How daft are the BBC & Sky News?

In an effort to maintain editorial neutrality the BBC and Sky News refused to show a humanitarian appeal for Gaza. Their excuse was that they want to maintain political neutrality. In the past couple of years, "Auntie Beeb" has rarely been out of the spotlight, amid speculation on the future of the broadcaster's public funding, scandals over mismanaged phone-in competitions. On this occasion, at least there is a happy outcome - in effect, the BBC and Sky News refusal and consequent media only served to give the fundraiser significant free promotion. Moreover, the appeal captured the hearts of many.... read the following Times Online report:

Donations to an emergency fund for Gaza doubled overnight after three TV channels broadcast an appeal that the BBC and Sky News have refused to show.

Members of the public have now pledged over £1 million to help tackle the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said today.

Terrestrial broadcasters ITV, Channel 4 and Five showed the DEC’s televised appeal for donations last night.

More than 100 MPs from all parties have signed an early day motion criticising the decision taken by BBC and Sky News not to air the three-minute film

Demonstrators last night staged protests at the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London, burning their TV licences and occupying the building’s reception until they were removed by police.

The DEC, an umbrella organisation for 13 of the larger aid agencies including Oxfam and the British Red Cross, said today it was “delighted” with the response to its appeal.

“We really do appreciate the support of the British public who have shown their generosity when confronted with scenes of a dire humanitarian emergency," said Brendan Gormley, the chief executive.

Continue at Times Online

Faith and Families: Are You a Statistic?

A recent study conducted by the Family Policy Institute of Washington, a census that conducts thorough evaluations of government data, revealed that children who live with both their biological parents and attend church regularly are five times less likely to repeat a grade level or have behavioral problems. Being involved in a religious community does not benefit the children alone; the study also revealed that parents who honor their marriage vows and involve themselves in regular worship have less parental stress and are happier in general.

So is your family a statistic? We have to say . . . this is one we don’t mind being.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 KJV

68 ,000 jobs lost today

More than 68,000 job cuts were announced today. This is yet another low blow to an already dwindling job market. In this early stage of 2009, two hundred thousand cuts have already been made since the New Year began. Among the companies continuing this downsizing trend are Fortune 500 heavy hitters such as Caterpillar, Pfizer, Home Depot, Sprint and the financial group ING.

More than 2.6 million jobs were lost last year alone. It was the highest job loss ratio since 1945, the latter end of the Great Depression where jobs were sparse and necessities were few. These statistics give wonder to the question . . . “Are we heading in the same direction?” 

advertising their weakness

I tend to agree with a blog posting from James Macpherson:

A GROUP of atheists in the UK have bandied together to run anti-God advertisements on the side of public buses. You can read the New York Times report here.

The Methodist Church don't think it a bad thing. Infact, they counter that at least the advertisements will get people thinking about eternal issues.

I agree. The very nature of the advertisements surely signal atheism's weaknesses to thinking people.

For instance, one of the advertisements states: "There's probably no God, so stop worrying and enjoying your life."

The word "probably" had to be used in oder to meet advertising standards since it is impossible to prove there is no God. And so the atheists advertise that they too are people of faith.

Further more, it begs the question as to whether the probability that there is no God is really a source of comfort. Surely, if there is no God then there is no purpose, no hope, no justice, no-one to hear your prayers ... all of which sounds like a real worry to me.

The second advertisement features a Santa proclaiming: "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake."

This of course begs the question, if there is no God, why be good at all?

And finally, there's a cheeky ad where-in atheists define their own belief system in these terms: "Atheism: Sleeping in on Sunday mornings."

I love it. If there is no God then nor is there purpose or meaning. You might as well stay in bed!

Far from creating doubts about God, these advertisements might just nudge thinking people into church!

Dr Phil. The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Found this in the Globe Guardian...

John and Rochelle, a hapless couple, came to Dr. Phil because they were having control issues in their relationship. I was eager to hear Phil's no-nonsense approach to their "issues" and follow up with his 5-step cure. The doctor's tell-it-like-it-is advice would most assuredly equal the forces of power for this misguided twosome and save another relationship from eminent doom.

Now I believe woman have had to be strong to be heard, to get their due, to become equal partners in relationship. Power to the sisterhood! Alleluia to Oprah for getting the word out. Yeah, well, ummm, yikes. This woman would have scared the bejesus out of Hitler! Rochelle not only controlled, she left verbal scars. Control issues? Rochelle nagged, belittled, changed, rearranged, rattled and rolled her poor husband until there was nothing left but an empty shell of a man who was afraid of his own shadow – and that’s only if she allowed him to have a shadow.

What words of wisdom did our superhero, Dr. Phil, have for this piranha? Well naturally Dr. Phil said all the things that we’ve come to expect from him. He got Rochelle to agree that the problem wasn’t hers and John’s, but rather just hers. He had nodding consent that she had taken on the parent role and assigned John bad child role. He even had Rochelle admit that she may have some issues of her own and could possibly use some type of "therapy." Praise the Lord, just as expected, Dr. Phil had saved another soul and, in the process, another marriage. 

But wait. What's that I hear? Can it be? As Oprah’s readying the camera to pan out for the last commercial before "Remembering Your Spirit," Rochelle can be heard in the background debating with the good Doc, John’s table manners and the way he holds his fork and how dare he leave the table before she’s done eating, he didn’t tell her he adored her and didn’t he have a can of root beer earlier that day? Huh? She was questioning our man of the hour? Oh my God. I think Dr. Phil met his match. I was shaken.

I can now tell you that I’ve recovered since that show. I can almost admit out loud that Dr. Phil is human and even he can’t fix everything, right? Why today, he brought a shopaholic to tears when he told her she was spending herself into divorce. A single mom hung her head in shame when our man scolded her for trying to buy her children’s love with an unaffordable trip to Disneyland. My faith has been restored. Yes, Dr. Phil is well and alive on Tuesday afternoons and I for one can sleep well at night just knowing he’s out there to save us from ourselves! Thank you Dr. Phil. Peace has once again been restored in reality land!

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Washington, D.C.: Party’s Over

After the dancing ceased and the parades gave way to left over confetti, the 44^th president of the United States had no time for rest. In his first day in office, it was straight to work for the Hawaiian native as he has suspended the persecution of prisoners in the infamous Guantanamo Bay Gitmo Prison. This suspension comes in the hopes of finding an effective, safe way to shut down the controversial terrorist prison in the course of the 120 day suspension.

When asked about the economy, Obama assured that there would be several swift acts of change and several announcements to come regarding both domestic and foreign policies.

Gee . . . we are tired just thinking about all that. Looks like a party doesn’t last long in Washington!

made me laugh....

 

The first BlackBerry president is here

President Barack Hussein Obama, as he will be tomorrow, has changed everything about America already - not just by being what he is but by being who he is. He is not just the first black president. He is the first BlackBerry president.

When George W. Bush hit the campaign trail in 2000, the precious possession he brought with him from home was his feather pillow. The theme of the Bush years was obliviousness. The outgoing President was famously unavailable for debate. He was deaf to countervailing voices. He hit the sack early and always got a good night's sleep.

What the pillow was to Mr Bush the BlackBerry is to Mr Obama. Mr Bush couldn't wait to turn in; Mr Obama can't bear to tune out. It's richly symbolic that Mr Obama has been resisting the security agencies' attempts to pry his fingers from around his beloved electronic device. His fight to keep his BlackBerry shows how strongly he doesn't want to be cut off. He wants to stay in touch with the advisers and friends who can bypass the gatekeepers. (C u meet me at the g8 fr coffee 2nite?)

But Mr Obama was not just ahead of the curve in the way he understood the web. He was also the harbinger of a societal shift that is being played out before our eyes in the economic meltdown. He understood instinctively that the old structures - in his case, the structures of politics - had to be broken down and reassembled if we are to compete in the new world.

The same will prove true of business. The election delivered a seismic shock not just to the political world but to the suits at the top of Fortune 500 corporations. Call it the Obama effect - a sudden hunger for creativity and innovation, a recognition that we have to be less massive and more nimble. It came too late for some, of course, as almost simultaneously we saw the sclerotic auto companies collapsing before us. The mantra of the next decade will be more consensual, less top-down, more cellular, less gigantic. By the end of this new presidential era every CEO who boasts that he has no time to use the internet will be gone.

Full story 

Poll links fatness and happiness

....... though there is a sex bias!

A new poll has found fat people are happy, with nine out of every ten overweight people satisfied with life and the person they are.

The Newspoll looked at people's happiness and their attitudes to weight and health and found more than half the population thought they were overweight. The poll, commissioned by weight loss company Weight Watchers, asked overweight people about their habits.

Women are more likely to think they weigh too much, but men are twice as likely to eat unhealthily or not care about what they eat.

Almost half of those surveyed say they eat healthily most of the time, although more than 80 per cent admitted they don't get enough exercise.

The poll also looked at the general happiness of the population regardless of weight and found Australians are a pretty contented bunch.

read further click link

Coffee may cause hallicinations

Brian Handwerk - National Geographic

Double-shot lovers take note—the world's most popular psychoactive drug may have a disturbing hidden effect on some of its habitual users.

Heavy drinkers of coffee, tea, energy drinks, and other caffeinated beverages are more likely to hallucinate, hear imaginary voices, and even sense the presence of deceased people, a new study suggests.Among the 200 test subjects, those who consumed the equivalent of seven cups of coffee a day were found to be three times more likely to have hallucinatory experiences than those who consumed less than a single cup a day.

Lead author Simon Jones, a psychology Ph.D. student at Durham University in the U.K, is intrigued but cautious about the connection.

"This hasn't shown that caffeine causes hallucinations, though the data are consistent with that idea," he said.

"It could also be that people who have hallucinations are more anxious and worried, so that causes them to consume more caffeine."

National Geographic - full story

Is there life out there?

Times on line reports.... 

Powerful evidence that life may still exist on Mars was presented by Nasa tonight after the discovery that huge plumes of methane were being spurted into the planet’s atmosphere.

Detection of the gaseous emissions fell short of offering proof of life but indicated to astronomers a distinct possibility that it not only evolved on Mars, but is still there. Most of the gas on earth is created by animals and plants.

Too read the rest of the article click Times Online 

continued violence in the middle east

After a unanimous U.N. vote for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Friday morning, Hamas answered their request loud and clear, dropping yet another barrage of rockets into Israel. Israel responded on the defense and struck down many weapons believed to be Hamas’ in the midnight hours. It is said that Hamas leaders have denied the cease-fire until Israel agrees to close down their two-week military operation within the Gaza Strip.

So what’s next in this continually unfolding crisis? It seems as though Israel’s security cabinet must decide whether to end the Gaza Strip operation or increase the attack on Hamas. How will Israel respond? No matter what option, it is vital that a decision be reached - and fast. Right now, every second counts as Israel fears a slow response may lead to increased danger for their soldiers on the ground.

As the world watches the Middle East, we all can’t help but wonder . . . can an agreement be reached before it’s too late or is this yet another turned page of Biblical prophecy?

US Government to Give Five Million Dollar Bailout Government to Give Five Million Dollar Bailout

United States of America - One of President Obama’s first orders of business was clear from the beginning of his campaign – to jumpstart the economy in a now or never kind of venture. While the “bailout” program is sure to help many struggling businesses, it seems as though now everyone feels they deserve a piece of the pie. Among the latest to get in line for the government’s “bailout” program is Larry Flint, the owner of Hustler magazine along with Joe Francis, the creator of the Girls Gone Wild video series in what would be a whopping five million dollar bailout.

Several government officials have already shown their support of these unlikely last minute additions to the handout line. The early support that has come from high on the food chain has many taxpayers enraged and concerned. What other government officials will jump ship before the bailout results of winners and losers arrive? That we may have a say in . . .

To voice your opinion and keep US tax dollars from supporting adult industries visit http://www.nopornbailout.com/ and sign the petition to say no to adult industry bailouts. 

the bible code - fact or fiction?

The idea that divinely encrypted messages lay hidden within the pages of the Bible has been entertained for centuries. The thought it’s self is believed to have been explored by scholars as early as Isaac Newton, who was said to have thought, “the universe was a cryptogram set by the almighty”.

The Bible code is a theory based upon an ELS, Equidistant Letter Sequence, a process of choosing a starting letter in any text and skipping the same amount of letters each time to reveal hidden words.

Throughout the years, scholars have discovered many different sequences within the pages of the Bible among which were said to reveal the rise of Hitler and other prominent figures. However, their creditability warranted a close second glance after several similar attempts with other literately works. A few years ago, a university professor attempted to achieve similar results in the famed novel Moby Dick. There he found many notable events from the death of Martin Luther King, presidents Kennedy and Lincoln along with Princess Diana and many others making many question if the Bible code held any legitimate accuracy at all.

After many similar findings among novel after novel and paper after paper, it proves even more that the credibility of the Bible code has many major flaws. It seems as though “codes” can be formed from almost any text long enough to be sequenced. In fact, many argue that ELS is a phenomenon that can be achieved on even the simplest cereal box. 

God to Professional Athletes: Stop Pointing at Me!

“First of all, I think we can all agree that pointing is rude,” the official said. “Secondly, it’s more or less an open secret up here that God outsourced His sovereignty over sporting events at all levels to a startup firm in Mumbai about five years ago, so I really think he was starting to feel a little funny about taking credit for everything.” 

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maccas looking to the future

McDonald's Makeover

More than 30 years after its last redesign, McDonald's is again undergoing a major facelift. What will the new design features be?

A lounging section with couches and armchairs, created solely to give McDonald's employees the extra-humiliating task of extracting pickle slices wedged under the cushions

Nude marble Ronald McDonald sculptures

PlayPlace jungle gyms and ball pits will be replaced with more urbane kid-sized yoga mats and mini squash courts

Condiment stations broadened to accommodate diaper-changing

Hamburglar now played with simmering intensity by veteran actor Robert Duvall

Talking toilets will tell customers how many calories they just expelled

Extra Dr Pepper dispenser in each soda fountain

Tables feature the "Again Button," which customers can hit if they want employees to bring them the same meal again

Slogan "I'm Lovin' It" to be changed to "I'm Loving It"

(via)

Winnie the Pooh to appear in a new book

If you were like me your early childhood (& post childhood) would have been shaped by Winnie the Pooh. Winnie offered a positive and simple perspective. 

Ben Hoyle in The Times has reported:

We haven’t heard from Pooh Bear in 80 years but, in a move that Eeyore would doubtless expect to end in disappointment, the guardians of A. A. Milne’s estate have sanctioned a third book of ursine adventures.

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood will be published in October and booksellers are already inking it in as a Christmas bestseller.

A. A. Milne wrote only two books about his son, Christopher Robin, and his favourite teddy bear: Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928).

See full story (via)

ineptitude

If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly!

(via)

testing times in gaza

Just check out these headlines in the New York Times


Does it give you another perspective?

Star Searching

Australian astronomer new theory hasn't grabbed everyone but it adds to the catalogue of Bethlehem star astronomical soloutions that date back to Johannes Kepler in the 17th century.

Rutgers University astronomer Michael Molnar still leads the pack.

"....Molnar's extensive research in primary sources led him to a set of conditions that "pointed like an astrological road sign to Jerusalem." On April 17, 6 B.C., the royal planet Jupiter rose as a morning star and was eclipsed (technical term: occulted) by the moon while it was located within the constellation Aries.
Later the earth in its inner orbit passed Jupiter and for a week in December of 6 B.C. Jupiter appeared to be standing still or drifting backwards. The astronomical term is retrograde motion, and could explain why Matthew 2:9 states that the Star stood still over Bethlehem...........While Molnar's book laid out a what may be the strongest case so far (a review in Sky & Telescope magazine called it "the final word") for the Star of Bethlehem......."

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This is from the economist

This is from the economist: Tintin is, it seems, a lesson on cultural diversity.....

"...But probity cannot explain why Tintin became a cultural landmark in Europe, as important on his side of the Atlantic as Superman on the other. There were plenty of wholesome comics in post-war Europe, most of them justly forgotten. Something else in Tintin spoke to children and adults in continental Europe. Even in the straitened years of post-war reconstruction, he was soon selling millions of books a year......
.....Yet even excellence does not explain Tintin's success in Europe. For, despite his qualities, Tintin has never been a big hit in the Anglo-Saxon world. In Britain, he is reasonably well known, but as a minority taste, bound within narrow striations of class: his albums are bought to be tucked into boarding school trunks or read after Saturday morning violin lessons. In America, Tintin is barely known.
All societies reveal themselves through their children's books. Europe's love affair with Tintin is more revealing than most........"

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