Monday, October 15, 2012

Men need (more) rest than church on Sunday


Church

Posted: 7:02 AM
Last Updated: 9 hours and 20 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The worship leader of America's largest congregation says some hard working men may need their Sabbath rest more than they need to be in church on Sunday.
Gospel singer Israel Houghton says that in 2012, many men are having to work more than one job to make ends meet and may need Sunday morning to recover.
 
Houghton, who leads worship for 43,000 people at Houston's Lakewood Church, says he would give that man grace rather than grief for missing church once in a while.
He says worship is real when it's something you get to do rather than something you've got to do.

Source: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/lifestyle/men-need-rest-than-church-on-sunday#ixzz29P0hYsSl

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Sunday: a Day of Rest, and Irishness




Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Romney and Obama are both skipping campaigning today to focus on preparing for their Tuesday night debate. The president’s working with advisers on being ‘more aggressive’ in Virginia, while Romney’s close to home in Belmont, Massachusetts.
All eyes are on Obama to wake up, after even Biden’s punchiness during his debate with Ryan didn’t seem to do the Boss any favours. Team Romney released a new T.V. ad with veep debate clips of Ryan saying the government “can’t keep spending money we don’t have,” juxtaposed with video of Biden laughing.

Meanwhile, the Catholic element of the veep debate seems to have attracted Irish interest in this election. Firstly, an Obama fundraiser is happening in Dublin today, hosted by two lawyers, Bill and Moira Shipsey, and up to 100 American citizens living in Ireland are expected to attend. Secondly, the Corrigan Brothers are back.
‘Who are they?’, you ask. Well, their 2008 song “There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama” was played at the President’s inauguration, and during his May 2011 visit to Ireland and his ‘ancestral home‘ of Moneygall, County Offally.
I just received an email informing me the band is “honoured to become the first Irish Band to release a single with a sitting US President.”
An article in Irish Central claims that 75 percent of young Irish in New York will vote Obama. So no additional pressure, Mr President, with the debate happening in their city in just two days. But, again, should it all boil down to performance?
In a New York Times column today, Maureen Dowd writes, “even if Obama comes out in the town-hall debate on Tuesday with Ben Affleck charm, he has a Mitt Romney problem. Will it be the real Obama or will he just be doing what the media suggest and the base demands?

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National Cyber Security Alliance and McAfee Release New Cybercrime Data for National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Published: October 10, 2012

By National Cyber Security Alliance
 — Nearly One in Five Americans Report Being Victimized Online
WASHINGTON, October 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly one in five Americans report being victim to a crime that was committed over the Internet, according to a survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and McAfee. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, a coordinated national effort focusing on the need for improved online safety and security for all Americans and the study examines one of the month's focal topics: cybercrime and law enforcement.
Of those surveyed, 17 percent say they have been a victim of a crime that was committed over the Internet such as identity theft, data theft, bullying or auction fraud, and 29 percent know someone who has been a victim of such crimes. One in five Americans also had contact with someone on the Internet who made them feel uncomfortable through persistent emails, stalking or in other various ways.
When asked what puts Americans most at risk of a cybercrime or a loss of personal information the largest number of respondents, one-third (30 percent) said they believe connecting to an unsecured wireless network puts them most at risk while 22 percent said not having any or enough security software. Additionally, Americans' top two concerns while using the Internet include: identity theft (41 percent) and someone hacking into their (or their family's) financial information (13 percent). 
The most cited concern for parents is adult sexual content, with 39 percent stating this is their biggest source of worry.  Additionally, 27 percent of parents report the potential for their child to make contact with strangers when they are online is their biggest point of concern. Other concerns identified include bullying or harassment from peers (ten percent); identity theft (nine percent) – which is continuing to grow as an issue; portrayals of drug or alcohol use (three percent); long-term damage to their child's reputation (two percent).
"The Internet is an incredible resource for connecting with people but as we conduct more of our lives online, we must remain mindful that there are bad actors using it to track, harass or make unwanted contact, and these criminals are more resourceful than ever," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "This data supports an ever-increasing need for online users to be vigilant in their actions each day.  Working together, we can provide Americans with the tools and information they need to practice safe online behaviors during October and throughout the year."
NCSA continues to work with leading companies in the cyber industry to determine best practices for users to stay safe online. Roland Cloutier, vice president and chief security officer of ADP added, "Our goal is to shine a spotlight on cybercrime issues, and provide consumers, parents, and the law enforcement community with an engaging dialogue, tools and practical advice to protect against this growing problem. All Internet users must be educated to recognize cyber threats and how to take ongoing action to protect ourselves and our digital infrastructure from victimization."
Tom Kellermann, U.S. vice president of cybersecurity at TrendMicro, said: "The threats posed by cybercrime are very real and can impact every person and organization across the United States and around the world.  By working together, we can learn how to prevent these acts to provide a safer community for all. We're proud to work together with the National Cyber Security Alliance this month and throughout the year to spread the word about steps we can all take to protect ourselves and our youth online."
NCSA is also continuing to work with local law enforcement and cybercrime organizations to help facilitate an increased awareness and uncover best practices with handling cybercrime issues. An example of such collaboration includes an event today in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month. NCSA board members and executives will join officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, local law enforcement and others in Miami, FL to discuss cybercrime issues such as credit card skimming, data breaches, viruses and malware and best practices with handling such crimes. 
In addition to the research study and today's cybercrime focused event, NCSA is also introducing new collateral for victims of cybercrime.  These resources include a pamphlet entitled, "If You Become a Victim of Cybercrime" and a coordinating brochure on tips and advice that were created with input from the National Sheriffs' Association and International Association of Chiefs of Police. 
The publications are targeted to victims of malicious acts and detail the realities of cybercrime, how to report cybercrime and who to contact, how to collect and keep evidence of victimization, information on specific types of cybercrime, and additional links for information.  These materials can be found at: http://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/protect-your-personal-information/id-theft-and-fraud.
NCSA also advises all Internet users to access the Web using these three simple steps: STOP. THINK. CONNECT. All Internet users should take security measures, understand the consequences of their behavior and actions and enjoy the benefits of the Internet. Here are some additional tips and advice:
  • When in doubt, throw it out: Links in email, tweets, posts, and online advertising are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it's best to delete or if appropriate, mark as junk email.
  • Get savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots: Limit the type of business you conduct and adjust the security settings on your device to limit who can access your machine.
  • Protect your Money: When banking and shopping, check to be sure the site is security enabled. Look for Web addresses with "https://" or "shttp://", which means the site takes extra measures to help secure your information. "Http://" is not secure.
  • Think before you act: Be wary of communication that implores you to act immediately, offers something that sounds too good to be true, or asks for personal information.
  • Back it up: Protect your valuable work, music, photos, and other digital information by making an electronic copy and storing it safely.
  • Help the authorities fight cybercrime: Report stolen finances or identities and other cybercrime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) and to your local law enforcement or state attorney general as appropriate.
For additional information on how to prevent cybercrime before it happens, check out the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Campaign at http://stopthinkconnect.org/tips-and-advice/.  NCSAM supporters can get the latest news and updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staysafeonline and on Twitter at @StaySafeOnline. The official Twitter hashtag of NCSAM is #ncsam. The National Cyber Security Awareness Month Web Portal is also available at: http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/and a calendar of additional NCSAM events can be found at:http://staysafeonline.org/ncsam/events.
NCSA also welcomes organizations to show their support for NCSAM by becoming an official NCSAM Champion and submitting their registration at:
Survey Methodology:
JZ Analytics conducted the online safety survey. The survey firm, founded by John Zogby, surveyed 1,000 adults nationwide from August 31, 2012 to September 3, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points and margins of error are higher in sub-groups. The full study and fact sheet are available at: http://staysafeonline.org/ncsam/resources/.
About The National Cyber Security Alliance The National Cyber Security Alliance is a non-profit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to educate and empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share. NCSA board members include: ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Symantec, Trend Micro, Verizon and Visa. Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staysafeonline
About McAfee McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
About  STOP. THINK. CONNECT. The campaign was developed by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, a public-private partnership established in 2009 and led by The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to develop and support a national cybersecurity awareness campaign.  The Department of Homeland Security provides the Federal Government's leadership for the campaign. Industry, government, non-profits and education institutions participate in STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Learn how to get involved at the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/STOPTHINKCONNECT, on Twitter at @STOPTHNKCONNECT, and the campaign website at www.stopthinkconnect.org.
SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance

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Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/10/4327075/national-cyber-security-alliance.html#storylink=cpy

Leon Panetta warns of ‘cyber Pearl Harbor’



Oct. 13, 2012
Following a cyber attack on the world's largest oil producer, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that potential enemies, including Iran, are developing the capability to launch devastating cyber attacks.
CBS News
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Source
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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Tattoos: the hidden meanings



Teardrops, swallows, cats and dreamcatchers … what do they all mean? Here's our guide to tattoo terminology
Tattoos talk. Rather than meaning something literal and universal, the art on our bodies is often personal and complicated. A magnificent panorama of an underwater world is unlikely to simply declare the bearer's love of trout. However, some designs still shout a very particular meaning – to jaundiced eyes, at least.
1 Teardrop
tattoos/tears
True to stereotype, the teardrop appeared in the dock this week. During the trial of Kiaran Stapleton, accused of murdering Indian student Anuj Bidve in Manchester, the prosecution alleged that tattoo parlour staff remembered Stapleton's visit two days after the murder because they reminded the 21-year-old that a teardrop below the eye could mean the wearer had killed someone. Teardrops can be associated with death and prison. In gangland, an unfilled teardrop may signify the death of a friend, with the person shading it in when they have avenged their loss. Teardrops may also mean mourning – Amy Winehouse's teardrop was said to symbolise her former husband Blake Fielder-Civil's stint in prison.
2 Anchor
tattoos/anchor
By the late 1800s, 90% of those serving in the British navy were tattooed and sailing iconography is still influential – particularly with the trend for retro "romantic" tattoos. "Tattoos display an individual's membership to a particular group in society," writes sociologist Tony Lawrence. Practically, tattoos could help identify drowned sailors. Their meanings, however, depend on the era and even the specific ship. An anchor could mean crossing the equator, the soul of a dead sailor or symbolise hope – we may no longer take perilous journeys on high seas but still seek to "anchor" our self. According to Dr Matt Lodder, art historian at Reading University, rather than having a particular meaning, the anchor has also become an icon of tattooing – like the broken heart and the swallow.
3 Swallow
tattoos/swallows
Swallows never fly far into the ocean and so their sighting was a sign that land was near – a symbol of hope and achievement for sailors. Endless variations followed: two swallows indicated a journey of 10,000 nautical miles while a swallow with a dagger through its heart was a memorial for a friend lost at sea. A bird on a hand or neck can also say "jailbird". A friend with swallows flying across his arm lives a respectable life and yet is still routinely asked whether he has "done bird".
4 Dolphin
Tattoos/dolphin
Before the explosion of 21st-century inking, tattoos were "mainly associated with those belonging to a lower social class – criminals, sailors, whores, soldiers, adventurers, perverts and the like – and at the other end of the scale with the eccentrics of high society, the rich and aristocratic," wrote Schiffmacher and Riemschneider in 1000 Tattoos. Hence our fascination with Samantha Cameron's tat. Dolphins may mean prosperity but also represent duality– a creature of the water, and a breather of air. They suggest we are in two worlds at once – perfectly encapsulating Sam Cam's commute between 10 Downing Street and her pad in the Cotswolds.
5 Cat
Tattoos/cats
Danzig Baldayev, a St Petersburg prison guard, spent three decades documenting the body art of inmates. His life's work, the three-volume Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia, is captivating. We learn that cats can symbolise a thief's pedigree. A single cat says they acted alone; several cats together indicate a gang.
6 Hidden codes
Tattoos/code
Canada's Border Services Agency has a guide to tattoosthat provides amusing evidence of how the authorities may stereotype tattooed gentlemen. AFFA ("Angel Forever, Forever Angel") on the knuckles screams Hell's Angel. A noose is favoured by KKK fans. VL stands for "vida loca" – my crazy life. Then again, never assume the worst: one man claimed "hate" on his knuckles stood for happiness all through eternity.
7 Clown face
Tattoos/clown
According to the Canadian authorities, clown faces can mean "Laugh now, cry later" and "play now, pay later", which probably sums up the poor gang members' emotions when caught in customs with an enormous bag of drugs and guns.
8 Spider's web
Tattoos/spiders web
When placed on elbows or shoulders, the spider's web traditionally denoted being caught in prison. Other prison motifs include clock faces without hands, tombstones with numbers and a prison wall with bricks falling outward. What on earth could that mean?
9 Butterfly
Tattoos/butterfly
Psyche is Greek for both butterfly and soul, and butterflies are symbols of the soul in many cultures. Through the wonder of metamorphosis, a wriggling worm becomes a winged angel and so butterflies most often denote transformation or change. A butterfly tat need not be girly: a friend knows a tough boxer who sports a tattoo of one of Britain's daintiest butterflies – the small copper.
10 Dreamcatcher
Tattoos/dreamcatcher
One of Miley Cyrus's 14-odd tattoos, the dreamcatcher, is also sported by Zac Efron. According to Native American mythology, this is a protective covering for infants that stops the bad (in this case: paparazzi, scandal, stalkers) while letting the good (cash, fame, screaming fans) pass through. Urgh.
So what are my chances of being mugged if I meet a man with a teardrop falling from the eye of a cat caught in a dreamcatcher? I can't be sure. "A common mistake made about tattooing is that there is a simple link between a symbol and a message," says Lodder, who points out that there is a third person in the relationship between tattoo and its bearer: the tattooist. Just like a work of art in a gallery, a tattoo may say more about its creator than the person who displays it. And the meaning of a tattoo may only be created after its bearer keeps being asked, what does it mean? "Sometimes you just want a cool tattoo," says Lodder.

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Fr. General's Intervention at the Synod, 10/10/12



(11-Oct-2012)



A New Evangelization has to learn from the good and not-so-good points of the First Evangelization. I come from a tradition of Evangelization and Spirituality that encourages "Finding God in all things".

I am afraid that we, missionaries, have not done it with sufficient depth and, thus, have not enriched the Universal Church as the Church could expect from us.  We have looked for Western signs of Faith and Sanctity and have not discovered how God had been at work in other peoples. This impoverishes all. We miss important clues, insights and discoveries.

We have learnt from the past as effective for communicating the Gospel: The way of humility, the awareness of human limitation when it comes to expressing the Spirit, the simplicity of the message, generosity and joy in acknowledging goodness and holiness, our life as a factor of credibility, forgiveness and Reconciliation, the message of the Cross in our own self-denial.

Download Full Version PDF (English Translation)



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Evangelical Support for Romney Tops Out

Winning mainline Protestants and Catholics now key for both presidential campaigns.
Tobin Grant
[ posted 10/11/2012 9:46AM ]


GAGE SKIDMORE / FLICKR


Governor Mitt Romney is gaining on President Barack Obama in national polls. Following last week's presidential debate, public opinion shifted. The polls now show the race as a tie. Among evangelicals, however, support for Romney appears to have reached its ceiling. The battle for votes now lies elsewhere.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released its latest political poll Monday. The poll, taken after last week's debate, found Romney ahead of Obama among likely voters 49 to 47 percent. This was a significant shift from Pew's September poll, which had Obama ahead 51 to 43. Both polls show white evangelicals solidly behind Romney. Three-quarters of evangelical likely voters said they will support the GOP ticket. At the other end of the religious-political spectrum, both polls showed those unaffiliated with any religion remaining two-to-one in Obama's camp.

As the race moves forward, both campaigns are unlikely to seek out votes from voters so unlikely to change their minds. Instead, the focus will be on those who can still be persuaded.

If evangelicals and seculars are no longer voting blocs worth fighting over, then they are also unlikely to receive much media attention. Evangelicals mattered in the run-up to the Republican convention, but in the home stretch of the general election, they are no longer newsworthy.

Mainline Protestants and Catholics are now the key religious groups for both campaigns. In September, only 46 percent of mainline Protestants supported Romney. Today, 60 percent say they support the Republican candidate. Catholics have also shifted their support, from 40 percent supporting Romney last month to a dead heat this month. The Romney campaign will want to solidify this new support; the Obama campaign will want to recapture it.

Today's political environment is flush with data. Journalists and pundits, candidates and parties can home in on those voters most likely to fluctuate over the final four weeks of the campaign. Red states and blue states are ignored in favor of swing states whose outcomes cannot be so easily predicted.

Indeed, the major news outlets are no longer willing to shell out the money needed to survey voters in many states. The National Election Pool (NEP; a project of the major television networks and the Associated Press) will not include detailed exit poll results for much of the country. For the past two decades, NEP has surveyed voters in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia on election day. The result is both a national picture of the electorate and detailed analysis of each state's voters. This year, NEP is scrapping 19 statewide polls because they do not have any competitive races whose outcomes are worth analyzing. Predicting the outcomes of these states is no longer worth the cost of conducting statewide exit polls.

Most of the states are so-called red states that will almost certainly break for the GOP in the presidential race (Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming). Also on the list are smaller electorates that will go Democratic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Rhode Island). Without a competitive Senate or gubernatorial race, solidly red or blue states are not worth surveying. Each of these states will have some pollsters asking questions for the nationwide poll, but there will not be enough people surveyed to provide a picture of each state's electorate. (See, for example, CT's map of evangelical voting trends in the 2008 election, based on that year's exit poll data.)

The lack of exit polls will limit what can be said about these states, but NEP has decided it would be better to focus its resources elsewhere than to spend them on predicting how states like Utah or Delaware will vote. Predictable is not newsworthy.

Which is why we are unlikely to hear much more about evangelical voters until the GOP primaries in 2016.

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Fight for the Word: 2 West Tenn. religious leaders continue fight over church name


11:32 PM, Oct 12, 2012


The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church in Guys, shown in July. / Submitted photo

By Tracie Simer
| tsimer@jacksonsun.com


McGill

To read Walter McGill’s post-release statement, visitwww.pastorwalterchickmcgilllawsuit.net/PDF/MyOfficialPrisonReleaseStatement.pdf
To read McGill’s open letter to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, visitwww.pastorwalterchickmcgilllawsuit.net/PDF/OpenLetter2TedWilson2.pdf

To read the petition, visit www.LibertyPetition.com



Two West Tennessee church leaders have said they are not done with their fight for religious freedom — a fight they said is a “disgrace” for a country that was founded on religious liberty.

Luke Chartier and Walter McGill are members of a church in Guys, Tenn., called “The Creation 7th Day & Adventist Church.” The church was sued for trademark infringement by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Chartier said.

“We argued that our name has never caused confusion, and that our use of the name of our faith is divinely mandated and a key facet of our religion,” he said in an email to The Jackson Sun. “The court agreed with us on both points, but ruled against us on a technicality. Because our religion requires our use of the name, we have not been able to comply with court orders to stop doing so.”

He said the Seventh-day Adventist Church has “persistently” asked the court to jail Chartier and McGill in response to their actions.

“The court issued warrants for our arrest for ‘contempt of court,’” Chartier said. “And we were arrested on those charges and held without bail.”

McGill said their arrests and incarcerations were civil rather than criminal arrests. “We suffer no criminal record as the result of our arrests,” he said. “The law enforcement and courts would do nothing to us without the requests of the plaintiffs in this civil lawsuit. A few of the greatest names in history were made via ‘civil disobedience’ when faced with the need to satisfy conscience and stand for righteous principle.”

Both men were released from federal prison in late September after serving time in California, where McGill was arrested.

Representatives with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists could not be reached for comment.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 17 million members worldwide and 1.2 million members in North America, according to the church’s official website. The “Seventh-day” refers to members’ adherence to the biblical Sabbath, while “Adventists” means they anticipate the return of Christ and identifies their “faith community and distinct value system.”



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Tropical Storm Rafael hits Virgin Islands


By the CNN Wire Staff

Bermuda in storm's path

 UPDATED 6:41 AM EDT Oct 14, 2012


Rafael 10-13-12
NOAA


(CNN) —
Tropical Storm Rafael unleashed heavy rain and powerful gusts on the Virgin Islands early Sunday and could turn into a hurricane by Monday, forecasters said.

With sustained winds of 50 mph, Rafael could get even stronger as it bears down on several islands popular with tourists.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Rafael was centered about 100 miles north-northwest of St. Marten, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph and is expected to turn northward by Monday.
A projection map shows Rafael headed toward Bermuda later this week.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Anguilla. Tropical storm warnings that had been in effect for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Marten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Guadeloupe were discontinued Sunday morning.
Forecasters expect Rafael to leave between 3 to 5 inches of rain over the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, with some pockets getting as much as 10 inches.
"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain," the hurricane center said.
The storm could impact rescue efforts for two men and one woman whose small aircraft crashed Saturday morning about six nautical miles (7 miles) south of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said. They were aboard a twin-engine Piper PA-23 that left St. Croix destined for St. Thomas, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
Rescue crews from the Coast Guard and U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Natural Resources saved one female passenger, Valerie Jackson, who told them three others were still unaccounted for.
A Coast Guard cutter ship, two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft have been dispatched from Puerto Rico for the search, Castrodad said. The effort continued Saturday night despite what the Coast Guard spokesman said were deteriorating conditions due to Rafael.
Source: http://www.wptz.com/news/national/Tropical-Storm-Rafael-hits-Virgin-Islands/-/8869978/16981822/-/dwxcow/-/index.html#ixzz29Hd5Qslj
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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Eat Vegetarian, Live Longer?


The landmark Adventist Health Study found that vegetarians live longer lives. Here's an update on the latest research from the same group.


THURSDAY, Oct. 11, 2012 — Some vegetarians can be awfully superior about the health benefits of their plant-based diet. What they might not know is they have the Adventist Health Study to thank. 
In the '70s and '80s, a series of studies from Loma Linda University in California, which has tracked tens of thousands of Seventh-day Adventists since 1958, were the first to show that vegetarians live longer than meat eaters.
Not only that, the studies also indicated that the kinds of foods frequently consumed in vegetarian diets — fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes — can reduce a person's risk for diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, control body mass index and waist size, and boost brain health.
In 2002, the National Institutes of Health gave Loma Linda a grant to continue the research on Seventh-day Adventists, branding this round of research Adventist Health Study 2.
The study, which is midway to completion and includes 96,000 people from the United States and Canada, presents findings just as dramatic, principal investigator Gary E. Fraser, MD, PhD, said at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2012 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo. Vegetarian Adventist men live to an average of 83.3 years and vegetarian women 85.7 years — 9.5 and 6.1 years, respectively, longer than other Californians, Fraser explained.
Here are more findings from the Adventist Health Study 2:
  • Vegans are, on average, 30 pounds lighter than meat eaters.
  • Vegans are also five units lighter on the BMI scale than meat-eaters.
  • Vegetarians and vegans are also less insulin resistant than meat-eaters.
  • Lean people are also more likely to exercise regularly, eat plants, and avoid cigarettes than overweight people, suggesting that numerous factors are boosting the overall health of these participants. 
  • Pesco-vegetarians and semi-vegetarians who limit animal products, but still eat meat once a week or so, have "intermediate protection" against lifestyle diseases.
Perhaps the most staggering finding? Obesity cuts an African-American's life span by 6.2 percent, and across races, the protective qualities of fat in seniors was not seen. (Previous studies have found past about age 85, people who are obese have a lower risk of dying than normal-weight peers.)
The study population is 25 percent African-American and half vegetarian. The reason why researchers have such an interest in the Seventh-day Adventist population, they say, is that the religion promotes vegetarianism and discourages drinking, smoking, and drug use. For example, health pioneer and breakfast cereal inventor John Harvey Kellogg is one of the church's most famous founding members. 
TELL US: Have you cut back on meat for your health? (Note: Users will not be able to comment on mobile devices.)
For more nutrition news and trends, follow @weightloss on Twitter from the editors of @everydayhealth.
Last Updated: 10/11/2012

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The Seventh Day - Hal Holbrook - Part 1 of 5



Uploaded by AM5743 on Feb 22, 2011

Which day is the Christian Sabbath? Sunday? Or is it Saturday? Did Jesus authorize the change of the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day? Did His disciples do it?

In The Seventh Day, host Hal Holbrook takes viewers back across the centuries to uncover the history of the Sabbath. This five-part documentary video series traces the evidence of ancient records as found in the archives and libraries of international scholarship.

The story of the change of the Sabbath is enriched by the testimony of fifty historians and theologians from around the world. Together they provide a careful exposé of the epic battle over the biblical Sabbath.

The Seventh Day, illuminates the heroic struggle for religious liberty, fought through long centuries of inquisition and repression. It offers a surprising look at history that raises new questions about the rhythm of life here in the 21st century -- and beyond.
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Thou shalt have no other gods before me



Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Exodus 20:3-6.
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Friday, October 12, 2012

Happy Sabbath

Letting us in on a secret

By Dana Milbank, Published: October 10The Washington Post


When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big, and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA’s cover.

The purpose of Wednesday’s hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee was to examine security lapses that led to the killing in Benghazi last month of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others. But in doing so, the lawmakers reminded us why “congressional intelligence” is an oxymoron.

New details of what led to Ambassador Christopher Stevens’s death in Libya emerged this afternoon. In a heated, partisan back-and-forth, Darrell Issa said security at the mission in Benghazi could have been better. Diplomatic correspondent Anne Gearan joins us, to tell us what she heard in the hearing.

Through their outbursts, cryptic language and boneheaded questioning of State Department officials, the committee members left little doubt that one of the two compounds at which the Americans were killed, described by the administration as a “consulate” and a nearby “annex,” was a CIA base. They did this, helpfully, in a televised public hearing.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) was the first to unmask the spooks. “Point of order! Point of order!” he called out as a State Department security official, seated in front of an aerial photo of the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, described the chaotic night of the attack. “We’re getting into classified issues that deal with sources and methods that would be totally inappropriate in an open forum such as this.”

A State Department official assured him that the material was “entirely unclassified” and that the photo was from a commercial satellite. “I totally object to the use of that photo,” Chaffetz continued. He went on to say that “I was told specifically while I was in Libya I could not and should not ever talk about what you’re showing here today.”

Now that Chaffetz had alerted potential bad guys that something valuable was in the photo, the chairman, Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), attempted to lock the barn door through which the horse had just bolted. “I would direct that that chart be taken down,” he said, although it already had been on C-SPAN. “In this hearing room, we’re not going to point out details of what may still in fact be a facility of the United States government or more facilities.”

May still be a facility? The plot thickened — and Chaffetz gave more hints. “I believe that the markings on that map were terribly inappropriate,” he said, adding that “the activities there could cost lives.”

In their questioning and in the public testimony they invited, the lawmakers managed to disclose, without ever mentioning Langley directly, that there was a seven-member “rapid response force” in the compound the State Department was calling an annex. One of the State Department security officials was forced to acknowledge that “not necessarily all of the security people” at the Benghazi compounds “fell under my direct operational control.”

And whose control might they have fallen under? Well, presumably it’s the “other government agency” or “other government entity” the lawmakers and witnesses referred to; Issa informed the public that this agency was not the FBI.

“Other government agency,” or “OGA,” is a common euphemism in Washington for the CIA. This “other government agency,” the lawmakers’ questioning further revealed, was in possession of a video of the attack but wasn’t releasing it because it was undergoing “an investigative process.”

Or maybe they were referring to the Department of Agriculture.

That the Benghazi compound had included a large CIA presence had been reported but not confirmed. The New York Times, for example, had reported that among those evacuated were “about a dozen CIA operatives and contractors.” The paper, like The Washington Post, withheld locations and details of the facilities at the administration’s request.

But on Wednesday, the withholding was on hold.

The Republican lawmakers, in their outbursts, alternated between scolding the State Department officials for hiding behind classified material and blaming them for disclosing information that should have been classified. But the lawmakers created the situation by ordering a public hearing on a matter that belonged behind closed doors.

Republicans were aiming to embarrass the Obama administration over State Department security lapses. But they inadvertently caused a different picture to emerge than the one that has been publicly known: that the victims may have been let down not by the State Department but by the CIA. If the CIA was playing such a major role in these events, which was the unmistakable impression left by Wednesday’s hearing, having a televised probe of the matter was absurd.

The chairman, attempting to close his can of worms, finally suggested that “the entire committee have a classified briefing as to any and all other assets that were not drawn upon but could have been drawn upon” in Benghazi.

Good idea. Too bad he didn’t think of that before putting the CIA on C-SPAN.

danamilbank@washpost.com

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Vatican II Changed The Catholic Church -- And The world

Religion News Service | By John Pope Posted: 10/11/2012 8:53 am EDT Updated: 10/11/2012 8:53 am EDT


Tourists arrive on Saint Peter's Square on September 19, 2012 before Pope Benedict XVI's weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS


(RNS) Fifty years ago on Thursday (Oct. 11), hundreds of elaborately robed leaders strode into St. Peter's Basilica in a massive display of solemn ecclesiastical pomp. It signaled the start of a historic three-year assembly that would change the way members of the world's largest Christian denomination viewed themselves, their church and the rest of the world.

It was the first day of the Second Vatican Council, more popularly known as Vatican II, which was designed to assess the church's role in a rapidly changing world. Leading the prelates was Pope John XXIII, who said frequently that he convened the council because he thought it was time to open the windows and let in some fresh air.

For many Catholics, the air came in at gale force.

As a result of Vatican II, priests started celebrating Mass in the language of the countries in which they lived, and they faced the congregation, not only to be heard and seen but also to signal to worshippers that they were being included because they were a vital component of the service.

"It called for people not to have passive participation but active participation," said New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who chairs the Committee on Divine Worship for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Prayer is not supposed to be a performance. We're supposed to be actively participating."

The changes didn't stop when Mass ended. As time went by, many nuns shucked their voluminous habits in favor of clothes similar to those worn by the people they served. And men and women in religious orders started taking on causes, even risking arrest, when they spoke out in favor of civil rights and workers' rights and against the war in Vietnam.

Such changes represented an about-face from the church's defensive approach to the world before Vatican II, said Christopher Baglow, a theology professor at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.


"It wasn't that the church wasn't committed to human dignity before Vatican II," he said. "With Vatican II, the church began to look closely at the ways with which modern thinkers tended to promote human dignity and showed how they and the Gospels are complementary."

With Vatican II, the Catholic Church sent out the message that it was part of the modern world, said Thomas Ryan, director of the Loyola Institute for Ministry. "Not against, not above, not apart, but in the modern world," he said. "The church sought to engage, not condemn."

The council documents say there must be a conversation between the church and the world, Aymond said. "The church, by its teaching and by its discipleship, has something to say to the world. At the same time, the world is saying something to the church."

"We can't just say we're not going to be involved in these conversations," he said. "As the church, we have to be in conversation with others who agree and disagree with us."

This shift included the Catholic Church's attitude toward other religions. Before Vatican II, Catholics weren't supposed to visit other denominations' houses of worship. "Catholics looked down on other religions and thought of them as condemned to hell," Ryan said.

But one document from the council acknowledged that these disparate faiths had a common belief in God, said Ryan, who described it as nothing less than "a revolutionary approach."

Perhaps the biggest of these changes came in the church's approach to Judaism. Before Vatican II, Jews were stigmatized as the people who killed Jesus Christ. That changed with the council, when the Catholic Church acknowledged its Jewish roots and Jews' covenant with God, Ryan said.

"It had the effect that the sun has when it comes up and interrupts the night," said Rabbi Edward Cohn of New Orleans' Temple Sinai, whose best friend as a child had to get permission from the archbishop to attend Cohn's bar mitzvah. "It was no less dramatic than that. It provided an entirely new day. It changed everything."

Not all the changes brought about by Vatican II have been welcomed, and many would say there haven't been enough changes regarding the status of women. This spring, the Vatican orthodoxy watchdog launched a full-scale overhaul of the largest umbrella group of American nuns, accusing the group of taking positions that undermine church teaching and promoting several "radical feminist themes" that are incompatible with Catholic teachings.

Although Vatican II was a catalyst for a great deal of change, it didn't happen in a bubble, Aymond said. The 1960s was a decade of change, with protests against racism, war, sexual behavior, the status quo and authority in general.

"If that's going on in the world and in society, that's bound to affect the church because we're both a divine and a human institution," Aymond said.

"Vatican II isn't about replacing what the church is," said Baglow, the theologian at Notre Dame Seminary. "It's about helping it be more vitally what God intended it to be in the first place."

(John Pope writes for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.)

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