Obama's Audience With Pope

During the recent the G-8 summit in Italy, Obama had a private audience with the Pope, who presented Obama with a copy of the papal encyclical: Charity of Truth. Below are some of the main points of the papal document:

The Roman Catholic Church's Goal: The Pope stated that the encyclical is to help achieve the goal of the history of the human family [which is] to build "the universal city of God".

A Global Government: The Pope calls for a true world political authority to fix the problems which plague the world.

The Pope as the Head: Spiritual values cannot be derived from just any religion, since not "all religions are equal". The Pope confirms the Roman Catholic Church's belief in the Pope's infallibility and as 'the Vicar of God on Earth'; thus, the Pope is the rightful "supreme ruler of the world".

Power to Enforce Law: The political [papal] authority is vested with the power to enforce [Roman Catholic Church] laws around the world.

Religion, Politics, and the Economy: The Church has influence in all areas of society since God must have "a place in the public realm", specifically in regard to cultural, economic, social, and particularly political dimensions.

Redefining Religious Liberty: While claiming not to interfere in any way in the politics in the United States, the Pope redefines "liberty" as happening when the world obeys laws shaped by the Roman Catholic Church's spiritual values. According to the Pope, as the church enforces its view of "truth" on others, people are set "free". This mission of truth is something which the Pope feels "the Church can never renounce".

Resurgence of Labor Unions: Labor Unions are to be empowered to play a decisive role in the "new world order".

Redistribution of Wealth: The new world governing power will institute socialistic policies for government to redistribute wealth including buying and selling.

Church and State: According to the Pope's encyclical, the new political [papal] authority will make its decisions based on the Church's spiritual values.

Immortality of the Soul: While it may not be directly related to the above 9 items which deals with socio-economic and political [papal] authority under the "new world order", the Pope asserted the basic Roman Catholic Church belief in the immortality of the soul.

According to Dan Gilgoff, Obama's top Catholic Adviser, in the 10 July 2009 issue of the U.S. News & World Report:

"The Pope's views on the redistribution of wealth and his agenda set forth in [the papal encyclical] Charity in Truth echoes many of the same themes that Obama campaigned for last year. As a result, the White House was excited about the meeting [between Obama and the Pope]. . .The encyclical ratcheted up the level of White House enthusiasm after the meeting [with the Pope] because one can't read it [the papal encyclical] without sensing that the two men are seeing economic questions the same way. . . .The Holy Father's emphasis on putting the human person at the center of the economy strongly echoes themes that Obama campaigned on and is working to implement."

Wit & Wisdom

Maya Angelou was interviewed on TV on her 70 birthday by Oprah. When Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older, she said that it was exciting, and there were many changes occurring every day … like her breasts which seemed to be in a race to see which will reach her waist first. The audience laughed so hard.

Below are more samples of Maya Angelou's wit and wisdom. . .

--No matter what happens or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

--You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

--Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

--Making a living is not the same thing as making a life.

--Life sometimes gives you a second chance.

--You shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.

--Whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

--Even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

--Every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

--I still have a lot to learn.

--People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

How True This Is!

Water In Lunar Soil

There is more water on the moon in more locations than originally thought, a discovery that may bolster NASA's long-held goal of setting up an outpost there, a researcher said Thursday.

One ton of the moon's surface -- in which the water's ingredients are held -- could yield as much as 32 ounces, or one quart, of water, according to three reports from research teams who studied data from three spacecrafts.

Although that amount isn't large, said geological sciences professor Jack Mustard, the findings show "there are ways you could convert these amounts of water into higher amounts" that could support human activity.

The water was discovered in rocky environments and in craters, Mustard said.

"It's in more places and in different places than were inferred previously," he said.

Since the Apollo missions began in the 1960s, scientists have believed the moon was virtually dry. Only trace amounts of water were found in rocks and soil brought back to Earth, and that water may have resulted from contamination during the retrieval process, scientists said. –For complete story see CNN

This Weeks Sound Off

The City of Refuge Worship Center in Germantown, KY ordained a convicted child molester … ok, to be politically correct (LOL) a registered sex offender, over the weekend. WHAT? Now this would be a BIG HELL NO!!!! For the minister and its congregation of this particular church to ordain a child molester causes me wonder where in God’s green earth their heads are … barred in the sand or what?

Though it is being reported that Mark Hourigan (the molester) will be supervised and not allowed to be around children, specially little boys, ordaining him shouldn’t have happened. No person who is a registered sex offender should hold a position of authority, specially in a church. Yes, I believe in forgiveness, but it doesn’t mean that in forgiving we forget and turn a blind eye … once a molester you can never trust them for it is a know fact that molesters do repeat their offensive behavior. You just can’t take the chance that, like an alcoholic, just maybe Mark Hourigan could fall off the band wagon … then what? This world already has enough damaged souls! One more to the list is one to many.

If I were a member of that church, even had children, I would leave that church in a freaking heartbeat. This is wrong, wrong, wrong on so many levels and sends the wrong message to all molesters.

Updated 09/28/09

Life's To Short

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

No Evidence

A Florida law enforcement report has found no credible evidence that a teenager's father threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity.

The 17-year-old girl, Rifqa Bary, ran away from her family in Columbus, Ohio, in July and took refuge in the home of the Rev. Blake Lorenz with the Global Revolution Church in Orlando, Florida. The girl was moved into foster care under the supervision of Florida's Department of Children and Family after she said in a sworn affidavit that her Muslim father threatened her.

An investigative report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was released Monday after a juvenile court seal order expired.

"Our investigation has provided no clear evidence of criminal activity," said the state report.

Investigators stated they could not find any evidence to support a history of abuse. A teacher at the girl's high school told investigators she had no reports or evidence of abuse.

The girl had told investigators her father never saw her in her school cheerleading outfit because she feared his disapproval. But investigators stated in the report they saw pictures of the girl in her cheerleading uniform prominently displayed in the living room of the Bary's Ohio home. –For rest of the story see -CNN

View the original story by clicking here.

Muslims On Capital Hill

On September 25th there will be a national prayer gathering of Muslims on the west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. At least 50,000 Moslems from all across the United States are expected to attend. They will gather to pray from 4:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. The gathering will take place at the site where U.S. Presidents have been inaugurated since 1981. The organizers say that it was Obama's inauguration speech in January and his speech broadcast from Egypt in June that gave them the idea for this prayer gathering on Capitol Hill.

There is a website set up for this event. If you never look at another website look at this one, pay particular attention to especially the final words.

Observations On Growing Old

It's harder to tell navy from black.

Everything old is new again, but if you wore it before, you're too old to wear it the 2nd time around.

Your kids are becoming like you---and you don't like them, but your grandchildren are perfect!

Yellow becomes your big color---your eyeballs, your skin, your teeth, your underwear.

Going out is good; coming home is even better!

When people say you look "Great", they add, "for your age!"

When you needed the discount, you paid full price. Now you get discounts on everything---movies, hotels, flights.

You forget names, but it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you.

The last 2 outfits you wore had spots on them.

You ask your spouse or friend how your outfit looks, and they tell you the truth.

The 5 pounds you wanted to lose is now 15, and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.

You realize you're never going to be really good at anything---especially golf.

Your spouse is counting on you to remember things you don't remember.

The things you cared to do, you now don't care to do, but you care that you don't care to do them anymore.

Your spouse sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

Remember when your mother said "Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"?

Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident.

You used to say, "I hope my kids GET married." Now it's, "I hope they STAY married!"

The best place to have a conversation with your spouse is in the bathroom -- you have his/her full attention.

You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch; when GOOGLE, iPod, email, modem were unheard of; and when a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.

You use more 4-letter words---"what?"..."when?"

Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

Your spouse has a night out with the guys/gals but he/she is home by 9:00 p.m.; next week it will be 8:30 p.m.

You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've already read it before.

You notice everything they sell in clothing stores is "tight & sleeveless" for women and "tight & below the butt" for men.

You never heard of any of the people in People Magazine.

Your concealer doesn't conceal, your lipstick bleeds, your mascara clumps, and your eyebrows are disappearing.

You don't have hair under your arms and very little on your legs, but your chin needs to be plucked daily.

What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

Everybody whispers.

Now that your spouse has retired, you'd give anything if he/she would find a job.

You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet, 2 of which you will never wear again.

But old is good in some things---old songs, old movies, and best of all---old friends!

Author Unknown

Mama’s Gift

Four brothers left home for college, and all became very successful and prosperous professionals in their respective fields.

One time, they all happened to be in the same city either for business and/or pleasure, and they decided to meet in a restaurant. During dinner, as conversations often are, theirs went from one topic to another until it drifted to family affairs in which they exchanged stories about, among other things, gifts for their elderly mother, who lived far away in another city.

The first said, "This Christmas, I plan to build a big house for Mama."

The second said, “That's interesting because I plan to have a theater with all the bells and whistles built in her house. It will cost approximately $100,000 altogether."

The third said, "Well, I'm getting her the latest top of the line Mercedes, and am even having the dealer personally deliver it to her."

The fourth said, "You know how Mama loved to read, especially the Bible, and since her eyesight had been failing and she can't read much anymore, I am getting her this mynah bird that can not only sing famous operatic arias and very fluently speak 5 languages, but, most of all, it can also recite the entire Bible. All that Mama has to do is name the book, chapter and verse, and the bird will recite it to her. It took more than 10 years to train and teach the talented bird. It costs $100,000 but I think it is worth every penny."

A few years later, the mother died and during the funeral, unbeknownst to one another, when each son stood to give his tribute, each one brought and read a thank you note from mother, and each note ended with "Luv ya, Mama". The notes went as follows. . . .

"Dear Milton. . .I greatly appreciate the house you built for me. Since it is so huge, I live in only one room, and I have to hire a woman to come and clean the whole house each week. Anyway, thank you ever so much for your generosity."

"Dear Michael. . .Thank you for the expensive theater with Dolby surround sound with seats to accommodate 50 people. It is very impressive but all of my truly close and dear friends are all gone now. Also, as you know aside from having lost my hearing, I'm nearly totally blind as well. So, I've never really used it. Thank you just the same for your very thoughtful gesture."

"Dear Marvin. . .Thank you very much for the Mercedes. As you know, I am now too old to drive and travel and so I stay home. Also, I have my groceries delivered, so I never really get out of the house, much less use the Mercedes. However, the thought was really nice and very much appreciated."

"Dearest Melvin. . .You are the only one among your brothers to have the good sense to give some thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you very much."

Author Unknown

'Giga Galaxy Zoom' Offers Tour Of Milky Way

The name is already taken, but "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" might be a fitting title for a new interactive view of the Milky Way unveiled this week by the European Southern Observatory.

The 800-million-pixel panorama shows an edge-on view of the plane of our galaxy, complete with points of interests such as the 12-billion-year-old, star-packed globular cluster Omega Centauri and the beautiful, reddish Rosette Nebula.

Want to stay closer to home?

The panorama also points out familiar landmarks such as Jupiter, noting it's the third-brightest object in our night sky after the moon and Venus.

For a bit of a head-rush, you can choose to zoom in and click on "Tour Destinations," which will take you on a trip from one end of the galaxy to another, stopping at your selected point of interest.

Users can explore the image in magnificent detail, uncovering millions of individual stars forming a dustlike haze, or superimpose a map of the different constellations in the sky.

The beautiful panorama is the first to be released as part of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project, which seeks to "link the sky we can all see with the deep, 'hidden' cosmos that astronomers study on a daily basis," according to ESO. –CNN

To experience GigaGalaxy Zoom click here or see science on the side panel.

Prayer Case Could Get Jail Time

Two Florida school administrators were due to appear in federal court Thursday to face contempt charges for saying a prayer at a school luncheon.

Frank Lay, principal of Pace High School in Pace, Florida, and school athletic director Robert Freeman are accused of violating a consent decree banning employees of Santa Rosa County schools from endorsing religion.

They face a nonjury trial before U.S. District Judge M.C. Rodgers. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to six months in prison and fined, subject to sentencing guidelines.

Defense attorneys have said it is it outrageous Lay and Freeman are facing prosecution for "a simple prayer." But the American Civil Liberties Union, whose lawsuit led to the consent decree, maintains students have a right to be free from administrators who foist their personal religious beliefs on them.

However, an ACLU representative said the organization "never suggested" people should go to jail for violating the decree, and the organization is not involved in the criminal proceedings.

The ACLU filed suit last year against the school district in northwest Florida on behalf of two Pace students who alleged that "officials regularly promoted religion and led prayers at school events," according to an ACLU statement.

Both parties approved the consent decree put in place January 9 under which district and school officials are "permanently prohibited from promoting, advancing, endorsing, participating in or causing prayers during or in conjunction with school events," the ACLU said.

Lay was a party in the initial lawsuit, and his attorney was among those approving the consent decree, according to the organization. In addition, the court required that all district employees receive a copy.

But on January 28, "Lay asked Freeman to offer a prayer of blessing during a school-day luncheon for the dedication of a new field house at Pace High School," according to court documents.

"Freeman complied with the request and offered the prayer at the event. It appears this was a school-sponsored event attended by students, faculty and community members."

Attorneys from Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group helping defend Lay and Freeman, have said that attendees included booster club members and other adults who helped the field house project -- all "consenting adults."

Three U.S. lawmakers who are members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus have written a letter in support of the two school administrators, saying that "many of America's Founding Fathers were resolute in their faiths, and the impact of such is evident in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and many of their writings."

The letter from Reps. J. Randy Forbes, R-Virginia; Mike McIntyre, D-North Carolina; and Jeff Miller, R-Florida, said the congressmen were writing as members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

"The tradition of offering prayer in America has become so interwoven into our nation's spiritual heritage that to charge someone criminally for engaging in such a practice would astonish the men who founded this country on religious liberty," the lawmakers wrote. –CNN

This Weeks Sound Off

Baptists have always been known to be conservative to ultra conservative to just down right fundamentalists. But as for Pastor Anderson who wishes our President to die of cancer, this just stinks and goes beyond fundamentalism … this pastor is whack!

Any “Christian” who uses a church pulpit to teach hate, murder or ill will on another human being should be stopped … “Free Speech” my ass! Yes, one day Mr. Anderson will have to answer for his comments, but meanwhile the government needs to watch this buffoon of a “Christian” closely, including members of his church. And “Christian’s” wonder why they’re not well accepted or liked … hmm! Well, Mr. Anderson, this is why … you’re an idiot!

Pastor Of "Islam Is Of The Devil"

Pastor to Obama: Please Die, Now!

A fundamentalist Baptist preacher in Arizona is making some headlines for wishing, from his pulpit, that President Obama would contract brain cancer and die, "...like Ted Kennedy." He also notes that his evening prayer is for the president to die and go to hell. You may think I am making this up, but I am not:

It may be easy to discount someone like Anderson as an extremist that no one really pays much attention to, but he does matter. He matters because his hateful rhetoric may push someone who is on the edge, over the edge. For example, one of Anderson's church members brought a gun to an event where President Obama was speaking recently.

As someone interested in politics and religion, I find Mr. Anderson's comments outrageous. In him you have a Christian minister calling for the death of the President by way of terminal brain cancer - and that the afterlife be hot, rather than joyful for the president. One of the tenants of fundamentalism is literalism, where the words of the bible are taken literally. I am not sure how Mr. Anderson reconciles his hateful speech with the words from Matthew 15, in which Jesus speaks to Peter about a parable he had just told:

"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

I never thought I'd be quoting from sacred texts here at Care2 (due to my areas of interest), but in this case it seems appropriate. Mr. Anderson, please stop the hate. Jesus said it isn't good for such hateful, evil things to come out of a person.

Our freedom of speech is protected under the Constitution, but with that right, one must also exercise responsibility. Mr. Obama is a political figure that you may disagree with, but none of us have the right to wish death on another person. Especially not under some authority given by God. –Care 2

Mr. Anderson's hate speech video below.

Why I Hate Barach Obama

Kennedy's Catholic Funeral

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston on Wednesday (Sept. 2) defended his attendance at the funeral of Sen. Ted Kennedy, a prominent dissenter from Catholic teachings on gay rights and legalized abortion.

O'Malley wrote on his blog that it was "appropriate to represent the church at this liturgy out of respect for the senator, his family, those who attended Mass" and others praying for the Kennedys. "We are people of faith and we believe in a loving and forgiving God from whom we seek mercy," the cardinal continued.

The funeral for Kennedy, who died Aug. 25 from brain cancer at age 77, was held last Saturday at Boston's Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where the late senator regularly prayed after his daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

Conservative Catholics have said the church sends mixed messages by protesting Kennedy's stance on gay issues and abortion for years, but allowing him to have a Catholic funeral. Judie Brown of the American Life League said: "Spitting on Christ himself at his crucifixion could not have been any more disdainful than what we witnessed Saturday."

"There are those who objected, in some cases vociferously, to the church's providing a Catholic funeral for the senator," O'Malley wrote on his blog. "In the strongest terms I disagree with that position."

Changing abortion laws requires changing minds, O'Malley wrote, which becomes more difficult if the church alienates people. "We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss," the cardinal wrote.

O'Malley also called on Catholics to tone down some of the heated rhetoric on abortion. "At times, even in the church, zeal can lead people to issue harsh judgments and impute the worst motives to each other. These attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the church," he said. –US Today

A Letter From Camp

Dear Mom & Dad,

Our Scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and are worried. We are okay. Only one of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Adam when it happened.

Oh yes, please call Adam's mother and tell her he is okay. He can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps. It was neat. We never would have found Adam in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightning.

Scoutmaster Ted got mad at Adam for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Adam said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas will blow up? The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did and also some of our clothes. Matthew is going to look weird until his hair grows back.

We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Ted gets the bus fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked okay when we left. Scoutmaster Ted said that with a bus that old, you have to expect something to break down. That's probably why he can't get insurance. We think it's a neat bus. He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders. It gets pretty hot with 45 people in a bus made for 24. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrol man stopped and talked to us.

Scoutmaster Ted is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Jessie how to drive on the mountain roads where there aren't any cops. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.

This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out to the rapids. Scoutmaster Ted wouldn't let me because I can't swim, and Adam was afraid he would sink because of his cast (it's concrete because we didn't have any plaster), so he let us take the canoe out. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.

Scoutmaster Ted isn't crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn't even get mad about the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of time working on the bus so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.

Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Andrew dove into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.
Steven and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Ted said it probably was just food poisoning from the left-over chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time.

We are fine and tonight it's my turn to sleep in the Scoutmaster's tent. By the way, what is a pedal-file?

Author Unknown

Human Fat Yields Multipurpose Stem Cells

You know that fat in your body you wish you didn't have? It turns out those cells could be used to create stem cells that one day may be able to cure disease.

Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that the millions of fat cells removed during liposuction can be easily and quickly turned into induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, more easily than the skin cells that researchers used when the first iPS cells were created in 2007.

These iPS cells, like stem cells derived from embryos, can be turned into many different kinds of cells, and researchers believe they eventually could be used to regenerate tissue for organs and repair damage.

Embryonic stem cells are controversial because the embryos are destroyed when the stem cells are removed for research. The iPS cells, which have many of the same basic properties, do not raise the same ethical questions as embryonic stem cells because they come from skin or now fat cells that have been reprogrammed to go back in time, so to speak, and have the ability to turn into any other kind of cell in the body.

When embryonic stem cells were a highly controversial topic at the beginning of the decade, some companies offered to store fat cells from liposuction for a fee after it was discovered that there were stem cells in the fat, but their practical use had not been established. Now, the Stanford study has shown fat cells can be a player in the quickly evolving area of iPS stem cell research, not because they have their own stem cells but because the fat cells can be turned into iPS cells.

When the first iPS cells were developed two years ago in Japan and the United States, skin cells were reprogrammed to be able to have properties similar to a human embryonic stem cell. That is, the cell could be "coached" into becoming any type of tissue or cell in the body.

It takes about four weeks for a skin cell to be "primed" for reprogramming, and then it takes an additional three to four weeks for iPS colonies to grow, according to Dr. Joseph Wu, study co-author and assistant professor of cardiology and radiology at Stanford's School of Medicine.

The method that uses fat cells can be as much as six weeks faster, Wu said, because the cells retrieved through liposuction are so plentiful, they can start reprogramming right away and have iPS cells in about two weeks.

"We've been focused -- Dr. Wu's Lab and my lab -- on fat because there's just so much of it," said study co-author Dr. Michael Longaker, a plastic surgeon and stem cell biologist at Stanford. "Unfortunately, it's a great resource in America."

These fat-derived cells used in the research are probably smooth muscle cells, not the actual blubber within a fat cell, Longaker said. The doctors' study was published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Although the average amount of fat removed for liposuction is 2 to 3 quarts, not much is required for stem cell research purposes -- less than half the volume of a can of Diet Coke, Longaker said.

One application of this research would be for helping heart attack patients. The goal is to take a person's fat to make iPS cells, which are then coached to become heart cells. Then they could be injected directly into the heart to regenerate heart muscle. Learn more about the potential of stem cells to help heart patients [by clicking here].

Potentially, iPS cells, which can in theory become any type of tissue, also could help stroke patients and people who have large scars or skeletal defects, Longaker said.

Dr. Timothy Kamp, professor of medicine and stem cell researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in this research, said it's a big leap forward that researchers were able to show that fat cells can be turned into cells that have the potential to become any tissue in the body. "This is another proof of principle ... another way to get stem cells," Kamp said.

Another issue is that liposuction is a more involved procedure than a blood test, or even a skin biopsy, Kamp said.

To what extent the human body would reject iPS cells from other donors remains unknown. The researchers in this study posit that one day iPS cells could be standardized according to different immune properties, and there could be a bank where patients would be matched with one of perhaps 200 varieties. These would be the 200 most common types of cells, to limit the amount of rejection.

Both Wu and Longaker are practicing physicians and are eager to make their research translate into clinical applications for their patients.

Still, the field of stem cell research is constantly evolving, and researchers said it's impossible to know how many years it will take before the fat removed from one person by liposuction could lead to the repair of scarred heart tissue in someone else. –CNN

Saint Theresa’s Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are
exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to
sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Uruguay Passes Same-Sex Adoption Law

Uruguay became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt children after the Senate voted to approve a bill modifying the country's adoption statute.

"It is a right for the boys and the girls, not a right for the adults," Sen. Margarita Percovich said after the vote on Wednesday. "It streamlines the adoption process and does not discriminate."

The expected Senate approval followed the lower chamber of Congress' passage of the bill last month.

The law will pave the way for gays and lesbians to start a family, Daniel Alonso, a resident of the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, told CNN.

"You have plans to form a family, to adopt. When you have a law that protects you, it makes you want to have a child," he said. "You feel part of society."

The adoption measure would be the most recent of progressive laws passed with the backing of President Tabare Vazquez.

Last year, lawmakers approved a measure allowing children aged 12 or older to change their names, a measure aimed at transgender or transsexual youths.

Uruguay also authorized same-sex civil unions last year, setting the stage for the current adoption law. –CNN

2009 Version Of Psalm 23

Obama is my shepherd, I shall always want. He maketh me to lie awake in the dark of night with worry. He leadeth me beside the still factories. He destroyeth my faith in government. He leadeth me in the paths of unemployment for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of uncertainty, I shall fear all evil for Obama’s stupid policy is with me. His trillion-dollar deficit and change from bad to worse, they scare me. Obama anointest my income with taxes, my expenses runneth over. Surely, poverty and dread shall follow me all the days of Obama’s presidency. And I shall dwell in the house of fear as long as Obama rules.

Author Unknown

Miss California USA Sues

[The sore "Christian" looser], Carrie Prejean has filed a lawsuit against Miss California USA officials who stripped her of her title, accusing them of libel and religious discrimination for her views on same-sex marriage.

"We will make the case that her title was taken from her solely because of her support of traditional marriage," her attorney, Charles LiMandri, said in a news release.

Prejean stepped into controversy at the Miss USA pageant in April when, in response to a question from a judge, she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage. Prejean finished as first runner-up.

The complaint was filed in Superior Court of California against Miss California USA officials Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, as well as publicist Roger Neal.

It alleges that Prejean suffered because of "libel, public disclosure of private facts, religious discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress." -For rest of the story see CNN

The Kid And The Preacher

A young boy while waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store was approached by the new pastor of a local church who asked, "Son, how do I get to the Post Office?"

The boy replied, "Just go straight down this street a couple of blocks and turn to right."

The clergyman thanked the kid and said, "I'm the new pastor in town. I'd like for you to come to my church. I'll show you how to get to heaven."

The boy replied, "Aw, come on! You don't even know the way to the Post Office."

Author Unknown

Just War Theory & Enhanced Interrogation

A Thought Experiment: You walk into your home to find an armed intruder threatening to shoot your spouse and children, trapped with nowhere to run. Fortunately, you have a gun.

You try to negotiate, but the intruder is in no mood to talk. His intention is murder.

You have seconds to decide. What do you do?

For many, the answer is clear. You fight to save your family. And most of us would call that self defense. Most Christians would agree that any action would be not only morally permissible, but also morally required.

Now imagine another scenario: You are a CIA interrogator facing an avowed terrorist who was caught in the act of preparing for murder. You know he has information about a plot to blow up an unidentified building in a large American city. Innocent lives hang in the balance.

For hours you have attempted to extract the life-saving information from him, but to no avail. The last option is one you believe will work: water-boarding, but you have only a few minutes to decide. What do you do?

Again, for most of us, the answer is clear. You do what you have to do to save those innocent lives, which in this case means water-boarding the terrorist. You are saving other people's families.

In the continuing debate over the morality of enhanced interrogation, an essential consideration is often overlooked: intent. For Christians, intent is integral to determining whether and when certain techniques, including water-boarding, are morally permissible.

Historically, various forms of harsh interrogation have been employed as a means to punish, humiliate, intimidate, exact revenge or force a confession. Consider Cuba, where for half a century torture has been used to punish, humiliate and intimidate those who speak out against the ruling Marxist regime and for democratic values and basic human rights.

In an interview for this piece, Cuban Eleno Oviedo recalled the torture he experienced as a political prisoner of 26 years in Castro's prisons. "I was stripped in a cell and left in solitary confinement for the first 126 days," he said about the time after his initial abduction. The regime's intention, Oviedo said, was to get him to confess to being a CIA agent. Oviedo, who now lives in the United States, said that other political prisoners were left naked for weeks at a time. Some prisoners' fingers were cut or had their fingernails torn off. Others received beatings so severe that they died. And "three-hundred times I heard prisoners being executed" by firing squad, Oviedo recalled. And the torture continues. The horrors of Castro's gulag make us recoil in disgust, and their intentions and methods of torture should be rejected by a just society.

However, the issue which has been ignored to date in the discussion of enhanced interrogation is whether there is a difference between inflicting pain for its own sake or using some harsher methods with deliberation when lives are on the line. When the intent is to extract information necessary to save human beings in imminent danger, harsh treatment may be justified and, I believe, sometimes necessary.

Just War Theory offers criteria for Christians to consider when determining under what circumstances enhanced interrogations may be justified. With roots in Greek and Roman philosophy, Just War Theory was given a Christian formulation in the Fourth Century when St. Augustine applied biblical principles to this very human question: When is war justified?

The Christian Just War Doctrine derives from a need to reconcile various Bible passages. Jesus tells us to "turn the other cheek" (Matt: 5:39), but he also told the apostles "let him who has no sword sell his mantel and buy one" (Luke 22:36). Also, in the Old Testament's book of Ecclesiastes we are told that there is "a time to kill."

Under Just War Theory, a war is just only if it is defensive and meets four strict conditions. The requirements are: that the damage inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave and certain; that there must be serious prospects of success; that all other means of ending the war must be shown to be impractical or ineffective; and that the use of force cannot produce evils graver than those to be eliminated.

Applying the first of the criterion to the water-boarding debate, we can better analyze the proverbial ticking time-bomb scenario. It is an extreme example, but it is not as rare as some suggest. Israeli authorities say they have thwarted dozens of imminent terrorist attacks saving countless civilian lives. These successes with water-boarding and other enhanced interrogation also help fulfill the second requirement of just war, that there must be serious prospects of success. The CIA's water-boarding of al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) compelled him to reveal information that allowed the U.S. government to thwart a planned attack on Los Angeles. CIA officials have stated that they would not have been able to obtain critical information to prevent attacks without the use of enhanced interrogation including water-boarding. They had tried other means and failed.

Reports recently released by the Justice Department state that information elicited from KSM "dramatically expanded our universe of knowledge of Al Qaeda's plots." Former CIA director George Tenet has said, "From our interrogation of KSM and other senior al Qaeda members . . . we learned many things. For example, more than 20 plots had been put in motion by al Qaeda against U.S. infrastructure targets, including communications nodes, nuclear power plants, dams, bridges and tunnels."

The third criterion is that all other means of ending the war must be impractical or ineffective. CIA memos revealed that less harsh interrogation was always used before water-boarding was employed. Methods used included stress positions, loud music and confinement in small spaces, but those tools were not enough.

The fourth criterion might be the most difficult to meet. It is that the use of force cannot produce evils greater than those to be eliminated. In the case of Mohammad, innocent lives were saved as a consequence of the information received by interrogation officials after water boarding, which, as agonizing as it can be, leaves no long-term physical effects on the prisoners. In fact, some of our own soldiers are water-boarded as part of their training.

It is vital in times like these to have a vigorous debate about how best to defend our nation. Christians especially are troubled by the reality that "the heart is deceitfully wicked, and who can know it?" We need to let the light of public debate shine into the darkness of the dangers we are confronting and of the temptations in the hearts of men and women to go too far against an enemy committed to our destruction.

Enhanced interrogation is not to be considered lightly, but the use of enhanced interrogation techniques does not require moral people to abandon their beliefs. Rather, it is precisely during these difficult times that one's beliefs about life, justice and mercy become indispensable. Just War Theory applied to the thorny issue of torture acknowledges the dignity of all human life and the abhorrence of torture. But it also creates a set of conditions that, if met, justify the use of force to save innocent lives facing imminent death. –Free Republic

Montana Court To Rule On Assisted Suicide

Robert Baxter was by all accounts a tough man. Even in the end, last year, as lymphocytic leukemia was killing him, Mr. Baxter, a 76-year-old retired truck driver from Billings, Mont., fought on. But by then he was struggling not for life, but for the right to die with help from his doctor.

“He yearned for death,” his daughter, Roberta King, said in a court affidavit describing her father’s final agonized months.

Now, in death, Mr. Baxter is at the center of a right-to-die debate that could make Montana the first state in the country to declare that medical aid in dying is a protected right under a state constitution.

The state’s highest court on Wednesday will take up Mr. Baxter’s claim that a doctor’s refusal to help him die violated his rights under Montana’s Constitution — and lawyers on both sides say the chances are good that he will prevail.

Washington and Oregon allow physicians to help terminally ill people hasten their deaths, but in those states the laws were approved by voters in statewide referendums, and neither state’s highest court has examined the issue of a constitutional right to die.

In Montana, the question will be decided by the seven-member State Supreme Court. A lower-court judge ruled in Mr. Baxter’s favor last December — on the very day Mr. Baxter died — and the State of Montana appealed the ruling.

The legal foundation for both sides is a free-spirited, libertarian-tinctured State Constitution written in 1972 at the height of a privacy-rights movement that swept through this part of the West in the aftermath of the 1960s. Echoes of a righteous era are reflected in language about keeping government at bay and maintaining individual autonomy and dignity.

“The dignity of the human being is inviolable,” the drafters declared.—For rest of the story see New York Times

$10 Bibles

A church had some serious financial problem, and the pastor was quite worried. After racking his brain for possible solutions and praying, somehow for no apparent reason, he suddenly got a very strong urge to go to the church storeroom, whereupon he discovered several cartons of brand new Bibles.

So, at the end of his sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the Bibles door-to-door for $10 each to help raise the desperately funds for the church. Three fellows---Jack, Paul and Louie, raised their hands and volunteered for the task. The minister knew that Jack and Paul were both top salesmen in their respective companies, so he had no doubt whatsoever about their ability to sell. But he had quite a bit of dread and reservation about Louie, a local farmer who kept to himself most of the time because of terrible stuttering . But not wanting to discourage Louie, the minister decided to let him try his luck.

Before each of the three men drove away from the church parking lot with cartons of Bibles in their individual car's trunk, the pastor asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door efforts the following weekend.

The week passed quickly, and after church, anxious to find out how the three men did, the minister met with the volunteers in his office. He first turned to Jack and asked, "Well, Jack, how did you do selling our Bibles?"

Proudly handing the minister an envelope, Jack answered, 'I know I could have sold more had I spent more time. Anyhow, I was able to sell 20 Bibles, and in the envelope are $200.'

'Terrific job, Jack! You are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you," the minister said, as he smilingly and vigorously shook Jack's hand.

Then, he turned to Paul and asked, 'Well, how about you Paul, how many Bibles did you sell this past week?'

Paul, another top caliber salesman, confidently replied, "Well, just like Jack, I am sure I could've sold more if I put more time and effort, but with whatever little effort I put forth, I sold 28 Bibles, and here's an envelope, There should be $280 in it."

Again, the minister glowingly exclaimed, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You're truly quite a salesman and the Church is indebted to you."

Finally and rather apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and trying to muster as much enthusiasm, he asked: "Well, Louie, did you manage to sell any Bibles?"
Louie just handed an envelope to the minister, who opened it and counted the contents. "What's this?" the minister asked incredulously. "Louie, there are $3,200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 Bibles in just one week?"

Louie just nodded.

"That's impossible!" both Jack and Paul protestingly exclaimed in unison.

"Jack and I are both top rate salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times more Bibles than the two of us combined?" added Paul.

"Yes, this is unbelievable," the minister agreed. "I think you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."

Louie shrugged his shoulders as he stammered, "I-I-I r-r-really d-d-don't k-k-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure."

Impatiently, Jack interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us exactly what you did when the people came to the door!"

Louie replied, "W-w-w-well, a-a-a-all I-I-I d-d-d-did w-w-w-was ask, 'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this B-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks or w-w-would y-y-you j-j-j-just l-l-like m-m-m-m-me t-t-to s-s-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you?'"

Author Unknown

Teen Fears For Life After Christian Conversion

A Muslim teenager from Ohio said her father threatened to kill her because she converted to Christianity.

Rifqa Bary, 17, ran away from her family in Columbus, Ohio, in July and took refuge in the central Florida home of Rev. Blake Lorenz with the Global Revolution Church in Orlando.

The teen heard of the pastor and his church through a prayer group on Facebook. The girl's parents reported her missing to the Columbus police who found her two weeks later in Florida through cell phone records.

The teenager, in a sworn affidavit, claims her father, Mohamed Bary, 47, received pressure from the mosque the family attends in Ohio to "deal with the situation." In the court filing, Rifqa Bary stated her father said, "If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!" The teenager claims her father said, "I will kill you!"

Mohamed Bary told CNN a lot of false information has been given and "we wouldn't do her harm." He knew his daughter was involved with Christian organizations.

"I have no problem with her practicing any faith," he said, but Bary admitted he would have preferred his daughter to practice the Muslim faith first.

Although Mohamed Bary he did not expect his daughter to run away, Rifqa Bary was placed in foster care by an Orlando judge in August while the Florida Department of Children and Family investigated the threat allegations against the parents.

In a court filing Monday, John Stemberger, Rifqa Bary's attorney and president of the Christian advocacy organization Florida Family Policy Council, accused the parent's Ohio mosque of having ties to terrorism and radical Islam. The Noor Islamic Cultural Center has denied the allegations.

Stemberger told CNN he agreed with his client she would be killed by radical Muslims if she is returned to Ohio.

"She is a person who is ripe for apostate killing or mercy killing. I'm not going to let my client slip away in the night by going back," said Stemberger.

Roger Weeden, the mother's attorney in Florida, said the filing had no credible evidence, but instead it was "just to inflame the community and the court." Weeden said he believes the teen's attorney is trying to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

The teen's attorney said his client has endured a history of abuse from her family. Stemberger said the young girl was forced to wear the Muslim headscarf called a hijab and was punched in the face by her father for being ashamed while wearing it. The attorney also claims the young girl was sexually assaulted by an uncle in Sri Lanka before they moved to the United States.

Stemberger is asking the court to keep Rifqa Bary in the custody of the state of Florida until she turns 18 in a year.

Mohamed Bary, who is not a United States citizen, said he can't believe all the false allegations and the bad image caused by the situation.

"We are not bad people," Bary said. "We are not like that, we are normal." The mother's attorney said the teenager was a normal girl, a cheerleader in Ohio, and what Muslim extremist would allow his daughter be a cheerleader.

A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Orlando where the parents will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations against them. Their attorney said the parents will deny all the allegations against them.

After the court hearing, the judge may force all the parties involved into mediation followed by an adjudication hearing. –CNN