My heart and prayers go out to the families in Connecticut. ...
Friday, December 14, 2012
What curriculum is used in your children's school?
Texas: Curriculum Under Fire For Teaching ‘Allah Is The Almighty God’, Calls Boston Tea Party ‘A Terrorist Organization’
By JOHN GRIFFING – “In the 70 percent of Texas public schools where a private curriculum has been installed, students are learning the ‘fact’ that ‘Allah is the Almighty God,’ charge critics of a new online curriculum that already is facing condemnation for its secrecy and restrictions on oversight.
The program, called CSCOPE, is a private venture operating under the umbrella of the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, whose incorporation documents state its independence from the State Board of Education of the Texas Education Agency.
Other reports previously have raised alarm over the curriculum’s depiction of the Boston Tea Party as a terrorist act on par with the 9/11 attack.
According to documentation that has leaked out, the program describes the Boston Tea Party this way: ‘A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port. Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities. It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government.
Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.’
There also have been reports that the curriculum – contrary to recent Supreme Court rulings – says the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to bear arms, is limited to state-run organizations.
‘The collective right’s advocates believed that the Second Amendment did not apply to individuals; rather it recognized the right of a state to arm its militia. It recognized limited individual rights only when it was exercised by members of a functioning, organized militia while actively participating in the militia’s activities.’
Now come concerns about what critics describe as a definitively pro-Islam bias.
The critics say the studies border on proselytizing.
In one scenario, students are asked to study the tenets of Islam, and critics say the materials provided exceed impartial review of another faith, extending into requirements of conversion and moral imperatives.
A computer presentation utilized as part of a study of Islam includes information on how to convert, as well as verses denigrating other faiths.
According to excerpts, under the heading, ‘Who Is Allah?,’ students are told:
‘Allah is the Almighty God.’
‘Allah alone is the Creator. He alone deserves our devout love and worship.’
Muhammad is described as having become ‘disillusioned with the corruption in the city and the growing gap between the urban dwellers and the Bedouins (nomadic herders).’
But there is no mention of his documented sex activities with a child or his penchant for beheading entire indigenous people groups.
CSCOPE’s geography curriculum also is being scrutinized.
A high school question on a geography test asks, ‘Which of the following has been a benefit of globalization?’ Possible answers are as follows: a) pandemics, b) increased standard of living, c) loss of local culture, and finally, d) widespread environmental impacts.
The only ‘correct’ answer accepted in the context of the test is ‘an increased standard of living.’
WND recently reported the Texas State Board of Education was hearing concerns expressed by parents.
The debate carries national significance because of the influence Texas has on textbook and curriculum publishers as the only state that adopts uniform standards.
CSCOPE advocates say that the volume of information to which students now have access outside the classroom necessitates the move away from textbooks.
‘If they’re sitting in a classroom with a textbook, that’s not the world anymore,’ said Anne Poplin, Education Service Center Region 9 executive director.
‘We’re moving to Bring Your Own Devices. It’s a disadvantage (for children) not to have access to their devices. It’s not a textbook-driven environment. If it is, they’re behind,’ Poplin said.
An estimated 70 percent of Texas schools already are involved in the program.
But one of the concerns is that state law requires textbooks to be reviewed by the board of education, and parents are allowed to have access, since CSCOPE is considered a private venture it operates independently of state or local school board oversight.
The state attorney general’s office has ruled that CSCOPE is a government organization subject to requirements of transparency, but because of loopholes in the Texas Public Information Act and Senate Bill 6, passed in 2011, CSCOPE has thus far been able to keep its content from public review. Even parents are denied access.
Kimberly Thomas, a teacher in the Lubbock school district, calls CSCOPE a ‘joke,’ identifying a ninth-grade lesson that asks students to circle capital letters in a sentence.
Her department was rated exemplary by the state prior to the installation of CSCOPE. As Thomas notes, CSCOPE ‘forces our own department to undo the proven, successful curriculum we have developed that gave us an exemplary rating.’
Just days ago, Thomas Ratliff, a member of the state board and supporter of CSCOPE, said CSCOPE was ‘supplemental’ and that textbooks still are being used.
‘CSCOPE is not designed to eliminate textbooks or other instructional materials. It is designed to complement them for the benefit of the teacher and the student,’ he wrote in a prepared statement.
CSCOPE employees, on the other hand, claim the software is designed to replace textbooks and, indeed, has in many Texas school districts.
Addressing the issue of the program’s secrecy, Ratliff slammed critics who say they want government to be ‘run like a business’ but then get upset when that happens.
But critics argue private schools, the closest thing to a school being run like a business, still make instructional materials available to parents, something that CSCOPE refuses to do.
The ‘parent portal’ provided on the public portion of CSCOPE’s website has not allayed critics’ concerns. Some of the lessons leaked to the public have contained wide disparities from the summary pages viewable in the public section of CSCOPE’s website.
Ratliff defends this dichotomy by saying that, like iTunes or any other ‘business,’ some things must be placed behind a ‘pay wall’ as part of a business plan. Ratliff claims that CSCOPE is created by ‘teachers, for teachers.’
Complicating the issue is the fact that school districts usually purchase CSCOPE with state tax dollars.
While Ratliff calls the curriculum ‘instructional material’ he said state oversight wouldn’t help, and ‘I would much rather have 7,000 locally elected school board members decide what content is best for their students, not the 15-member SBOE. Allowing CSCOPE to be developed and implemented at the local level is the ‘local control’ Texans say we want. Injecting SBOE oversight into this would shift us into a ‘controlling the locals’ approach.’
Critics say that’s not the way the system is set up, and CSCOPE actually ends local input since it prevents, on penalty of copyright litigation, distribution of its content to parents.
A vocal critic has been Texas State Rep. Debbie Riddle, a Republican.
‘I did pretty well with textbooks. Benjamin Franklin did pretty well with textbooks. Are they going to say reading books is not effective? Should we all stop reading our Bibles?
‘Call me old-fashioned, but there is something about the feel, smell, holding a book; there is a lot to be said for holding a hard copy,’ she said.
Separately but in a related issue, Attorney General Greg Abbott has released an opinion that is being is being quoted by critics as disqualifying Ratliff from the state board because of his connections to companies doing business with schools in Texas.” Source – WND.
PHAROAH MORSI HAS SPOKEN! I WISH MOSES WOULD SHOW UP ON HIS DOOR STEP ABOUT NOW!
Welcome to Morsi’s Egypt: Christian Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for ‘Insulting Religion’
Following the terror attack on our U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi that left four brave Americans — including a U.S. ambassador, civil servant and two Navy SEALs — dead, Islamists across the Middle East shouted in defiance at their alleged catalyst: a low-budget YouTube video critical of Islam. While the amateur movie was certainly not the real motivation for the onslaught, Islamists used it as a springboard for furthering their goals of enacting Islamic blasphemy laws. In other words, if one slanders Islam — specifically the Prophet Muhammad — Islamists believe perpetrators should suffer penal consequences.
Saber, who himself is Christian, was reportedly convicted for a video he produced in which he was criticized of organized religion, likely Islam. Human rights advocates are up in arms, but in a country where the a self-proclaimed dictator has vowed to frame the country’s constitution around shariah law, the cries of those who oppose this kind of barbarism will likely go unaddressed.
“It’s a heavy sentence, and any independent court looking into the case would release him because there are huge procedural mistakes … never mind that this is actually a crime that shouldn’t be on the books to begin with,” said Amr Gharbeia, civil liberties director at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
The Christian Science monitor reports that that blasphemy laws in Egypt were not part of the previous constitution but are indeed included in the country’s new charter, which goes to vote on Saturday. The charter includes a clause specifically prohibits slandering “prophets.” Such a clause only makes overturning convictions all the more difficult on the grounds of their constitutionality. The Monitor provides additional information on Saber’s case:
In a somewhat unusual step, the judge ruled that Saber could be released on bail today until his appeal is heard. But though his lawyers paid the bail, about $162, police returned him to prison instead of releasing him. Lawyer Ahmed Ezzat says he will attempt to secure Saber’s release tomorrow. [...]Gharbeia maintains that the case against Saber should have been thrown out since the evidence was obtained without a warrant, but his lawyers are also challenging the ambiguity of these new blasphemy laws. Due to their vagueness, interpretation of what constitutes blasphemy and often falls in the hands of those with an agenda and is subject to gross abuse in its use against minorities.
According to his lawyer and family, his mother called police when an angry mob gathered outside his home in a working-class area on the outskirts of Cairo and accused him of burning the Quran and insulting Islam. The crowd threatened to kill him and burn down his house, they said.
When the police arrived, they arrested Saber instead of protecting him from the mob. Police searched his home without a warrant, and found a video in which he criticizes organized religion. The prosecutor used this as evidence to charge him with insulting religion under a vague clause in Egypt’s penal code that criminalizes the denigration of religion. Mr. Ezzat says the prosecutor incited other prisoners to beat Saber after he was imprisoned by telling his cellmates that Saber was connected to the anti-Islam film.
Welcome to Muhammad Morsi’s new “democratic” Egypt.
A Day of Solidarity with Persecuted Christians
Each year in Vienna, Austria, Christian Solidarity International, www.csi.or.at organises an event day for the sake of persectuted Christians on December 10th, the day of the Universal Human Rights Declaration.
The first event of the day was a press conference featuring Sabatina James, an aposstate from Islam who now, at the age of 30, has dedicated her life to protect Islamic women and help them to gain independence in parts of the world generally patriachial to the extreme. Predictably, Islamists in several countries disagree intensely with her activities, creating a constant need for bodyguards and police protection.
At the press conference, Sabatina spoke passionately about the situation for Christians in Pakistan, Syria and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the representative of the Austrian government Reinhold Lopatka, had no help to offer, sticking instead with the official “We do not discriminate” line. Sabatina took that in strides, explaining later that she has learned not to expect anything useful from politicians or political parties.
The main event was a march starting at 17:15 going through the heart of Vienna to the Stephansdom cathedral. Here a mass is held dedicated to the protection of persecuted Christians world wide. Around 500 participated this year, wearing torches, banners and signs showing the countries represented. The lead banner read:
Persecution of Christians rises, Europe remains silent
Killings – Rapes – Churches on fire – Forced Islamisation
Stop the persecution of Christians!
Platform for Solidarity with Persecuted Christians
This banner was a hint at the unhappy situation that European countries and in particular the European Union seems more interested in 'dialogue' about not offending Islamic dogma than in protecting Christians, who suffer problems much more severe than that. In Islamic countries, who are finding themselves under increasing pressure after the “Arab Spring”, the wars in Iraq and Syria, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and other recent events have left ancient Christian communities at severe physical risk in many countries.
The demands
A leaflet distributed by the Platform for Solidarity with Persecuted Christians raised these demands:
The speech held by Elmar Kuhn of CSI during the march emphasized the importance of the universal human rights, and the responsibility of politicians, EU commissioners and others to raise this issue towards partners of coorperation and recepients of development aid. It is highly unfortunate that democracies and the European Union, based as they are on human rights, are not using these opportunities to help and protect Christians elsewhere.
Amusingly, someone shouted “Right wing extremists!” at some point during the march, which made some participants look around with a puzzled “Where?” expression in their faces.
At the Stephansdom, which was brightly illuminated for Christmas, people put out the torches and went in for a special mass and prayer for the protection of Christians around the world. A dozen representantives of the various organisations headed the event, the main banners placed prominently inside the church.
The sermon
Chorespikopos Emanuel Aydin of the Syrian ortodox church held the main speech in the cathedral. Speaking from a framework between the Prophet Habakuk and Revelation, Aydin pulled no punches explaining the dire situation of Christians in the Middle East today, nor did he miss the opportunity to call upon Western politicians to act for their protection.
Selected quotes:
For security reasons, Sabatina James had not participated in the march, but she attended the mass with sincere interest, taking the opportunity to talk to the heads of the Church afterwards.
Finally, she lit a candle for the security of Christians everywhere. It will be interesting to watch if the politicians will pick up the mantle and challenge the Middle East over human rights, also for non-Muslims.
The first event of the day was a press conference featuring Sabatina James, an aposstate from Islam who now, at the age of 30, has dedicated her life to protect Islamic women and help them to gain independence in parts of the world generally patriachial to the extreme. Predictably, Islamists in several countries disagree intensely with her activities, creating a constant need for bodyguards and police protection.
At the press conference, Sabatina spoke passionately about the situation for Christians in Pakistan, Syria and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the representative of the Austrian government Reinhold Lopatka, had no help to offer, sticking instead with the official “We do not discriminate” line. Sabatina took that in strides, explaining later that she has learned not to expect anything useful from politicians or political parties.
The main event was a march starting at 17:15 going through the heart of Vienna to the Stephansdom cathedral. Here a mass is held dedicated to the protection of persecuted Christians world wide. Around 500 participated this year, wearing torches, banners and signs showing the countries represented. The lead banner read:
Persecution of Christians rises, Europe remains silent
Killings – Rapes – Churches on fire – Forced Islamisation
Stop the persecution of Christians!
Platform for Solidarity with Persecuted Christians
This banner was a hint at the unhappy situation that European countries and in particular the European Union seems more interested in 'dialogue' about not offending Islamic dogma than in protecting Christians, who suffer problems much more severe than that. In Islamic countries, who are finding themselves under increasing pressure after the “Arab Spring”, the wars in Iraq and Syria, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and other recent events have left ancient Christian communities at severe physical risk in many countries.
The demands
A leaflet distributed by the Platform for Solidarity with Persecuted Christians raised these demands:
- Egypt: An end to the almost daily abductions of Coptic girls, who are being forced to Islam, prostitution or involuntary marriage. That the police no longer turns a blind eye to this, but instead make sure that Christians can live in safety.
- Pakistan: Abolishment of the blasphemy law (capital punishment for insulting the 'prophet' Muhammad).
- Nigeria: An end to the Sharia practices (chopping off hands for simple theft, stoning for extra-martial relations), protection against the Islamist terrorism of Boko Haram.
- Syria: Stopping the practice of driving Christians from their apartments, businesses and churches, dialogue instead of terror.
- Full equal rights and faith freedom for Christians, also in Europe, where discrimination against Christians is on the rise, as also pointed out recently by the OSCE.
- Rights for Christians to construct churches and publicly express their Christian faith.
- An unconditionally political effort for human rights by our governments and EU.
The speech held by Elmar Kuhn of CSI during the march emphasized the importance of the universal human rights, and the responsibility of politicians, EU commissioners and others to raise this issue towards partners of coorperation and recepients of development aid. It is highly unfortunate that democracies and the European Union, based as they are on human rights, are not using these opportunities to help and protect Christians elsewhere.
Amusingly, someone shouted “Right wing extremists!” at some point during the march, which made some participants look around with a puzzled “Where?” expression in their faces.
At the Stephansdom, which was brightly illuminated for Christmas, people put out the torches and went in for a special mass and prayer for the protection of Christians around the world. A dozen representantives of the various organisations headed the event, the main banners placed prominently inside the church.
The sermon
Chorespikopos Emanuel Aydin of the Syrian ortodox church held the main speech in the cathedral. Speaking from a framework between the Prophet Habakuk and Revelation, Aydin pulled no punches explaining the dire situation of Christians in the Middle East today, nor did he miss the opportunity to call upon Western politicians to act for their protection.
Selected quotes:
A great calamity rules today in the world. Many love darkness more than the light. Many prefer evil over good. We experience this in particular as persecuted and threatened oriental Christians. But this matter concerns every Christian.After common prayers for the protection and safety of Christians around the world, the demonstration was over – a display of sincerity and dignity in an increasingly unsafe world.
The prophet Habakuk expressed our sentiment: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?“
The persecution of Christians has grown to extreme extent. In the East, Christians are literally being slaughtered. The West seems hardly interested in this. The West impairs itself by the abolishment of faith.
[…]
This is our experience as oriental Christians: Murderers and blackmailers face no resistance, appear to be always successful, and frequently enjoy the support of Western politicians.
[…]
It is simply abhorrent what is being done to Christians in Iraq and Syria. This is not simply a war. Unarmed Chrsitians are shot in the streets, Christian children are abducted, and the corpses are thrown on the doorsteps. A bishop from Mosul was killed and thrown on a garbage heap.
[...]
Whence this hatred? Christians trigger – as already Jesus Christ himself – a bad conscience, and in particular the monks. They show how to live, in peace, united under the biddings of God, in chastity and mutual support. Many percieve this to be an insult against them and their conduct in life.
[…]
Whoever acts in truth comes to light, says Christ. This is what matters. We wish no evil for anyone. We only warn that evil does not by itself condemn itself. For us Christians the pending Christmas is the sign that God is close to us. We believe in His support and His guidance in spite of all problems.
For security reasons, Sabatina James had not participated in the march, but she attended the mass with sincere interest, taking the opportunity to talk to the heads of the Church afterwards.
Finally, she lit a candle for the security of Christians everywhere. It will be interesting to watch if the politicians will pick up the mantle and challenge the Middle East over human rights, also for non-Muslims.
Teacher Faces Suspension for Sharing Bible Verse
The Phillipsburg School Board said Walter Tutka broke two policies – distributing religious literature on school grounds and another policy that directs teachers to be neutral when discussing religious material.
The controversy has generated outrage among the region’s religious community – with many claiming that Tutka is being “persecuted” for simply being a Christian. The electrical company retiree is a well-respected member of the community.
“It was appalling,” said Joe Imhof, a close friend of Tutka. “They read him the riot act. They used words like separation of church and state and inclusion. And then they sent him home for violating school district policy.”
Imhof and Tutka serve together in Gideons International – a ministry known for providing Bibles to school children across the world. He was one of several people to speak at a recent school board meeting about Tutka’s fate.
In October, Tutka was standing by a door waiting on middle school students to enter the building. One student trailed behind the rest.
“Just remember, son,” Tutka told the tardy student, “The first shall be last but the last shall be first.”
A few days later the student asked about the origins of the quote. Tutka told him it was in the Bible.
“Over the next few weeks, the young student asked about a half dozen times where the quote was from in the Bible,” Imhof told Fox News. “Walt kept forgetting to look it up.”
On Oct. 12th, Tutka was eating lunch in the cafeteria when the student approached and brought up the Bible verse. So Tutka took out his Bible and showed the student the verse.
At some point the student mentioned that he did not have a Bible.
“Walt basically said, ‘would you like mine?” Imhof said. “The student said yes and so Walt gave him his personal New Testament.”
It’s unclear who reported Tutka to administration officials. But several days later he was summoned to the front office and Tutka, who had subbed for 28 out of the last 30 days, was sent home. To date, he has not been called back.
The school superintendent did not return multiple calls seeking comment.
The Express-Times received a copy of a letter from the school district recommending Tutka’s suspension for violating district policy.
“The public schools are somewhat scared to death to face the issue that the answer to some of today’s problems is in Scripture,” Imhof told Fox News. “They are trying to be so politically correct that they are totally politically ignorant about what is needed to turn the country around.”
In this case, he said Tutka’s Bible was a gift – not the distribution of religious material.
“He’s been persecuted by the school board,” he said. “The teachers locally support him but are not willing to throw their hat into the ring lest they be intimidated and persecuted by the administration.”
Tutka’s future with the district is still in limbo after board members decided to table the issue at this week’s meeting. That decision infuriated more than 100 people who attended the meeting to show their support for the embattled teacher.
“It is so awful,” said Tutka’s pastor, Chris Hussey. “I’ve never seen something so absurd in my life.”
Hussey, the pastor of Abundant Life Community Church, told Fox News that he’s been disturbed by Tutka’s treatment.
“Walt is a spiritually strong guy,” he said. “He knows not to hold any animosity or bitterness – but it is emotionally taxing on him.”
The incident has already drawn the attention of religious liberty groups — like the Liberty Institute.
“A teacher answering a child’s question honestly about the origin of a commonly used phrase and then providing documentary evidence to support the answer is educationally appropriate and legal,” said Hiram Sasser, the Institute’s director of litigation. ”If the teacher had quoted Buddha saying ‘do not dwell in the past’ and given the student a book on Buddha the PC police would be praising the teacher for his enlightenment and tolerance. ”
Hiram Sasser
Pastor Hussey said the incident should serve as a stark reminder to Christians that there is a war on the culture.
“Christianity is under attack in America,” he said. “It seems our government officials are afraid of Muslims and yet they capitulate to them and any other religious group. But when it comes to
Christians – they are completely intolerant of Christians.”
Both Hussey and Imhof also shared what they considered to be a chilling wakeup call for American Christians.
“One of the Gideons in our local camp is from the Soviet Union,” Imhof said. “In most countries overseas we are allowed to go into public schools and give Bibles to students. But since this is America – you can’t do it here.”
“When the Soviet Union fells, Bibles were allowed in the schools, people could pray in the schools,” Hussey said. “It seems we have more persecution in America than they do in Russia.”
Muslims Riot, Jews Banned from Temple Mount! GO AHEAD KEEP TRYING GOD CAUSE YOUR GONNA BE REAL SORRY!
Threats of Muslim violence lead police to ban Jews from the Temple Mount until the end of Hannukah
Jews have been barred from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem until Sunday, the last day of Hannukah. The Temple Mount is the holiest site on earth according to Jewish tradition.
The ban is aimed at preventing a Muslim riot at the site. Riots are thought to be particularly likely following Friday prayers.
It follows riots and terror attacks in Judea and Samaria. Tensions were particularly high following two incidents in which soldiers shot Arab attackers in Hevron.
Jewish organizations dedicated to Temple Mount activism expressed upset at the police ban. “The police treat the Temple Mount like a Muslim site, and open it to others only when necessary for tourism, at times and on days that suit tourists,” activists accused.
“In comparison,” they continued, “Jewish residents of Israel are discriminated against.”
They called to leave the Temple Mount open to Jews on every Jewish holiday. “The police must consider the many who wish to ascend the Mount for prayers and visits on Jewish holidays, and to institute the model used in the Tomb of the Patriarchs,” they urged. The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron is normally split between Jews and Muslims, but is opened in its entirety to each religion on its holidays.
Currently Jewish prayer is not allowed on the Temple Mount, again for fear of Muslim reactions. Jews are allowed to visit the holy site but can be arrested for praying or even moving their lips in what appears to be prayer.
Activist groups have intervened against such arrests, and have successfully lobbied police to ease anti-Jewish discrimination.
The ban is aimed at preventing a Muslim riot at the site. Riots are thought to be particularly likely following Friday prayers.
It follows riots and terror attacks in Judea and Samaria. Tensions were particularly high following two incidents in which soldiers shot Arab attackers in Hevron.
Jewish organizations dedicated to Temple Mount activism expressed upset at the police ban. “The police treat the Temple Mount like a Muslim site, and open it to others only when necessary for tourism, at times and on days that suit tourists,” activists accused.
“In comparison,” they continued, “Jewish residents of Israel are discriminated against.”
They called to leave the Temple Mount open to Jews on every Jewish holiday. “The police must consider the many who wish to ascend the Mount for prayers and visits on Jewish holidays, and to institute the model used in the Tomb of the Patriarchs,” they urged. The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron is normally split between Jews and Muslims, but is opened in its entirety to each religion on its holidays.
Currently Jewish prayer is not allowed on the Temple Mount, again for fear of Muslim reactions. Jews are allowed to visit the holy site but can be arrested for praying or even moving their lips in what appears to be prayer.
Activist groups have intervened against such arrests, and have successfully lobbied police to ease anti-Jewish discrimination.
China school knife attack in Henan injures 22 children
A man with a knife has wounded 22 children - at least two of them seriously -
and an adult at a primary school in central China.
Man kicked out for resembling Jesus
DONCASTER, England, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A spectator was removed from the crowd at a darts tournament in Britain when his resemblance to Jesus caused the crowd to chant toward him.
"Stand up if you love Jesus," the crowd chanted.
The Professional Darts Corporation said Nathan Grindal, 33, was escorted to another part of the venue to watch the match between Phil "The Power" Taylor and Belgian opponent Kim Huybrechts when members of the 4,500-strong crowd at the Cash Converters Players Championship in Doncaster, England, began their chant, The Mirror reported Thursday.
Grindal said he did not find the incident amusing.
"It was distressing. I was emotionally distraught. The crowd were bullying me and picking on me. It would have been OK if security hadn't made a fuss getting me out," he said. "In his post-match interview, Phil Taylor said something like, 'If I ever see Jesus again, I'll crucify him myself.' Now that's just hurtful."
Kim Huybrechts, who lost the match, signed Grindal's program after the incident.
"To Jesus. Hard luck mate," he wrote.
A spokesman for the Professional Darts Corporation said officials worried the chants would be distracting to the players.
"Stand up if you love Jesus," the crowd chanted.
The Professional Darts Corporation said Nathan Grindal, 33, was escorted to another part of the venue to watch the match between Phil "The Power" Taylor and Belgian opponent Kim Huybrechts when members of the 4,500-strong crowd at the Cash Converters Players Championship in Doncaster, England, began their chant, The Mirror reported Thursday.
Grindal said he did not find the incident amusing.
"It was distressing. I was emotionally distraught. The crowd were bullying me and picking on me. It would have been OK if security hadn't made a fuss getting me out," he said. "In his post-match interview, Phil Taylor said something like, 'If I ever see Jesus again, I'll crucify him myself.' Now that's just hurtful."
Kim Huybrechts, who lost the match, signed Grindal's program after the incident.
"To Jesus. Hard luck mate," he wrote.
A spokesman for the Professional Darts Corporation said officials worried the chants would be distracting to the players.
Medical companies brace for 'devastating' ObamaCare tax, prepare for layoffs
Andre DiMino has been running medical device company ADM Tronics since his father, who founded the decades-old firm, died in 2001. He's never laid off anybody.
"These people are like family with us," he said.
The boss might not be able to hold out much longer. Come Jan. 1, an ObamaCare-tied tax specific to his industry is expected to go into effect. Though the Obama administration has downplayed the impact, DiMino calls it "devastating."
"I think after all of these decades of not laying people off, I think we may have to face that," DiMino told FoxNews.com. He predicted he might have to immediately lay off three people in his manufacturing division and possibly more after that.
DiMino, whose Bergen County, N.J., business currently employs 20 workers, is one of hundreds of CEOs across the country clamoring for Washington's attention, urging lawmakers to kill the tax before it kills jobs.
In just the last few days, the intense lobbying push elicited some measure of response. On Monday, 18 Democratic senators and senators-elect asked Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid to delay the tax, citing the business impact. They noted the industry employs more than 400,000 people, and is dealing with "significant uncertainty and confusion."
Many in the industry, though, have been clear-eyed about what the tax means -- preemptive layoffs and significant cutbacks in research and development.
'We've literally put all of our new product development on hold ... so we can afford to pay the stupid tax.'- Lev Melinyshyn, president of Uresil, LLC
While DiMino is waiting for next year to see if he'll need to fire workers, over at Uresil, LLC, in Skokie, Ill., the layoffs have already started. The company laid off six people from its 52-person workforce this year, "primarily related" to the tax, President Lev Melinyshyn said.
"We had never laid off anybody," he told FoxNews.com. "We bought the company in 2004, never had a layoff. In fact, even during the recession, we added jobs. ... It wasn't until this tax hit us that we had to do it."
Melinyshyn, whose company makes specialized catheters, said he thinks that at current staffing levels, his 46-person company can handle the tax -- however, he's expecting to cut back sharply on product development, which hurts in the long run.
"A lot of patients, I think, are not going to benefit from new technologies," he said. "We've literally put all of our new product development on hold ... so we can afford to pay the stupid tax."
The Affordable Care Act imposed the 2.3 percent tax on medical devices with the goal of raising nearly $30 billion over the next decade. Manufacturers say the impact of the tax is far greater than meets the eye -- the 2.3 percent tax is on gross sales, meaning it's a much greater percentage of net income.
Melinyshyn, for instance, said his total tax burden on profits will rise from 43 percent to 65 percent next year.
"It's huge," he said.
Another Illinois-based CEO -- Greg Huck of Vitalcor, Inc. -- suggested lawmakers should at least carve out an exemption for small companies and start-ups.
It's not just small businesses feeling the pinch, though.
Michigan-based Stryker Corporation, a company of 20,000 people, last year announced it was laying off 1,000 workers in anticipation of the tax -- and a $100 million bill in the first year. The company remains concerned about the tax.
"We would rather put this money towards jobs, innovation, clinical research and priorities that will create value-added medical technology for patients while helping us partner with hospitals to deliver cost effective solutions," CEO Kevin A. Lobo said in a statement.
The Advanced Medical Technology Association estimates that the tax ultimately could cost up to 43,000 jobs.
It's unclear, though, whether any attempt to delay or quash it could be made as part of negotiations over the looming fiscal crisis. Far more attention has been paid to the expiration of the Bush-era tax rates -- and the battle over whether to allow rates to rise exclusively for the top 2 percent.
The IRS recently provided some relief to worried medical device executives, announcing that penalties would not be imposed for failing to pay the tax for the first three quarters of 2013.
The Obama administration earlier this year defended the medical device tax, saying companies actually stand to benefit from the law.
Though the 2.3 percent tax hits the industry, the department argues that the millions of new health care customers insured as a result of the law will increase the demand in hospitals to order more equipment -- in turn boosting medical device companies' profits.
The White House earlier this year threatened to veto a House bill that would have repealed the tax, citing concerns that the House proposal would offset the lost revenue from the tax by cutting down on subsidies for some families.
This, the White House said, would effectively "raise taxes on middle-class and low-income families."
The industry, though, argues Congress could always negotiate a different way to pay for the repeal.
DiMino said some of the damage has already been felt, not just from layoffs, but from investors "running away" from the industry.
"They know we're being targeted," he said.
ARE Blacks More Racists than Whites Now? Dr. Of common sense E.T. Williams has a message for you!
I was attacked verbally during the election by someone I love and thought loved me! She is the mother of a very close friend of mine and she was so hateful to me, that it shocked me first then my feelings were hurt for days! Her daughter said it was because I am white and I was more shocked! Things will never be the same because I can't trust anymore! I am already the kind of person that takes alot to get close because I trust NO ONE, and that destroyed us.....I did not grow up in those days! People who act like this NEED to stop living in those days too! Hatred WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF HEAVEN!
At least 1 reportedly dead in shooting at Connecticut elementary school
DEVELOPING: Connecticut State Police are responding to reports of a shooting at an elementary school that police sources say left at least one dead.
There are also multiple reports of injuries at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, according to local news outlets.
Authorities told the Hartford Courant that one shooter is dead. Earlier reports of a second shooter are unconfirmed, according to the newspaper.
Shortly after 9:40 a.m., police reported that a shooter was in the main office of the school.
A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher was shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital, but it was not clear if that was the only injury.
The school superintendent's office, however, said reports of a shooting are not confirmed. The district has locked down schools as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of students and staff.
State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance said they have a number of personnel on the scene to assist.
A statement on the district's website stated that afternoon kindergarten classes have been canceled.
The elementary school has close to 700 students.
Newtown is in Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 60 miles north of New York City.
Oh no you bastards! This is what you wanted and I hope you LOVE IT, cause by the time O is out of office (if he does not declare himself as PHAROAH) your gonna wish you were dead! We WARNED YOU!
Democrats urge delay for ‘job-killing’ Obamacare tax
Washington Examiner reports
The senators, who made the request in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, are Franken, Richard Durbin, Charles Schumer, Patty Murray, John Kerry, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Joseph Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Robert Casey, Debbie Stabenow, Barbara Mikulski, Kay Hagan, Herb Kohl, Jeanne Shaheen, and Richard Blumenthal. All voted for Obamacare.
Two other Democrats, senators-elect Joe Donnelly and Elizabeth Warren, also signed the letter. Donnelly voted for Obamacare as a member of the House. Warren was not in Congress at the time.
“The medical technology industry directly employs over 400,000 people in the United States and is responsible for a total of two million skilled manufacturing jobs,” the senators wrote in a December 4 letter to Reid. “We must do all we can to ensure that our country maintains its global leadership position in the medical technology industry and keeps good jobs here at home.”
Beyond that, the senators say, the medical device industry “has received little guidance about how to comply with the tax” — a reference to the apparently confused and halting nature of the Obama administration’s implementation of Obamacare.
Several of the senators, many of whom have medical device manufacturers in their states, have opposed the tax for a long time. During the Obamacare debate, for example, Franken and Klobuchar were among a group of senators who successfully pushed to reduce the tax. (The device giant Medtronic is headquartered in Minnesota.)
On Monday, Franken again expressed his opposition to the tax he voted for. “I want to repeal the medical device tax altogether,” the senator and former comedian said in a statement. “But I am concerned that we are running out of time before this job-killing tax goes into effect. So, for now, the best thing to do to ensure that this important industry continues to create jobs and producing life-saving devices is to delay this unwise tax.” Franken and other want Reid to include a provision to delay the tax in the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations.
None of the senators found his or her earlier objections to the tax a sufficient reason to vote against Obamacare. In December 2009, with 60 votes in the Senate and a determined Republican opposition, Democrats needed every vote they could get to pass the president’s national health care plan. But now, with Obamacare — and the taxes to fund it — about to become a reality, some of those Democrats are singing a different tune.
LISTEN TO THIS GUY! WE HAVE ACTUAL PROOF VOLCANOES ARE ERUPTING! Forget the Mayan calendar. Now, please, worry about volcanoes!
December 14, 2012 – WORLD - Something really bad will happen at some point. Of that much we can be sure. When, what and how are the variables. One writer went and talked to some experts about what we should be worried about and what we can do about it. Here’s what the volcano guy said: “The threat posed by volcanoes worldwide is greatly underestimated,” he tells me. Today, he says, we ignore the fact that very large eruptions occur from time to time. It gets worse when he adds, “This size of eruption may occur on average somewhere on Earth every 200 to 500 years. It will occur again.” And then it gets much worse: “This is by no means the largest, however.” He says we can expect eruptions 10 to 20 times as powerful as the Tambora eruption, which killed 117,000 people. That eruption led to the Year Without a Summer, in 1816, otherwise known as Eighteen-Hundred-and-Froze-to-Death. Since the new eruption Sigurdsson is predicting could be 20 times worse than that, winter really is coming. By the way, when did professor emeritus become emeritus professor? Other things we should worry about: asteroids, pandemics, earthquakes, tsunamis. But the writer points out that the real disaster is not being knowledgeable and not being prepared. –Houston Chronicle
Recently Released 'Queen James' Purports to Be First-Ever 'Gay Bible'
2 Timothy 4:3-4 King James Version (KJV)
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
A recently released Bible translation based off of the King James Bible boasts of being the first ever "Gay Bible" in the world.
Titled the Queen James Bible, its publishers argued in a statement that it accurately translates certain verses pertaining to homosexuality, which have been misunderstood by religious conservatives."Homosexuality was first overtly mentioned in the Bible in 1946 in the Revised Standard Version. There is no mention of or reference to homosexuality in any Bible prior to
"The Queen James Bible addresses those controversial verses by editing them very slightly for interpretive clarity. The edits all confirm that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality, and therefore renders such interpretations impossible."
Douglas J. Moo, Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College and a professional Bible translator, told The Christian Post that the Queen James editors' assessment of past translations is not entirely accurate.
"Few, if any English translations use the actual words 'homosexuality' or 'homosexual.' But the history of English translation shows that versions have consistently used other language to refer to what we would call homosexual relationships," said Moo. "For instance, the King James Version of Romans 1:27 refers to 'men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly.' It would be very difficult to deny that this language, and the language found in many other places in both the OT and the NT, refers to homosexuality."
The Queen James has a mysterious background. On its official website, no specific publisher is mentioned nor any editors or translators listed by name. On its Amazon purchase page, the author is listed as God and the contributor as Jesus Christ. It also only contains two preview pages, the cover and the following page which simply has the title of the translation in small print.
In an interview with The Christian Post, an unnamed spokesman said that the translation was the result of the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage.
"The controversies surrounding gay marriage using faith as a basis led us to more closely examine what people were citing in the Bible," said the spokesman.
Christopher Yuan, author of Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God, A Broken Mother's Search for Hope, who serves as an adjunct instructor of the Bible at Moody Bible Institute, told The Christian Post that the concept of the "Queen James" is not new.
(Read Christians With Same-Sex Attractions Weigh in on Homosexuality-Bible Debate)
"Revisionist interpretations which attempt to affirm homosexual sex and relationships have been around for decades. This is just another attempt to make these revisionist interpretations official or more mainline," said Yuan.
"I do believe that this new Bible translation will only add to the confusion of these revisionist translations and interpretations which are based upon poor exegesis and selective contextual studies."
WELL...The west isn't optimistic about Iran, whom act like tyrants, having the OPTION to have nuclear weapons!
Iran negotiator pessimistic on progress with West
"Personally speaking, I am not optimistic," Mostafa Dolatyar told reporters at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi.
Britain, France, Germany, United States, Russia and China, a group known as P5+1, are hopeful of setting dates with Iran to continue talks, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who oversees contacts with the Islamic Republic on behalf of the six countries, said on Wednesday.
Dolatyar is a career diplomat who heads the Iranian foreign ministry's think tank, the Institute for Political and International Studies, and is a member of the nuclear negotiation team.
The six countries are particularly concerned about Iran enriching uranium to 20 percent fissile purity, an important technological advance that brings it significantly closer to the threshold of weapons-grade material.
Dolatyar said Iran needed the fuel for its research reactor in Tehran and for medical purposes and could not rely on the international community to supply it.
"One year ago we needed it very much, we were ready to pay cash for it but now we have it. Why should we close our installations and to buy from somewhere else? It is not logical."
However, he did not rule out a change of position.
"You cannot take something as pre-decided, everything could be subject to negotiation," he said. "It depends on the framework of negotiations and the end game."
Thousands of Palestinians march on Hebron checkpoint
Protesters throw stones at Israeli targets throughout West Bank; Hebron governor accuses Israel of trying to drag the Palestinians into a third Intifada
Some 3,000 Palestinian protesters marched from the city hall of the West Bank city of Hebron toward an Israeli checkpoint on Friday, as part of demonstrations throughout the territory marking the 25th anniversary of the Hamas terrorist organization.
IDF and Border Police forces stationed near the checkpoint, which guards the city’s Jewish neighborhoods, fired tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters after they began throwing rocks at one of the Jewish-owned homes.
In other parts of the West Bank, Palestinian demonstrators attacked Israeli targets. No injuries were reported.
In Qalandiya, north of Jerusalem, and in the village of Bil’in, known for its peaceful weekly protests, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli security forces.
In Kufr Qaddoum, dozens of protesters threw stones and set tires alight.
And in Maaleh Shomron, a West Bank settlement about 10 kilometers east of Kfar Saba, and outside Ramallah, Israeli vehicles were pelted with rocks.
Despite Israeli fears, prayers on the Temple Mount in the capital ended without incident.
On Thursday, a Palestinian was seriously injured by IDF fire after he attempted to throw a Molotov cocktail at a Border Police checkpoint in Hebron.
The incident came a day after a Border Police officer shot and killed a Palestinian teen who assaulted a guard near the Cave of the Patriarchs in the biblical city with a fake gun, on Wednesday.
Seventeen-year-old Mohammed Suleima drew a fake pistol and pressed it against the head of an officer, and another Israeli soldier shot the suspect three times.
Hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at the Israeli guard post where Suleima was shot amid riots that accompanied the youth’s funeral on Thursday.
Hebron Governor Khamel Hamid accused Israel of trying to drag the Palestinians into a third Intifada. Hamid cited recent actions taken by Israel, like the withholding of PA tax revenues and announcements it would expand construction in the settlements, as well combative statements by Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman as signs of Israel’s intentions to spark a violent uprising in the West Bank.
In an interview to a Nazareth based newspaper, Hamid said Suleima was deaf and well known to the soldiers at the checkpoint.
He claimed soldiers prevented an ambulance from reaching the scene and treating him in time.
Also on Thursday, in the West Bank city of Nablus, Hamas held a mass rally to signal the improvement of relations between the Islamist group and its rival Fatah, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas.
Some 10,000 Hamas supporters marched from Al-Nasr Mosque to Martyrs’ Square in downtown Nablus following afternoon prayers, where a mass rally was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement’s establishment.
US to send Patriot missiles, 400 troops to Turkey
Measure aims to protect Turkish territory from Syrian attacks
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AP) — The Pentagon says it will send Patriot air defense missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force meant to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attack.
Pentagon press secretary George Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed a deployment order Friday en route to Turkey from Afghanistan.
The order calls for 400 US soldiers to operate two batteries of Patriots at undisclosed locations in Turkey, Little told reporters flying with Panetta.
Turkey is a founding member of NATO and requested that the alliance provide Patriots. They will be sent by NATO members Germany and the Netherlands as well as the US for an undetermined period.
During a brief stop at Incirlik Air Base, Panetta told US troops that Turkey might need the Patriots, which are capable of shooting down shorter-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.
He said he approved the deployment “so that we can help Turkey have the kind of missile defense it may very well need to deal with the threats coming out of Syria,” he said.
Panetta did not mention how soon the two Patriot batteries will head to Turkey or how long they might stay.
Incirlik is about 60 miles from the Syrian border.
UN nuclear watchdog reports progress on Iran talks
Official says IAEA expects to ‘start implementing’ an agreement in early 2013 but acknowledges that request to visit Parchin facility was denied
VIENNA (AP) — A senior UN official announced progress Friday in long-stalled efforts to resume a probe of suspicions that Iran may have worked to develop nuclear arms, saying the investigation could be restarted by early next year.
Herman Nackaerts of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke of headway after returning from talks with Iranian officials in Tehran, saying his team was “able to make progress” and the IAEA expects to “start implementing” an agreement on the probe shortly after new talks in Tehran on Jan. 16
He acknowledged that a key IAEA request — a visit to a site linked to suspected nuclear activity —was again denied. But he told reporters at Vienna airport that he expected IAEA experts to be allowed to go to Parchin and follow up on suspicions it might have been used as part of secret arms-related experiments once the probe is resumed.
In Tehran, Iran’s state TV made no mention of progress, reporting only that there was no agreement on visiting Parchin. But Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh also said a new meeting was set for Jan. 16.
While Nackaerts’ comments gave cause for some optimism, they were not the first instance of a senior IAEA official saying that the standoff was close to resolution.
Returning from Tehran talks more than five months ago, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said the two sides had agreed on “an almost clean text”, saying a breakthrough deal would be signed soon.
Follow-up IAEA-Iran meetings did not yield significant results.
Iran says it does not want atomic arms and has justified a nearly yearlong delay in cooperating with the IAEA’s probe by saying that a framework regulating such an investigation must be agreed on first. But as talks on such an agreement have dragged on, agency officials have complained that they may be nothing more than a delaying tactic.
They are particularly concerned that such delays can hurt their efforts to investigate Parchin. The IAEA suspects that Iran has conducted live tests of conventional explosives there that could be used to detonate a nuclear charge and cited satellite photos indicating a cleanup of the site, at a sprawling military base southeast of Tehran.
Iran denies it is sanitizing the site, but Amano has warned that his agency’s chances of a meaningful investigation there are diminishing.
Nackaerts offered no details on the substance of his talks. But diplomats familiar with the negotiations have said previously that the agreement was stalled because the IAEA wanted repeated access to sites, officials or documents of interest. Instead, Tehran demanded that once such access was granted, the person, document or site be off limits to the IAEA for repeated visits, questioning of viewing.
Amano’s announcement of a nearly done deal in May came just days before the two sides met in Baghdad for a new round of negotiations meant to defuse tensions over Iran’s nuclear program before leaving the negotiating table with little progress made.
This time, Nackaerts spoke of movement on the probe as Iran and six world powers again prepare to meet. The six nations hope the talks will result in an agreement by the Islamic Republic to stop enriching uranium to a higher level that could be turned relatively quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms.
Iran denies such aspirations insisting it is enriching only to make reactor fuel and to make isotopes for medical purposes.
By compromising on the IAEA probe, Iran could argue that the onus was now on the six powers to show some flexibility, temper their demands, and roll back US and European sanctions that have hit Iran’s critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks.
The IAEA has already visited Parchin twice — the last time in 2005. But it did not have access then to satellite imagery then and visited buildings other than the one now pinpointed by the aerial photos.
IRAN: THIS IS JUST DOWN RIGHT RUDE! Your mothers should be ashamed of the way you act!
Iran: Israel is our longest-range target
Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards
space corps, said his country does not need missiles with longer range than
2,000 kms since “Israel is our longest range target.”
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