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Physicists Build World’s First Antilaser

By Lisa Grossman

Less than a year after it was first suggested, the world’s first antilaser is here. A team of physicists have built a contraption that, instead of flashing bright beams, utterly extinguishes specific wavelengths of light.

Conventional lasers create intense beams of light by stimulating atoms to spit out a coherent beam of light in which all the light waves march in lockstep. The crests of one wave match the crests of all the others, and troughs match up with troughs.

The antilaser does the reverse: Two perfect beams of laser light go in, and are completely absorbed.

“There will be nothing coming out again,” said experimental physicist Hui Cao of Yale University, whose research group built the new device.

The device could find uses in fields from computing to medical imaging, the researchers report in the Feb. 18 issue of Science.

Yale physicist A. Douglas Stone, a co-author of the paper, first suggested the antilaser in a theoretical paper last July. Stone and colleagues had noticed that several other researchers had hinted at the idea of a laser that runs backward, and some problems in engineering called for a way to completely snuff out light. But no one had ever put the two ideas together.

“Others discovered independently that there’s an optimal condition where they can have the best absorption,” Cao said. “But they didn’t realize this was a time-reversed laser. They didn’t know they can get in principle perfect absorption.”

To build the antilaser, which Cao and colleagues call a “coherent perfect absorber,” the researchers split a beam from a titanium-sapphire laser in two. The laser emitted light in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with longer wavelengths than the human eye can see.

Some of the light continued forward through the beam splitter, and the rest was forced into a sharp right turn. The physicists guided the light beams into a cavity containing a silicon wafer one micrometer thick. One beam entered from the left and one from the right. The distance each beam traveled determined the way the crests and troughs of the light waves aligned when they met in the wafer.

When the alignment was right, the light waves canceled each other out. The silicon absorbed the light and converted it to another form of energy, like heat or electrical current.

“It is a simple experiment,” Cao said. “But it shows a very powerful way to control absorption.”

The device can only absorb one wavelength of light at a time, but that wavelength can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the wafer.

Surprisingly, the antilaser switched from absorbent to reflective when the researchers changed the way the waves met in the wafer. Under certain conditions, the silicon crystal actually helped light escape.

“That is a little surprising,” Cao said. “We can turn it on and off.”

Theoretically, 99.999 percent of the light can be extinguished. Because of the physical limitations of the laser and the silicon wafer, the antilaser only absorbed 99.4 percent of the light.

That may be good enough, Cao said.

“For many applications, if you already have less than 1 percent coming out, you’re already okay,” she said. “I’m sure people in the community who have better lasers than us, I’m sure they will achieve much more impressive results. This is only the first demonstration of the principle.”

The device may find uses in optical switches for future superfast computer boards that use light instead of electrons. It may also have medical applications, such as imaging a tumor through normally opaque human tissue.

The most exciting applications will no doubt be those no one has thought of yet. The laser itself was called “a solution without a problem” when it first showed up.

“It is quite novel and indeed surprising that in such a mature field one can come up with something fundamentally new,” said physicist Marin Soljačić of MIT, who was not involved in the new work. “I think it opens a few exciting venues.”

Image: Science/AAAS

“Time-Reversed Lasing and Interferometric Control of Absorption.” Wenjie Wan, Yidong Chong, Li Ge, Heeso Noh, A. Douglas Stone, Hui Cao. Science, Vol 331, Feb. 18, 2011. DOI: 10.1126/science.1200735.

See Also:

Physicists Dream Up the Antilaser

World’s Most Powerful X-Ray Laser Illuminates Hidden Protein World

World’s Most Powerful Laser on Target for Awesome Science

Lasers Control Nematode Worms Like Robots

Laser Light Can Lift Tiny Objects

‘Horrendously Intense’ Laser Shrinks the Proton Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Darpa’s New Recruits: You, Your Grandpa and Your Dog

By Noah Shachtman

Perhaps you think you’re too fat, too old or too busy to help fight America’s wars. Perhaps you’re not even a human being. The Pentagon’s way-out research arm begs to differ. The military can use your talents — whether you stand or four legs or on two.

Right now, only 1 percent or so of America’s population contributes to the country’s defense (and offense). In its new budget, Darpa announces a $25 million effort to build tools that’ll rope in the other 99 percent. (Doesn’t exactly explain how. But think crowd-sourcing, plus a touch of machine learning to pair peeps up.) The program is called “Unconventional Warfighters,” and the idea is to tap three pools of potential contributors.

First, Darpa is looking to plug in “futurists, inventors, hobbyists and tinkerers who approach military problems from an unconventional perspective.” Then, the agency would like to call upon “military Veterans, including disabled Veterans, who have deep knowledge of the missions and the operational environment.” Lastly, Darpa wants those veterans’ pets.

“Animals are another class of potential contributors,” the agency explains in its budget. “This is not a new idea, as animals possessing special abilities such as dogs and dolphins have been used before to perform military tasks such as mine detection. The new aspect to be examined under Unconventional Warfighters is the potential for creating new sensor, processing, communication and actuator systems specially adapted to enable animals to execute tasks beyond their natural capabilities.”

No, I’m not sure what that means, either.

But get past the giggle factor, and there’s a strong core to Darpa’s program. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people in this country who are willing to offers their skills and their time to help respond to a disaster or a political crisis — think the Haiti earthquake, or the Middle Eastern revolt. It stands to reason there are a good number of folks who are willing to contribute to national security, too. But the American system doesn’t have a good way of allowing those people to plug in, unless they’re able to join the ranks of the uniformed military or the contractor corps. “Unconventional Warfighters” is a possible way around that.

It’s one of a number of Darpa programs looking to tap the power of the masses, despite the departure of their crowdsourcer-in-chief. Earlier this month, the agency announced a $10,000 challenge to design the next generation of military vehicles.

China and Russia allegedly use citizen militias to help them hack and harass enemies online. Maybe this is the first step towards an American cybermilitia. (I’m still a little unclear on the canine component, though.)

Photo: Army

See Also:

Darpa’s New Plans: Crowdsource Intel, Edit DNA

Military May Crowdsource Haiti Relief

Challenge! Darpa Crowdsources New Military Vehicles

Darpa’s Crowdsourcer-in-Chief Bolts for Microsoft

$19 Billion Later, Pentagon’s Best Bomb-Detector Is a Dog Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Patriot Act Extension Lands on Obama’s Desk

By David Kravets

The House forwarded legislation to the president Thursday to extend three controversial Patriot Act spy measures through May. They were set to expire at month’s end. The 279-143 vote came two days after the Senate approved the same language. Earlier in the week, the House had agreed to prolong the expiring provisions to Dec. 8, but on Thursday opted for the shorter period to follow the Senate. The expiring provisions at issue originally were set to sunset in December 2009. Congress extended the deadline until the end of February 2010 in a bid to work out compromise legislation. When that failed, lawmakers punted for a year, declaring that those measures would expire at the end of this month unless new action is taken. The new action was that lawmakers punted again. The Patriot Act was hastily adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The president is expected to sign the legislation. The White House said it wants the measures extended through at least 2012. Here are the three extended provisions at issue: • The “roving wiretap” provision allows the FBI to obtain wiretaps from a secret intelligence court, known as the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court, without identifying the target or what method of communication is to be tapped. • The “lone wolf” measure allows FISA court warrants for the electronic monitoring of a person for whatever reason — even without showing that the suspect is an agent of a foreign power or a terrorist. The government has said it has never invoked that provision, but the Obama administration said it wanted to retain the authority to do so. • The “business records” provision allows FISA court warrants for any type of record, from banking to library to medical, without the government having to declare that the information sought is connected to a terrorism or espionage investigation. Illustration: Cirne/Flickr See Also: Obama Backs Extending Patriot Act Spy Provisions House Delays Patriot Act Spy Vote House Extends Key Patriot Act Provisions House Extends Key Patriot Act Provisions Lawmakers Punt Patriot Act to Obama Senate Extends Patriot Act Spy Bill Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Does the Air Force Already Have a Secret Stealth Bomber?

By David Axe

Officially, the $3.7 billion set aside for the “Long Range Strike” program in the Pentagon’s 2012 budget is meant simply to draw up plans for a new, stealthy heavy bomber for the Air Force — a replacement for the Cold War era fleet of long range, strategic aircraft. “It is important that we begin this project now to ensure that a new bomber can be ready before the current aging fleet goes out of service,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said.

What he didn’t say is that the new bomber might already be flying, in prototype form, somewhere deep inside the Air Force’s complex of secret test bases.

According to the Pentagon, the new bomber is still just a concept. “Right now we’re in the technology-leveraging phase,” said Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, a senior Air Force budget official. Over the next five years, the Air Force plans to spend $3.7 billion on the bomber, with the goal of equipping the first squadron in the early 2020s.

This is actually the Air Force’s second attempt in just four years to build a new bomber. The first try — the so-called “2018 bomber” — was canceled on cost and technical grounds in 2009. The current go-around is designed to avoid those pitfalls. “We are relying on mature” — proven — “technologies, [so] we will be able to mitigate a lot of risk,” added Marilyn Thomas, Flowers’ civilian deputy.

It’s the “mature technologies” comment that got ace aviation reporter Bill Sweetman thinking.

The Air Force “consistently refers to its new bomber as based on ‘proven technology,’ but there is no known basis of proof for its most important single feature: a degree of stealth high enough to assure survival in a heavily defended area, combined with affordability in manufacture and support.”

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an unknown — in other words, classified — program that spawned the “mature” stealth technologies for the new bomber. After all, the Air Force’s roughly $30-billion-a-year black budget is more than adequate to fund a wide range of cutting-edge weapon systems. At least one secret plane, the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 drone, recently emerged from the shadows.

In fact, Sweetman believes he has identified the bomber prototype’s manufacturer: Northrop Grumman, builder of the 1990s-vintage B-2 stealth bomber. In mid-2008, Northrop’s financial documents listed a $2-billion “restricted programs” contract that Sweetman claims paid for a bomber prototype.

Sweetman doubled down on his claim by linking the secret prototype to another high-tech Northrop program. “It is likely that the prototype will build on technology under development for the Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator,” he wrote in 2008. The X-47, pictured, is a killer drone meant to fly off carrier decks. It flew for the first time this month.

The link between the killer drone and a new bomber isn’t at all far-fetched. Several years ago, Northrop’s own art department produced an image of a new bomber that bears a striking resemblance to the much smaller X-47. And considering how smoothly the X-47 seems to be progressing, a larger manned version need not be far behind.

Of course, Sweetman might be wrong. When the Air Force says that bomber tech is “mature,” it could be referring only to the bits and pieces — engines, sensors, skin-coatings, etc. — that might eventually be combined to make an entire airplane. But based on the evidence, it’s equally possible that an early version of the Air Force’s next stealth bomber is already flying somewhere.

Photo: Northrop Grumman

See Also:

Return of The ‘Beast of Kandahar’ Stealth Drone

Video: First Flight for Navy’s Killer Drone

Air Force’s Zombie Bomber, Back from the Grave

Gates to Air Force: Want a New Bomber? Do It on the Cheap

How To: Get a New Air Force, Without Going Broke Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Do you know the work God is pushing to do in you. Do you know that Satan wants to prove this work impossible

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Do you know the work God is pushing to do in you. Do you know that Satan wants to prove this work impossible

What is God trying to do in His people at this particular time ? What does he hope to get done quickly ? The path God is trying to put us on. Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Isaiah 26:7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. The same path is mention elsewhere in Holy writ,zoom in with me on Matthew 7:14 Matthew 7: 14 says : Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. The path is also described in other ways take for example 2Peter 1: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The "Divine Nature = Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Now If the divine Nature is Holiness or Perfection then we can read the rest of 2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Now none of these things could be done by the man via the human nature.. It is Christ in us that do these things. Now this is the work Christ wishes to see complete in us,for this is the path of the just it is also essence of faith and works or said another way ,righteousness by faith. In closing where again does God mention this work must be finished and a time line or a deadline given. Rev 10:7 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. What is this period or days of the sounding of the seventh trumpet ?The answer could be found here http://thetruthandthetruthalone.blogspot.com/2009/05/seven-trumpets-simplified-proven-by.html#comment-form this is not the final trump that awakens the dead but the final of the 7 trumpets of Revelation 8,9 and 11. Read the above link to know when is this time of the sounding of the 7 trumpets and what is the trumpets according to sound Biblical systematic studies. Now the dead-line is given for some "Mystery" to be finished ..Let examine the "Mystery". Col 1:25-27 Says the Bible : 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: The mystery is "Christ in you" Christ in you is the destination it is the result The path of the just ,the straight gate the narrow way is the walk, its the road ,its the process to get to the destination "Christ in you the hope of glory". For this is the work Christ is doing or attempting to do in his people at this time. Reformation calls are not to be taken lightly at this time. For it is not man who initiates these calls but it is God Himself through all powerful working of the Holy Spirit. My prayer: Our Father in heaven , At this time when your son Jesus the High priest is in the most Holy Place interceding on our behalf,Lord make us mindful of this work. Lord you are doing a work in many but still you peruse others your Holy spirit and also the messages for the hour. Lord what we need to do is individually put away sin in our lives, we need a fresh baptism of your Holy spirit to have us leave the world and let it go totally. Not to distant from now Oh Lord your Son will take off His priestly robe and attire Himself with the garments of vengeance. And it is that that time the Bible says Michael will stand up Dan 12:1. When Your son Michael,the prince of thy people stands up it is this time his intercessory work has cease on our behalf. And al that will be righteous will be righteous still ,and all that be unjust will be unjust and filthy still ,because their sins have not been blotted out from the books. Lord be merciful unto us we pray and may we turn from way of the wicked and get on the path of the just. Amen. royalblood Read more at wakeupremnantpeople.blogspot.com

 

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Wisconsin Democratic Senators Have Left State

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Wisconsin Democratic Senators Have Left State

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Mystic Mess

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Mystic Mess

º THE MASTER PLAN OF THE MESSAGE º --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first blast from The Mess attacks the "Lord." The "Lord" occurs a whopping 7970 times in the KJB -- more than any other noun. Of the 8,000-plus different words used in the KJB, the "Lord" ranks 14th among the most occurrences (number 13 is the single letter "a"). Only helper words such as "the"; "of"; "in"; "to"; et. al. occur more often. The Mess contains the "Lord" only 71 times! The "Lord" ranks 1087th among words in The Mess. It appears the same number of times as words like "question" or "reputation." In the New Testament, (ironically, the Testament of the "Lord" Jesus Christ) the "Lord" appears a skimpy 23 times in The Mess. The Mess NEVER directly honors Jesus Christ as Lord. The "Lord Jesus" occurs 118 times in the King James Bible. The "Lord Jesus Christ" occurs 84 times in the King James Bible. The phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" or "Lord Jesus" is not in The Mess! The outright denial of the "Lord" Jesus has never occurred in ANY translation. Let us clarify something . . . the total amputation of the "Lord Jesus" is no accident. It is not an issue of translation or Greek manuscripts. It is not a matter of updating archaic words or making it easier to understand. It was a deliberate and intentional doctrinal decision to remove the "Lord Jesus." And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord. . . John 20:13 It is interesting that Judas Iscariot never calls Jesus "Lord." The Bible states 13 times Judas "betrayed" the Lord Jesus; Judas was possessed of Satan (Luke 22:3); Jesus Christ calls Judas "a devil" (John 6:70); Jesus calls Judas the "son of perdition" (John 17:12 – which is also the title of the antichrist in 2 Thess. 2:3). The Bible describes hell as Judas’ "own place" (Acts 1:25). Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?. . . Matthew 26:25, KJB Judas always addressed Jesus as "Master" -- never "Lord." Following the footsteps of Judas the "betrayer," the Mess also "betrays" the Lord, always calling Jesus "Master" – never "Lord"! Another partner in the "Master Jesus" plan is the New Age religion. The root of the New Age Movement (NAM) teaches during various "ages," teachers or guides arise called "Masters." Helena Blavatsky, the guru of the modern-day New Age Movement, wrote extensively of these enlightened "masters." In the 1980’s, the book Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance Cumbey, exposed the New Age Movement. Mrs. Cumbey defines the mystic new age as: A vast organizational network today, the New Age Movement received its modern start in 1875 with the founding of the Theosophical Society by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. . . Strongly propounding the theory of evolution, they also believed in the existence of ‘masters’ who were either spirit beings or fortunate men more highly ‘evolved’ than the common herd. (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 44) In his best selling book, A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, author Elliot Miller describes the new age Jesus as: The New Age Jesus became ‘the Christ’ only after purifying himself of ‘bad karma’ through many incarnations, and even now (as many New Agers believe) he is only one of several ‘masters’. . . (Miller, Elliot. A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, p. 30) Second only to Blavatasky in the New Age hierarchy, is Alice Bailey. Author Constance Cumbey says Bailey, ". . . did more than anyone, except perhaps H. P. Blavatsky, to build the foundations for the ‘New Age’." (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 49) In 1922 Alice Bailey formed Lucifer Trust Publishing, which was later renamed to the subtle Lucis Trust Publishing. Bailey wrote extensively on the "Master Jesus." The following quote are but one of the hundreds of references to the New Age "Master Jesus": "There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus. . ." (Bailey, Alice, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 592) New age researchers quickly discover the Jesus of the New Age is not the "Lord" Jesus but "Master" Jesus: Jesus to the New Age is a man who ascended to be a Master. . . (Understanding the New Age, Watchman Fellowship Inc.) A basic tenet of the New Age thinking is that of the Master Jesus. . . (Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, p. 112) . Read More . Read more at endrtimes.blogspot.com

 

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Have We Lost Sight of Our Mission?

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Have We Lost Sight of Our Mission?

By Preston Foster Nowadays, most state-of-the-art organizations have mission statements. Most of these are high-minded, eloquent statements of intent. By reading one, you can easily understand an organization's intentions and priorities. However, a true mission statement is not a list of intentions or objectives. A true mission statement articulates the reasons why an organization exists. It is more about why they are here than what they intend to do. We Seventh-Day Adventists define ourselves by our intentions and our objectives: keep the Sabbath, live the "health message," love our neighbors, reflect Jesus. We have, however, lost sight of our mission -- the reasons why we, as a denomination, exist. Don't ignore the obvious. Look at our name. As Seventh-Day Adventists, our mission -- the reason why we exist -- is to tell the world about the Second Advent of Christ, and of the role that the seventh day Sabbath will have in identifying allegiance to God's Word over the traditions of men, as the last day events unfold. Take a deep breath. I'm not saying that our message isn't Jesus Christ, and him crucified. It is. I'm not saying that the most important thing that anyone could ever discover isn't the love of Christ and the gift of salvation thru His sacrifice. It is. But those fundamental truths are not our mission. They are not why the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination exists. Other Christian churches, along with ours, preach the gospel of Christ. Preaching that gospel is the collective mission of the body of Christ -- the Christian Church. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church exists to deliver a very specific message at a very specific time. The value of any forecast (or prophecy) depends on two things: accuracy and timeliness. In other words, a forecast of rain is useless if it is either wrong or late. The weather man can be right about the rain, but still useless if he tells you that it will definitely rain -- yesterday. As the "last day church," our message is useful for the same reasons. An accurate interpretation of the Book of Revelation (augmented by books like The Great Controversy) is useless if we tell people after the prophecies are fulfilled. It is not enough to "have the truth." The value of our message is a function of both truth and timing. Have we intentionally lost sight of our mission? In trying to become a mainstream denomination, have we co-opted the larger mission of the body of Christ and set aside the unique mission assigned to us? Have Seventh-Day Adventists have become the messengers of, "It's gonna rain -- yesterday?" Breathe again. The notion of mission implies more than intent. Mission implies expectation. When a captain gives a private a mission to take territory, the expectation is that it will be done. Not attempted, not in-process, but accomplished. President George W. Bush took a great deal of flak for declaring "mission accomplished" in Iraq while the fighting persisted. By declaring the mission to be accomplished, Mr. Bush inadvertently prompted the press to chart a new statistic: "casualties since the president declared ‘mission accomplished.'" The statistic exists because it contradicts the notion of accomplishment. Commitment to a mission creates a sense of urgency and expectation: a reason for self-sacrifice. A clear mission provides a focal point for everything an organization does. A clear mission gives a private direction, even when the captain provides no specific orders. Think about it: when was the last time you heard a sermon on the essential teaching of Adventism: the Third Angel's Message? If you were not Adventist and visited and Adventist church only one time, would you leave with a clear understanding of the link between the last day events and the Sabbath? We've even changed our logo from three angels sounding their trumpets to a more vague, not threatening flame. Why is this? Mission drift. As a denomination, we have drifted away from our unique mission and move to safer, lukewarm objectives. This dilution of the mission is not, I believe, a purposeful, malicious plot by our leadership. I believe the "mission drift" is a result of our church's growth as an institution. In the movie, "The Shawshank Redemption," Morgan Freeman's character, a wizened old inmate, describes himself as being "an institutionalized man." That is, he had been imprisoned for so long, that he had become more comfortable with the rules and routines of prison than he was with the options of a free man. Seventh-Day Adventists are at a turning point. We are perceived by many as "institutionalized." We are more comfortable with occupying till He comes that we are with entrepreneurial evangelism. We are more interested in pursuing objectives (tithe growth, baptisms) or in the politics of the General Conference than we are in accomplishing our mission. All of this looks like work, but it also avoids the focused pursuit of our mission. I recognize the dynamic because I am an institutional man. I have worked in corporate America, the U.S. Government, and the ivory tower of academia. The common currency in all three is dedication to the perpetuation of the institution. Put simply, the first job of an institutional manager is to maintain the organization itself. As Adventists, our mission is not to maintain the organization. Our mission is to prepare people for the end of the world. It is not a mainstream, non-confrontational mission. It is the work of the Marines, not the Coast Guard. Our distraction with institutional issues is not a coincidence. The Church of Laodicea is defined by its lukewarmness (Revelation 3: 14-16). The love of the world and the things in it makes the status quo attractive. Our complacency is predicted in the same book that contains the core message of our mission (Revelation 14: 9-12). Those prophecies need not become our fate. Indeed, the prophecies were given to us to ensure that they not become our fate. Our new GC President has called Adventists back to the basics. Though well intended, this has, in my opinion, been used by both conservative and liberal Adventists to seed the seemingly never-ending discussion about the role of E.G. White in the church. My wish is that, instead of arguing about what a return to the good-ole-days means for the church, we would focus our energies on how to prepare mankind for the end-of-days. That is why we, as a denomination, exist. Ironically, one prophecy is, indeed, intended as our fate. It has been predicted that laymen would finish the work of the church. Our willingness to walk in faith with God to fulfill the mission He's assigned to us is all that stands between us and "mission accomplished!" Source . Read more at endrtimes.blogspot.com

 

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Project Whitecoat: Seventh-day Adventist Guinea Pigs

Project Whitecoat: Seventh-day Adventist Guinea Pigs

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Turn over files. Turn in abusers. Stop the cover-up: Church addresses abuse allegations

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Turn over files. Turn in abusers. Stop the cover-up.

http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_17411646?nclick_check=1

Church addresses abuse allegations

Diocese of Monterey defends its handling of the case

By LARRY PARSONS Herald Staff Writer

Terri Austin, Joelle Casteix, Sarah Wilgress and Linda Madsen on... (VERN FISHER/The Herald)

A Catholic priest’s suspension amid allegations that he molested a former altar boy at a Salinas church prompted criticism and a defense Wednesday of church officials’ handling of the case.

A Diocese of Monterey spokesman said the diocese takes “any and all allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously” and immediately suspended the Rev. Edward Fitz-Henry in early January after first being apprised of the allegation against him.

But supporters of an advocacy group for people abused by clergy members called on the diocese to open its records on all priests and said a new civil suit filed by the former altar boy will be a means “to get to the truth.”

“He is an extra-brave young man,” said Joelle Casteix, regional director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national advocacy group also called SNAP.

A handful of the group’s supporters met with media members on the sidewalk in front of diocese offices in Monterey. One member held a sign that said: “Turn over files. Turn in abusers. Stop the cover-up.”

Diocese officials notified parishioners at two churches where Fitz-Henry has worked most of the past 25 years, Madonna del Sasso and the San Juan Bautista Mission, over the weekend about allegations of misconduct involving the priest.

Diocese spokesman Tom Riordan said the priest was notified about his suspension and moved from the San Juan Bautista rectory within two hours after diocese attorneys received documents from the ex-altar boy’s attorney.

During a news conference, Riordan said church officials hadn’t seen the lawsuit and he couldn’t comment.

Church officials had no reason to believe Fitz-Henry was involved in sexual misconduct before the January communication from the former altar boy’s attorney about the alleged 2005 sexual abuse, Riordan said.

He said the diocese hired an independent private investigator — a retired police detective — to look into the allegation. That led the investigator to another incident that occurred almost 20 years ago involving Fitz-Henry.

The investigator found the earlier incident was of a sexual nature, Riordan said. Church officials previously concluded the incident involved an “improper boundary,” but a non-sexual relationship, between Fitz-Henry and a minor, Riordan said.

“There were no red flags … of sexual misconduct,” he said. He denied reports the diocese reached a settlement with a family in the incident.

A diocese review board recommended last weekend’s notification after finding there was credible evidence the earlier incident involved sexual misconduct. The church is encouraging other victims to step forward, Riordan said.

Casteix said church officials recklessly put the young man suing the diocese at risk by not cracking down on Fitz-Henry years ago.

“I’m glad he was suspended, but something tells me that it was way too late,” she said.

Her group called upon the diocese to release “every document” pertaining to priests and accusations of sexual abuse. She accused investigators and church members of trying to intimidate the young man, and said he suffered “years of fear, intimidation and silence” before coming forward.

Casteix said a Salinas police criminal investigation and the young man’s civil suit should go forward without interference.

“We need to get to the truth,” she said.

Riordan said he was unaware of any intimidation, but acknowledged comments posted on online news stories have been critical of the alleged victim.

In his lawsuit, the young man accused the priest of asking unsolicited questions about sex, hugging and touching him, and trying to engage in forcible oral copulation.

“If there is any intimidation, I would be surprised and very disappointed,” Riordan said.

Riordan declined comment on SNAP, but said anyone trying to help people deal with abuse is doing commendable work.

There are no other priests in the diocese who, like Fitz-Henry, have an allegation of sexual misconduct that has been found credible by the diocese’s independent review board, he said.

Fitz-Henry is still on salary, but the diocese is not paying for a Salinas defense attorney he has hired, Riordan said.

His attorney says Fitz-Henry denies any allegations of sexual misconduct.

Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or lparsons@montereyherald.com. Read more at reform-network.net

 

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Will the Catholics of Philadelphia continue to donate their hard-earned money to a Church that hides pedophiles?

Amplify’d from reform-network.net

Will the Catholics of the archdiocese of Philadelphia continue to donate their hard-earned money to a Church that hides pedophiles?

See more at reform-network.net

 

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Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspends three priests; pledges to reopen complaints against 34 others

Amplify’d from reform-network.net

Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspends three priests suspected of abuse allegations; pledges to reopen complaints against 34 others

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17brfs-PRIESTSSUSPE_BRF.html?tntemail1=y&emc=tnt&pagewanted=all

Pennsylvania: Priests Suspended on Abuse Allegations

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Philadelphia archdiocese has suspended three priests accused in a grand jury report of molesting children and has pledged to reopen complaints against 34 others. Fathers Joseph Gallagher, Stephen Perzan and Joseph DiGregorio were removed from ministry while their cases were reviewed. Cardinal Justin Rigali said a former child abuse prosecutor would examine complaints made against the others.

Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspends

Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspend

Will the Catholics of the archdiocese of Philadelphia continue to donate their hard-earned money to a Church that hides pedophiles? » Read more at reform-network.net

 

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Amplify’d from www.caregiverstress.com

A Reminder That Laughter is the Best Medicine

A friend of the couple who founded Home Instead Senior Care, Mary Maxwell was asked to give the invocation at the company’s 2009 Convention. Initially it seemed like a normal prayer, but it soon took a very funny turn. Her deadpan delivery and lines like …This is the first time I’ve ever been old… and it just sort of crept up on me … soon had the franchise owners rolling in the aisles. With the timing of a professional comedian, Mary shines a very funny light on the foibles of aging, to the delight of this audience of senior-care experts.

Download a copy of the poem, Blessed In Aging (PDF 275k), which Mary reads at the end of her prayer. Read more at www.caregiverstress.com

 

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