Holy Insurers Batman. Insurance for a Virgin Birth.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Highlands and Islands | Sisters lose second coming cover:

"Insurers have withdrawn the cover on their virginity taken out by three sisters in the event of the second coming of Christ.

Essex-based Britishinsurance.com confirmed it had provided the $1m policy, but said it was reviewed on Thursday following complaints."

The firm said the women from Inverness had renewed the policy since 2000.

The cover was meant to pay for the cost of bringing up Christ if one of them has a virgin birth.

Britishinsurance.com managing director Simon Burgess said it had not been the company's intention to offend anyone.

Mr Burgess said: "The people were concerned about having sufficient funds if they immaculately conceived. It was for caring and bringing up the Christ.

"We sometimes get weird requests and this is the weirdest we have had."

This almost seems like a hoax. What’s next Antichrist coverage?

Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says

Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says:

"Americans are far more socially isolated today than they were two decades ago, and a sharply growing number of people say they have no one in whom they can confide, according to a comprehensive new evaluation of the decline of social ties in the United States.

A quarter of Americans say they have no one with whom they can discuss personal troubles, more than double the number who were similarly isolated in 1985. Overall, the number of people Americans have in their closest circle of confidants has dropped from around three to about two.

The comprehensive new study paints a sobering picture of an increasingly fragmented America, where intimate social ties -- once seen as an integral part of daily life and associated with a host of psychological and civic benefits -- are shrinking or nonexistent. In bad times, far more people appear to suffer alone.

If close social relationships support people in the same way that beams hold up buildings, more and more Americans appear to be dependent on a single beam.

Compared with 1985, nearly 50 percent more people in 2004 reported that their spouse is the only person they can confide in. But if people face trouble in that relationship, or if a spouse falls sick, that means these people have no one to turn to for help, Smith-Lovin said.

'We know these close ties are what people depend on in bad times,' she said. 'We're not saying people are completely isolated. They may have 600 friends on Facebook.com [a popular networking Web site] and e-mail 25 people a day, but they are not discussing matters that are personally important.'"

I do not doubt this study at all. As a law enforcement chaplain I have to notify friends and family that their loved one has died. Commonly there is no one to notify because the person had no contact with family or friends. It sometimes takes us days to find someone related to deceased to notify them.

This is all the more reason that we fellowship with each other and reach out to our neighbors. Take a coworker to lunch or invite a neighbor over for BBQ.

WHO Says Bird Flu Virus Mutated

BREITBART.COM - WHO Says Bird Flu Virus Mutated:

"A World Health Organization investigation showed that the H5N1 virus mutated slightly in an Indonesian family cluster on Sumatra island, but bird flu experts insisted Friday it did not increase the possibility of a human pandemic.

The virus that infected eight members of a family last month _ killing seven of them _ appears to have slightly mutated in a 10-year-old boy, who is then suspected of passing the virus to his father, the WHO investigative report said.

It is the first evidence indicating that a person caught the virus from a human and then passed it on to another person, said Tim Uyeki, an epidemiologist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said the H5N1 virus died with the father and did not pass outside the family.

'It stopped. It was dead end at that point,' he said, stressing that viruses are always slightly changing and there was no reason to raise alarm.

Dr. William Schaffner, a bird flu expert at the Vanderbilt University, called the mutation 'noteworthy but not worrisome.' Generally it takes a series of mutations in a bird flu virus to raise the danger of a pandemic in humans, he said in a telephone interview."

More on the PCUSA

This from one of my favorite bloggers.

Should Biblically-Committed Christians Leave the PCUSA? (Section B)
Part 3 of series: The End of the Presbyterian Church USA?
Posted for Friday, June 23, 2006

In my last post I showed how deeply God cares about the unity of His church. This would suggest that leaving a denomination, or dividing that denomination into new groups, should only be done thoughtfully, carefully, and for very good reasons. All Christians, I believe, should be strongly committed to the unity of the church, and should actively seek to defend and contribute to that unity. But there are times when division, either through personal departure or through corporate realignment (e.g. schism) is better than maintaining institutional unity. As I said yesterday, this should happen only in extraordinary circumstances, and only when there are solid biblical reasons, and only after an extended season of prayerful, scriptural, and communal discernment.

Do these criteria fit the situation of the PCUSA today?

Presbyterians to Vote on Gay Clergy Bill

BREITBART.COM - Presbyterians to Vote on Gay Clergy Bill:

"The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), severely split over homosexuality, would maintain its ban on gay clergy but allow some leeway in enforcing it under a proposal headed to a national assembly vote on Tuesday.

A key committee, which divided 30-28, proposed keeping on the books a church law mandating that lay officeholders as well as all clergy restrict sexual activity to heterosexual marriage.

But another bill would give local congregations and regional 'presbyteries' leeway on whether to require that rule in all cases.

A committee minority plans to propose an alternate to that proposal. Ten conservative Presbyterian groups have warned jointly that approval of what they call 'local option' would 'promote schism by permitting the disregard of clear standards of Scripture.'

Facing seemingly endless acrimony on gays and other issues, a special task force spent four years pondering how the denomination could remain united. Its report to this assembly included the compromise plan to keep the sexual law intact but allow local flexibility in applying it.

Liberal caucuses protest that this will leave injustice in place. Conservatives call it an illicit means for the national assembly to rewrite church law.

Another bill that could prompt intense debate would encourage gender- neutral worship language for the divine Trinity _ for instance 'Mother, Child and Womb' _ alongside the traditional 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'

The delegates also will consider a proposal to soften the 2004 assembly's decision to selectively pull Presbyterian investments from corporations involved with Israel.

This month, the denomination reported a net loss of 48,474 members since last year, the 40th annual decline in a row. Its 11,000 congregations have 2.3 million active members and a total of 3.1 million on the baptismal rolls."

I hate to say it but this church is dying with little chance of recovery.

Christians on Football Film: Give Us a G!

Christians on Football Film: Give Us a G! - Los Angeles Times:

"WASHINGTON — A low-budget, inspirational football movie made by Baptist pastors in Georgia has triggered a flood of attacks by Christian groups that accuse Hollywood's main trade association of penalizing the film by giving it a PG rating.

In the last week alone, the Motion Picture Assn. of America, which oversees the rating board, has been swamped with more than 15,000 e-mails arguing that 'Facing the Giants' deserves a more family-friendly G rating. The complaints — the number of which may be 10 times the previous record for reaction to a ratings decision — say the movie is being unfairly targeted for its religious themes.

The filmmakers say they were told that those themes had prompted the PG rating. MPAA officials deny that was the reason.

Across the Internet and on talk radio, religious groups and conservative commentators have seized on the rating flap as evidence that Hollywood is anti-Christian. And the third-ranking House Republican has written to MPAA Chief Executive Dan Glickman demanding answers.

'This incident raises the disquieting possibility that MPAA considers exposure to Christian themes more dangerous for children than exposure to gratuitous sex and mindless violence,' said Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)."

'Facing the Giants'

(Sherwood Pictures)

Wearing 'purity rings' is banned but Mulims allowed headscarves

Wearing 'purity rings' is banned at girls' school | the Daily Mail: London

"A school has banned Christian pupils from wearing rings that symbolise the teenagers' belief in chastity until marriage.

Youngsters have been ordered to remove the 'purity rings' because they contravene the school's uniform policy.

Millais School, an all-girls' comprehensive in West Sussex, has a strict 'no jewellery' rule, allowing only small stud earrings.

But the girls' families argue that that the rings - simple bands of silver given to youngsters who complete an evangelical church course preaching abstinence - hold genuine religious significance.

Parents also point out that the school allows Muslim and Sikh pupils to wear headscarves or kara bracelets as a means of religious expression."

Heather and Philip Playfoot have been in dispute with the school in Horsham over the issue for two years.

Their 15-year-old daughter Lydia began wearing her ring to the school in June 2004.

The Playfoots claim Lydia and up to a dozen pupils have been punished for breaking the rules.

Lydia recently stopped wearing the ring but feels 'betrayed' by the school.

She said: "My friends and I have had detentions and been taught in isolation for wearing the ring.

Restricting a religious symbol for Christians but allowing one for Muslims is discrimination. This is the spirit of antichrist the Bible talks about. It is not just the sinfulness of man it is the direct antagonism towards anything that has to do with Christ.

BREITBART.COM - Mixing Animal, Human Cells Gets Exotic

BREITBART.COM - Mixing Animal, Human Cells Gets Exotic:

"On the sun-splashed Caribbean island of St. Kitts, Yale University researchers are injecting millions of human brain cells into the heads of monkeys afflicted with Parkinson's disease.

In China, there are 29 goats running around on a farm with human cells coursing through their organs, a result of scientists dropping human blood cells into goat embryos.

The mixing of humans and animals in the name of medicine has been going on for decades. People are walking around with pig valves in their hearts and scientists have routinely injected human cells into lab mice to mimic diseases.

But the research is becoming increasingly exotic as scientists work with the brains of mice, monkeys and other mammals and begin fiddling with the hot-button issue of cloning. Harvard University researchers are attempting to clone human embryonic cells in rabbit eggs.

Such work has triggered protests from social conservatives and others who fear the blurring of species lines, invoking the image of the chimera of Greek mythology, a monstrous mix of lion, goat and serpent.

During his State of the Union speech in January, President Bush called for a ban on 'human cloning in all its forms' and 'human-animal hybrids,' labeling it one of the 'most egregious abuses of medical research.'

He didn't elaborate, but scientists working in the field believe that by 'hybrids,' the president meant creating living animals with human traits _ something they say they aren't doing.

Other critics are calling for stricter regulations of the research."

These regulations are being skirted by offshore testing labs. We really do not know just how far they are pushing the envelope.

Top court to decide second abortion law case�

Top court to decide second abortion law case�|�Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would expand its review of a federal law banning some abortion procedures and would decide a California case on whether the law was too vague and imposed a burden on women.

The justices in February agreed to rule on a Nebraska case on whether the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is unconstitutional because it lacks an exception to protect the health of a pregnant woman.

The California case involved additional issues on whether the law imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to seek an abortion and whether it is unconstitutionally vague. A U.S. appeals court declared the law unconstitutional and upheld an injunction barring its enforcement.

Both cases will be decided in the upcoming term that begins in October. The law represents the first nationwide ban on an abortion procedure since the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 ruling that women have a constitutional right to abortion."

Abortion bill debate draws big crowd

Abortion bill debate draws big crowd:

"COLUMBUS — Debate began Tuesday on a bill that aims to outlaw all abortions in the state and put Ohio at the center of a contentious battle to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 33-year-old U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion."

Dr. John Willke, president of the Cincinnati-based Life Issues Institute and past president of the National Right to Life, urged lawmakers to adopt House Bill 228. "By the time it gets to the Supreme Court, we may have a friendly court," he said. "The time has come."

South Dakota recently passed a law banning all abortions and Louisiana passed a so-called trigger law, a ban that would take effect if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Gary Daugherty, executive director of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio, said: "Banning abortion will not stop abortion." Instead, it'll lead to unsafe illegal abortions that put women's health at risk, he said.

The Dayton area has one clinic that performs abortions, according to the Miami Valley Women's Center.

More than 200 people turned out for the all-day hearing before the House Health Committee.

At times, it felt like a cross between high school health class with explanations of human fertilization, a philosophy course with discourse on when a human becomes a human and Sunday school with preachers, rabbis and lawmakers quoting scripture.

Others told their personal stories.

Tababa Aleem of Akron talked about the grimy-handed factory worker who used a coat hanger to abort her pregnancy when she was a college sophomore in 1968. He insisted they have sex before the illegal abortion, she said.

Elizabeth Clyne of Columbus tearfully recounted going to an abortion clinic as a teenager but regretting the decision ever since.

This is one of seven states that are moving in this direction.

Alzheimer's vaccine shows success in mice

New Scientist Breaking News - Alzheimer's vaccine shows success in mice:

"A DNA vaccine has successfully reduced the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice. The result could signal the first preventative and restorative treatment vaccine for Alzheimer’s without serious side effects.

Alzheimer’s disease progresses as small proteins called amyloid beta (Ab) peptides are overproduced, forming plaques in the brain that interfere with its function. Memory loss and mental deterioration follow.

A vaccination approach – getting the immune system to clean up the plaques – has been considered the most promising way to tackle the disease, but its success has been limited, until now. In 2002, for example, the US pharmaceutical company Elan halted trials of a vaccine that raised antibodies against Ab peptides, after some patients suffered brain inflammation."

Very good news indeed.

Arguments for protecting traditional marriage

PROTECTING AMERICA’S IMMUNE SYSTEM:

"The legalization of homosexual marriage threatens traditional marriage — the national immune system that protects our civilization from destruction. Biblically based arguments against homosexual marriage carry little weight in the public square; however, it is possible to make a reasonable argument to protect traditional marriage and oppose the legalization of homosexual marriage without appealing to the Bible. This argument is as follows:

1. Traditional marriage is beneficial to the public welfare.

2. Homosexual behavior is destructive to the public welfare.

3. The law is a great teacher; it encourages or discourages behavior and attitudes.

4. Legalization of homosexual marriage would encourage more homosexual behavior, which is inherently destructive. It also would weaken the perceived importance of traditional marriage and its parenting role, thereby resulting in further destruction of the family and society itself.

5. The law should endorse behaviors that are beneficial and restrain (or certainly not endorse) behaviors that are destructive.

6. Therefore, the law should endorse traditional marriage and it should restrain (or certainly not endorse) homosexual marriage."

CS Lewis letter tells tales of Narnia

BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | CS Lewis letter tells tales of Narnia:

"When a little girl wrote to CS Lewis asking him for an explanation of the Chronicles of Narnia, she never expected to get a reply.

But the letter Anne Jenkins from Hertfordshire received when she was just 10-years-old is to be displayed in Queen's University's new CS Lewis Reading Room."

There is a widely held view that CS Lewis' Narnian chronicles carry a predominantly Christian theme.

And as far as Anne is aware, her letter is the only known document from the author which supports the argument that Alsan represented Jesus Christ.

In the letter Lewis simply states that the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of the "Crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection".

He also explains that the story of Prince Caspian "tells the restoration of the true religion after the corruption".

Federal Judge Upholds 'In God We Trust

Federal Judge Upholds 'In God We Trust' -- Beliefnet.com:

"June 13 - A federal judge in California ruled against an atheist on Monday (June 12) who argued that minting the phrase 'In God We Trust' on U.S. currency violated constitutional prohibitions against the government promoting religious ideas.

Following precedent established by a 1970 court decision, U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that the words 'In God We Trust' are a national motto that 'have nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion.'"

Michael Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer who argued that the phrase violates his right to be treated equally, vowed on Tuesday to appeal the ruling.

"It's such a fraud," Newdow said in an interview. "In this nation that's supposed to be this beacon of religious liberty, a bastion of equality. What's next 'In Jesus We Trust,' `In Protestantism We Trust' ?"

Two years ago, Newdow, an avowed atheist, battled all the way to the Supreme Court to have the phrase "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. The high court ruled the Sacremento man lacked the standing to bring the case.

Now we see the root of his antagonism. He has an issue with Jesus Christ not with religion in general. In God We Trust does not promote any particular religion. It would not hurt him to trust in Jesus.

Americans still hold faith in divine creation

Americans still hold faith in divine creation�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper:

"Much of the nation still takes stock in the book of Genesis.
Eight out of 10 Americans believe God guided creation in some capacity. A Gallup Poll reveals that 46 percent think God created man in his present form sometime in the past 10,000 years, while 36 percent say man developed over millions of years from lesser life forms, but God guided the process.

Only 13 percent of Americans think mankind evolved with no divine intervention.

'There has been surprisingly little change over the last 24 years in how Americans respond,' pollster Frank Newport said."

This is somewhat surprising to see this percentage so high still when only about 20 percent of Americans attend church at all. It shows how little evidence there is for evolution.

Scientists to try to clone human embryos - Boston.com

Scientists to try to clone human embryos - Boston.com:

"Stepping into a research area marked by controversy and fraud, Harvard University scientists said Tuesday they are trying to clone human embryos to create stem cells they hope can be used one day to help conquer a host of diseases."

"We are convinced that work with embryonic stem cells holds enormous promise," said Harvard provost Dr. Steven Hyman.

The privately funded work is aimed at devising treatments for such ailments as diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, sickle-cell anemia and leukemia. Harvard is only the second American university to announce its venture into the challenging, politically charged research field.

There are other avenues to get stem cells. This is just a ruse to play with cloning technology and a race for the big dollars it might produce. If one really cares about healing one does not kill to obtain healing for another.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco was expected to sign a strict abortion ban

WWLTV.com | News for New Orleans, Louisiana | Local News:

"BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco was expected to sign a strict abortion ban into law after the Senate on Monday gave the measure final legislative approval.

Blanco has said she planned to sign the bill that would ban nearly all abortions in Louisiana, though only if the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling is overturned. The bill by Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, could only take effect under two circumstances: the U.S. Constitution is amended to allow states to ban abortion; or the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade.

Under the measure, doctors found guilty of performing abortions would face up to 10 years in prison and fines of $100,000.

Originally, the bill would have allowed abortions only to save the life of the mother, with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. The House added a provision to allow abortions in cases where the mother's health faces permanent harm.

The Senate voted 27-0 to approve the change and send it to Blanco."

Iowa prison ordered to close Bible program

Iowa prison ordered to close Bible program - Yahoo! News:

"DES MOINES, Iowa - A judge has ruled that a Bible-based prison program violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause by using state funds to promote Christianity to inmates.

Prison Fellowship Ministries, which was sued in 2003 by an advocacy group, was ordered Friday to cease its program at the Newton Correctional Facility and repay the state $1.53 million.

'This calls into question the funding for so many programs,' said Barry Lynn, executive director of the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which filed the suit. 'Anyone who doesn't stop it is putting a giant 'sue me' sign on top of their building.'

Lynn's group accused Prison Fellowship Ministries of giving preferential treatment to inmates participating in the program. They were given special visitation rights, movie-watching privileges, access to computers and access to classes needed for early parole.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt called the perks 'seemingly minor benefits' that constituted unfair treatment to those not in the religious program. Despite any claims of rehabilitating inmates, the program 'impermissibly endorses religion,' Pratt wrote.

The InnerChange Freedom Initiative was implemented in Newton in 1999. State prison officials have said they hired the religious group to improve inmate behavior and reduce recidivism — not promote Christianity.

Ministry president Mark Earley said in a statement Friday that the group plans to appeal the ruling and believes its program is constitutional."

You cannot bring the Bible into school and now they won't let the Bible into prison. These programs are highly effective at turning inmate's lives around for good. We cannot have that now, can we?

In many prisons inmates who profess other religions such as Islam get special meals, living space way from women, special television programming and breaks three times a day to face towards Mecca and pray with prayer rugs. All this paid for by the state.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State do not seem to mind those programs but they are distraught over a Christian program that actually turns lives around.

Ex-Mormons Say Breaking Up Was Hard to Do

Ex-Mormons Say Breaking Up Was Hard to Do - Los Angeles Times:

"Ex-Mormons Say Breaking Up Was Hard to Do
A group of former believers offers support for what it contends is a step made difficult by the church. Officials say that's not true.
By David Haldane, Times Staff Writer

For Tom Hall, 77, the disillusionment came during the 1970s when the Mormon Church wouldn't allow blacks to become priests.

Carma Naylor, 64, says she began doubting the religion in which she had been raised after debating the meaning of the Bible with a Jewish friend who had been born again.

And William Ken Andersen, 23, said he left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints six months ago because of problems with 'church leaders ignoring opposing facts about dogma and trying to cover them up.'

All three are now active members of Ex-Mormons for Jesus, a California-based group whose Information and Visitors Center in Orange, organizers say, is the state's only facility of its kind.

The group's beliefs:

• That Mormons aren't true Christians;

• that they follow false doctrines that preclude them from entering heaven;

• that leaving Mormonism is a profoundly difficult and isolating experience requiring the support of fellow ex-Mormons.

None of which is true, says Tom Thorkelson, director of interfaith relations for the church's Orange County Public Affairs Council.

'First,' he said, 'as a Latter-day Saint, I believe in and accept Jesus Christ as my savior. We are Christians, though we recognize that there are some theological differences.'"

Some theological differences …. Yes, I’ll say some differences. How about Mormon doctrine that says Jesus was a created being whose brother is Satan as a difference. This is why so many do leave the Mormon Church is because they hide the truth about what they believe.

I applaud the work of these exmormons in California to set up centers to counter the false beliefs of the Mormon Church. Mormons cannot deny essential Biblical doctrine and then claim that they are Christian. They are classified a cult on all accounts.

Senate Rejects Gay Marriage Ban

BREITBART.COM - Senate Rejects Gay Marriage Ban:

"The Senate on Wednesday rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but supporters said new votes for the measure represent progress that gives conservative Republicans reason to vote on Election Day.

The 49-48 vote fell 11 short of the 60 required to send the matter for an up-or-down tally by the full Senate. The amendment's failure was no surprise, but supporters said the vote reflected growing support among senators and Americans."

Forty-five of the 50 states have acted to define traditional marriage in ways that would ban same-sex marriage _ 19 with constitutional amendments and 26 with statutes.

The amendment would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages. To become law, it would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then would have to be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.

Senator Ted Kennedy: "A vote for this (marriage) amendment is a vote for bigotry"

Senator Ted Kennedy: "A vote for this (marriage) amendment is a vote for bigotry pure and simple.":

"WASHINGTON, June 6, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. Senate will vote this week on the Marriage Protection Amendment, a bill which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. Senator Edward M. Kennedy was quoted today as saying, 'A vote for this amendment is a vote for bigotry pure and simple.'

Kennedy, who claims to be Catholic while opposing the Church on every major tenet of morality, was blasted by Catholic League president Bill Donohue.

'A vote for the Marriage Protection Amendment is a vote to maintain the traditional understanding of marriage as it has been accepted for thousands of years all over the world,' said Donohue. 'To brand those who support this amendment as bigots is mud-slinging: it is analogous to those who would call foes of the amendment 'gay lovers.''"

This is usually what it comes down to. There is no rational or defined argument it is just name calling. Proponents of gay marriage label people homophobes or call them bigots to intimidate them. I doubt he would want marriage to include bestiality or marriage to children. What would that make him under his own argument?

DenverPost.com - Chill out over global warming

Chill out over global warming:

"You'll often hear the left lecture about the importance of dissent in a free society.

Why not give it a whirl?

Start by challenging global warming hysteria next time you're at a LoDo cocktail party and see what happens.

Admittedly, I possess virtually no expertise in science. That puts me in exactly the same position as most dogmatic environmentalists who want to craft public policy around global warming fears.

The only inconvenient truth about global warming, contends Colorado State University's Bill Gray, is that a genuine debate has never actually taken place. Hundreds of scientists, many of them prominent in the field, agree.

Gray is perhaps the world's foremost hurricane expert. His Tropical Storm Forecast sets the standard. Yet, his criticism of the global warming 'hoax' makes him an outcast.

'They've been brainwashing us for 20 years,' Gray says. 'Starting with the nuclear winter and now with the global warming. This scare will also run its course. In 15-20 years, we'll look back and see what a hoax this was.'

Gray directs me to a 1975 Newsweek article that whipped up a different fear: a coming ice age.

'Climatologists,' reads the piece, 'are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change. ... The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality.'

Thank God they did nothing. Imagine how warm we'd be?"

We do not need to fear that the planet will grow too cold or too hot. We should not abuse our stewardship however we as Christians understand that God ultimately controls His creation.

Gen. 8:22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."

Emerging Confusion

We are starting to see a new group of churches that although they are doing great works they are confused about truth. Charles Colson writes about his dialog with the Emergent Church movement.

Emerging Confusion - Christianity Today Magazine:

"Distressed about my widely circulated exchanges with an 'emerging church' leader, a young theologian confronted me after a conference. He urged me to try to understand them. 'You might be surprised by how much you agree on,' he said.

Maybe I had been too harsh. After all, the theologian—we'll call him Jim—argued that emerging church leaders are trying to translate the gospel for a postmodern generation. That's a commendable goal, I agreed. Though in their effort to reach postmoderns—who question the existence and knowability of truth—I expressed fear that they are coming dangerously close to teaching that objective truth does not exist."

Rocky Mountain News: Rockies & MLB

Rocky Mountain News: Rockies & MLB:

It is interesting that so many teams are now looking for character guys to fill their team. It is also fascinating that those teams that are seeking moral players are winning consistently.

"SAN DIEGO - Colorado Rockies players and management say the team enjoys a healthy, positive attitude in its clubhouse but is anything but a bunch of choirboys.

'We look for players with character and ability,' Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said Wednesday, the day a USA Today cover story portrayed the organization as being built around 'a Christian-based code of conduct.'

'Ability is part of it,' O'Dowd said. 'I have neighbors who are good people, but they can't hit a 95-mile-per-hour fastball or throw a 92-mile-per-hour sinker.'

Rockies players and officials said they weren't comfortable with the national newspaper's characterization of the team.

'Character is nondenominational,' O'Dowd said.

With the Rockies having been one of the surprise teams in the opening months of the 2006 season, they have started to draw attention from out-of-town media trying to explain the turnaround in a franchise that has suffered five consecutive losing seasons and has not finished higher than fourth place in the National League West in the past eight years.

The USA Today article claimed there were no male magazines in the clubhouse, no risque music and rare instances of cursing - a portrayal that was a bit 'over the top,' in the opinion of Rockies players."

Brain Waves Control Robot

Robotics to the rescue.

"TOKYO (AP) -- In a step toward linking a person's thoughts to machines, Japanese automaker Honda said it has developed a technology that uses brain signals to control a robot's very simple moves.

In the future, the technology that Honda Motor Co. developed with ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories could be used to replace keyboards or cell phones, researchers said Wednesday. It also could have applications in helping people with spinal cord injuries, they said.

In a video demonstration in Tokyo, brain signals detected by a magnetic resonance imaging scanner were relayed to a robotic hand. A person in the MRI machine made a fist, spread his fingers and then made a V-sign. Several seconds later, a robotic hand mimicked the movements.

Further research would be needed to decode more complex movements.

The machine for reading the brain patterns also would have to become smaller and lighter - like a cap that people can wear as they move about, said ATR researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani."