Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Judge loses 10 Commandments appeal
A Ten Commandments display in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building must be removed because it violates the First Amendment's ban on establishment of religion, a federal appeals court ruled today. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who has become known as the "Ten Commandments judge," was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union after placing the monument in the courthouse in the middle of the night in July 2001. The four-foot-tall, two-ton granite display features the Commandments inscribed on two tablets along with historical quotations. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's decision that the monument be removed.
A Ten Commandments display in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building must be removed because it violates the First Amendment's ban on establishment of religion, a federal appeals court ruled today. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who has become known as the "Ten Commandments judge," was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union after placing the monument in the courthouse in the middle of the night in July 2001. The four-foot-tall, two-ton granite display features the Commandments inscribed on two tablets along with historical quotations. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's decision that the monument be removed.
US admits to 50 secret tests of bio weapons on troops
The Pentagon used potentially dangerous chemical and biological agents in 50 secret tests involving US military personnel in a decade-long project to measure the weapons' combat capabilities, according to Pentagon findings. The tests were done between 1962 and 1973 and involved 5,842 service members. Many were not told of the tests, some of which involved releases of deadly nerve agents in Alaska and Hawaii.
The Pentagon used potentially dangerous chemical and biological agents in 50 secret tests involving US military personnel in a decade-long project to measure the weapons' combat capabilities, according to Pentagon findings. The tests were done between 1962 and 1973 and involved 5,842 service members. Many were not told of the tests, some of which involved releases of deadly nerve agents in Alaska and Hawaii.
U.S. Develops Urban Surveillance System
WASHINGTON - Police can envision limited domestic uses for an urban surveillance system the Pentagon (news - web sites) is developing but doubt they could use the full system which is designed to track and analyze the movement of every vehicle in a city. Dubbed "Combat Zones That See," the project is intended to help the U.S. military protect troops and fight in cities overseas. Scientists and privacy experts say the unclassified technology also could easily be adapted to keep tabs on Americans.
WASHINGTON - Police can envision limited domestic uses for an urban surveillance system the Pentagon (news - web sites) is developing but doubt they could use the full system which is designed to track and analyze the movement of every vehicle in a city. Dubbed "Combat Zones That See," the project is intended to help the U.S. military protect troops and fight in cities overseas. Scientists and privacy experts say the unclassified technology also could easily be adapted to keep tabs on Americans.
CBF presenters: absolute truth claims imperil religious liberty
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--Absolute truth claims are a warning sign of religion gone awry said one presenter, and claims that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation boarder on infringements of religious liberty, said another during breakout sessions at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly June 27. The statements were made respectively by Charles Kimball chair of the department of religion, Wake Forest University and Bill Leonard, dean of the divinity school, Wake Forest University. The corresponding sessions were titled, "When Religion Becomes Evil," and "The Plan(s) of Salvation: When Conversion and Pluralism Collide."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--Absolute truth claims are a warning sign of religion gone awry said one presenter, and claims that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation boarder on infringements of religious liberty, said another during breakout sessions at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly June 27. The statements were made respectively by Charles Kimball chair of the department of religion, Wake Forest University and Bill Leonard, dean of the divinity school, Wake Forest University. The corresponding sessions were titled, "When Religion Becomes Evil," and "The Plan(s) of Salvation: When Conversion and Pluralism Collide."
Monday, June 30, 2003
Calif. Near Financial Disaster
LOS ANGELES -- Any day now, community colleges here may begin telling faculty members that they cannot be paid and students that summer classes are canceled. Nursing homes are losing so much state aid that many soon may have to shut down or limit their services, a prospect that has elderly residents confused and frightened. As many as 30,000 government workers who had been expecting pay raises in the fall are instead receiving formal notices warning that they could lose their jobs by then, because the state is broke. This is life in California, on the brink of a fiscal disaster.
LOS ANGELES -- Any day now, community colleges here may begin telling faculty members that they cannot be paid and students that summer classes are canceled. Nursing homes are losing so much state aid that many soon may have to shut down or limit their services, a prospect that has elderly residents confused and frightened. As many as 30,000 government workers who had been expecting pay raises in the fall are instead receiving formal notices warning that they could lose their jobs by then, because the state is broke. This is life in California, on the brink of a fiscal disaster.
Era of 'unborn mother' looms as scientists use aborted foetuses to grow human eggs
Almost every day a scientific or medical development seems to bring new promise and controversy to mankind; none more so, perhaps, than in the field of human fertility. A quarter of a century ago the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born. Now scientists have raised another startling prospect - "unborn mothers". The notion that children can derive from human matter that has not itself been born sounds the stuff of science fiction. Yet it has moved a step closer with research showing that it is possible to extract ovarian tissue from aborted foetuses for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
Almost every day a scientific or medical development seems to bring new promise and controversy to mankind; none more so, perhaps, than in the field of human fertility. A quarter of a century ago the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born. Now scientists have raised another startling prospect - "unborn mothers". The notion that children can derive from human matter that has not itself been born sounds the stuff of science fiction. Yet it has moved a step closer with research showing that it is possible to extract ovarian tissue from aborted foetuses for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
Temple Mount reopens to non-Muslim visitors
Jews are once again visiting the holiest site in Judaism. Israeli police have begun to allow non-Muslims, under police escort, to enter the Temple Mount grounds in the Old City of Jerusalem, despite threats of violence by Muslim leaders. About two weeks ago, Interior Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi announced Jews would soon be allowed on the Temple Mount, "even if no agreement is reached with the Waqf." The Waqf is the Muslim Religious Trust, a group of Islamic clerics appointed to administer the site by the Palestinian Authority's Yasser Arafat. According to Haaretz, police officers didn't wait for an agreement to be worked out with the Waqf. Instead, officers stationed at the Western Wall began, in the last few days, to escort groups of tourists on visits to the grounds of the mosques at the site.
Jews are once again visiting the holiest site in Judaism. Israeli police have begun to allow non-Muslims, under police escort, to enter the Temple Mount grounds in the Old City of Jerusalem, despite threats of violence by Muslim leaders. About two weeks ago, Interior Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi announced Jews would soon be allowed on the Temple Mount, "even if no agreement is reached with the Waqf." The Waqf is the Muslim Religious Trust, a group of Islamic clerics appointed to administer the site by the Palestinian Authority's Yasser Arafat. According to Haaretz, police officers didn't wait for an agreement to be worked out with the Waqf. Instead, officers stationed at the Western Wall began, in the last few days, to escort groups of tourists on visits to the grounds of the mosques at the site.
America to build super weapons
The Pentagon is planning a new generation of weapons, including huge hypersonic drones and bombs dropped from space, that will allow the US to strike its enemies at lightning speed from its own territory. Over the next 25 years, the new technology would free the US from dependence on forward bases and the cooperation of regional allies, part of the drive towards self-sufficiency spurred by the difficulties of gaining international cooperation for the invasion of Iraq. The new weapons are being developed under a programme codenamed Falcon (Force Application and Launch from the Continental US).
The Pentagon is planning a new generation of weapons, including huge hypersonic drones and bombs dropped from space, that will allow the US to strike its enemies at lightning speed from its own territory. Over the next 25 years, the new technology would free the US from dependence on forward bases and the cooperation of regional allies, part of the drive towards self-sufficiency spurred by the difficulties of gaining international cooperation for the invasion of Iraq. The new weapons are being developed under a programme codenamed Falcon (Force Application and Launch from the Continental US).
Crickets wreak havoc
It is the height of summer in the western United States but the snow ploughs and gritting lorries are out in force. Qith temperatures sometimes topping 100F, it is not snow and ice they are clearing up, it is crickets. Millions of the insects are sweeping through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming in the country’s worst infestation for more than 60 years, destroying crops and turning fields, roads and pavements into moving carpets of insects. Plough crews attempt to keep the highways clear and sand is put down when crushed bugs make the roads as slippery as oil slicks, but authorities fear they are fighting a losing battle against an insect menace that has caused millions of dollars in damage.
It is the height of summer in the western United States but the snow ploughs and gritting lorries are out in force. Qith temperatures sometimes topping 100F, it is not snow and ice they are clearing up, it is crickets. Millions of the insects are sweeping through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming in the country’s worst infestation for more than 60 years, destroying crops and turning fields, roads and pavements into moving carpets of insects. Plough crews attempt to keep the highways clear and sand is put down when crushed bugs make the roads as slippery as oil slicks, but authorities fear they are fighting a losing battle against an insect menace that has caused millions of dollars in damage.
Frist backs amendment to define marriage
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday endorsed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. "I very much feel that marriage is a sacrament and that sacrament should extend and can extend to that legal entity of a union between what [has] traditionally in our Western values been defined as between a man and a woman," Mr. Frist, Tennessee Republican, said on ABC's "This Week" program. "So I would support the amendment." Introduced last month in the House, the amendment is being highlighted as a response to the Supreme Court's ruling this week that states may not criminalize homosexual sodomy. Though the decision has no direct effect on the issue of homosexual "marriage," some among both the ruling's champions and its critics said it lays the constitutional groundwork for such a decision.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday endorsed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. "I very much feel that marriage is a sacrament and that sacrament should extend and can extend to that legal entity of a union between what [has] traditionally in our Western values been defined as between a man and a woman," Mr. Frist, Tennessee Republican, said on ABC's "This Week" program. "So I would support the amendment." Introduced last month in the House, the amendment is being highlighted as a response to the Supreme Court's ruling this week that states may not criminalize homosexual sodomy. Though the decision has no direct effect on the issue of homosexual "marriage," some among both the ruling's champions and its critics said it lays the constitutional groundwork for such a decision.
Gay Pride Parades Celebrate Court Ruling
SAN FRANCISCO - Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets Sunday for Gay Pride parades, energized by the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down laws against sodomy and a decision by Canada to allow gay marriage. In New York, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco and other cities, revelers marched, danced and carried banners congratulating the Supreme Court for its landmark decision as rainbow flag-waving crowds lined the streets. "There's such a resonance, such a sense of movement," said Marty Downs, a community organizer with the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. "This year, it feels really political."
SAN FRANCISCO - Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets Sunday for Gay Pride parades, energized by the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down laws against sodomy and a decision by Canada to allow gay marriage. In New York, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco and other cities, revelers marched, danced and carried banners congratulating the Supreme Court for its landmark decision as rainbow flag-waving crowds lined the streets. "There's such a resonance, such a sense of movement," said Marty Downs, a community organizer with the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. "This year, it feels really political."
Israelis Begin to Pull Out Of Gaza
JERUSALEM, June 29 -- Israeli troops began withdrawing from the northern Gaza Strip today, hours after the three principal Palestinian militant groups declared a suspension of attacks against Israelis. The troop pullout, the first major achievement of the U.S.-backed peace initiative called the "road map," is the initial step in a plan under which Israeli forces will leave all but a few areas of Gaza -- a 138-square-mile strip of land where 1.2 million Palestinians live -- and turn over control to Palestinian security forces.
JERUSALEM, June 29 -- Israeli troops began withdrawing from the northern Gaza Strip today, hours after the three principal Palestinian militant groups declared a suspension of attacks against Israelis. The troop pullout, the first major achievement of the U.S.-backed peace initiative called the "road map," is the initial step in a plan under which Israeli forces will leave all but a few areas of Gaza -- a 138-square-mile strip of land where 1.2 million Palestinians live -- and turn over control to Palestinian security forces.
400,000 human embryos retained in U.S. labs
WASHINGTON - More frozen human embryos are stored in the United States than previously believed, according to the first actual count taken at fertility clinics. Previous estimates put the number of frozen, or cryopreserved, embryos at 30,000 to 200,000. The study, reported in the current edition of the journal Fertility and Sterility, concluded that 400,000 human embryos are stored in the nation’s fertility clinics. Researchers believe that the results may help calm the debate. That’s because the vast majority of embryos - 349,000, or about 87 percent - are being kept for the patients’ own use in fertility treatment, rather than for research.
WASHINGTON - More frozen human embryos are stored in the United States than previously believed, according to the first actual count taken at fertility clinics. Previous estimates put the number of frozen, or cryopreserved, embryos at 30,000 to 200,000. The study, reported in the current edition of the journal Fertility and Sterility, concluded that 400,000 human embryos are stored in the nation’s fertility clinics. Researchers believe that the results may help calm the debate. That’s because the vast majority of embryos - 349,000, or about 87 percent - are being kept for the patients’ own use in fertility treatment, rather than for research.
Does God speak outside the Bible today?
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Does God speak through tree stumps? The tornadoes that recently ripped through West Tennessee left not only widespread destruction, but also an oddly shaped tree stump that has residents of the Huron community speculating about its spiritual significance. Believing its image to be akin to that of an angel, one citizen testified, "I believe this could be God reminding us through this tree stump that He is still watching over us." She also thinks its shape is just too good to be anything less than a spiritual message. It makes one think -- might God really be trying to say something?
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Does God speak through tree stumps? The tornadoes that recently ripped through West Tennessee left not only widespread destruction, but also an oddly shaped tree stump that has residents of the Huron community speculating about its spiritual significance. Believing its image to be akin to that of an angel, one citizen testified, "I believe this could be God reminding us through this tree stump that He is still watching over us." She also thinks its shape is just too good to be anything less than a spiritual message. It makes one think -- might God really be trying to say something?
