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News Links of Interest for 2008
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Three Questions, Many Answers

1. “Tell us, when will these things be?

2. And what will be the sign of Your coming,

3. and of the end of the age?” -Matthew 24:3

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General News
Health
Evolution vs. Creation
Privacy Lost
Miscellaneous

Natural World

Natural Disasters
"They will point to calamities on land and sea--to the storms of wind, the floods, the earthquakes, the destruction by fire--as judgments indicating God's displeasure because Sunday is not sacredly observed. ...those who make void the law of God will point to the few who are keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment as the ones who are bringing wrath upon the world. " -Southern Watchman, June 28, 1904. {ChS 155.2}

Lightning Hits 91 Spectators in Norway - "OSLO, Norway (Aug. 3) - A lightning bolt struck 91 auto racing fans at a racetrack in Norway Sunday, and 45 people were taken to hospital with minor burns, police said." -Posted 2008-08-03 -AOL News

Volcano Poised for 'Great Eruption' - "Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano is poised for a major eruption, a volcanologist said Wednesday. Authorities last week evacuated 10 villages from its western slopes as a precaution. ... Patricia Mothes, a U.S. expert on volcanoes, said the 16,575-foot volcano, located 80 miles southeast of Quito, "is preparing to generate, in days or weeks, a great eruption." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-09

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Hurricanes/Typhoons
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth..." -Luke 21:25,26

Cyclone Nargis embodied the ‘perfect storm’ - BANGKOK, Thailand - It was Asia's answer to Hurricane Katrina. Packing winds upwards of 120 mph, Cyclone Nargis became one of Asia's deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Myanmar and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles inland. -MSNBC -Posted 2008-05-08

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Tsunami
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth..." -Luke 21:25,26

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Earthquakes
"... And there will be ... earthquakes in various places." -Matthew 24:7,8

Massive quake kills nearly 10,000 in China - "CHENGDU, China - A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing about 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades." -Posted 2008-05-12 -MSNBC

Scientists seek clues as earthquakes rattle Reno - RENO, Nev. - Scientists are scrutinizing seismic readings and studying damage to residents' homes trying to figure out what's happening beneath the earth's surface to cause a troubling swarm of hundreds of earthquakes in northern Nevada.  "We're looking at just about everything," said Diane dePolo, a network seismologist at the University of Nevada, Reno's Seismological Laboratory. "We haven't been able to associate it with any known fault." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-04-29

Unusual Earthquake Swarm Off Oregon Coast Puzzles Scientists - "Scientists at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center have recorded more than 600 earthquakes in the last 10 days off the central Oregon coast in an area not typically known for a high degree of seismic activity." -Science Daily -Posted 2008-04-14

6.0-magnitude earthquake shakes Nevada - "A strong earthquake shook rural northeastern Nevada Thursday, damaging a town's historic district but sparing residents from any serious injuries.  The magnitude of the quake, initially estimated at 6.3, was later revised to 6.0 by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. ... The temblor was felt across eastern Nevada, Utah and as far away as Southern California. In Twin Falls, Idaho, residents reported severe shaking and items falling off shelves." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-21

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Famines
"... And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." -Matthew 24:7,8
"The Lord has shown me that some of his children would fear when they see the price of food rising,..." {Broadside2, January 31, 1849 par. 9}

U.S. producer prices soared in January - New data show prices rising at fastest pace in over 26 years - "In more bad economic news, consumer confidence and home prices posted sharp declines while higher costs for such basics as food and energy left wholesale inflation rising at the fastest pace in a quarter-century. ... The 1 percent January jump in wholesale prices was led by a surge in the prices of energy, food and prescription drugs and followed a report last week that consumer prices had risen by a bigger-than-expected 0.4 percent because of price pressures in the same areas." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-26

Wheat Prices Soar, Grocery Bills Follow - "Wheat prices surged above $10 a bushel for the first time ever Monday amid concerns that strong demand globally could result in a grain shortage in the United States next year - worsening food price inflation. ... Food prices rose at a 4.1 percent annual rate in the three months ended in November largely due to higher milk, egg and meat prices, according to the Labor Department's latest index of consumer prices. Wheat, corn and soybeans are used to feed livestock; as those costs go up, so does the retail cost to consumers." -WCBSTC.com -Posted 2007-12-17

Skyrocketing Wheat Prices Hit Home On Arthur Ave - "We've been facing higher grocery prices and gas prices for months now. But some have been quietly dealing with a wheat crisis that is sending prices skyrocketing 150 percent. ... "We were spending $19.50 for 100 pounds. It will go up to $47 and change and there is no end in sight," Laurence Addeo said. ... It's a perfect storm out of the wheat belt. Farmers planted more corn to sell as bio-fuel grain, which fetches higher prices. But there's been a much higher demand for grain from places like China and India. Meanwhile, other countries have stopped exporting wheat completely. Now, the U.S. is left with a shortage of wheat, causing flour prices to explode." -WCBSTC.com -Posted 2008-02-20

Consumer prices up more than expected - "Consumers paid more to fill up their gas tanks, buy groceries and go to the hospital in January as prices on a range of items climbed. ... “The economy may be faltering, but that has not stopped firms from raising prices,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisers. “It didn’t matter whether you went to the supermarket or ate out, costs were up.” -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-20

‘Noah’s Ark’ for seeds set to open in Arctic - "If much of civilization is ever wiped out, at least our seeds will survive.  The first specimens — 7,000 seeds from 36 African nations — have shipped to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a repository in the Arctic Circle being built to store a safety copy of vital agricultural information, in case disaster should befall us." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-07

Healthy food getting more expensive - "The price of fruits and vegetables is climbing faster than inflation, while junk food is actually becoming cheaper, the findings of a new study suggest." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-02

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Pestilence
"... And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." -Matthew 24:7,8

Tomatoes Eyed in Salmonella Outbreak - ATLANTA (June 4) - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has now been reported in nine states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.  Lab tests have confirmed 40 illnesses in Texas and New Mexico as the same type of salmonella, right down to the genetic fingerprint. An investigation by Texas and New Mexico health authorities and the Indian Health Service tied those cases to uncooked, raw, large tomatoes. -AOL News -Posted 2008-06-04

Virus Spreads in China, Killing Kids - BEIJING, China (May 3) - China's Health Ministry ordered heightened efforts to stem the spread of infectious diseases Saturday following an outbreak of a virus that has caused the deaths of 22 children in one city and is spreading. -AOL News -Posted 2008-05-03

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Other Natural News

Climate Change
“Already the restraining Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world. And hurricanes, tempests, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause." {SW, December 25, 1906 par. 8}

Statement from the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Climate Change

Record rains slam Hawaii, force evacuations - "All of Hawaii remained under a flash-flood warning Monday after record rainfall as heavy as 11 inches in 24 hours slammed the island chain, closing schools, damaging dozens of homes and holding out the threat of mandatory evacuations." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-04

Many in China to greet new year without power - Millions struggle to get home amid 'coldest winter in 100 years' - "Millions of Chinese are likely to spend the biggest holiday of the year without power and water after more than a week of wild winter weather that shut down transport links across large parts of the country.  The freezing weather -- the "coldest weather in 100 years" in some regions -- has caused havoc in the run-up to the Lunar New Year break, which begins on Wednesday. The holiday often offers the only chance for many poor migrant workers to visit loved ones."

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Urban Sprawl

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Space

Police search for meteorite landing - "A meteor was seen across a wide area of the Pacific Northwest early Tuesday - including in Seattle, Boise, Portland and Spokane.  A Federal Aviation Administration duty officer in Seattle confirms that the streaking light in the sky was a meteor.  An FAA spokesman in Seattle, Mike Fergus, says a Horizon Airlines pilot saw the meteorite hit earth about 6:45 a.m. Fergus says the pilot reported a flash and a burst of light near Washington State Route 26 and the Lind-Hatton Road in the southeast corner of Adams County, WA. ...  Ada County dispatch was flooded with calls - reporting the bright flash. Callers thought the meteor was anything from lightning, to a plane crash to a fire. Dispatchers got 30 calls in 25 minutes." -KTVB.com-Posted 2008-02-20

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Political World
Sunday Worship Laws
(or issues leading to such)
"Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." -Matthew 24:15
"It is time for You to act, O LORD, for they have regarded Your law as void." -Psalm 119:126

Auto dealers to ask Legislature for Sunday sales ban - GLADSTONE, Ore.  -- Oregon's struggling auto dealers plan to ask the Legislature to impose "blue laws" prohibiting car sales on Sunday.  The day off would help them cut costs during an economic downturn that has already put 19 Oregon dealerships out of business this year. Nationally, sales of domestic cars declined more than 35 percent in 2008.  Greg Remensperger, executive vice president of the Oregon Automobile Dealers Association, told The Oregonian his members strongly favor the measure.  "No question, there's some troubled times out there," Remensperger said.
    It's unclear if legislators will take to the idea. The plan wouldn't cost the state anything, but lawmakers already have a full plate when their session starts next month.   A spokesman for House Majority Leader Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, said he hadn't heard of the proposal and didn't know enough about it to comment.  Eleven other states have a similar prohibition on Sunday auto sales. 
    Among the dealerships to close in recent months is the Gary Worth dealership in Gladstone. After 49 years, it ceased operations Oct. 31.  "It was very difficult," said Mike McManus, whose father and grandfather co-founded the dealership. "It just got to the point it wasn't fun anymore."  In Medford, Lithia Motors, which operates 98 stores in a number of different states, has slashed its payroll by 1,000 people, through the sales of a number of dealerships and downsizing.  "I've been through six recessions and this is as bad as any of them," said Sid DeBoer, Lithia chairman and chief executive.
    If lawmakers don't approve the restriction on Sunday sales, Oregon dealers could opt for a voluntary pact among themselves. Dealers, however, figure a state law is needed to ensure that nobody takes advantage of the others' closure.

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Civil Liberties/Privacy Lost

Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1 - (20,000 Troops Prepare for Active Deployment Across the United States) - The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.  Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.  Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.  It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.  But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.  After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take overand that the mission will be a permanent one.  “Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col. Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations. “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year.”  ...

They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.  Training for homeland scenarios has already begun at Fort Stewart and includes specialty tasks such as knowing how to use the “jaws of life” to extract a person from a mangled vehicle; extra medical training for a CBRNE incident; and working with U.S. Forestry Service experts on how to go in with chainsaws and cut and clear trees to clear a road or area.  The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.  The package is for use only in war-zone operations, not for any domestic purpose. (yet)  “It’s a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they’re fielding. They’ve been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it.”  The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.  “I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered,” said Cloutier, describing the experience as “your worst muscle cramp ever — times 10 throughout your whole body.  “I’m not a small guy, I weigh 230 pounds ... it put me on my knees in seconds.”  The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced “sea-smurf”).  -Army Times 2008-09-30

Learn more:

• Army Times - Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
• Washington Post - Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security
• Chuck Baldwin (Crossroad Baptist Church) - U.S. Army Troops To Serve As U.S. Policemen?
• Wikipedia -Posse Comitatus Act

Lawlessness
"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." -Matthew 24:12

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Wars & Rumors of Wars
(also see Rapture below)
"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ..." -Matthew 24:6

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Peace and Safety
"For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape." -1 Thessalonians 5:3

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No One May Buy or Sell
"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ... He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ...and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." -Revelation 13:17

"Behold the bridegroom cometh!" -Matthew 25:6

New Chinese ID Cards Contain Ethnicity, Religion, and More - "In the US, attempts to create high-tech ID cards keep getting bogged down with privacy concerns. In China, however, such concerns don't really cause much pause for the government. Starting this month in the city of Shenzen, residents will begin receiving ID cards fitted with computer chips that contain their home address, work history, background, ethnicity, religion and medical insurance." ... "Interestingly, much of the means to support this sort of monitoring comes from Florida, of all places -- a company called China Public Security has developed much of the technology, which is funded largely by American investment banks. So, when such technology is inevitably adopted in the U.S., at least we won't have to go off-shore to buy the stuff." -AOL News -Posted 2007-08-13

For more details click here.

Also see 2005 archives for more on this issue...

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Religious World

Roman Catholic Church News
"And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" -Revelation 13:3,4

President Bush addresses relationship with Pope Benedict, U.S. Catholics (Bush Calls Pope 'God') - "Washington DC, Apr 15, 2008 / 01:08 am (CNA).- On Friday, President George W. Bush publicly addressed Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States in an interview with EWTN. In addition, Bush also addressed concerns of interest to Catholics such as the position of Christians in Iraq, relations with China, and the creation of a “culture of life.” ... "Raymond Arroyo closed the interview by referring to President Bush’s words about looking into the eyes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and “seeing his soul.”  Arroyo asked President Bush what he saw when he looked into the eyes of Pope Benedict XVI.  “God,” the president answered." -Catholic News Agency -Posted 2008-04-17

Pope arrives in U.S., set to stress moral values - "Pope Benedict XVI arrived Tuesday in the United States to a presidential handshake and enthusiastic cheering, a warm welcome that followed the pontiff's candid admission hours earlier that he is "deeply ashamed" of the clergy sex abuse scandal that has rocked the American church. ... "We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry," Benedict said. "It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-04-15

Vatican Assaults Prodi - Again - "The Vatican stands accused of bringing down the government of Italy.  Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was forced to resign last Thursday as he lost a vote of confidence in the Senate.  Yet, the Roman Catholic Church is to blame for Prodi’s demise. ... According to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, the Vatican changed Mastella’s mind for him. “Prodi’s government dared to challenge the ecclesiastical hierarchy for the second time and this time it has had its hands burned,” it wrote. ... This is about more than just blocking laws that promote immorality. The Catholic Church is seeking to unite Europe under the power of religion—the Catholic religion, and Catholic laws.  Soon the Vatican’s efforts will not be limited to a pro-family agenda. Watch for its political pressure to be applied to other areas. Soon it will attempt to impose its beliefs in areas such as Sunday worship on the whole European continent.  The pope has demonstrated his political clout in Italy.  Watch for it to extend across Europe, and then, the whole world." -Clerical Whispers -Posted 2008-01-29

Vatican plans ‘historic’ Catholic-Muslim meeting - "Catholic and Muslim representatives plan to meet in Rome in the spring to start a "historic" dialogue between the faiths after relations were soured by Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 comments about Islam and holy war, Vatican officials said." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-02

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Protestants, Islam & Rome
(Misc Church News & Unification)

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False Christs/Cults
"Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many." -Matthew 24:4,5
"...if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it." -Matthew 24:23-26

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Spiritualism
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie." -2 Thessalonians 2:9,10

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(Spiritual) Excitement in the Religious Bodies

Revivalist Claims Hundreds Of Healing - LAKELAND, Fla. – "Holy Spirit fall! God is here! We want more! More, more, more!"  That's what Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley yells out nearly every evening to the thousands who gather to hear him preach. The 32-year-old Bentley looks more like a biker than a minister, with body piercings and tattoos all over his arms and neck. But the crowds don't seem to mind how he looks. They just want what they believe Bentley has – the ability to heal them. -MSNBC -Posted 2008-05-29

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"The Rapture" & "Left Behind"
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:9-12
(Fiction is a lie.)

Left Behind is classified "Fiction"
Webster's Online Dictionary definition for "fiction"

1. something invented by the imagination or feigned; specifically:an invented story

2. an assumption of a possibility as a fact irrespective of the question of its truth

"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters,and whoever loves and practices a lie." -Rev. 22:14,15 (There's only two groups at the end.  Please choose to be inside, join those who love and practice the truth.)

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Adventists in the News

Upper Columbia Conference Offices & Bookstore Destroyed by Fire -2008-12-28

• Fire destroys bookstore at Seventh-day Adventist headquarters -KHQ.com

• Upper Columbia Conference Office Fire - Photos

• Flames destroy Seventh-day Adventist center - KREM.com

• Fire collapses part of Seventh-day Adventist Center -KXLY.com

• Church offices damaged in morning fire -Spokesman.com

Fire destroys Adventist headquarters for UK, Ireland -2008-11-17

• Church HQ badly damaged by blaze - BBC
• Seventh-day Adventist Church HQ destroyed by fire -Adventistnew.org
• Victor Hulbert's Photos - BUC Office fire
• Victor Hulbert's Photos - BUC fire - the aftermath
• A short video report prepared by the SEC Media Centre
• Seventh-day Adventist Church HQ destroyed by fire -Watsford Observer

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Signs and Wonders

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Blasphemy
"... scoffers will come in the last days ..." 2 Peter 3:3
"Judgments are prepared for scoffers ..." Proverbs 19:29

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Scoffers
"... scoffers will come in the last days ..." 2 Peter 3:3
"Judgments are prepared for scoffers ..." Proverbs 19:29

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Religious Liberty
"...Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s." -Matthew 22:21

Obama wants to expand faith-based programs - "Says challenges faced today are 'too big for government to solve alone' - CHICAGO - Reaching out to religious voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obamacalled for expanding President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and — in a move sure to cause controversy — supported some ability to hire and fire based on faith. ... "The challenges we face today ... are simply too big for government to solve alone," Obama said. ... "The challenges we face today ... are simply too big for government to solve alone," Obama said. ... He also only supports letting religious institutions hire and fire based on faith in the non-taxypayer funded portions of their activities, said a senior adviser to the campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity to more freely describe the new policy.
     Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, criticized Obama's proposed expansion of a programhe said has undermined civil rights and civil liberties.  "I am disappointed that any presidential candidate would want to continue a failed policy of the Bush administration," he said. "It ought to be shut down, not continued."
     ... Obama proposes to elevate the program to a "moral center" of his administration, by renaming it the Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and changing training from occasional huge conferences to empowering larger religious charities to mentor smaller ones in their communities. ... Obama also talked bluntly about the genesis of his Christian faith in his work as a community organizer in Chicago, and its importance to him now.
     "In time, I came to see faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community; that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn't be fulfilling God's will unless I went out and did the Lord's work," he said." -MSNBC Front Page News -Posted 2008-07-01

Obama courts conservatives with new faith program - "ZANESVILLE, Ohio - Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican. ... And while Bush supports allowing all religious groups to make any employment decisions based on faith, Obama proposes allowing religious institutions to hire and fire based on religion only in the non-taxpayer-funded portions of their activities — consistent with current federal, state and local laws. "That makes perfect sense," he said." -Yahoo News -Posted 2008-07-01

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Terrorism
“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." -Blaise Pascal

Saudi official: OK to kill owners of immoral TV - "Saudi Arabia's top judiciary official has issued a religious decree saying it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV networks that broadcast immoral content.   The 79-year-old Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan said Thursday that satellite channels cause the "deviance of thousands of people." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-09-12

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Marriage & Relationships
And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." -Genesis 2:18
"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." -Hebrews 13:4

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Immorality
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie." -Revelation 22:14, 15

Californians cleared to vote on same-sex marriage ban - SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- "The California Supreme Court has cleared the way for Californians to vote in November on whether to ban same-sex marriages in the state.  The court on Wednesday denied a petition to remove the initiative from the state's general election ballots. The unanimous decision was handed down without elaboration." -CNN

Gay couples in California get marriage licenses - SAN FRANCISCO - "Dozens of gay couples were married Monday after a landmark ruling making California the second U.S. state to allow same-sex nuptials went into effect". -MSNBC (Front Page News) -Posted 2008-07-16

Other General News

Health
"Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." -Daniel 12:10

Sure you want to eat that burger? - Just 0.05 percent of U.S. beef is tested for deadly bacteria - "Turns out, the humble hamburger may be the most dangerous item on the menu. ... You know there's trouble when your average American carnivore thinks twice about biting into a burger. The appetite-killer in question: Escherichia coliform, a.k.a. E. coli, the bacteria behind the spate of recalls that recently hit the nation's beef supply. From June to September 2007 alone, ground beef contaminated with E. coli sickened 55 people while also shuttering one business and shaking up the USDA." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-21

Experts: Most people will shrug off beef recall - Even after largest beef recall in history, many unlikely to change habits - "Consumers are expected to keep eating beef in the wake of the largest beef recall in history, just as they did when the United States reported its first case of mad cow disease in late 2003, two economists said on Tuesday." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-19

Beef industry, animal advocates duel over video - Lawmaker concerned U.S. ‘food safety system has collapsed’ - "The cattle industry and animal rights groups bickered over the treatment of beef destined for U.S. dinner plates a day after secret video triggered the nation's largest meat recall. ... Undercover video taken at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. of Chino, Calif., shows workers shocking, kicking and shoving debilitated cattle with forklifts, prompting the government to pull 143 million pounds of the company's beef. ... Recalled meat is piling up in at least seven Michigan school districts. Grand Rapids Public Schools must throw out 10 tons of hamburger, while the Ann Arbor Public Schools has about 200 pounds of the beef. The Detroit Public Schools system got a shipment of 150 cases of frozen chili and taco meat, but officials say none of it was eaten." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-03-01

USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef - "An undercover video showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts has led to the largest beef recall in the United States and a scramble to find out if any of the meat is still destined for school children’s lunches." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-21

Heavy cell phone use tied to poor sperm quality - "Spending hours on a cell phone each day may affect the quality of a man’s sperm, preliminary research suggests.  In a study of 361 men seen at their infertility clinic, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found an association between the patients’ cell phone use and their sperm quality.  On average, the more hours the men spent on their cell phones each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-02-06

FDA warns against cold drugs for kids under 2 - "Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines — they’re too risky for tots so small, the government warned Thursday." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-18

Food Poisoning Can Be Long-Term Problem - "It's a dirty little secret of food poisoning: E. coli and certain other foodborne illnesses can sometimes trigger serious health problems months or years after patients survived that initial bout. Scientists only now are unraveling a legacy that has largely gone unnoticed." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-22

Too Few Adults Get Vaccines, CDC Says - "Vaccines aren't just for kids, but far too few grown-ups are rolling up their sleeves, disappointed federal health officials reported Wednesday." -AOL News -Posted 2008-01-23

2-cup coffee habit may double miscarriage risk - "Drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day has long been considered safe during pregnancy, but a new study finds that even this modest amount of caffeine could double a woman’s risk of miscarriage." -MSNBC -Posted 2008-01-21

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Evolution vs. Creation
"... scoffers will come in the last days ..." 2 Peter 3:3
"Judgments are prepared for scoffers ..." Proverbs 19:29

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Privacy Lost

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Miscellaneous

What You Already Knew: We Torture - "A favorite George W. Bush talking-point in our post 9/11 world, is that, "The United States does not torture."  But yesterday, CIA director Michael Hayden publicly admitted that the United States of America has used the enhanced interrogation technique known as "waterboarding" on at least three different prisoners." -AOL News -Posted 2008-02-06

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