that the pope does not have to look far to find evidence of actions by religious leaders that put the cause of peace in jeopardy.

The controversy goes back to Jan. 21, 2009, when Pope Benedict revoked the excommunication of four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). The Pope had already worked for two decades, starting when he was a cardinal, to bring the group back into the Vatican’s fold in an effort to prevent further schism.

The excommunication and its revocation was an internal church matter until one of the excommunicated bishops, Richard Williamson, gave an interview on Swedish television in which he denied the Holocaust. “I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps but that none of them via gas chambers,” he said just a few days after the excommunication was lifted. Mr. Williamson has yet to retract his statement.

So what kind of Christians are members of the SSPX? The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 by the soft-spoken but uncompromising French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who opposed the then-recent modernizations of the Catholic Church. In 1988 Lefebvre violated an explicit command by Pope John Paul II not to consecrate the bishops at his church in Econe, Switzerland. He and the four prelates were excommunicated by the Vatican. It was the first break with the Holy See in 118 years.

Divine retribution against Jews?
The Vatican is now pushing forward with the rehabilitation of the society. During the summer the Holy See had unity talks with the group and few days ago Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presented “the path to full reconciliation with the Church” to Bishop Fellay, the superior general of the fraternity. No deadline has been set for them to accept the deal, but Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, confirmed that the group is expected to sign it “within a few months.”

European rabbis are urging the pope to suspend talks with the society. If the Catholic rebels accept the deal, the most plausible solution would be for the society to become a “personal prelature” of the Roman Catholic Church, not unlike Opus Dei, whose superior is appointed by the Pope.

Williamson’s hatred is not an isolate case. A radical anti-Jewish ideology and practice permeate the entire Society of Saint Pius X, and in offering its sympathies to the fraternity, the Vatican is inviting serious doubt about its commitment to friendly relations between Catholics and Jews. The Pope’s unity with Lefebvre’s group is a renovation of Vatican’s Adversus Judeaos teachings and 2,000 years of enmity.

Consider that, when Pope John Paul II made his first visit to Rome’s synagogue in 1986, the society distributed a placard saying, “Pope, don’t go to Caiaphas,” a reference to the Jewish high priest who organized the plot to kill Jesus, according to the New Testament.

In 2005 Franz Schmidberger, the German head of the Society of Saint Pius X, asked the pope to convert Jews: “St. Peter, the first pope, preached to the Jews and told them that ‘If you want to be saved you must do three things: You must regret your sins and convert, believe in our lord Jesus Christ and, thirdly, be baptized.’ We expect that every pope who claims to be the successor of St. Peter . . . should take the same stand.”

A few days after Mr. Williamson’s tirade about the gas chambers, Mr. Schmidberger wrote to German bishops to remind them of the supposed Jewish original sin. “With the crucifixion of Christ, the curtain of the temple was torn and the old alliance destroyed. The Jews are complicit in deicide, as long as they do not distance themselves from the culpability of their forefathers by acknowledging the divinity of Christ and the baptism.”According to Lefebvre’s pupils, the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem confirmed divine retribution for Jewish misdeeds.

‘Zionism is satanic’
Last month, Régis de Cacqueray, the head of the French SSPX chapter, also accused Jews of deicide. "How can one imagine that God is pleased with the prayers of the Jews, who are faithful to their fathers who crucified his son and deny the Trinitarian God?" wrote the Lefebrist superior.

This is the revival of the “replacement theology” that underpinned centuries of Christian anti-Jewish hatred arguing that because of their denial of the divinity of Christ, the Jews have forfeited God’s promises to them which have been transferred to the Church. This calumny also underlay Europe’s anti-Jewish pogroms, which consisted of massacres and forced conversions.

The Society of Saint Pius X has also a record of collaborating with France’s most wanted war criminals. In 1989 Paul Touvier, Klaus Barbie’s right-hand man in Vichy France, was arrested at a Society of Saint Pius X’s priory in Nice. The society stated at the time that Touvier had been granted asylum as “an act of charity to a homeless man.” When Touvier died in prison in 1996, a church operated by the fraternity offered a requiem mass in his honor.

The Saint Pius X spoke also approvingly of the “Catholic order of Pétain”, referring to the pro-Nazi Vichy head of state. The Society organizes pilgrimages to Pétain’s tomb. In 1990, one year before his death, Lefebvre gave an interview to the journal of the National Front in France, suggesting that opposition to a Carmelite convent at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp was being “instigated by Jews”. Lefebvre also defined Zionism as “satanic.”

According to Ansa news agency, in 1997 Ugo Carandino, the head of the Italian Society of Saint Pius X community, refused the Vatican’s request of forgiveness to the Jewish people: “It’s the Jews which should ask our pardon for their usury.” Another of the bishops pardoned by Pope Benedict, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, has said that “the Jews are the most active artisans for the coming of Antichrist.”

If Pope Benedict brings these anti-Semitic bishops back into the Vatican’s fold, he may also bring the Jewish-Catholic dialogue to an insurmountable impasse. As with the opposition to the Vatican’s canonization of Pius XII, Israel’s current religious and political leader should bravely speak against the Pope's course with the gas chambers' deniers.

Giulio Meotti, a journalist with Il Foglio, is the author of the book A New Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel's Victims of Terrorism




ONE MAN can shut off all broadcasting in the U.S.?


… Well, we’ll see about that on November 9. From Jim B. in a comment section, the feddies will try to take over all radio and television broadcasting at 2:00 p.m. EST on that date as a “test” of the system.

As one of the commentors on that article put it, this isn’t actually a test — which would be done at oh-dark-thirty. This is a demonstration. Of power. And fear.

Odd, too. The old Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), which has been around since the cold war, relied on the discretion of the broadcasters (which, granted, could be fallible). The upcoming shutdown is the first nationwide use of EBS’s successor, the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is centralized. One man, the Big Boy himself, has the power to activate it, and he has delegated that power to the always-competent and of course democratically elected [/sarcasm] head of FEMA.

EAS has been around nearly 15 years — before many people were even aware of some newfangled thingie called the Internet. And they’re just getting around to “testing” itnow?

According to the FCC website:

The EAS is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) providers, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers to provide the communications capability to the President to address the American public during a national emergency. The system also may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, such as AMBER alerts and weather information targeted to specific areas.

… So the capital-P President needs to address every TV zombie and Limbaugh listener during a national emergency? Might we ask, “Whuffor?” This ain’t the day when Roosevelt comforted our grannies and grampies with his famous Fireside Chats. We are just a leeeetle bit smarter and more skeptical of power now. And the dangers we face today are no worse than we faced when the USSR and USSA held each other as nuclear hostages under the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction.

And if you want to see “fallible” on a grand, nationwide scale, just put something in the hands of FEMA. Yeah, that’ll work out real well.

So really, ya gotta wonder what they’re thinking.

And oh yeah … they forgot the Internet. Now shutting down that would be an interesting project …


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If you love me...


If ye love me, keep my commandments.
- John 14:15

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Precious Jewels

JAMAICA -Andrew Holness 'sworn-in' as Jamaica’s new Prime Minister


Sunday, 23 October 2011 18:44 CSMENetwork News ..





Prime Minister Andrew Holness being 'sworn-in on Sunday by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Andrew Michael Holness, a Seventh Day Adventist by faith, was "sworn-in" by affirmation on Sunday as the Jamaica's ninth Prime Minister.
In a ceremony at King's House on Sunday afternoon, the new prime minister did not swear on the bible as is the custom because of his faith. Rather, as is allowed under the constitution, Holness 'declared and affirmed" due allegiance to Jamaica and his intention to carry out his duties as Prime Minister of Jamaica.

He takes over from Bruce Golding who handed in his resignation to the Governor General earlier Sunday afternoon. Holness 39, is the youngest Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Andrew Holness said he was born to working class parents in Spanish Town and in a bid to draw a clear distinction between himself and his political peers he spoke about how advanced they were in their careers when he was born.

He declared that he entered politics to change the path from within.

Andrew Holness argues that the country's politics has become polarized, mean spirited and has bred garrison. He said he is committed to support campaign finance and reform.

The new Prime Minister spoke about the successes in the fight against crime and revealed that his administration will bring anti-gang legislation to Parliament shortly and pointed out that his government would continue the fight against corruption.

Mr. Holness talked about the economic gains made by the outgoing administration including the Jamaica Debt Exchange but said, “we cannot continue to borrow more than we produce; … it’s the surest way to increase poverty." "I love the poor but I hate poverty" said Holness to loud applause in his swearing- in speech.

"Poor need meaningful employment not crash work programmes, "Mr. Holness said. He said he would be tell the people the truth about the economy.

He said "government must be fiscally responsible”.

We have lived on borrowed money, We are caught in a vicious cycle where we borrow to pay debts. In the last decade we have borrowed more than we produced.

The government he notes has developed a plan to reduce the national debt while protecting the most vulnerable.

The new Prime Minister called for cooperation and extended his hand to the opposition.

"I take responsibility for the direction of the country" declared Holness in his first address to the people of Jamaica.

He also called for parents, fathers, young people and entertainers to take responsibility for their actions.

His call also included politicians who he said must lead by example in their behaviour in Parliament.

"Education is the greatest investment in breaking inter-generational poverty. I urge every Jamaican to make the sacrifice and invest in your children" urged Andrew Holness.

He said it is time to review the PATH programme to ensure that no one is excluded.



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CCEE 2011 Plenary Assembly


Tirana, Albania, 29 September - 2 October 2011

The election of the new CCEE Presidency and the New Evangelisation of Europe will be at the centre of the work of the Plenary Assembly of the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences, which will take place for the first time in Albania, in Tirana, from 29 September to 2 October 2011.

The next Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) will take place, from Thursday 29 September to Sunday 2 October in Tirana (Albania), at the invitation of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tirana and President of the Albanian Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Rrok Mirdita. Following the historic visit of Blessed John Paul II in 1993, the CCEE meeting will be, according to the local Church, the most important church event in recent years for Albania, due to the number of Cardinals and Bishops who will be participating. Confirmation of the importance the meeting holds for the country is shown by the desire of the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr Bamir Myrteza Topi, to meet the European prelates on Friday 30 September and the announced presence of the Prime Minister, Mr Sali Ram Berisha, at the opening of the meeting on 29 September.


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Autumn Plenary Assembly 2011

The Financial Crisis and the future of European Integration




The COMECE Autumn Plenary Assembly will be held from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 October 2011 in Brussels. 23 COMECE Member Bishops will be present. The main topic of the Plenary will be « The Financial Crisis and the future of European Integration »

The Bishops will analyse the economical and political reasons for the debt crisis in Europe and the instruments that have been set up to tackle the crisis. They will also reflect on “confidence” as a key factor to solve the crisis in a political, economical and social context.

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Evacuations on Mexico's Caribbean coast


Summary

Authorities are evacuating fishing communities on Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast and some tourists have begun to leave as Hurricane Rina takes aim at Cancun and the island of Cozumel. (Oct. 26)
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St. Paul's cleric resigns amid Occupy London controversy

Oct 27, 2011

By Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

The canon chancellor of St. Paul's Cathedral in London has resigned because he could not take the thought of potential violence to control the protesters of Occupy London Stock Exchange who have camped in front of the historic church, The Guardian is reporting.



Giles Fraser, seen standing on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral, made his resignation announcement via Twitter. By Alex Diaz, AP


Giles Fraser made his announcement via Twitter, writing, "It is with great regret and sadness that I have handed in my notice at St. Paul's Cathedral."

Police are preparing to take action against the protesters whose tents first went up 13 days ago, the Guardian reports.

Organizers of the protest, which encompasses hundreds of tents, say they have no intention of moving from the neighborhood, which also includes London's financial center. They say this in spite of repeated requests from the cathedral, the bishop of London, the mayor and other officials, according to the Guardian.

Officials have cited health and safety reasons. Though St. Paul's was closed to the public after the protesters set up shop, it will reopen on Friday after what the news organization calls an "amicable reshuffle of tents."


A protestor tent sits outside St Paul's Cathedral in London on Oct. 22.
By Ben Stansall, ASP/Getty Images


"St. Paul was a tentmaker," Fraser tells the Guardian. "If you looked around and tried to recreate where Jesus would be born, for me, I could imagine Jesus being born in the camp."

He adds, "It is not about my sympathies or what I believe about the camp. I support the right to protest and in a perfect world we could have negotiated. But our legal advice was that this would have implied consent. The church cannot answer peaceful protest with violence."

Word surfaced Wednesday that Fraser was threatening to resign over the Occupy London developments.


Source


Protesters expected to clash with police in Perth

October 28, 2011 - 9:32AM


Police are expected to clash with anti-capitalist protesters in Perth this morning as the Queen officially prepares to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Around 1000 demonstrators are expected to descend on the city as the Queen delivers her address to Commonwealth nations, Fairfax radio reported.

With the centre of Perth virtually in lockdown, protesters have vowed to break through security barricades and bring matrasses and tents as they prepare to stay for the long-haul.

Authororities have already warned the demonstrators to keep the peace as thousands of police will not hesitate to use tough CHOGM laws to turn them away.

The Gillard government said it wanted this Commonwealth meeting one to be remembered but obviously for the right reasons.

CHOGM will officially launch at 10am today when as 53 leaders of Commonwealth nations will descent on Perth's Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Interstate police have been flown in to boost numbers and ensure security. Police are expected to have a large present at Forrest Chase in the city's centre, where protesters are readying to march through the city.

A two-year study on the relevance of the Commonwealth will dominate today's discussions with the member nations.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Global Christian Forum Meeting in Manado, Indonesia 4- 7 October, 2011



3 October, 2011

UNIQUE GLOBAL GATHERING BRINGS UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS OF CHURCH LEADERS TOGETHER FROM ACROSS BREADTH AND DEPTH OF WORLD CHRISTIANITY

A unique gathering of the leaders reflecting the breadth and depth of world Christianity will begin in Indonesia beginning tomorrow, 4 October.

The Global Christian Forum (GCF) meeting at Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi will bring together all the great streams of modern Christian faith: Anglican, Charismatic, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Protestant, Roman Catholic, mega churches and many contemplative communities.

The meeting comes at a time of dramatic shifts in world Christianity. The last two decades have seen the majority of Christians living in the ‘global south’, while much institutional strength for traditional Christianity remains in Europe and North America, but with declining church attendances.

In what is only the second such Global Christian Forum gathering - the first being in Kenya in 2007- the GCF will have over 300 representatives from every continent on the globe and every Christian tradition from 81 countries.

Coming together in unprecedented numbers and variety, leaders representing 12 world Christian communions and 9 global ecumenical organizations, including the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and the Pentecostal World Fellowship, will sit side by side with national councils of churches, evangelical organizations and mega church leaders from around the world.

The Vatican will be represented through representative of the Pontifical Council for Promotion of Christian Unity.

The Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventists, Society of Friends and Syrian Orthodox Church leaders will all be there.

Meeting around the theme ‘Life Together in Jesus Christ, Empowered by the Holy Spirit’, the church leaders will explore ‘what the Spirit is saying to the churches’ today. Each participant will tell the story of what is happening in their own context. Members of the convention will also discuss the future directions of the GCF, which has always maintained non-institutional structures and practice.

To complete the picture there will be a sessions on ‘trends and changes in world Christianity and sharing of statistical research complied through the Atlas of Global Christianity.

The global changes in Christianity is one of the reasons why Indonesia was chosen as the venue of the 2nd Global Christian Forum, as it is the world’s largest Muslim nation but with significant religious diversity, including a large Christian population.

The worship life of the gathering will reflect the various traditions of delegates. It will be facilitated of Father Ghislain, from the Taize community in France.

  • Second Global Christian Forum news will be made public through the GFC communications office. Daily updates will be sent to religious media publications and post on the GFC website:

www.globalchristianforum.org

MEDIA CONTACT: Kim Cain, Communications secretary: kimcain101@gmail.com.au


Source: http://www.globalchristianforum.org/manado_updates/manado_conference.php