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Church selling Tiffany window to stay open

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:43:26 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

For almost 100 years, the multicolored image of St. John the Divine has gazed down from a stained glass window in the choir loft of First Baptist Church.

Now, the church may have to cash in on the value of the window — a Tiffany original.

Strapped for cash because of declining donations, attendance and collection-plate revenues, church leaders voted recently to seek bids and sell the 9-foot tall, 33-inch wide window, using the proceeds to sustain the church and a wintertime homeless shelter it runs in its fellowship room.

"No one wants to see this Tiffany go," said the Rev. Suzanne Andrews, the pastor. "But when it came down to the question of do we sell the Tiffany to keep our doors open for the ministry of God, then the decision became quite clear to all of us, that this Tiffany window — as beautiful as it is — is a material thing."

Tags: church, belief, economy

Vets Come Out 'Of The Broom Closet'

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:33:41 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.phillyburbs.com

They are Asatru wizards and spirit shaman, Wiccan witches and Druid priests.

They also are veterans of the U.S. military.

And one Morrisville man wants them to “come out of the broom closet.”

Charles Arnold is national commander of the Pagan Veterans of the United States. The Morrisville Vietnam veteran said his members deserve respect equal to any Christian, Jew or Muslim who served the country.

So far, Arnold said pagan vets number about 180. The military does not track the number of pagans. Neither does the U.S. Census.

On Veterans Day this year, Arnold participated in Veterans Day festivities for the Yardley VFW Post 6393. The post commander was short on volunteers that day and asked Arnold to participate.

Tags: veterans, pagan, military

Son Lost in Saddam-Led Chemical Attack Found Alive 21 Years Later

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:53:52 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Six families nervously awaited the DNA tests on the young man who returned from Iran. They wondered: Could this be their son who was just an infant in 1988 and somehow lived through a deadly chemical attack by Saddam Hussein's regime?

There was absolute silence as the judge announced the lab results. The man, who called himself Ali, was deemed to be the sole surviving child of 58-year-old Fatima Mohammed Salih, who had lost her husband and all her other six children in the poison gas clouds that covered the mostly Kurdish city of Halabja.

For the first time in more than two decades, they embraced.

"I'm in a dream," said 21-year-old Ali Pour as he comforted the weeping woman.

The reunion Friday in Iraq's northern Kurdish region was the rarest of artifacts from Halabja: a moment of joy from the day the city became an open cemetery for an estimated 5,600 people killed when lethal gas was dropped by Saddam's military.

Tags: iran, saddam hussein, child

Gore Should Lose Oscar Over Climate-Gate?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:51:50 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Two conservative screenwriters say Al Gore should be stripped of his Oscar in light of the global warming questions raised by leaked e-mails out of a British research center.

Just days ahead of an international climate change conference, global warming guru and former Vice President Al Gore has been hit by an inconvenient scandal -- one that's reverberated all the way back to Hollywood.

The former vice president earned the Oscar in 2007 for his climate change manifesto "An Inconvenient Truth." He later went on to earn a Nobel Peace Prize and become one of the world's leading authorities on global warming.

But Roger Simon and Lionel Chetwynd, both members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, put out a statement Thursday calling for the Academy to take it all back in light of the controversy skeptics have dubbed Climate-Gate.

Tags: climate change, global warming, oscars, hollywood, al gore

It is logical: Obama is another Mr. Spock

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:12:53 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

He shows a fascination with science, an all-too deliberate decision-making demeanor, an adherence to logic and some pretty, ahem, prominent ears.

They all add up to a quite logical conclusion, at least for Star Trek fans: Barack Obama is Washington's Mr. Spock, the chief science officer for the ship of state.

"I guess it's somewhat unusual for a politician to be so precise, logical, in his thought process," actor Leonard Nimoy, who has portrayed Spock for more than 40 years, told The Associated Press in an e-mail interview. "The comparison to Spock is, in my opinion, a compliment to him and to the character."

Obama was a lawyer, organizer and author before he turned politician. So his interest in science wasn't as obvious until he reached the White House. Now, privately he's known to relish the ability to call smart people, especially scientists, to come to the White House to talk about their fields. The more obscure and complicated the field, the better to feed the inner science geek.

Tags: obama, science, star trek, logic

Terrible tweens are the golden years?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:10:26 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

When my kids were younger, friends with tweens gave me dire warnings: "It's a whole new world -- much worse than the terrible twos." "You won't believe the change in your kid -- like night and day." "Just wait until they hit middle school; brace yourself."

Now my older kids (A.J., 11, and Mathilda, 14) have reached the dreaded tween/teen stage. And guess what? I'm still waiting for doomsday to strike. Don't get me wrong; we've had a few bumps. But there's more to tweens than hormone surges and moodiness. In many ways, these crazy years are my favorite phase yet. This is why:

The Good News: You have a new buddy

The Good News: You're past the do-everything stage

The Good News: He gets the jokes

The Good News: She's interesting

The Good News: His friends are hysterical

Sure, a group of tweens can get loud and squirrelly, but you're privy to some of the most off-the-wall conversations ever.

The Good News: She wants to help

Tags: family, teens, relationships

ADL, AJC join brief on Wiccan clergyman

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:25:58 GMT

clipped by: boniface

Clip Source: blogs.jta.org

The Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee have signed on to an Americans United for Church and State amicus brief arguing that a Wiccan clergyman should be able to challenge a state prison policy that limits paid chaplaincy positions to people who are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim or Native American.

“Whether the State needs to hire a Wiccan chaplain and, if so, whether McCollum is the right person for the job, may be unclear,” the brief says. “What is clear, however, is that the district court erred in denying McCollum the chance to have his claims heard.”

Religious minorities should have the right to go to court and challenge discriminatory hiring practices imposed by the government, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

McCollum is a qualified candidate for a chaplain position at the California Department of Corrections but cannot be considered for the job because of his religious beliefs.

GOP ‘purity test' just a pledge to stop thinking

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:29:19 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

Some people can't stand prosperity, my father used to say.

Today, he might be talking about Republicans, who, in the midst of declining support for President Barack Obama's hope-and-change agenda, are considering a “purity” pledge to weed out undesirables from their ever-shrinking party.

Just when independents and moderates were considering revisiting the GOP tent.

Just when the GOP was gaining traction following gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey ... Republicans perform a rain dance at their own garden party.

Things were just going too well.

Thus, some conservative members of the party have come up with a list of principles they want future candidates to agree to or forfeit backing by the Republican National Committee.

The so-called purity test is a 10-point checklist — a suicide pact, really — of alleged Republican positions. Anyone hoping to play on Team GOP would have to sign off on eight of the 10 — through their voting records, public statements or a questionnaire.

Tags: gop, republican, politics

Chain e-mail: Public option requires microchip implant

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:27:39 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.politifact.com

It's a recipe for a great conspiracy theory: a big health care bill, an effort to centralize medical records and a new microchip that can be implanted under your skin.

Just add outrage and stir!

A chain e-mail warns darkly that an "implantable radio frequency transponder system for patient identification and health information" would be "implanted in the majority of people who opt to become covered by the public health care option" -- the government-run insurance plan designed as an affordable option for people who are uninsured or whose employers don't offer health coverage. The chip would "collect data in medical patients," including "claims data" and "electronic health records."

This seems on its face to be so ridiculous that we wondered if it was satire. But we couldn't find its origins. Meanwhile, the e-mail is making the rounds (it was sent to us by a reader who wondered whether it's true) and we found it posted on dozens of blogs, so we decided to examine it.

Tags: email, chain mail, conspiracy, healthcare

California movement to ban divorce

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:00:02 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.ksat.com

Til death do us part? The vow would really hold true in California if a Sacramento Web designer gets his way.

In a movement that seems ripped from the pages of Comedy Channel writers, John Marcotte wants to put a measure on the ballot next year to ban divorce in California.

The effort is meant to be a satirical statement after California voters outlawed gay marriage in 2008, largely on the argument that a ban is needed to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage. If that's the case, then Marcotte reasons voters should have no problem banning divorce.

"Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more," the 38-year-old married father of two said.

Tags: marriage, legal, divorce, satire

3rd Circuit backs school district's policy limiting religious music

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:56:20 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Children won't be singing religious songs during the holiday season in one New Jersey school district.

The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld the South Orange-Maplewood school district's ban on celebratory religious music, reasoning that school officials can determine which songs are appropriate according to constitutional guidelines to create a secular "inclusive environment."

Michael Stratechuk, the father of two children in the New Jersey school district, sued in 2004 in federal court, contending that the district’s policy limiting religious music violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause and infringed on the children’s free-speech right to receive information and ideas.

The 3rd Circuit panel sided with the school district, reasoning that its purpose of maintaining a position of neutrality toward religion and avoiding claims of promoting religion was legitimate.

Tags: religion, music, public, school

Bishop attacks 'nonsense' Christmas carols

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:54:38 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.google.com

The Rt Rev Nick Baines said hymns such as Away in a Manger had helped perpetuate an image of Christmas more to do with Victorian sentiment than the Gospel story.

"I always find it a slightly bizarre sight when I see parents and grandparents at a nativity play singing 'Away in a manger' as if it actually related to reality," he wrote in a book Why Wish You a Merry Christmas?

"I can understand the little children being quite taken with the sort of baby of whom it can be said 'no crying he makes', but how can any adult sing this without embarrassment?"

He added: "If we sing nonsense, is it any surprise that children grow into adults and throw out the tearless baby Jesus with Father Christmas and other fantasy figures?"

The Rt Rev Baines attacked a perception of Christmas as something "tame, fantastic and anaemic".

Tags: music, christmas

Outrage Over 'GMA' Decision to Drop Adam Lambert for Chris Brown

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:53:12 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

ABC has booked Rihanna-beater Chris Brown for an interview and a performance on "Good Morning America" -- right after the network canceled guy-kisser Adam Lambert.

Brown will do a taped tell-all with Robin Roberts, followed by a performance of songs from his new album. But TV insiders say the appearance, slated to air the week after next, has outraged feminists and gay activists who wonder why a convicted girlfriend abuser is more palatable to the network than an openly gay man who broke no laws with his raunchy performance on the "American Music Awards."

An ABC source said, "The network is giving a mixed message -- that it doesn't trust someone who shocked with an unpredictable show and a gay kiss, but then it is happy to go ahead with Chris Brown, who was convicted of felony assault."

Tags: tv, television, gay, abuse, media

20 secrets your waiter will never tell you

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:50:26 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

What would two dozen servers from across the country tell you if they could get away with it? Well, for starters, when to go out, what not to order, what really happens behind the kitchen’s swinging doors, and what they think of you and your tips. Here, from a group that clears a median $8.01 an hour in wages and tips, a few revelations that aren’t on any menu.

What we lie about
1. We’re not allowed to tell our customers we don’t like a dish. So if you ask your server how something is and she says, “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” chances are she doesn’t like it.
—Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

What you don’t want to know

What you’re really swallowing

What drives us crazy

What we want you to know

What tells us you’re trouble

How to be a good customer

What you need to know about tipping

Tags: food, cuisine

Birther billboard creates controversy for business

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:44:46 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.woai.com

The owner of a Colorado auto dealership has gotten international attention after putting up a controversial billboard about President Barack Obama.

Phil Wolf, the man behind the billboard and Wolf Interstate Leasing and Sales, says he wishes he was better prepared for the flood of reaction to the sign.

The sign asks if President Obama is a terrorist and if he's really an American citizen by birth. Part of the sign also references the recent tragedy at Fort Hood.

"I can't say I expected everything that's been going on with the responses we got," Wolf said.

He says his business has been overwhelmed with phone calls. Some callers have threatened both Wolf and his employees. Wolf says he's accepting the risk and the backlash he may receive.

Wolf says his main reason for creating this billboard was to bring attention to the men and women who died at Fort Hood and to ask questions about Obama he says haven't been answered.

Tags: birther, obama, birth, politics