Archive for July 31, 2010

Cell Phone apps becoming useful as Christian Study Tools-Christian Tech

Blackberry-Droid-Apps-Tech News-Christian Tech News

From: http://www.kansascity.com

There was a time when Werle carried her leather-bound and dog-eared Bible everywhere she went, scribbling in the margins as she read. These days she accesses the Word and makes her notes on her iPod Touch.

“It’s nice to have a portable and easily accessible copy with you when you’re out and about,” said Werle, who attends the non-denominational New Day Church in Greendale, Wis. “You never know when you might get into a discussion with a friend about what it does or doesn’t say, or run into someone who has questions.”

Werle is among the millions who have turned to hand held technology to further their faith and spirituality. Software developers have obliged, creating hundreds of applications for smart phones and other mobile devices that do everything from translating ancient texts to alerting a user when it’s time to pray.

Chris Matthews on Fox- They are “whipping up White Hysteria”- Obama News- MSM

Chris Matthews, MSNBC, Mainstream Media, MSM, Politics, Election 2010, Fox News, Obama News, Obama Watch

From: http://newsbusters.org

Chris Matthews, on Tuesday’s Hardball, accused Fox News of “whipping up white hysteria” over allegations of the New Black Panther Party intimidating voters in Philadelphia as he wondered, at the top of his show, if there was “a rightist strategy to stir up racial resentment among whites by portraying whites as victims of black rule?” The Hardball host, during a discussion about the New Black Panther Party case with Philadelphia radio talk show hosts Michael Smerconish and E. Steven Collins, claimed that “Fox News and its friends” were pushing the story to motivate voters in the midterms because “I think there’s nothing the Republican Party likes better than a nice, scared white voter. Let’s be honest about it.”

While Matthews did agree with Smerconish, about some of the merits of the case, the thrust of the segment was that Fox News and the right were pushing the New Black Panther Party story to race-bait as Matthews claimed: “This is just an attempt by the people on the right, I guess, especially Fox, to just keep pushing this, this beach ball in the air until it finally creates some noise.”

Warnings of Freedom Of Religion possibly being changed to Freedom of Worship-Obama Watch-Christian News

Obama Watch-Obama News-Religious Freedom-Christian News

Summary: This is not the first time I have heard of this. I am still not suprised. Obama has done so many shady things since becoming President that it really wouldnt suprise me if he tried to take away Religious Freedom.

From: http://www.christianpost.com

“End Times” authors Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall say the Obama administration may be killing religious freedom by redefinition.

In a statement posted on their website this past week, the co-authors of the political thriller Edge of Apocalypse claim there is a shadow growing over religious freedom in America.

“We are talking about the Obama Administration’s subtle, but apparently deliberate use of a language-sleight-of-hand, substituting the phrase ‘freedom of worship’ for ‘freedom of religion,’” they wrote this past Tuesday.

According to the fiction series authors, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have “consistently” used the new phrase in several speeches in recent months.

They pointed to how the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also noted the shift and raised a flag on it in its 2010 annual report.

“Because of the policy implications of using ‘freedom of worship’ language, USCIRF urges President Obama, Secretary Clinton and other high-ranking U.S. government officials to return to invoking or embracing ‘freedom of religion or belief’ or similar language in all public statements and stress the universal nature of these and other rights,” the bipartisan body stated.

Dems don’t like trend in Obama Fundraising- Election 2010

Obama Watch, Obama News, Politics, Election 2010, Fundraising

From: http://www.time.com

President Barack Obama is accelerating his fundraising pace, inviting Democratic candidates to decide whether the money he draws is worth the Republican attacks that a presidential visit might also bring.

For some, it’s no easy choice. Democrats need millions of dollars to defend dozens of House and Senate seats this fall. But Obama’s approval ratings are sinking well below 50 percent in several key states. (See photos of Barack Obama’s first year in the White House.)

Obama is headlining four Democratic fundraisers in three days, including one Tuesday night, and hosting another four events next week. For now he’s playing it safe, holding the eight events in noncompetitive states or in a competitive place where he’s sure to be embraced: his home state of Illinois. (See pictures of Barack Obama’s nation of hope.)

As is true with most presidents, candidates from his party know there’s often a political cost to the hundreds of thousands of dollars a presidential visit can net.

Islam moving into the West-Christian News

Christian News-Islam-Muslim-America-Religion

Summary: Reading this article really didnt surprise me at all. We all know that Muslims want to take over the world. Thats nothing new to us. America has always been not anti-Muslim just not very Muslim friendly until Obama became President. Now he wants us to play nice and try to “reconcile” with Islam. I am not a Muslim Hater, not anti-Islam or whatever. I am pro-God, pro-faith and pro-love. This means I want to love everyone regardless of race, religion, background, etc. But it is very hard to embrace a religion that means to end life as we know it.

From: http://www.christiantelegraph.com

This growth in the presence and power of Islam in the West provides Christians with unique opportunities.

“For Christians, the growing Islamization of the West can be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity to sharpen our thinking and renew our evangelism,” says Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund (www.barnabasfund.org) in a new article on the Islamization of the West obtained by ASSIST News.

“As we Christians see Muslim zeal, commitment, and willingness to sacrifice, we should be driven to repent, to pray for revival and act boldly for God in this generation. We need to stand firm on our Biblical foundations, beware of compromises and reach out in love to Muslims, offering them the Gospel of salvation in Christ.”

He quotes Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a popular Sunni Muslim cleric, head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, who said: “Islam entered Europe twice and left it… Perhaps the next conquest, Allah willing, will be by means of preaching and ideology. The conquest need not necessarily be by the sword… Perhaps we will conquer these lands without armies. We want an army of preachers and teachers who will present Islam in all languages and in all dialects.”

Sookhdeo says that secularism has already undermined the Judeo-Christian basis of Western society, and this makes it easier for radical Muslims in the West to progress towards their goal.

“There are also other factors that seem to make many Westerners ashamed of their Judeo-Christian heritage and values. These factors include guilt and shame about two world wars, colonialism, racism and the Holocaust,” Sookhdeo writes.

What is happening in the West is linked to worldwide developments in Islam, Sookhdeo says.

Military Vote Issues being ignored by DOJ- too busy suing states- Obama News

DOJ, Freedom News, Military Votes, Election 2010, Politics, Obama Watch, Obama News

From: http://hotair.com

After complaints from several election cycles that thousands of men and women stationed abroad in our military had trouble getting their ballots counted, Congress passed the MOVE Act to force states into compliance.  According to one of its authors, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the language is unambiguous and creates a mandate for enforcement by the Department of Justice.  However, two whistleblowers formerly within the voting-rights section of the DoJ claim that the Obama administration is stalling on enforcement:

The MOVE Act, enacted last October, ensures that servicemen and women serving overseas have ample time to get in their absentee ballots. The result of the DOJ’s alleged inaction in enforcing the act, say Eric Eversole and J. Christian Adams — both former litigation attorneys for the DOJ’s Voting Section — could be that thousands of soldiers’ ballots will arrive too late to be counted.

“It is an absolute shame that the section appears to be spending more time finding ways to avoid the MOVE Act, rather than finding ways to ensure that military voters will have their votes counted,” said Eversole, director of the Military Voter Protection Project, a new organization devoted to ensuring military voting rights. “The Voting Section seems to have forgotten that it has an obligation to enforce federal law, not to find and raise arguments for states to avoid these laws.”

Obama’s Nuclear Treaty with Russia will undermine U.S Security- World News- Obama

 

From: http://article.nationalreview.com

The nuclear-weapons treaty President Obama has negotiated with the Russians may help him make America’s erstwhile Cold War adversary happy, but it won’t help protect us from the rogue nations that threaten the United States today.

If ratified, the New START treaty would force the U.S. to agree to strategic-nuclear-weapons parity with the direct descendant of a nation that threatened our country’s existence for decades. Who would have thought in the year 2010 the United States would be renewing its Cold War–era policy of mutually assured destruction with Russia?

China threatens U.S if Obama doesn’t recognize Chinese Supremacy- World News- China

China News, Business News, World News, Obama News

From: http://www.reuters.com

The United States should alter policy to take account of China’s role as a major player on the world stage if it wants to avoid friction and instability, a major state newspaper said on Thursday.

The commentary in ruling Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily followed the latest spat in Sino-U.S. ties, over what China views as unwarranted U.S. interference in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

While senior officials, including U.S. President Barack Obama, say they welcome a prosperous, flourishing China, good words must be backed up by actions, the newspaper said.

“If the United States cannot find a way of recognizing and accepting China’s entrance on the world stage as a big player, relations will swerve up and down like a roller coaster,” it said.

“This instability in relations will have a negative effect not only on bilateral ties but on the world, and that is not something anyone wants to see.”

Goliath Hometown find- Philistine Temple revealed- Israel News

Goliath, Philistine Temple, Christian News, Israel News, Gath

From: http://www.israelnationalnews.com

Bar Ilan University archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a Philistine temple in the ancient city of Gath, home of the Biblical Goliath, buried in one of the largest tels (ancient ruin mounds) in Israel.

The temple and a number of ritual items dating back to the 10th century BCE were discovered at Tel Tsafit (Tell es-Safit/Gath) by Professor Aren Maeir of BIU’s Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology and his international team. The tel is located about halfway between Ashkelon and Jerusalem, near Kiryat Gat along the southern coastal plain.

“Interestingly, the architectural design of this temple, with its two central pillars, is reminiscent of the architectural image that is described in the well-known Biblical story of Samson and the Philistines,” Maeir said. He added that the discovery could indicate that the story of Samson reflects a type of temple that was in use in Philistia at the time.

Afghan Army low morale, Drug Use high- World News

Afghanistan News, World News, Afghan Army

From: http://online.wsj.com

It took a few tense seconds for U.S. and Afghan soldiers to realize that a sudden burst of gunfire and explosions one recent afternoon wasn’t aimed at them but at a different patrol a mile away.

Everyone relaxed. A U.S. lieutenant resumed chatting with village elders. And four Afghan soldiers leaned back on some idle farm equipment and lit up a joint in full view of U.S. troops and an American reporter.

Use of marijuana, opium and heroin among Afghan troops, even while on patrol, is just one of the challenges coalition forces face.

Tea Party must address moral issues to be relevant- WND- Tea Party News

Tea Party, Politics, Election 2010, Obama News, Freedom News

From: http://www.wnd.com

It’s no secret the biggest, most dynamic grass-roots political movement in modern American history has its enemies.

The tea-party movement has been attacked by the president of the United States, the NAACP, the press establishment and the Washington political establishment.

But there is also an invisible threat to the tea-party movement. That threat comes from the inside – from a handful of activists jockeying for position to lead the movement, to speak for it, to define its concerns and to limit its scope. They speak of “unity,” but they actually seek to divide for the purpose of control.

It is because of this threat that I wrote, “The Tea Party Manifesto: A Vision for an American Rebirth.”

I noticed that certain prominent tea-party “leaders” were attempting to constrain the movement to a set of economic issues.

I am convinced (and I believe the overwhelming number of tea-party activists nationwide are with me on this) that America faces serious crises that go beyond economics and materialism. They are moral, spiritual, transcendent issues that cut right to the heart of people’s ability to discern right from wrong, even to recognize that there is something we call “absolute truth.”

Arizona court loss could mean politics loss for Democrats- Politics- Freedom News

Arizona immigration reform, Election 2010, Politics, Obama News, Freedom News

From: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com

A legal victory, for sure. But is it a political victory for the President? Anti-immigration activists won more political points by losing the Administration lawsuit against them.

A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday struck the most controversial parts of Arizona’s law cracking down on illegals, which gives supporters further political incentive to rally against the Obama Administration. This all started from anger at the federal government’s failure to control the borders. Now you have a federal judge saying the state cannot act even if Washington doesn’t.

Winning the legal right to block state efforts to fill the void only adds to the pressure on Obama to push Capitol Hill for comprehensive reform and border control. But so far, he’s had more luck with the courts than Congress.

Financial Reform Act hides SEC from scrutiny- Business News- Obama

Financial Reform, SEC, Obama Watch, Obama News, Politics, Business News, Finance

From: http://www.nypost.com

When he signed the Dodd-Frank finan cial-regulation bill this month, Presi dent Obama proudly declared that the dramatic overhaul of Wall Street “will finally bring transparency to the kinds of complex and risky transactions that helped trigger the [2008] crisis.”

Not quite.

It turns out that the same bill that dramatically expands the Securities and Exchange Commission’s investigative powers also dramatically expands its ability to keep the information it obtains away from the prying eyes of journalists.

Fox Business was the first to discover this, when the SEC cited the new exemption in the network’s ongoing Freedom of Information Act request undertaken to discover why the agency failed to uncover Bernard Madoff’s ponzi scheme.

Under Dodd-Frank, the SEC does not have to turn over information derived from “surveillance, risk assessments or other regulatory and oversight activities” — precisely the kind of data that would pinpoint why Madoff’s scam went undetected.

Nancy Pelosi promises Card Check coming back- Freedom News

Pelosi, Card Check, Politics, Freedom News, Obama Watch

From: http://theunionlabelblog.com

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, recently appeared before the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and reaffirmed that she wants to push the woefully misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), or card check, through the upcoming lame duck session of Congress. 

This legislation would end the ability of employees to hold a secret ballot leaving them open to union intimidation and would also force federal arbitration on every union vote.

Of course, Pelosi is trying desperately to give big paybacks to unions that donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrats in the 2008 election and card check was their dream law.

Former Weather Underground leader, Linda Evans, behind plan to get felons voting rights- Freedom News

Linda Evans, Weather Underground, Acorn, Felons, Voting Rights, politics, freedom News

From: http://www.wnd.com

A federal bill that seeks to restore voting rights in national elections to felons released from prison has been a pet project of one of the most dangerous members of Bill Ayers’ Weather Underground domestic-terrorist group, WND has learned.

Linda Evans, who herself served 15 years of a 40-year federal sentence, pushed the plan of registering convicted felons along with the radical Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. She is a recipient of the Soros Justice Fellowship, bestowed by philanthropist George Soros.

Evans was arrested in 1985 transporting 740 pounds of explosives, which she acknowledged was slated for use by the Weather Underground in bombings of U.S. government buildings. Targets of her terrorist group’s activities included the U.S. Capitol building, the National War College, the Navy Yard Computer Center and Navy Yard Officers Club and the New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

Hindus bemoan Christian Church banning Yoga classes- Church News- Christian

Christian News, Church News, UK, Hindu, Yoga

From: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com

Hindus are disappointed over a church in United Kingdom (UK) banning yoga in its premises.

According to reports, Bridge Methodist Church in Radcliffe, near Manchester (UK), banned an over-50s yoga group which has paid
œ60 a week for the last about ten years and met there twice a week, fearing its classes could be spiritually confusing. Group founder member Iris Turner said: This is an insult…we are offended…yoga helped the group’s health. She invited the church minister to take part in a class “to allay her
fears”. Currently this group of about 30, which has members up to 82 years old, is homeless.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that although the church had every right to use its premises as it wanted, but yoga, though founded by Hinduism and whose traces went back to around 2000 BCE, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse and anyone could enjoy its benefits.

Social Media being used in Ministry-Christian News

Social Media, Social Networking, Blog, Video

The Church has come a long way in the last 100 years. We’ve gone from meeting in homes and small, quaint church structures to having the capabilities of building megachurches and meeting in huge, beautiful churches. We used to read the words to our worship songs out of hymnals, now we can see them projected on a screen or wall. We used to hear about church functions from mouth to mouth but now we have the internet, social networking, advertising, etc.

In 2010 the Church has nearly endless ways to use technology to its advantage.  The Church has an opportunity to use technology in Church and outside of Church, heres how:

1. YouTube

YouTube is used by many churches during services. It is used to show media clips, promote church events (thru video), show promos for Conferences and other church events.

2. Twitter

Twitter is a great resource for churches to use during church, before and after church and through the week. During church alot of people are tweeting out excerpts from the Pastors sermon, clips from the service, etc. Its really great when the Pastor and the Church have twitter accounts so you can reference them during the service. “I am at @ChurchName and @PastorSoandSo is teaching on Agape Love.”

People are using twitter during service and some people find that offensive, personally I think its great. Get the good news out to your twitter followers, give them something worth retweeting, or starting a discussion on the subject matter.

Twitter is also a great tool for church leaders, and pastors to keep Church members updated on whats going on. Here is an example, “@PastorSoandSo Had an awesome meeting with the Elders. We know God is moving and are excited for what He wants to do thru @ChurchName.” Or say Worship Team practice is getting moved back an hour and you dont have time to call everyone you could tweet it out, “Worship Practice @ChurchName has been moved to 6:30! RT!”

Twitter can be used to keep church members and the leadership in contact throughout the week. Updates on life, events, location, etc. can be tweeted out and invites for others to join! The leadership team being relational with the members is awesome!

3. Facebook

Facebook is a great tool to use to have a “Page” for the Church where you can post events, Church stuff, etc. Keep Church members up to date with church activities and a place to connect as a Church online throughout the week.

Facebook also has an app where you can put Events up and invite people to attend! Great tool for reminding people of events and getting the Word out about concerts, guest speakers, etc.

Facebook is also just a great tool to connect with and “Friend” the people in the Church and keep up to date on your congregation.

4. Blogging

Blogging is great because it gives the church  a place to keep the members up to date on what God is speaking to the leaders, what is new and up and coming with the church, and a weekly or bi-weekly blog as a note from the Pastor would be awesome!

Blogging is also great to have as a place to post sermon notes, words of encouragement for the congregation, etc.

I recommend WordPress over any other Blog site ive tried out.

So, here are some useful tips on using Social Media in Ministry!

Leave comments and let us know what you think!

Judge Blocks Arizona Law- Obama News

Flexing the powers of a judiciary that legislates from the Bench, the US District Judge (D) Susan Bolton prevented almost the entire law from being enforced citing, among other things, the idea that requiring legal aliens to have identity papers on them might lead to a violation or resticting of their rights, this despite the fact the Federal law CURRENTLY requires all legal aliens to carry their papers! See THIS —>>>

The Obama administration did not argue for such loss of rights by legal aliens in its efforts to prevent Federal Immigration law from being enforced but, rather, the Obama team argued for Federal supremacy as justification.

Michelle Malkin’s website has more here —> (With updates)

WHAT TO DO? Resist the Intolerable Acts of Obama!

Intent to rob turns into witnessing, possible divine appointment-Christian News

Christian News-Outreach-Christian Action

Summary: I love that this woman didnt lose her cool, freak out, etc. She just did her best to share the love of Jesus with the man and kept trying to encourage him rather than yell at him and condemn him. This is the way I believe we, as Christians, should handle situations when we dont know what to do. This is such a great testimony of the love of God as well as showing Christs love to others.

From: http://www.miamiherald.com

Nayara Goncalves already experienced one of the “biggest moments” of her life: becoming a Christian.

The second came last Friday, when the 20-year-old cellphone store manager put her good works to good use — persuading a would-be armed robber to put away his gun and leave her store in the name of the Lord.

Every moment of the more than five-minute exchange between a calm Goncalves and the nervous, unidentified robber was captured on a store surveillance camera.

The robber walked into the MetroPCS store at 1543 S. Cypress Rd. in Pompano Beach around 10 a.m July 23, wearing a dark cap and jacket and holding an umbrella.

He exchanges pleasantries with Goncalves, asking whether she was keeping dry, then asks to see a phone.

Moments later, he reaches into his coat, apparently showing her a gun. He apologizes: “I really hate to do this. . . . Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not scared,” replies Goncalves, a devout Christian who was working alone. She calmly walks back to her cash register, telling the man, “You can do whatever you want, but I’m just going to talk to you about Jesus, my God, before you leave.”

The man momentarily pauses, and says, “God bless you for that.”

Goncalves tells him she is a Christian. He replies sheepishly, “So am I and I absolutely hate doing this. I do. I’m embarrassed to do this. But I have no choice.”

He says he has attended Calvary Chapel.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/30/1753002/jesus-saves-a-storekeeper-from.html#ixzz0vB9Gkuqq

Obama tries to sell Government motors bailout in MI staged event- Obama News- Business

Obama News, Business News, Politics, Election 2010, Freedom News

From: http://www.foxnews.com

President Barack Obama is going to the heart of the U.S. auto industry to push an important election-year claim: his administration’s unpopular auto industry bailout has turned into an economic good-news story.

With Americans facing a still-limping economy and potentially pivotal congressional elections in three months, the White House sees progress in the auto industry as a concrete area of improvement — and one with direct ties to the president’s own actions.

To highlight that progress, which presidential aides believe has received too little attention, Obama will stop at three auto plants over the next several days, visiting General Motors and Chrysler factories in Michigan on Friday and a Ford facility in Chicago next Wednesday. Hoping to ratchet up public notice further, the White House also had the administration’s top auto officials brief reporters Thursday.

Love Parade disaster blamed on organizer- Christian World

Christian World, Christian News, Love Parade

From: http://www.faithfulnews.com

German state authorities on Wednesday accused the organiser of last weekend’s Love Parade techno festival of major security breaches which may have led to the crush that killed 21 people and injured more than 500.

The organiser’s security officials failed to properly control the entrance area where the victims were crushed, according to North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger and the state’s chief police controller Dieter Wehe.

“Security did not fulfill its duty,” Wehe said while presenting the key findings of a preliminary police investigation at a news conference

When the organisers couldn’t control the flow of tens of thousands pouring into the event area in Duisburg, they eventually turned to the police for help, he said.

Interior Minister Jaeger said the organiser, Rainer Schaller, failed to stop the flow of people into the tunnel when the situation was already tense at the entrance to the festival grounds.

“The organiser did not fulfill the requirements of his security concept,” Jaeger told journalists.

Schaller, for his part, has fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval.

Disney sells Miramax- Business News

Disney, Miramax, Business News, Finance

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

The Walt Disney Co. said Friday that it agreed to sell its Miramax Films to an investor group for about $660 million, ending a 17-year association with the studio and a six-month bidding process.

Miramax’s Oscar-laden film library has more than 700 titles, including prestigious films such as “My Left Foot” (1989), “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Good Will Hunting” (1997).

But Disney had been looking to sell Miramax amid a studio overhaul because it no longer resonated with its other family centric studio units such as Pixar and Marvel.

“Although we are very proud of Miramax’s many accomplishments, our current strategy for Walt Disney Studios is to focus on the development of great motion pictures under the Disney, Pixar and Marvel brands,” said Disney president and CEO Robert A. Iger said in a statement. “We are delighted that we have found a home for the Miramax brand and Miramax’s very highly regarded motion picture library.”

The entertainment company signed an agreement late Thursday with Filmyard Holding, an investor group led by construction magnate and Hollywood outsider Ronald Tutor. Other investors include Colony Capital LLC, a real estate investment group, and its CEO Tom Barrack.

Tutor and his partners put down a nonrefundable deposit of $40 million to Disney on Thursday. Disney said the deal could close as soon as Sept. 10.

Crist holds slim 5-point lead over Rubio in FL Senate Race- Election 2010

Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio, Politics, Election 2010, Florida, Senate Race

From: http://politicalwire.com

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Gov. Charlie Crist (I) leading the three-way race for U.S. Senate with 37%, followed by Marco Rubio (R) at 32% and Jeff Greene (D) at 17%.

If Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) wins the Democratic primary, Crist’s lead would be 39%, followed by Rubio at 33% and Meek at 13%.

EU inflation reaches 20 month high as unemployment crosses 10%- Business News- EU

Business News, Finance, World News, Europe, EU, Inflation

From: http://www.businessweek.com

European inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than 1 1/2 years on rising energy costs and unemployment held at the highest in almost 12 years.

European companies may have more scope to raise prices and add workers over the coming months as the economy shows signs of weathering a stronger euro and the Greece-led fiscal crisis. Economic confidence rose to the highest in more than two years in July and German unemployment declined, data this week showed. Volkswagen AG, Europe’s biggest carmaker, yesterday reported its biggest quarterly profit in two years.

“The pace of job-shedding has probably come to a halt,” said Chiara Corsa, an economist at UniCredit Group in Milan. Still, “we see the boost from both exports and inventories gradually fading throughout the second half of the year, with domestic demand unlikely to take up the baton.”

The euro was little changed against the dollar after the data, trading at $1.3047 at 10:02 a.m. in London, down 0.2 percent on the day.

China’s Oil Spill eclipses Exxon Valdez- Green News

China News, World News, Oil Spill, Green News

From: http://www.businessinsider.com

Two facts about oil spills we’re quickly learning: 

  • Before Deepwater Horizon, they got little to no coverage.
  • The oil company or local government will always tell you the spill is small.

The latest examples is in China, where last week’s reported spill of 10,500 barrels of crude may have been closer to 630,000 barrels, according to a US expert.

Rick Steiner, a former University of Alaska marine conservation specialist, told the AP: “It’s enormous. That’s at least as large as the official estimate of the Exxon Valdez disaster.”

Spain to lose Credit Rating just like Greece- World News- Business

World News, Business News, finance, Spain, Credit rating

From: http://www.businessweek.com

Spain will probably lose its Aaa credit rating after the country was put under review for possible downgrade in June, and the U.S. needs a “clear plan” to tackle its deficit, Moody’s Investors Service said.

“Spain is very highly rated and I can’t say where that rating will end up, but it’s likely to go down a bit,” Steven A. Hess, senior credit officer at Moody’s, said in an interview in Sydney yesterday. In the U.S., slower growth may hinder government efforts to address the budget shortfall, he said.

The Spanish government is trying to cut the third-largest budget deficit in the euro region while returning to growth after an almost two-year recession. Spain’s classification may be lowered as much as two grades, Moody’s analysts said June 30, citing “deteriorating” economic prospects and the challenges the government faces to achieve its fiscal targets.

“We’re watching the government’s measures that they are implementing and we’ll probably try to put that rating at the level we think it should belong for some time to come,” Hess said. “We don’t see it moving down as many notches as Greece did.”

Angle-Reid Nevada Senate Race in Dead Heat- Election 2010

Harry Reid, Sharon Angle, Senate Race, Nevada, Election 2010, Politics, Obama Watch

From: http://politicalwire.com

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Nevada shows Sen. Harry Reid (D) and challenger Sharron Angle (R) neck and neck.

Reid barely edges Angle among likely voters, 43% to 42%. Two weeks ago, he had a seven point lead.

Said pollster Brad Coker: “At least for the moment, Angle seems to have stopped the bleeding.

Bound4Life against Abortion-Christian News

Pro-Life, Abortion, Bound4Life, Life

Summary: Bound4Life is an organization that is all about LIFE! Support them in their mission against abortion! http://bound4life.com/about-us

Follow them on twitter: twitter.com/Bound4LIFE

From: http://bound4life.com

One of our nurses got a call this week from a fifteen year old girl who was pregnant and seeking a free ultrasound. She was planning to abort and needed an ultrasound to date her pregnancy. (Most abortion clinics don’t give free ultrasounds and they are required for an abortion.) As our nurse was speaking to this girl she could hear the mother yelling in the background such things as, “All we need is an ultrasound!” and “We don’t need anything else from you!

As our nurse spoke more to the young girl she discovered that the mother was pressuring her to abort. This young girl was asking about many abortion procedures including RU-486. Our nurse on staff shared the dangers of RU-486 and invited her to come and get a free ultrasound at our center.

The next morning the girl came in with her mother and had an ultrasound. During the ultrasound the mother, who was so persistent on the phone about her daughter getting an abortion, started crying. After the ultrasound, the mother said how grateful she was to have “seen the baby” and that she was “given a choice to change her mind about the abortion.”

Facebook questions google search supremecy with Questions feature- Social media- Tech

Facebook, Search Engine, Google, Questions, tech News, Web Tech, Social Media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10793009

Facebook has made its first steps into the search market.

The social network has launched a trial of a feature called Questions, which allows people to pose queries to the site’s 500 million users.

The service has been rolled out to a select group of Facebook members and will “evolve over time”, the site said.

It will go head-to-head with other services such as Yahoo Answers, Twitter and search engines such as ask.com.

“The core of search is a question,” said Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the blog Search Engine Land.

“For thousands of years we asked questions of people that we trusted.

“Then around 15 years ago we underwent an incredible revolution with the arrival of search engines.”

Mr Sullivan said Questions was a return to this age of more personalised search.

“You can now put questions out there in a way we used to do before everyone was online,” he said.

No U.S Navy ships near damaged Japanese Supertanker- World News

 

Japan News, World News, Military News, supertanker, Coalition Vessels, U.S. Navy

From: http://www.reuters.com

There were no U.S. Navy or maritime coalition vessels near a Japanese supertanker damaged in an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, a Fifth Fleet spokesman said on Thursday.

Asked if there were any U.S. navy or coalition vessels close to the supertanker at the time, he said: “No, there were none close to the ship … none of our vessels were involved.”

Pot Legalization gains popularity in California- Marijuana- Christian News

Pot Legalization, Marijuana, Politics, California, Christian News

From: http://www.tokeofthetown.com

Pothead Power, people. California’s Proposition 19, which would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older, is currently leading by a wide margin among state voters, according to a new poll. The measure is supported by 52 percent of voters, and opposed by only 36 percent.

The new PPP poll (PDF) shows the largest margin of support yet seen from recent polling on Prop 19, reports policy analyst Jon Walker at FireDogLake.
Interestingly, the poll found Prop 19 support among African Americans to be very high, possibly influenced by the California NAACP’s recent endorsement of the legalization measure.

Director of Planned Parenthood joins the other side-Christian News

christian news, planned parenthood, prayer, rally, christian inspiration, abortion

From: http://www.cbn.com

CBN.com – If your conscience required it, could you turn your back on the job you’d dedicated your entire adult life to?

That’s what Abby Johnson did. After nine years as director of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, Johnson left in October to join the Coalition for Life, a group that holds prayer rallies outside that same clinic—and a group of which she had once been a vocal critic.

Johnson cites two reasons for her decision to walk away from Planned Parenthood. First, she says, it bothered her that the organization was so focused on performing more and more abortions in order to bring in more and more money.

Johnson had believed that pregnancy prevention was Planned Parenthood’s main goal. But, she says, “It seemed like maybe that’s not what a lot of people were believing any more, because that’s not where the money was. The money wasn’t in family planning, the money wasn’t in prevention, the money was in abortion.” And Johnson reports she had “a problem with that.”

But as Johnson tells it, the moment that really changed her heart occurred when she was called in to help with an actual abortion procedure, which was not part of her regular duties.

This was her first time watching the procedure on an ultrasound. She says, “I could see the whole profile of the baby…I could see the whole side profile. I could see the probe. I could see the baby try to move away from the probe….I just thought, ‘What am I doing?’…And then I thought, ‘Never again.’”

Two weeks later, looking out the clinic window and seeing members of Coalition for Life outside praying, Johnson walked out of the clinic and joined them.

Read Full Article: http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchandministry/Colson_Planned_Parenthood_Miracle.aspx

Black, White, Brown…coming together under HOPE!-Christian News

Christian News, Christianity, Religion, Race, Black, White, Church

Summary: Its time for the Church to come together as one Church. Time to stop hiding in our “white churches” and “black churches” and come together! I think what HOPE is doing is awesome! We are called “The Church” meaning “ONE” not “many churches”. Time to put our differences behind and join together and just love God and work to see Christ glorified in this world, and to do it together!

From: http://www.christiantoday.com

Black and white church leaders call churches to demonstrate true unity of purpose and join together in mission in their communities.

Pastor Agu Irukwu and Roy Crowne rallied a congregation of nearly 40,000 to not just say the words of a Gospel that unites, but to demonstrate it.

At the launch of HOPE Together at the Festival of Life last Friday, Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastors and the HOPE Leadership team led the crowd in fervent prayer for unity of purpose, as they stood hand in hand across the stage.

Roy Crowne, Executive Director of HOPE Together, said there was a problem when Christians speak about a uniting Gospel but it does not show. He warned that if people see something completely different to what they hear they will not understand.

He proclaimed: “Our dream is that we would see what the Lord Jesus sees – he doesn’t see the differences in tradition or styles of worship but he sees His Church, the body of Christ.

“His prayer is that we would unite in the purpose and the mission of God – that mission is to cause our church to be outward focused, to express acts of kindness and then to communicate the love of God in the good news of Jesus Christ.

“We may differ in the things we do but we need to celebrate diversity and understand that we have strengths when we work together – find a way to work together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the sake of those outside of the kingdom.”

The huge all-night prayer gathering at the ExCel Centre in London included the presentation of the vision for this next stage of HOPE.

Shell Oil feels economic pinch from Drilling Ban Moratorium- Business News- Obama

Shell, Gulf Oil Spill, Drilling Ban Moratorium, Obama Watch, Business News, Finance

From: http://online.wsj.com

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) said Thursday its flagship deep water field in the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido, has been shut down since April because of the U.S. drilling moratorium and will only resume production at a slower than expected rate in October.

Perdido’s shutdown, less than a month after it started production to great fanfare, is a stark illustration of the impact of the U.S. ban on deep water drilling following the blowout and oil spill from BP PLC’s (BP) Macondo well.

GOP calls 9/11 first responder bill nothing but entitlement- Freedom News

9/11 first responder bill, Politics, Obama News, Obama News, Freedom News, Entitlements

From: http://www.realclearpolitics.com

House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims.

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by New York City Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D), provides medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at Ground Zero, bolsters treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by toxins on 9/11 and reopens a compensation fund to provide economic loss to New Yorkers.

And it’s all paid for by closing a tax loophole on foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries, Democrats say.

But according to Republicans it’s a job-killing growth of government that creates a new entitlement and wastes taxpayer dollars.

The bill, if passed, would reopen the Victims Compensation Fund until 2031 – instead of litigation, victims could try to get money from the fund. Republicans are calling the extension “well beyond what is needed to take care of latent claims,” according to a policy statement from the GOP.

“Republicans continue to believe that those who responded to the WTC attack should get the treatment and liability protection they need because they dutifully answered a call for help,” the policy statement reads.

Are House Dems facing their Waterloo in Election 2010- Freedom News

House Dems, Election 2010, Politics, Obama Watch, Freedom News

From: http://www.realclearpolitics.com

Democratic spin doctors have set out how their side is going to hold onto a majority in the House. They’ll capture four at-risk Republican seats, hold half of the next 30 or so Democratic at-risk seats, and avoid significant losses on target seats lower on the list.

That’s one plausible scenario. The shift of opinion away from Democrats so evident in the polls could turn out to be illusory. The widely held assumption that Republicans will turn out in greater numbers than Democrats could prove wrong.


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Democratic candidates do indeed have a money advantage in many close races, and their campaign committee has more cash than its Republican counterpart.

All that said, this Democratic spin sounds a lot like the Republican spin back in the 2006 cycle. If the numbers don’t change too much from 2004, Republicans said then, we can hold on. If the numbers don’t change too much from 2008, Democrats think now, they can hold on.

But the Republicans, as George W. Bush said, took “a thumping” in 2006. And most signs suggest Democrats will take a thumping this year, too.

Gutted version of AZ Immigration law takes effect today- Freedom News

Arizona Immigration Law, politics, Obama News, Obama Watch,  Freedom News

From: http://www.foxnews.com

Arizona’s court-altered illegal immigration law went into effect just after midnight Wednesday, hours after a federal judge blocked its most controversial provisions — including on-the-spot police checks of suspected illegal immigrants.

Soon after Judge Susan Bolton’s decision was announced, a spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said the state will appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Thursday, asking the appellate court for a swift decision to lift the injunction and allow the blocked provisions to take effect.

Brewer vowed to take the case “all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary,” in a legal process that could take years to unravel, leaving other states considering similar laws in a legislative limbo.

While opponents of Arizona’s strict immigration law are claiming victory after Wednesday’s ruling, there’s still plenty left in the state legislation that supporters are cheering.

USAToday lauds increase in welfare recipients as more voters for Obama- Election 2010

USA today, MSM, Politics, Election 2010, Acorn, Obama News, Obama Watch, Freedom News

From: http://newsbusters.org

Last Thursday, USA Today bizarrely found a silver lining to the recession: more people walking into welfare offices means more Democrat votes in November.

You see, Americans living in poverty are more likely to support Democrats yet less likely to vote. But never fear – ACORN came along to save the day. The liberal group won a major lawsuit in the battleground state of Ohio just in time for 2010 to assure that more welfare recipients register to vote.

Of course, USA Today didn’t actually admit that it was ACORN and didn’t explain the particulars of the lawsuit, but no matter. We have Democrats to save here.

Charlie Rangel gets a public hearing on Ethics Violations- Politics- Freedom news

Rangel, Ethics Committee, Politics, Election 2010, Obama News, Obama Watch, Freedom News

From: http://www.time.com

A jury of Rep. Charles Rangel’s congressional peers is ready to publicly discuss charges of ethical misdeeds. But the political discussions outside the room will be far more significant.

Eight House lawmakers who will determine guilt or innocence of the former committee chairman will hold their first meeting Thursday. A number of Democrats considering calls for the New York Democrat to resign will get their first look at the allegations. (See more on Rangel.)

“I think everyone is looking forward to getting all the facts out in the open and people will have to react once we know what we’re dealing with,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill.

Rangel is tied for fourth in House seniority, having served for 40 years. He’s still vigorous at 80 years old. He had substantial influence as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles taxes, trade, portions of health care, Medicare and Social Security.

Rangel stepped down from that post in March after the ethics committee criticized him in a separate case, saying he should have known that corporate money paid for two trips to Caribbean conferences.

White House, Think Progress behind rigged race-baiting video assaulting tea party- Obama Watch

 White House, Tea Party, Election 2010, Politics, Obama Watch, Obama News, race-baiting

From: http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com

Bob Owens at Big Government reported yesterday that the far left Think Progress blog was using liberal-manufactured signs from Crash the Tea Party as evidence of tea party racism.

Do you remember the abortive “Crash the Tea Party” movement? It was the brainchild of a liberal that explicitly called for progressives to commit fraud in order to attempt to discredit the Tea Party protests.

At Pajamas Media we covered the abortive effort extensively, and made note of the very real bigotry the Crashers unwittingly revealed… in themselves.