Vatican: Popes can't be organ donors: Needed for relics (idols)

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Vatican: Popes can't be organ donors

Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI was once a card-carrying organ donor, but the offer expired when he assumed the papal throne, according to the Vatican.

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By Pier Paolo Cito, AP Pope Benedict XVI, shown here at St. Peter's Basilica Tuesday, flanked by bishops Franco Camaldo, right, and Guido Marini, can no longer be an organ donor. He supports donation but had to relinquish his donor card when he was elected pope.

A donor card acquired by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 1970s "became ipso facto obsolete" with his election as pope, according to Monsignor Georg Ganswein, Benedict's private secretary, as reported by the German website of Vatican Radio on Wednesday.

Ganswein recently wrote to Dr. Gero Winkelmann, a German physician, to refute frequent references to Benedict's donor card in lectures and articles promoting organ donation.

In a 2008 speech, Benedict praised organ donation as an "act of love," provided that extraction of the organs is done with "informed consent" of the donor, and not as part of a business transaction.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that Ganswein's statement did not reflect any change of heart by the pope on the value of organ donation.

"But the idea that a man of his age, when he dies, that somebody might present himself seeking his organs, makes no sense," Lombardi said. "It's surreal."

According to the Associated Press, Polish Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Vatican's health office, told La Repubblica newspaper that it was understandable that a pope's body remains intact because it belongs to the entire church. "It is also understandable in view of possible future veneration," he said, referring to future sainthood. "This doesn't take anything away from the validity and the beauty of the gift of organ donation."

Until the last century papal organs were removed to make embalming more durable. The organs of 22 popes are preserved as relics in the church of Saints Anastasio and Vincent near the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The custom of removing the organs was abolished in the early 1900s. Read more at www.usatoday.com

 

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Possessor of Child Pornography Sentenced to Federal Prison

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Possessor of Child Pornography Sentenced to Federal Prison

TIMOTHY J. FREELAND, age 23, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was sentenced today to 97 months in the Bureau of Prisons, 10 years of supervised release, a $750 fine, and a $100 special assessment for possession of child pornography, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

According to information revealed at FREELAND's change of plea hearing, FREELAND possessed over 550 still images and 22 videos containing or depicting child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Cybercrimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole E. Gorovsky. Read more at springfield.fbi.gov

 

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South Carolina Sheriff’s Department Officer Found Guilty of Using Excessive Force on Detainee

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Former Kershaw County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Department Officer Found Guilty of Using Excessive Force on Detainee

A federal jury in Columbia, South Carolina convicted Oddie Tribble, 51, a former police officer with the Kershaw County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office, of a civil rights violation for his use of excessive force on a man in his custody on Aug. 5, 2010.

According to evidence presented in court, Tribble struck Charles Shelley, 38, a handcuffed arrestee, more than 25 times with a metal baton, lacerating his skin and fracturing his leg. The assault was captured by video cameras at the Kershaw County Detention Center. Eyewitnesses to the beating, including law enforcement officers, testified that they were shocked to see the unjustified attack by a police officer.

“The jury’s verdict demonstrates that no one is above the law, and that those who are sworn to protect our citizens will be held accountable when they violate the public trust and abuse the rights of individuals in their custody,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

“This is the first time in decades that a law enforcement officer in the state of South Carolina has been convicted by a federal jury at trial of using excessive force,” said U.S Attorney Bill Nettles. “We appreciate the work the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division put into this case so that the jury had a solid case to consider. Let's be clear, the reason the jury found Oddie Tribble guilty is that he used a metal baton to beat a handcuffed man who posed no threat. The jury's verdict shows that South Carolina will not tolerate misconduct by our law enforcement officers.”

Sentencing before Federal District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie is scheduled for May 12, 2011. Tribble faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Columbia Division of the FBI with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and was prosecuted by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Christopher Lomax, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth Drake, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara McGregor. Read more at columbia.fbi.gov

 

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Democratic Delusions and the New Confederacy

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Democratic Delusions and the New Confederacy

Keith Burton

As I write this column, all eyes are focused on Ham’s progeny as multitudes in the north of the African continent rise up against repressive systems of government. Changes have already been initiated in Algeria and Jordan (yes, Jordan is located in Hamitic territory), and pundits and politicians in the West are predicting and prodding regime change in the world’s oldest civilization. While the decades old regimes do have a faithful cadre of supporters, it is those who have been denied a voice that have dared to overpower the powerful with their demands for democracy.

An American Revolution

In the very week that President Mubarak caved in to democratic pressure with a promise to retire, Roger Vinson, Federal District Court Judge and unabashed Tea Party activist, made a dictatorial decision that disrespectfully slapped American democracy in the face. Through the authority of a law that allows a demagogical partisan judge to veto the voice of over fifty percent of eligible voters and hundreds of members of Congress, Roger Vinson has declared the Affordable Health Care Act null and void. Totally insulated from the reality of most Americans burdened with health care debt, this judge is content to have our taxes pay for his health insurance but does not want his taxes to pay for ours. Intoxicated by his loyalty to party he has betrayed his pledge of impartiality and has shown the world why the democratic ideal has still not been achieved in Reagan’s “shining city.”

Even as we look across the oceans at obvious signs of revolution in the land of Ham, the majority are oblivious to the implications of the revolution that is taking place under our very noses. Whether we want to admit it or not, another Civil War is brewing in this great nation, and the identity of the Confederacy is clear. One and a half centuries ago, the Confederates announced their independence as they sought to maintain a capitalist system that was built and based on the inhumane system of chattel slavery. The new Confederates have a similar agenda–protecting the privileges of the “haves” by sowing seeds of division and swinging hatchets of destruction. In the spirit of its predecessor, this Confederacy is also fueled by racist ideologies of Black subordination. Their separatist agenda is made even more urgent by the presence of a person with immediate African roots in the White House.

Bi-Partisan Prejudice

Similar to the first Civil War, supporters of the new Confederacy can be found in both political parties–Democrat and Republican. However, an influential sector of the Republican Party has made it clear that their’s is the base for those supporting these twenty-first century confederate ideals. (1) It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that the massive hemorrhaging currently being experienced by the Democratic Party is driven by White prejudice, as mostly Southern politicians in State and local governments desert with impunity. When asked to explain why nine elected officers in Covington County, Alabama, switched parties, local Republican leader Bill Blocker boldly declared “Some of them were looking at the Democratic party with Barrack Obama as head of that party and saying, ‘That’s not me. That’s not what I signed up for.’”(2)

Undoubtedly, those using the absurd reverse racism “victim” strategy are already trying to spin Blocker’s explanation to make it seem as if the defections are strictly ideological. However, I would love to see them defend the Southern defectors who did not dilute their motivations for joining the Republicans, as they expressed their dismay that the Democrats had become the party of Blacks. Their anger is so ingrained that their contempt for the President governs every public remark. Recently elected Alabama Governor Robert Bentley all but declared Alabama independent in a speech last month; and his Attorney General exemplified the kind of idiotic vitriol driving the high profile lynching of our Commander in Chief when in his remarks about the Health Care Act, he fed the fickle fears of his frenzied throng: First he controls your healthcare, then he tells you what car to drive, then what coffee to drink. It amazes me that so many gullible citizens are buying this. Many of the people who voted for the heartless Confederates don’t even have adequate health insurance, but would rather die than see a plan succeed if it has anything to do with Mr. Obama.

This gullibility scares me. It lets me know that there are people in this nation who will do anything to defend a system of prejudiced preference. They manipulate the minds of the multitudes who are so blinded by hatred that they are oblivious to the woolen hats that obscure their vision. Think about it, most who fought in the Civil War to maintain the slavery system could not even afford slaves themselves, but somehow they liked the status attached to “White privilege.” The neo-Confederates are gearing up for their last stand as they cling tenaciously to xenophobic superstitions that hinder them from experiencing the American ideal. And as they do everything in their power to hold on to power, the Republican party has laid out a welcome mat for their racist platform. Does this make every Republican a racist? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, thanks to the Party that has betrayed the ideals of Abraham Lincoln, the Southern Strategy has found it’s second wind and is succeeding in its effort to cover the Democratic racists under it’s exclusive umbrella.(3)

How Shall We Stand?

As I observe events from the belly of the new Confederacy, I am anxious to see how the Seventh-day Adventist church will respond to these obvious expressions of racist and classist incivility. I know that a number of our Adventist leaders are aligned to the Republican Party, but I wonder if any are ready to elevate Kingdom ideals over Party loyalty? I wonder how many are willing to champion the cause of the downtrodden and underprivileged? I wonder how many are bold enough to promote universal healthcare? I wonder how many are ready to remind their party that God will hold politicians accountable for their decisions–whether they are Democrat or Republican?

Before I conclude, I feel a need to declare to readers that I do not champion any political party–my ultimate allegiance is to the Kingdom of God. However, since it is the Republican Party that has provided a home for the neo-Confedaracy, this admonition is directed to those who feel a need to defend the objects of their loyalty–even when they are wrong. Nevertheless, in the same way that Adventist Christians aligned with the Democratic Party have a godly responsibility to promote the sanctity of life and biblical ideal for marriage, members in the Republican Party must shout loudly against those who have no concern for the least of these, and must decry the cutthroat model of capitalism that continues to drive a wedge between the haves and the have nots. Just as Adventist liberals guided by the Spirit of God need to understand that not every liberal cause has divine endorsement, truth driven Adventist conservatives should acknowledge that there are some demonic economic and social practices that do not need to be conserved.

If these words are offensive to you, ask yourself why. If you really don’t care about the wealth disparity and inequity in this nation, I beseech you to seek assistance from the One who came to liberate the underclass. If you really believe that race based power structures should be maintained by any means necessary, I plead with you to talk to the One who has united all nations by His blood. If you are among those egging the administration to throw down the gauntlet with China, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and any other media bolstered bogeyman, I invite you to make an appointment with the Prince of Peace. If you wish to maintain a system where more health care dollars are placed in bonus packages and corporate perks than in making people whole, I counsel you to seek therapy with the Great Physician. If you wish to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the racist rhetoric that has already fractured our society, I implore you to open your heart to the love of the One who has included members of every nation, tribe, language and ethnicity in his beloved family.

The one who has an ear, let him or her hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. Maranatha.

Keith Augustus Burton teaches at Oakwood University and Florida Hospital of Health Sciences.  He has addressed issues of racial disparity and ethnic unity for most of his years in ministry. Some of his solutions can be found in his book, The Faith Factor: The Key to Black Empowerment (Harvest, AL: lifeHERITAGE Publications, 2005).

(1)        Aaron Blake, “Southern Democrats in dire straits; 2011 looms large,” Washington Post . Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/democratic-party/southern-democrats.html.

(2)        Anon, “9 county officials switch parties,” Andalusia Star News. Retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2011/02/01/9-county-officials-switch-parties/

(3)        Steve Kornacki, “The Southern Strategy Fulfilled,” Salon. Retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/03/reagan_southern_strategy Read more at www.spectrummagazine.org

 

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America in Prophecy by Ashley Cunningham

URL:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/48149754/America-in-Prophecy-...

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Food costs at records as U.N. warns of volatile era

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Food costs at records as U.N. warns of volatile era

By Svetlana Kovalyova and Christopher Doering MILAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global food prices tracked by a U.N.

By Svetlana Kovalyova and Christopher Doering

MILAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global food prices tracked by a U.N. agency hit their highest level on record in January, a problem set to worsen after a massive snowstorm in the United States and floods in Australia.

The United Nations said on Thursday its Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index rose for the seventh month in a row to reach 231 in January, topping the peak of 224.1 last seen in June 2008. It is the highest level the index has reached since records began in 1990.

"These high prices are likely to persist in the months to come," FAO economist and grains expert Abdolreza Abbassian said in a statement.

Wheat underscored the problem affecting commodity prices around the world, settling on Thursday slightly lower after hitting a 2- year high earlier in the day. Corn and soybeans, which also have been hovering near long-term highs, also declined.

Global food inflation is a mounting worry for world leaders. It has contributed to political unrest in countries with high poverty rates and unemployment, as evidenced in the toppling of Tunisia's president in January. That unrest has spilled into Egypt, Yemen and Jordan.

In response, some countries are increasing food imports and have built stockpiles to meet their domestic needs. Among them is Algeria, wary after food riots in early January. It has made huge wheat purchases to avoid shortages, and on Thursday it announced plans to lift a 19-year-old state of emergency in a bid to avert spreading protests.

In Central America, Honduras has frozen prices on many basic foodstuffs despite complaints from farmers. El Salvador is increasing anti-poverty programs by 30 percent, and Guatemala is considering slashing import tariffs on wheat and is handing out food and cash vouchers to landless peasants.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick in a Reuters interview urged world leaders to "wake up" to the dangers of rising food inflation, a problem said he sees no relief from.

"We are going to be facing a broader trend of increasing commodity prices, including food commodity prices," he said.

SUPPLY THE KEY

Catastrophic storms and droughts have slammed the world's leading agriculture countries in recent months, including flooding and a massive cyclone in Australia and a powerful winter storm that swept across the United States.

Dubbed "Stormageddon," one of the biggest snowstorm in decades dumped up to 20 inches of snow in some parts of the U.S. grain belt this week, paralyzing the shipment of grain and livestock.

A deep-freeze forecast for the Midwest, the bread basket of the United States, threatens the region's winter wheat because it may lack sufficient insulating moisture to withstand the cold.

Sugar prices also have surged to three-decade highs on fears of damage Cyclone Yasi would bring to the Australian cane crop. Prices for Malaysian palm oil, a cooking staple in the developing world, hit 3-year highs on flooding.

Big companies have had to adjust to higher raw material costs. Kellogg Co, the world's largest breakfast cereal company, said on Thursday it has boosted prices on many of its products to offset rising costs for ingredients such as grains and sugar.

"Today's announcement by the Food and Agriculture Organization should ring alarm bells in capitals around the world," said Gawain Kripke, a policy and research director for Oxfam America, an international development group.

"Governments must avoid repeating the mistakes of the past when countries reacted to spiraling prices by banning exports and hoarding food. This will only make the situation worse and it is the world's poorest people who will pay the price," he said.

Janis Huebner, economist at Germany's DekaBank said inflation partly fueled by increasing food prices could in turn trigger interest rate rises in several countries this year.

"This could mean a slowing down of growth in the countries which raise their interest rates," he said. "This could involve Asian countries and other regions, this would somewhat brake growth but I do not expect a hard landing."

STOCK BUILDING

Some countries, particularly where food prices loom large in household budgets, have been building up food stocks to contain prices -- and to limit the political and social fallout.

During the last food price crisis, the World Bank estimated that some 870 million people in developing countries were hungry or malnourished. The FAO estimates that number has increased to 925 million.

"2008 should have been a wake-up call, but I'm not yet sure all the countries in the world that we need to support this have woken up to it," the World Bank's Zoellick said.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, last week bought 820,000 tons of rice, lifting rice prices, while suspending import duties on rice, soybeans and wheat.

Algeria last week bought almost 1 million tons of wheat, bringing its purchases to at least 1.75 million since the start of January, and ordered a speeding up of grain imports.

On a day of bloody confrontation in Egypt, where protesters are demanding an end to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, the U.N. World Food Programme's Executive Director Josette Sheeran said the world was now in an era where it had to be very serious about food supply.

"If people don't have enough to eat they only have three options: they can revolt, they can migrate or they can die. We need a better action plan," she said.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, Martinne Geller in New York, Lesley Wroughton and Christopher Doering in Washington and Michael Hogan in Hamburg; editing by Jonathan Thatcher, Keiron Henderson, Russell Blinch and Xavier Briand) Read more at www.scientificamerican.com

 

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'Armchair' archaeologist sees Saudi sites

PERTH, Australia, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- An Australian researcher says he's found many potential archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia -- from his office in Perth, using satellite images from Google.

"I've never been to Saudi Arabia," David Kennedy at the University of Western Australia says. "It's not the easiest country to break into."

So Kennedy, sitting in his office chair, scanned 475 square miles of Saudi Arabia from his desktop computer using high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth and found 1977 potential archaeological sites, including 1082 "pendants" -- ancient tear-drop shaped stone tombs, NewScientist.com reported Friday.

Aerial photography of Saudi Arabia is not available to most archaeologists, Kennedy says, and it's difficult, if not impossible, to get permission to fly over the nation.

"But, Google Earth can outflank them," he says.

Kennedy says he was able to confirm the sites were the remains of ancient life, and not just vegetation or shadow, by asking a friend in Saudi Arabia, who is not an archaeologist, to drive out to two of the sites and photograph them.

Comparing the images with structures Kennedy has seen in Jordan, he says he believes the sites may be up to 9,000 years old, but that ground verification is critical.

"Just from Google Earth it's impossible to know whether we have found a Bedouin structure that was made 150 years ago, or 10,000 years ago," he says.

The science of "armchair archaeology" has blossomed since Google Earth was launched five years ago, and in 2008 researchers from Melbourne, Australia, found 463 potential sites in the Registan Desert in Afghanistan using the program, NewScientist.com said. Read more at www.upi.com

 

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Solar-Sail Flare Visible From Earth

By Lisa Grossman

The first Earth-orbiting solar sail has been caught streaking across the sky. When glints of sunlight reflect off NASA’s NanoSail-D satellite, the 10-square-meter sheet of shiny space-age material can briefly outshine the brightest stars.

NanoSail-D unexpectedly unfurled on Jan. 20, after spending a month trapped in its mothership. It is the second solar sail to ever be successfully deployed, and the first to orbit the Earth.

Between now and April or May, the shimmering sheet will skim through the upper atmosphere, slowly descending as it accumulates drag. The idea is to test potential “drag sails” that could help automatically remove future satellites from orbit at the end of their lives, reducing space junk.

Until then, watch the skies. As NanoSail-D sinks closer to Earth, it could flash ten to 100 times brighter than the planet Venus. That’s the sort of thing you can see even through city lights.

These flares may be a challenge to spot, though, because of the unpredictable viewing geometry. When viewed edge-on, it’s invisible. The sail only glints when the angle with the sun is right. Several websites, including Heavens-Above, Spaceweather.com and Calsky, can tell when NanoSail-D will be overhead, but not when it will flare.

Later in the mission, the best bet for catching a flare is when the sail is near the horizon. Right now the sail is tumbling, so flashes could occur at any time. But as it drags through the atmosphere, it will flatten out, with the flat surface facing forward like an ocean-faring ship. That means it will be edge-on when it’s high in the sky, but face-on and likely to flash closer to the horizon.

The beautiful photo above was captured Jan. 30 by Finnish astrophotographer Vesa Vauhkonen. If you can take a better one, submit it to NASA. NASA and Spaceweather.com are sponsoring a contest for the best images of NanoSail-D submitted between now and when the sail disintegrates. You could even win some cash. So look up!

Image: Vesa Vauhkonen/Spaceweather.com

See Also:

First Earth-Orbiting Solar Sail Unexpectedly Unfurls

Japanese Spacecraft Deploys First-Ever Solar Sail

NASA Needs You: 6 Ways to Help an Astronomer

Amateurs Find Hidden Gems in Space Photo Contest Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Small Asteroid Passes Close to Earth Today

By Lisa Grossman

A small asteroid swooped within 7,366 miles of Earth on Feb. 4 — today — at 2:40 p.m. EST [19:40 UT].

The object, called 2011 CQ1, was discovered earlier today by astronomer Richard Kowalski using a 0.68-meter telescope near Mount Bigelow outside of Tuscon, Arizona as part of the Catalina Sky Survey’s routine scanning of the skies for small objects that come close to Earth.

2011 CQ1 is tiny by asteroid standards, only about 6.5 to 10 feet across. But though it is small, it will be close. The last asteroid to come within moon-distance to Earth, 2010 TD54, stayed a chaste 27,960 miles away at its closest approach Oct. 12 — more than three times the distance to 2011 CQ1.

The asteroid is not on a collision course with Earth, but it will come well within the so-called Clarke Belt where satellites in geosynchronous orbit hang out.

Although the daytime skies are too bright to see the new object in the US, 2011 CQ1 will be visible for a few hours in dark skies, according to Ernesto Guido and Giovanni Sostero of Remanzacco Observatory in Italy. If you’re under those dark skies and catch a photo of this new object, send us your best shots.

Via Spaceweather.com

Image: G. Sostero and E. Guido

See Also:

Asteroid Double Whammy Near Earth Wednesday

Close-Shave Asteroid Caught on Camera

Wednesday’s Near-Earth Asteroid Caught on Film

Video: The Asteroid That Will Almost Hit Earth

How to Defend Earth Against an Asteroid Strike

First-Ever Asteroid Tracked From Space to Earth Read more at www.wired.com

 

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35-year-old Adams County youth leader is accused of sexually assaulting two boys

Video: http://www.wgal.com/news/26749189/detail.html

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Youth Leader Accused Of Molesting Boys

Jeffrey Crosley Charged With Multiple Counts

LITTLESTOWN, Pa. -- A 35-year-old Adams County youth leader is accused of sexually assaulting two boys, and the district attorney says there may be more victims. Jeffrey Crosley Littlestown police arrested Jeffrey Crosley, 35, of Littlestown, on Thursday. Crosley was a youth leader at the Jesus Messiah Evangelical Free Church in Hanover for the last 10 years. Officials say Crosley molested a 16-year-old boy and another boy, who was 12-to 16-years-old when the acts occurred. A news release from the Adams County District Attorney's Office states that Crosley used his position as a way to have contact with teenage boys. Crosley is charged with two counts of rape, three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, two counts of aggravated indecent assault and other sexual-related crimes. According to Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner, there is reason to believe there are other victims. Adams County officials say if you have any knowledge of potential sexual abuse by Crosley, you should call the Littlestown Police Department at 717-359-4511 and ask for Chief Charles Kellar or Detective Douglas Hilyard. Police said that when they searched Crosley's home, they found "numerous photographs of what appeared to be child pornography depicting teenage boys." Police also seized a computer at the home. They said Crosley will face additional charges for possession of child pornography. Crosley's bail has been set at $500,000. Read more at www.wgal.com

 

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Thou Shall Not Have Any American Idols? Christian 'Idols' Take Center Stage

By Eryn Sun|Christian Post Correspondent

It was all sunshine and smiles last night on American Idol, maybe not so much for the judges who witnessed the many, many lemons of Los Angeles, except for two quirky and sweet brothers from the Redlands.

Holding up two tickets to Hollywood, Aaron, 27, and Mark Gutierrez, 28, gleefully ran out of the audition room that much closer to becoming the next idol or idols, in this case – but not the blacklisted Bible kind.

The extroverts grew up singing in church “from the womb” and are better known for being members of the GB5, a Christian harmony group recognized for their Latin Gospel praise. Alongside their three other siblings, the brothers fuse their music with jazz, Latin-soul, and a little bit of R&B.

It was no wonder they decided to sing their own soulful rendition of Bill Wither’s 1972 classic “Lean on Me” in harmony, to which Steven Tyler praised, “It was godlike the way you guys sing.”

Godlike and idol-worthy – there seems to be an almost sinful pattern emerging here … but don’t worry. These brothers seem to be well grounded in their faith.

“It’s all about God and not about you,” Aaron shared in an interview with FOX. “That just taught me to stay humble no matter what.”

Believing that God had taken their brotherly talents and formed them into hearts of worship and praise, Aaron quotes Joshua 24:15 on their official website, stating “‘Choose you this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ – this has been our commitment from the very beginning.”

The faithful and fashionable duo is hoping to continue to woo America with their God-given talent and funky charm.

Aaron is currently a shoe salesman while not on tour with GB5, while Mark is a substitute teacher and self-declared math nerd – he’s on his way towards an MA in Mathematics.

The Gutierrez brothers are not the only believers that American Idol has witnessed on its sets. In fact, a long lineup of Christians, from worship leaders to avid churchgoers, have graced and continue to take the famous stage.

During Idol’s eighth season, three worship leaders made the top six: the season’s winner, Kris Allen from New Life Church in Arkansas; Danny Gokey of Faith Builders International Ministry, Wis.; and Michael Sarver from Harvest Church, Texas.

Felicia Barton of the same season led worship at Freedom Fellowship in Virginia, while Scott MacIntyre regularly performed at his home church in Arizona.

Several finalists across multiple seasons have also gone on to release Gospel music albums, like Ruben Studdard, season two’s winner, George Huff, RJ Helton, Mandisa, and Chris Sligh.

The more popular and notable “Christian” idols, Jordin Sparks, Chris Daughtry, and Carrie Underwood, all had their vocal start in church or openly profess their faith through their music.

In addition to the overwhelming numbers of Christian artists on the hit show, Journalist Richard Rushfield, who wrote “American Idol: The Untold Story,” shared with USAToday that a huge portion of the audience are conservative Christians.

So what is it about “American Idol” that is drawing in all these people of faith? It couldn’t have been Simon Cowell’s honest rebukes or Paula Abdul’s all-loving remarks. Maybe it was Randy –characteristically cool and unchanging? Who knows now with a whole new cast of characters serving as judges.

Although many viewers and contestants might have Christian roots, the show does its best to cater to all audiences. And the only requirement of an aspiring American Idol singer is to do one thing well – sing. Read more at www.christianpost.com

 

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FCC Net Neutrality is a Regulatory ‘Trojan Horse,’ EFF Says

By David Kravets

The Federal Communications Commission’s net-neutrality decision opens the FCC to “boundless authority to regulate the internet for whatever it sees fit,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation is warning.

The civil rights group says the FCC’s action in December, which was based on shaky legal authority, creates a paradox of epic proportions. The EFF favors net neutrality but worries whether the means justify the ends.

“We’re wholly in favor of net neutrality in practice, but a finding of ancillary jurisdiction here would give the FCC pretty much boundless authority to regulate the internet for whatever it sees fit. And that kind of unrestrained authority makes us nervous about follow-on initiatives like broadcast flags and indecency campaigns,” Abigail Phillips, an EFF staff attorney, wrote on the group’s blog Thursday.

And the paradox grows.

In a Friday telephone interview, Phillips was unclear how to solve the problem. What about an act of Congress? How about reclassifying broadband to narrow the FCC’s control if it?

“I’m not sure what I think the right solution is,” she answered.

The agency’s December action has already been attacked on multiple fronts, including two lawsuits.

One side of the debate has focused on claims the FCC overstepped its authority by adopting the principle that wireline carriers treat all internet traffic the same. A chorus of others complain that the FCC wimped out and didn’t go far enough when it comes to wireless carriers.

And the entire debate is littered with competing interests, including the mobile-phone carriers, internet service providers, private enterprise, developers, Congress and, last but not least, the public.

“In general, we think arguments that regulating the internet is ‘ancillary’ to some other regulatory authority that the FCC has been granted just don’t have sufficient limitations to stop bad FCC behavior in the future and create the ‘Trojan horse’ risk we have long warned about,” Phillips said.

But who can be trusted in this debate?

The answer opens Pandora’s box.

Photo: gillianchicago/Flickr

See Also:

Not So Fast! FCC Says Net Neutrality Lawsuits Filed Too Soon

FCC Net Neutrality Rules Slammed From All Sides

Why Google Became a Carrier-Humping, Net Neutrality Surrender Monkey

Appeals Court Throttles FCC’s Net Neutrality Authority

Verizon Files Suit Against FCC Net Neutrality Rules

Dems Go Populist on Net Neutrality

FCC Passes Compromise Net Neutrality Rules

FCC Chief Genachowski on Net Neutrality: Trust Me

Skype, Wireless Companies Fight to Shape Net-Neutrality Regs Read more at www.wired.com

 

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