LL Cool J, you had me at ?pray.?

Opening the Grammy awards on Sunday, host LL Cool J began with the obvious and noted passing of Whitney Houston the day before, saying, ?There?s been a death in the family.? Then he invited the audience to pray for Houston and her family, starting with the words, ?Heavenly Father??

The camera panned the audience; most heads were bowed. The prayer was unabashed, something that you would hear at a wake or a memorial service. And make no mistake; it was prayer. This was not Godless prose, or a whitewashed acknowledgement of our oneness with the universe. This was gospel prayer, from the heart and from the soul.

Whatever those bowed heads in the Staples Center were thinking during this time, I?d bet many of them were praying along, happy that in this moment of unexpected loss and profound grief ? ?there but for the grace of God go I? ? there was something simple and basic on which to lean: a prayer.

?Yay, God; go prayer,? I thought to myself ? for no other reason that in a culture trying to shed itself of public prayer and association with God, here was a moment when the most profound instinct was to pray. In times when our hearts are broken, we need the visceral language of God.

It was a fitting tribute to Houston, whose first ? and perhaps, best ? gig was singing in a church in Newark, New Jersey.

******
photo by: artemisphoto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author

Mary Carol Kendzia

Mary Carol Kendzia is a product development director at St. Anthony Messenger Press. She lives in Rhode Island where she is able to occasionally dip her toes into the Atlantic and reflect on the mysteries of life, among other things.

Source: http://blog.americancatholic.org/2012/02/let-us-pray/

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?We are confident that our viewpoints will be taken into consideration,? Patriarch Bartholomew said after his session with the legislators. He pointed out that his meeting was important insofar as minority groups were being consulted. ?We don?t want to be second-class citizens,? he said.

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?In response to a great number of mischaracterizations in the media, Catholic Charities USA wants to make two things very clear: we have not endorsed the accommodation to the HHS mandate that was announced by the Administration ? [and] we unequivocally share the goal of the US Catholic bishops to uphold religious liberty and will continue to work with the USCCB towards that goal. Any representation to the contrary is false.?

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This is the fourth Charles Spurgeon book I’ve reviewed today. And I purposefully saved it for last because it is the best of the best of the best. Grace God’s Unmerited Favor is one of those books that NEEDS to be read and reread and reread. It is a true must-read.

The six chapters are entitled:

The Covenant of Grace (Psalm 111:5)
Salvation Altogether By Grace (2 Timothy 1:9)
Grace, the One Way of Salvation (Acts 15:11)
All of Grace (Ephesians 2:8)
Grace for the Covenanter (Psalm 25:10)
Twelve Covenant Mercies (Isaiah 55:3)

This book was AMAZING. Truly amazing. It is was rich in Scripture, rich in truth–I love the way Spurgeon quotes Scripture, I do, he relies on it so much in his works. Modern writers use the Bible, too–especially the ones I read published by Crossway–but I haven’t found anyone who can write exactly the same way as Spurgeon. If you have not read him before because you’re worried that he’s out of date or irrelevant or too wordy, don’t be. The four I’ve read this February have been fabulous. Three out of the four I read in two days or less!!! And Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor would be a great starting place!!! Not just for those looking to give Spurgeon a try, not just for those wanting to give Christian nonfiction a try, but for ANY new believer in Christ.

I marked dozens and dozens of passages to share with you. Well, passages that I wanted to come back to myself. But what I discovered when I was rereading them is that they are all connected–too connected–and that I can’t easily pull out sentences. For where would I start and where would I end when each paragraph builds upon another? It would also be hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number. I can’t share every page of the text in this one. And sometimes my “favorite” sections would be just that–page after page after page. So I’ll just say, read this one for yourself.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Source: http://operationreadbible.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-review-grace-gods-unmerited-favor.html

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In 1999, the journalist denounced illegal land grabbing practiced by the owner of the construction company from Paraná, C. R. Almeida, in his independent newspaper. The journalist alleged the company had seized about 5 million hectares of land, along with ore and other natural resources in the Amazon region in the Xingu River Valley, in Pará. The federal police confirmed the land grabbing, but did not arrest the company’s owner, because too much time had passed since the crime was committed, said Portal Imprensa.

Pinto, the only editor of Jornal Pessoal, has faced 33 lawsuits, and has been repeatedly threatened, for his constant reporting on corruption, illegal deforestation and illegal trade in wood.

“After suffering all kinds of violence, including physical acts of aggression, I know what awaits me. But I will not stop doing what I consider my duty: journalism. Those in power, however, especially in Pará’s judicial system, want to see journalism destroyed, if it can’t be controlled by those in charge of the public voice. We’re going to investigate the process and appeal,” said Pinto in his article.

After the news of the denied appeal, the journalist received support from fellow press members of various news websites and blogs, who were responding to the manifesto published on Ricardo Kotscho’s blog, “Journalist threatened: We are all Lúcio Flávio.” For example, journalist Raul Bastos emphasized the harassment by the courts, which have been becoming a censorship tool in Brazil. “The big problem is the systematic pressure placed on him by regional authorities for publishing materials that denounce indignities and bother precisely these same authorities. They have tried to silence him in various ways, from intimidation to aggression, and he has bravely resisted. The have tried to gag and silence him with 33 lawsuits,” explained Bastos.

Watch the following video, produced by the program Observatório da Imprensa, of an interview with Pinto, one of the main specialists in the country on coverage of the Amazon.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kcblogen/~3/u2SSLk2IaN0/00-9053-brazilian-supreme-court-denies-appeal-journalist-who-denounced-land-grabbing-amazon

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by Stephen Lendman

On Monday, military Judge Moshe Tirosh rejected Adnan?s appeal as expected. Israel wants him dead. In his 59th day without food, his life hangs by a thread.

Tirosh called his decision ?balanced.? He claimed secret evidence justified him. He also called him an Islamic Jihad party political leader. Doing so effectively designated him a terrorist unjustly.

He ignored legal arguments, including no evidence warranting detention.

At one demonstration, Israeli security forces viciously attacked protesters, injuring 23 and making arrests. It?s standard official thuggishness against Palestinians expressing their views nonviolently.

Following Tirosh?s decision, 600 Gilboa Prison detainees hunger struck in solidarity. Other West Bank demonstrations were held. Israeli forces confronted them violently. Islamic Jihad promises ?painful revenge? if Adnan dies.

The Addameer prisoner support group calls administrative detention use arbitrary. It also affirmed everyone?s free expression, assembly and association rights, regardless of political affiliation.

Tirosh downplayed accusations about Adnan?s torture, inhuman and degrading treatment. He said they?re inflated and magnified. He accused Adnan of exaggerating what happened. He called his life-threatening condition his own fault. His deteriorating health didn?t influence his ruling. He got orders and followed them.

Tirosh showed appalling contempt for human life. He decision condemned Adnan to death.

His lawyer Jawad Boulus accused him of ignoring his fading health, never mind his innocence and victimization.

?We head to military courts without any hope of any type of justice,? he said. ?This ruling cannot be justified, especially since Khader is facing death due to his deteriorating health condition.?

Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the ruling showed ?utter disregard for Adnan?s life, effectively condemning him to die. This decision is premeditated murder. With this decision, Israel has decided to kill? Adnan.

?What it has been doing for the past 57 days is a crime against humanity as a result of its decision to arbitrarily detain him? uncharged.

Qaraqe also called for solidarity protests and hunger strikes across Palestine. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) is appealing to Israel?s High Court. PPS head Qaddoura Fares called on international organizations to intervene on his behalf.

The PA?s in talks with the UN, Jordan, and other nations for help. Tirosh?s decision shows official contempt for human life. Daily policies confirm it.

After 57 to 75 days without food, internal organ death follows. Birzeit University?s Munir Nasser expects acid build-up to cost Adnan his sight. Kidney failure and coma are next. In his 59th day without food, he?s weak and fading fast. He?s vulnerable to infection. His heart muscles face hypertrophy. Doing so causes death.

Dozens of Birzeit University students protested outside Ofer military base supportively. Israeli security forces attacked them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Journalists and dozens of others were injured while protesting. A weekly march was attacked with tear gas, rubber bullets, and waste water to stop them from reaching land earmarked for confiscation. Children, women and foreign human rights activists were affected.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights group finalized a report condemning administrative detention. It pledged efforts to internationally criminalize Israeli policy. It took special note of Adnan?s struggle and Israel?s contempt for human life and welfare.

Adnan?s wife Randa said:

?My husband is dying inside an Israeli jail. The world should make sure I am able to see him?.And it should pressure the Israeli government to release him before it?s too late.?

In mid-December, he began hunger striking against Israel?s lawless detention. Prison authorities responded by beatings, painful interrogations, ripping hair from his beard, rubbing dirt on his face, and isolating him in a ?punishment cell? with bright lights and loud noises to prevent sleep.

He also was denied medical treatment for gastric and back disc problems, as well as injuries soldiers and prison authorities caused. After his family members were insulted, including his children and elderly mother, he stayed silent and wouldn?t talk.

On January 8, he was sentenced to administrative detention until May 8. His imprisonment can be extended indefinitely. No time limit?s imposed. He and others can rot forever uncharged in gross violation of international law. He?s willing to die opposing this abuse.

On February 7, Randa saw him for 15 minutes. He was too weak to greet her. His shrunken, ulcerated body resembled a lifeless shell. She was shocked, and their daughters were scared. He said prison authorities prevented him from bathing, grooming, or changing his clothes since arrest.

Angry about his shocking treatment, Randa said:

?Israel has treated my husband without any humanity or compassion for his deteriorating health. It?s obviously very bad, yet they?re not only preventing him from receiving any treatment, but also attacking his basic dignity as a human being.?

In a letter from prison hospital, Adnan expected to die, saying:

?The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.?

?I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on? dismissively.

After Tirosh?s ruling, Randa clung to hope saying, ?Israel denied Khader any fairness or decency. But maybe the rest of humanity will show more mercy.? So far, it?s letting Israel torture him to death.

On February 13, prison authorities threatened to painfully shackle his four limbs to his bed without explanation.

On Monday, Addameer lawyer Samer Sama?n got to see him briefly at Zif Medical Center. Physicians for Human Rights ? Israel got to examine him for the third time since food intake stopped. Daily, his life force fades. He?s also experiencing extreme pain.

Addameer condemned Tirosh?s decision. He brazenly ignored Adnan?s condition. His ruling defiled international law, including by ?categoriz(ing)? all Palestinians as ?terrorist parties.?

He downplayed Adnan?s claims of torture, abuse and degrading treatment. ?Addameer holds Israel accountable for? his life, ?whose health has entered an alarmingly critical stage that will now have irreversible consequences and could? take him any time.

Addameer also holds international officials responsible for inaction. Doing so makes them complicit with Israeli crimes.

Nonetheless, Addameer demands EU/UN/ICRC intervention on his behalf immediately before it?s too late. The UN special coordinator for Middle East peace?s weak-kneed statement shows how little world authorities care.

?(W)ith concern,? it called on Israel ?to do everything in its power to preserve (Adnan?s) health?.and resolve this case while abiding by all legal obligations under international law.?

UN, EU and other world officials let Israeli authorities get away with murder by not intervening with teeth. It shows their contempt for human life and welfare.

Addameer urged global solidarity to save him before brutal Israeli torture extinguishes his last breath. There?s precious little of it left.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Source: http://yourworldnews.org/blog/?p=2936&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-hanging-judge-sentences-khader-adnan-to-death

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And yet we allow the devil to persuade us to neglect prayer! He makes us believe that we can do more by our own efforts than by our prayers–by our intercourse with men than by our intercession with God.”

“Shall we begin today to be (wo)men of prayer, if we have never done so before?  Let us not put it off till a more convenient season.  God wants me to pray.  The dear Savior wants me to pray.  He needs my prayers.  So much–in fact, everything–depends upon prayer.  How dare we hold back?” 

“Do we spend ten minutes a day in prayer? Do we consider it important enough for that? Ten minutes a day on our knees in prayer–when the Kingdom of Heaven can be had for the asking?  Ten minutes?  It seems a very inadequate portion of our time to spend in taking hold of God!  If God were to answer the words we repeated on our knees this morning should we know it?  Should we recognize the answer?  Do we even remember what we asked for?”

“He does answer.  He has given us His word for it.  He always answers every real prayer of faith.”

 The Kneeling Christian, author unknown

Oh Lord Jesus, will you teach us to pray?  Will you give us the unquenchable desire to come before you each and every day and lay our lives down before your Throne, asking for your will be done, seeking your desire, aching as your heart aches?  Father, will you beckon us to your Throne room, kneeling at your feet, soaking in your Radiance, bowing before your Glory.  Show us your heart, Lord, so that our prayers may be in step with the Spirit.  Draw us close, Jesus.  In your name, Amen.

Source: http://www.heartandsoulreflections.com/2012/02/prayer-life-that-alludes.html

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The Demolition of Mitumba – Eastviews Response Video from GOYA Ministries on Vimeo.

Amongst the ruins lay the remains of a Christian school, orphanage, and clinic.  Pastor Shadrack  and his wife Violet were devastated.  Their years and years of work were gone in an instant.  The families and children were scattered to the wind.  After several weeks of searching and very little sleep, they were able to find all of the children and brought them into their own home, 30 sweet souls without parents.

Just months before this tragedy, the ministry of GOYA teamed up with Eastview Christian Church to support the work that Pastor Shadrack was doing in Mitumba. A visit to the United States was planned, to visit the GOYA offices and the new church partnership with Eastview.

Last weekend Pastor Shadrack and Violet came to visit Eastview, my home church.  Our Senior Pastor asked for a special offering to be taken that could buy some land to rebuild the school, orphanage and clinic.  We had high hopes of trying to raise $40,000.  That Sunday evening they gave a presentation updating us on how things stand now in Mitumba.  Our Pastor of Outreach stood to give an update on the special offering taken that morning.  We didn’t get the $40,000 we were hoping.  Instead we gave $206,000!!!  The place erupted with laughter, applause, crying and overwhelming praise for what God can do!

All of the glory belongs to God alone, as he stirred the hearts of his church to give.  The doors are wide open for the school to be rebuilt and expanded to include high school!  A much larger church can now be built to accommodate all those who have been coming.  God has big plans in mind for Mitumba and it was an honor for this church to be a part of that movement!!

Mitumba Response-Vimeo from Eastview Christian Church on Vimeo.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Source: http://www.heartandsoulreflections.com/2012/02/rebuilding-mitumba-in-nairobi-kenya.html

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by Stephen Lendman

What major media scoundrels call relief is, in fact, business as usual coverup and fraud. Ellen Brown?s important writing explained.

Obama pushed hard to get state attorneys general to settle for a fraction of stolen wealth, but it?s worse than that. More on the announced deal below.

At issue is securitized mortgage-backed securities fraud compounded by ?robo-signing.? it involves ?employees signing names not their own, under titles they did not really have, attesting to the veracity of documents they had not really reviewed.?

It wasn?t occasional. It?s systemic grand theft since the 1990s. As a result, settling with crooks lets Wall Street shysters ?off the hook for crimes that would land the rest of us in jail ? fraud, forgery, securities violations and tax evasion.?

State Attorneys General Perpetuate Fraud and Coverup

Forty-nine of the 50 States AGs agreed to let five major banks off the hook ? JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Ally Financial (formerly GMAC). Oklahoma opted out, not from altruism. AG Scott Pruitt wants no banker penalties. Stealing is OK with him.

In exchange for robo-signing fraud, illegal fees, failure to honor previous settlements, and other servicer abuses, rogue bankers settled for $25 billion. It amounts to pennies on the dollar at most.

Homeowners may sue on their own. States get a fixed amount for legal aid services. All securitization claims, tax and insurance fraud ones, and others may still be investigated and prosecuted by individual AGs and the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group (RMBS).

Set up by Obama?s Financial Fraud Task Force, New York AG Eric Schneiderman is one of five co-chairs. Delaware, Missouri, Nevada and Arizona filed lawsuits. California AG Kamala Harris retained the right of state to sue under the state?s False Claims Act. Massachusetts also has a foreclosure fraud suit pending.

Funds are apportioned as follows:

• $17 billion for troubled borrowers in the form of principal reduction credits;

• $3 billion toward underwater borrowers? refinancing; and

• $5 billion for cash payments to states to use for legal aid services, foreclosure mitigation programs, and fraud investigations;

In addition, Washington gets a small amount. Around 750,000 wrongfully foreclosed borrowers get checks from $1,800 ? $2,000. It?s pennies on the value of home equity stolen. On average, borrowers are underwater by $50,000 each. Collectively, their negative equity approximates $700 billion.

However, millions of underwater homeowners aren?t helped, and statute of limitations absolution applies to amounts too large to ignore. Filings more than five years old are excluded, so defrauded homeowners beyond this timeline remain cheated out of luck.

Why the Deal ?Stinks?

It shouldn?t surprise. Deals bankers agree to helps them, not victims. On February 9, Yves Smith?s Naked Capitalism article headlined, ?The Top Twelve Reasons Why You Should Hate the Mortgage Settlement,? saying:

Settlement terms haven?t been released, but leaked details assure few troubled borrowers will be helped compared to much greater numbers left out.

State AG suits remain unresolved and won?t likely yield borrower-friendly results. The Nevada/Arizona suits were ?folded into? settlement terms, effectively ending them.

(1) The maximum payout per borrower is $2,000. Its peanuts compared to amounts lost. It represents about 1% of loan balances. It?s ?less that the price of the title insurance that banks failed to get when they transferred the loans to the trust.?

It?s also a fraction of legal expenses for challenged foreclosures. Bankers made out like bandits in terms of benefits and avoiding prison time. Borrowers are stuck with a deal made in hell.

(2) The $25/26 billion ?is actually $5 billion of bank money and the rest is your money.? Write-downs will be almost entirely from securitized loans. In other words, investors will eat them, not Wall Street crooks.

(3) $5 billion apportioned among five banks is too inconsequential to matter.

(4) $20 billion ?actually makes bank second liens sounder, so this deal is a stealth bailout that strengthens bank balance sheet at the expense of? cheated borrowers.

(5) Enforcement is a ?joke.? In large measure, it lets banks self-supervise.

(6) Past servicer consent decrees show they ?all fail to comply?.(T)hey cheat in all sorts of ways to (avoid obligations and) reduce their losses.?

(7) The Nevada/Arizona ?cave-in? greatly helps Bank of America. It?s ?by far the worst offender in the chain of title disaster?.?

(8) If a ?serious? deal was planned, the announced result wouldn?t have happened and high-level crooks wouldn?t get off unscathed.

(9) Many systemic abuses were ignored, ?such as servicer driven foreclosures and looting of investors? funds via impermissible and inflated charges.?

(10) The deal conceals ?much deeper chain of title problem(s).?

(11) Obama?s foreclosure task force will be as toothless as previous efforts to address a joint Wall Street/Washington swindle.

(12) Housing market problems will keep festering. Underwater borrower suffering will continue. Mortgage-backed securities investors will ?will to hung out to dry.? Unresolved problems put the residential mortgage market on ?long term, perhaps permanent, government life support.?

The deal?s another example of who always wins and loses. It also proves Washington?s bipartisan criminal class hands bankers whatever they wish at the expense of ordinary people losing out entirely.

A Final Comment

Greece represents the epicenter of banker pillage. Multiple austerity rounds imposed mass unemployment, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and unprecedented human misery in a modern-day state. They also provoked mass street rage heading toward exploding in response to what people no longer will tolerate.

Homeowners can?t pay new property taxes. Suicides are Europe?s highest. Children faint in school from hunger. Hospital admissions rose 25%. Budgets serving them fell 40%. As a result, shortages of everything compromise care people can?t afford to pay for anyway.

HIV rates rose 50%. Other illnesses are rising. A humanitarian catastrophe?s unfolding. Nonetheless, ECB/IMF/EU troika pressure demands more in return for another 130 billion euro bailout to pay bankers, not use productively for growth.

The more Greece borrows, the more debt entrapped it becomes. Bankers occupy Greece. They demand their pound of flesh. They?re strip-mining the nation?s crown jewels and force-feeding austerity on people faced with more than they can bear.

Despite a deepening Greek tragedy, The New York Times hailed the latest deal instead of condemning it. It remains for Greece?s parliament to act. Despite strikes and mass protests, expect passage to be rubber stamp.

Besides previous harsh rounds, another 22% wage cut?s coming on all salaried workers. Pensions and jobs are also targeted, around 150,000 public ones by 2015. In addition, permanent state enterprise positions will be abolished.

Greece already is bankrupt. Now it?s racing toward collapse. Social crisis conditions threaten to explode. It?s just a matter of time.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Posted in American Politics, Economics

Source: http://yourworldnews.org/blog/?p=2893&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=duplicitous-mortgage-settlement-deal

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Poynter referred to it as “metacrowdsourcing,? or “applying crowdsourcing to sourcing itself rather than an individual reporting project.”

Crowdsourcing, or turning to a large group of citizens to perform a task that normally would be done by an individual, has turned into a popular way to bring citizens into the news process, and to help journalists better do their jobs.

For example, on Wed., Feb. 1, New York Times reporter C.J. Chivers turned to crowdsourcing, asking readers to help identify a cluster bomb found outside of Mizdah, south of Tripoli.

And the Americas Society/Council of the Americas recently released a guide compiling crowdsourcing websites throughout Latin America. Also, last year the Washington Post launched a crowd-sourced fact-checking mechanism for readers to question or refute claims made by politicians. News outlets also used crowdsourcing for their 9/11 coverage, according to Yahoo News’ The Cutline.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kcblogen/~3/ZqMoN8qNMTk/canadian-newspaper-uses-crowdsourcing-register-readers-potential-sources

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