Planned Parenthood Confesses to Committing More Abortions Than Ever

Article from christiansunite.com / LDI
"Planned Parenthood operates the most proficient killing machine in the United States," said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI). "Planned Parenthood claims to prevent the 'need' for abortion while simultaneously working to increase its share of the [monetarily] lucrative abortion market. In 2005 alone, Planned Parenthood accepted money to put a 'hit' on 264,943 preborn human beings," Scott said. "And just like other paid killers, a failure to slay the intended victim would have been considered 'a complication.'"
The 2005 figure represents an increase of 3.9 percent over 2004. Planned Parenthood has confessed to having sold 1,245,506 "emergency" birth control kits in 2005 (nearly 26.6 percent more than in 2004). Every Planned Parenthood "clinic" dispenses "emergency" birth control. Most prescribe it over the phone and accept orders over the Internet, without conducting an examination. In the vast majority of cases, "emergency" birth control causes an abortion.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is expected to release its 2005-2006 Annual Report within the next few months. "One can be sure that in addition to killing more human beings that ever before, Planned Parenthood will have taken in more money than ever before," Scott said. PPFA's income is rapidly approaching the $1 billion mark. "One can also be sure that Planned Parenthood will end up with tens of millions of dollars in 'excess revenue over expenses,' which is known to most people as 'profit.'"
"Planned Parenthood is in the death business and nobody does it better," Scott said. "Unfortunately for preborn children, abortion seems to be the only part of Planned Parenthood's business that can be called 'provably successful.' Unfortunately for the whole world, abortion is also the most atrocious part of the goliath's business." Planned Parenthood generated an estimated $100 million from committing abortions in 2005 alone.
Life Decisions International will publish a full analysis of PPFA's "services" for 2005 in the May-June 2007 edition of its newsletter, The Caleb Report. Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant.

To learn more about Planned Parenthood, click here.

Stress and Long Hours Prompt Employees to Lie, Cheat and Steal

Article from FOX News
A combination of stress, long hours, and an inflexible schedule is the main driver of bad behavior in the workplace, according to a new survey.
Among more than 1,000 employees polled nationwide in February by Harris Interactive for Deloitte & Touche, the vast majority cited work-life balance as having a bigger impact on fostering good behavior than enforcing harsh workplace rules and penalties, the survey found.
As many as 91 percent of respondents said employees with a healthy work-life balance were more likely to act ethically on the job, while just 10 percent ranked strict penalties for code of conduct violations as a key element in fostering good behavior.
Conflicts between work responsibilities and personal life were largely seen as causing stress and job dissatisfaction, which in turn led to poor decisions and bad behavior -- whether it's stealing office supplies, lying to co-workers and managers, or passing along company secrets, the survey found. "If someone invests all of their time and energy into their jobs, it may have the unintended consequence of making them dependent on their jobs for everything — including their sense of personal worth," Sharon Allen, chairman of the board of Deloitte & Touche USA said in a statement.
Flexible schedules were cited by more than half of the respondents as a key factor in job satisfaction. Still, beyond a work-life balance issues, upper management has an important role to play, the survey found. As many as 78 percent of respondents said managers and supervisors were the top two influences on the overall ethical culture of the workplace.
Allen said it was important for managers and supervisors to live the values they preach, rather than simply enforcing strict rules and penalties, in order to maintain a "culture of ethics" in the office. "Corporate leaders have a duty to build and foster a values-based culture that thrives on high ethical standards and makes corporate and social responsibility a top priority," she said.

Most Doctors Take Drug Company Perks

Article from WebMD
Most American doctors have some relationship with drug companies, according to results of a national survey released Wednesday.
The survey found that 94% of doctors report having some type of relationship with drug manufacturers, usually through sales representatives that make frequent rounds to doctors’ offices promoting drugs. The most common form of enrichment comes in the form of free drug samples and food in the workplace, but also includes tickets to entertainment events, paid travel, and cash for consulting work, speeches, or board memberships.
Drug companies have for decades used large sales forces to regularly visit directly with doctors in offices and hospitals in the hopes of promoting the companies’ products. But Wednesday’s survey, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first attempt to measure the extent of the relationships manufacturers forge with individual physicians.
Eric G. Campbell, PhD, the study researcher, says the survey did try to determine the impact of gift and financial relationships on doctors’ prescribing judgment. “We know for sure that these relationships benefit drug companies. And we know they benefit physicians. What we don’t know is if they benefit patients and the care they receive. And that’s really the issue,” Campbell, a researcher at the Institute for Health Policy at Harvard Medical School, tells WebMD.

Gifts Are the Norm
Of the 1,662 doctors who were included in the surveyed results, roughly 8 in 10 said they receive free drug samples or free food from companies. Almost 3 in 10 acknowledged payments for serving on drug company advisory boards, promotional speeches, or consulting. More than one in seven said drug companies have reimbursed for travel, food, or lodging to “continuing medical education” seminars. The sessions, known as CME, are often held in upscale hotels located in vacation spots.
Drug companies have traditionally highlighted the educational aspect of doctors’ relationships with sales representatives, saying the contact is key to helping busy physicians keep up on the latest scientific data. “The companies -- which researched and developed the drugs and generated tens of thousands of pages of scientific data about them -- have the most thorough information about treatments and they make sure the representatives are well-prepared to explain the characteristics of medicines, including side effects,” Ken Johnson, spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), said in a statement. Johnson said the group maintains a code of ethics that forbids perks like sporting event tickets and limits gifts to those that aide medical practice, such as pens or stethoscopes.

Effect of Sales Visits
The actual influence of promotions on physicians’ prescribing behavior is unclear. But overprescribing, in large measure do to aggressive promotion, has been partly blamed for the impact of drugs like Vioxx. The drug was pulled from the market because it elevated the risk of heart attacks after millions of doctors prescribed it.
A study released earlier this week in PLoS Medicine, an online medical journal, found that drug industry sales visits influenced doctors to report their intent to boost their prescribing of an epilepsy drug in about half the doctors. The study also found that nearly 40% of such visits focused on unapproved uses of the drug, which goes against federal regulations.

Moves to Limit Promotions
But the report comes as more and more medical institutions move to limit or ban pharmaceutical sales activity, especially promotions targeted at students or doctors-in-training. Major academic medical centers, including Stanford University in California and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, have made such moves. Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, one of the nation’s largest HMOs, has also imposed limits.
Very few patients are aware of the depth of the likely relationships between their physicians and drug companies, says David Rothman, PhD, associate director of the Prescription Project, a group that pushes medical institutions to limit contact with drug promotions. Rothman is also president of the Institute for Medicine as a Profession, which funded Tuesday’s study. Focus groups run by the organization show few patients challenge their doctors about possible promotional relationships. “They are not going to say, ‘Look, are you writing the prescription for this company rather than another company because you’re involved with that company? Are you doing this for me or are you doing this for you?’ It’s a question they should ask but they’re afraid to ask it,” says Rothman, a professor of social medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Arthur Levin, director of the Center for Medical Consumers, says his group is promoting legislation in states to require companies to identify doctors by name who receive gifts. “If [education] is what we want to do, there has to be a better way than relying on the industry who profits to do it,” Levin says. “We think that sunshine will make some of it go away because physicians will say, ‘Gee, if the public knows I’m doing it, I may not want to do it any more.’”
‘Calling Balls and Strikes’ Campbell, the study author, says his research team is analyzing a similar survey of medical center department chairs in an effort to understand institutional relationships between drug companies and universities. He likened the role of patients in the issue to that of spectators at a baseball game. “Imagine the umps were calling the balls and strikes,” Campbell says. “Would it matter to you that they were getting gifts from the owner of one of the teams? If the public cares about that then they might care about relationships that have a potential to influence their health care.”

FCC to Reveal Spectrum Auction Plan

By Marguerite Reardon / CNet News
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday is expected to begin setting rules for one of the most important wireless spectrum auctions in the foreseeable future.
The new rules, which determine how to divvy up licenses and actually auction them off for the coveted 700MHz wireless band of spectrum, will likely shape the competitive communications market for decades to come, experts say.
The 700MHz band of spectrum, which has been used to provide analog TV service, is considered the last piece of prime real estate left in wireless spectrum. And mobile operators, as well as companies in other industries such as cable and satellite TV, are expected to bid on licenses. The auction is likely to generate between $10 billion and $15 billion in revenue for the government.
Since Congress decided in 1997 to re-auction the 700MHz spectrum used to transmit analog TV signals, communication policy makers have viewed this sliver of the airwaves as a panacea to all the nation's broadband-access problems. The reason is simple. By nature, on the 700MHz frequency band, signals travel about four times farther than those on bands used by the wireless and electronics industries today. Reusing that spectrum could mean easier and cheaper deployment of broadband networks, which should translate into more affordable and widespread high-speed Internet access for consumers.
For years, policy makers have argued that new regulation in the broadband market is unnecessary because new entrants could use the 700MHz spectrum licenses to cost-effectively build broadband services that will compete directly against the cable and phone company broadband duopoly. Others see the spectrum as a perfect way to fill holes in rural cellular phone coverage, because operators serving rural areas with this spectrum would cover more ground with fewer towers. And finally, the 700MHz spectrum could be used by new carriers that want to build 4G wireless networks, using technology such as WiMax, that will leapfrog 3G wireless services of today.

Giving new entrants a fair shot
With so much hope riding on this one sliver of spectrum, getting the rules of the auction right is essential. "This auction is incredibly important," said Harold Feld, senior vice president of Media Access Project, a nonprofit law firm representing a coalition of public interest groups before the FCC. "Pretty much everyone agrees this is the last big piece of spectrum to be auctioned off for the foreseeable future. And if you don't get the rules right, the existing players could control the auction and then nothing in our wireless broadband future will change. But if they do get them right, there is great potential for some dynamic innovation."
Congress has set a deadline of February 2009 to make the switch from analog to digital TV, freeing up the 700MHz band of spectrum. The FCC hasn't set an auction date yet, but under the Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005, it's required to start auctioning the remaining unsold spectrum by January 28, 2008. The auction will consist of 60MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band. The government has also set aside about 24MHz of the analog spectrum for public safety purposes.
As the deadline to begin the auction approaches, consumer advocates have come out of the woodwork to ensure that new entrants get a fair shake in the auction. "The rules are important because they determine the winners of the auction," said Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst at Consumers Union.
Joe Farren, a spokesman for CTIA, an industry trade group representing the cell phone industry, agrees the spectrum auction rules are important. But he believes that no special parameters need to be implemented to protect new entrants. "The overall suggestion that the wireless market is not competitive is unsupported," he said. Farren added that wireless is also proving to be a strong competitor to traditional wire-line broadband services like cable modem and DSL service. "A February report from the FCC said that 59 percent of new high-speed access lines came from wireless," he said. "That statistic suggests that wireless is growing faster than cable or DSL combined. So there is already an alternative."
But critics point out that four of the nation's largest broadband providers also have a stake in a mobile wireless provider. This means that even if wireless broadband competes with fixed-line broadband, those services are likely provided by the same companies offering DSL or cable modem service. With the acquisition of BellSouth, AT&T now owns all of Cingular Wireless, making the new AT&T the largest wire-line telephone and cell phone operator in the country. Verizon Wireless is majority owned by Verizon Communications, which is the second-largest phone company in the nation. And Comcast and Time Warner, the No. 1 and No. 2 cable operators in the nation, respectively, are in a joint venture with the third-largest wireless operator in the country, Sprint Nextel.

Control by the incumbents?
Consumer advocates say some of these vertically integrated communications companies used the rules to manipulate the outcome of the most recent wireless spectrum auction. The Advanced Wireless Services auction, held in the summer of 2006, sold 90MHz of spectrum licenses in the 1710-1755 and 2110-2155MHz bands, which had been used by military and law enforcement. Many in the industry deemed the AWS auction a huge success, since it raised almost $14 billion for the government. On Monday the public-interest law firm Media Access Project issued a study analyzing the bidding history in the AWS auction. "Recent history with the AWS auction shows that large incumbent carriers were able to control the outcome of the auction," said Kenney of Consumers Union.
In the report, Media Access Project described how incumbent broadband carriers and mobile operators successfully blocked potential new competitors, including a consortium formed by satellite TV providers EchoStar and DirecTV. The way it worked was that several operators, like T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless, would target key bidders with "retaliatory" bids. And once the competitive bidder dropped out of the auction, most of these other bidders would also drop out of that auction, leaving only a couple of bidders.
Wireless DBS, which was formed by EchoStar and DirecTV, dropped out after the 11th round of bidding. And a group backed by the Dolan family, which controls Cablevision Systems, was also targeted and withdrew from bidding after 20 rounds. Meanwhile, SpectrumCo, the consortium formed by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Advance/Newhouse Communications and Sprint Nextel, won about 61 percent of the licenses on which it bid, according to Media Access Project. T-Mobile and Cingular, which also used this targeting tactic, also ended up with significant slivers of bandwidth from the auction, the report notes. "The blocking behavior was very targeted," Feld said. "And the fact that on most occasions once the new entrant dropped out of the bidding so did the other bidders indicates the purpose was to control the bidding process and block new entrants from amassing spectrum. And it worked."
Media Access Project along with several other consumer advocacy groups have formed a coalition, called Save Our Spectrum, to fight for new rules to protect new entrants in the bidding process. The group filed a proposal with the FCC earlier this month, which recommends, among other things, that the FCC adopt anonymous bidding to alleviate the issue of targeted bidding. "Anonymous bidding would help solve a lot of these issues," Feld said. "In particular, it would help new entrants seeking to build a national footprint." While open versus blind, or anonymous, bidding is likely to be hotly debated for the 700MHz spectrum, Feld said it isn't likely to be resolved during Wednesday's meeting. Instead he believes the commission will handle some of the most basic rules for the auction, such as establishing the geographic size of the licenses.
Companies looking to establish a nationwide footprint, such as the satellite TV providers, are likely pushing for fewer, larger licenses. Smaller licenses benefit rural carriers because they reduce the cost of the licenses, allowing smaller players--often companies already serving rural areas--to afford the price. They are also good for large operators, like AT&T and T-Mobile, that are looking to fill gaps in their coverage areas.
The FCC will likely offer a mix of large and small licenses, much like it did for the AWS auction that took place last summer, Feld predicts. He also predicts the commission will also seek public comment on a proposal submitted in late February by a company called Frontline Wireless, which wants the FCC to block off a 10MHz chunk of the 700MHz spectrum for companies interested in building a nationwide infrastructure to support a broadband network for public safety agencies. The licensee would also be required to allow open access, offering the spectrum to local public safety agencies on a wholesale basis.
"Wednesday represents the first cut on how the FCC will proceed and the general direction it will go for the auction," Feld said in his blog posted Tuesday. "Will it favor the incumbent push for large license blocks and open bidding? Will it allow the Frontline proposal to go forward?"

Virginia Tech Killer Cho Seung-Hui, Like Jesus Christ or Demon Possessed

Article from christiansunite.com
Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui claimed he was like Christ. Worldwide minister Paul Davis
examines the spiritual forces that motivated this murderer.
Paul Davis has extensive experience dealing with demon possession, mind renewal, inward transformation, and helping confused individuals become integrated and congruent. Paul's ability to move in the supernatural power of God to break demonic influences destroying human beings has impacted people on every continent.

"If God does not touch our feelings, the devil will. Religion that is cold as ice is never nice. The Church was meant to be a lifeboat, not a pleasure boat. If we do not rescue the perishing, we will need rescuing ourselves." - Paul F. Davis

Cho's deceptive decline and the critical components that led to him being overtaken by demons were:

1. Cho was a silent loner and isolated recluse. "Isolation is the breeding ground for deception. The devil preys on the weak and works on people when they are alone. The first banana that gets peeled is the one that separates from the bunch. Idle time is the devil's playground." Paul F. Davis
Satan is the father of lies, spewing falsities and accusations. Falsities belittle a person and diminish their self-esteem, while accusations get them to question who they are.
"There are three origins of voices: God, man, and the devil. Isolated individuals often cannot differentiate between the voices they hear and often internally take ownership of them as their own. Internalizing and taking personal ownership of demonic voice's directives can be both deceptive and deadly." - Paul F. Davis

2. Cho was jealous and envious. Cho left an angry note in his dorm against rich kids and women. Jealousy is the rage of a man and envy like rottenness in the bones (Proverbs 6:34; 14:30). Cho was eaten up with jealousy and envy, which at its peak propelled his fit of rage.

3. Cho was suicidal. He had mentioned committing suicide to his roommates. The devil was certainly working overtime to kill, steal, and destroy this young man. Jesus warned of a day when people would kill in the name of God and claim they are serving Him. Those who kill don't know God (John 16:1-3; Exodus 20:13).
"The eyes are the window of the soul. Cho Seung- Hui's eyes revealed there was another resident occupying and possessing him. Cho's dull eyes displayed an absence of life and abandonment. His body was the host and the demons the parasitical inhabitants, which clearly spoke through him during his video manifesto mentioning 'my children, my brothers and sisters' of which there was no factual basis." Cho's deep sense of self-hatred and disregard for human life manifested in his angry creative writing.

4. Cho lacked solid values, beliefs, and faith. He seems to have been troubled about religion and American values. He railed against snobs, debauchery, and deceitful charlatans on campus. Unsure of his beliefs, what little Cho knew he twisted and perverted. The strange inscription on one of his arms -- the words "ISMAIL AX" in red ink, referenced the near sacrifice of Abraham's son Isaac before God intervened. Apparently Cho identified with the ideal of sacrifice, though this truth he distorted and grossly perverted in his interpretation of Scripture and intention to kill.
God wants people to be living sacrifices not dead ones (Romans 12:1-2). Sadly Satan knows and quotes the Bible more than most Christians (Matthew 4:5-6). The devil twisted the sacred text and Cho right along with it. "We cannot pretend demons don't exist. Demoniacs and troubled youth like Cho Seung-Hui are labeled weird, but they must be liberated by God's love and power. Mary Magdalene was packing seven devils before Jesus unloaded her baggage. Jesus commanded His disciples to cast out devils, not create denominations!" - Paul F. Davis

5. Cho lacked caring and confrontational friends. When Simon the sorcerer tried to buy the gift of God with money, the apostle Peter rebuked him for such a wicked thought as his heart was not right in the sight of God (Acts 8:9-25). The apostle Paul told Elymas the sorcerer he was full of all subtlety and mischief, a child of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness, and one who perverted the right ways of the Lord (Acts 13:6-12).
Cho desperately needed someone to compassionately confront him and walk with him out of isolation. "Though Cho believed in Christ, his heart was not right in the sight of God. Instead of dealing with his own unfinished business and issues, Cho in his pride was silently accusatory and murderous. Disassociating from and projecting his pain on to others, Cho was never made whole himself."
"Cho's unresolved anger, inner hurts, and wounds left him suseptible to demonic attack. Isolated and dwelling in darkness within, demons feasted upon him like buzzards on a decaying carcass. His fragile and shattered identity, unattended to, (combined with demonic activity) led Cho to a deadly destiny. Our society desperately needs a powerful spirituality capable of restoring people's identity and driving out the devils lodged internally."

EDITORIAL: While I'm not sure I agree with everything Mr. Davis says in this article, I wholeheartedly agree that Seung Cho was not a Christian (not right in the sight of God). He may have had church upbringing, but that doesn't make him a Christian anymore than the fact that my work in a hospital makes me a doctor. No, Seung was a very troubled young man who felt isolated and alone -- and allowed himself to be possessed of Satan in such a way that Cho carried out the real work of the devil -- taking lives and destroying them.
While I'm sure some NewzReviews readers will say I'm off my rocker, the fact of the matter is that Jesus himself said that demons exist in this world -- and that they inhabit some human beings. As an earlier entry stated, Seung-Hui Cho was the manifestation of evil.
The point that needs to be made is that ALL Believers should seek out people like Cho -- and LOVE them in a way that makes God smile in calling us His own. We can't force them to respond, but we can give them every opportunity and every reason to step out of their dispair and into the light of the world.
There are many other things society needs to do in order to stop the "production" of more Seung Chos, Dylan Klebolds, Eric Harrises and the like. I'll leave that idea for another post on another day...

Pro-Family Americans Reminded to Not Participate in 'Idol Gives Back'

Article by christiansunite.com

"If you believe the plight of preborn children is as important as the plight of the poor, do not participate in the 'Idol Gives Back' project," said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI). "Idol Gives Back" will raise millions of dollars for several pre-selected charitable organizations during the "American Idol" broadcast this evening and tomorrow evening.
"It is laudable that the people involved with 'American Idol' want to help the poor but it is tragic that they would choose to do so through groups that support abortion," Scott said. UNICEF and Save the Children are two of the organizations that will benefit from the "Idol Gives Back" project.
UNICEF is closely tied to groups that promote population control and abortion, including International Planned Parenthood Federation. UNICEF coauthored many documents that call for increased access to abortion and the legalization of the deadly act worldwide. It has funded programs run by the Population Council, the group that holds the U.S. patent for the deadly abortion pill, RU-486. UNICEF has also supported a group based in South Africa that actively promotes abortion to its mostly underage audience. It is now official UNICEF policy to promote and expand access to "sexual and reproductive health services." [aka abortion] A high-ranking UNICEF official recently said, "Abstinence is simply not a realistic option for most young people in the world today."
Save the Children has a working relationship with groups such as the Better World Fund, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International, and UNICEF, all of which are vehemently pro-abortion.
"People who care about all children--both born and preborn--do not want to be left out of this great effort to assist the poor," Scott said, "but those in charge of the 'Idol Gives Back' project have made a conscious and informed decision to include groups that we find morally reprehensible. We are caring people who want to do our part, but we will do so through organizations that do not believe killing preborn human beings is an acceptable 'solution' to poverty and other adult-created problems."

For more information about UNICEF and Save the Children, please read LDI's March 9, 2007 press release. For information on how to contact the corporations responsible for "American Idol," please read LDI's April 19, 2007 press release.
Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant. To learn more about Planned Parenthood, please click here.

International Marconi Day event is April 28

From the ARRL - Amateur Radio Relay League...
Special event stations will be on the air Saturday, April 28 (UTC), to mark International Marconi Day (IMD), a 24-hour Amateur Radio event comemorating the birth of wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi on April 25, 1874.
Participants can qualify for awards by making contacts on 160 through 10 meters (CW, SSB and digital) with designated IMD stations operating on or near a site where Marconi carried out experiments -- or where Marconi equipment was used prior to his death in 1937.
The sponsoring Cornish Radio Amateur Club (CRAC) will operate GB4IMD from Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, Cornwall, overlooking Falmouth Harbour where Marconi spent some 10 days aboard his yacht Elettra in April 1923. Additional IMD stations will be on the air from the UK, the US, Canada, South America, Australia and Europe. The IMD Web site has a list of IMD 2007 award stations. If you would like to operate an IMD 2007 award station, register your station prior to the event, providing full details.

Germany Tells Turkey to Take Action Against Brutal Christian Killings

Article by Daniel Blake
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Turkey it must take action against “unacceptable intolerance” in the country, after three Christian Bible publishers were brutally murdered in a religious-motivated attack last week. Merkel called on the Turkish authorities to take measures to combat the “climate in which such terrible murders are possible”.

Among the three murdered Christians, one was a German national. The three were found with their throats slit on 18 April in Malatya, south-eastern Turkey. On Sunday, four men and a woman were brought before a Turkish court charged with the murders. The 18-year-old woman was accused of aiding a terrorist group. Six other young men who had been held by authorities were ordered to be released by the court, although they will await later trials for alleged lesser roles in the murders, according to media reports.
The murders are being regarded as a direct attack on the Christian minority living in Turkey. Nationalists had previously protested at the publishing house where the three worked, accusing it of involvement in missionary activities.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to bring those responsible to justice and described the attack as "savagery". Eddie Lyle, CEO of Open Doors UK, said “This tragic incident is the latest example of a worsening trend of persecution against Christians in Turkey, that we cannot ignore any longer. Christians in Turkey are constantly under attack. They are crying out for help and they need our prayers to strengthen them. We can, and must, answer that call,” he said.
The World Evangelical Alliance has sent a representative to Turkey to comfort the families of the three Christian workers. Johan Candelin of Finland travelled to Turkey last Friday. She said, “Something very dangerous is happening in Turkey at this time. The country is knocking at Europe's door and far from everyone is happy about it. At the same time the nation is about to choose a new president and tension between Islamists and nationalists is growing stronger everyday. I ask all Christians to pray for families of the victims, for the protection of the Christian minority and for Turkey.”

'God Hates Virginia Tech' Funeral Picketers Outrage America

Article by Christian Today
The "God Hates America" cult is back, but this time its making plans to picket memorial services of the Virginia Tech shooting victims. Notorious for protesting funerals of troops killed in Iraq, members of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas announced it will protest the funeral service on Saturday for Ryan Clark, one of 32 victims of Monday's massacre. As family members and friends ready to honour the life of 22-year-old Clark at Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia, the American Centre for Law and Justice is working with state officials to help prevent any disruption at the scheduled memorial service.
"This clearly represents a new low for these protestors who now intend to disrespect the memory of the victims of massacre at Virginia Tech," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, in a released statement. "Those attending Ryan Clark's memorial service should be able to participate and pray in peace and quiet - without undue interference by WBC." Westboro Baptist, which is not affiliated with any Baptist denomination, has 75 members, mainly made up of Pastor Fred Phelps and his relatives. They have appeared outside funerals of American troops killed in Iraq since 2005, chanting "America is doomed" and calling the fallen soldiers proof of God's wrath against America's open stance to homosexuality. Now included in their list of soldiers' funeral services to picket at is the service of a young victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.
While a wave of condolences, love and prayers come from millions across the nation and around the world to Virginia Tech and while evangelists and Christians affirm God's presence and love for everyone, WBC says in its press release: "God hates Virginia Tech, Virginia, and America. The 33 killed at Virginia Tech died for America's sins in persecuting WBC for 16 years," the release added.
Westboro Baptist alleges that the US has persecuted the Kansas "church" with search warrants, vandalism, assault, arrest and mockery of their message that they say is from God. The small church, however, is alone in its protests and message. The congregation prays that all of God's chosen people will hear the call and make their way to the church. So far, no other religious group has joined them. Their chants and songs at funeral services, which many find morally repugnant and unpatriotic, have led 31 states to pass legislation to keep protestors away from military funerals.
As memorial services for the Virginia Tech victims continue over the weekend, the ACLJ is out to help preserve solemnity as it urges local officials to apply state and local laws to permit the services to be conducted in peace. "It's clear that federal, state, and local laws properly underscore the fact that protests designed to disrupt the peace and privacy of a solemn ceremony violate reasonable time, place, and manner regulations of speech that have been upheld repeatedly by numerous courts including the Supreme Court of the United States," said Sekulow. "We urge local officials to utilise constitutionally-sound laws to protect the solemnity of Ryan's memorial service." For memorial services held in Virginia, WBC protestors could be arrested if they interrupt the funerals, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell is warning them.
Meanwhile in Georgia, the ACLJ says, "We admire the commitment of Columbia County in ensuring that family, friends, and other grieving citizens can honour Ryan's life and memory without undue interference by WBC." Clark grew up in Martinez, Georgia, and was a resident adviser in the West Ambler Johnston dormitory, where the first shooting attack occurred early Monday morning. According to The Washington Post, friends said Clark was killed when he left his fourth-floor room to investigate a report of a dispute.

EDITORIAL: The Westboro Bigoted Cult (WBC) is a group of despicable individuals who use the name of God to spew their evil rhetoric. They are not, in any way, related to Christian teachings or biblical principles. Even though homosexuality is a sin, the Bible says Believers should affirm the truth in love - not by protesting the funerals of soldiers and college students.
WBC has NO love for anything other than their distorted views and idiotic logic. Their claims that "God hates fags" and "God hates America" are just plain WRONG. God hates nothing but sin. God loves every person in his Creation. WBC hates people and illogically concludes that God's wrath is being poured out on America's military in Iraq. How utterly ignorant!
NO ONE should associate the Fred Phelps and his family with Christianity or any church, especially the Baptist faith.

Ethanol Vehicles Pose Significant Risk To Health, New Study Finds

Article from Science Daily
Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations likely would increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson. His findings are published in the April 18 online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T).

Using ethanol-based fuel instead of gasoline would likely
increase the ozone-related death rate in Los Angeles by
9 percent in 2020, according to a new study by atmospheric
scientist Mark Jacobson. (Credit: Mark Z. Jacobson)

"Ethanol is being promoted as a clean and renewable fuel that will reduce global warming and air pollution," said Jacobson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. "But our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage."

Gasoline vs. ethanol
For the study, Jacobson used a sophisticated computer model to simulate air quality in the year 2020, when ethanol-fueled vehicles are expected to be widely available in the United States. "The chemicals that come out of a tailpipe are affected by a variety of factors, including chemical reactions, temperatures, sunlight, clouds, wind and precipitation," he explained. "In addition, overall health effects depend on exposure to these airborne chemicals, which varies from region to region. Ours is the first ethanol study that takes into account population distribution and the complex environmental interactions."
In the experiment, Jacobson ran a series of computer tests simulating atmospheric conditions throughout the United States in 2020, with a special focus on Los Angeles. "Since Los Angeles has historically been the most polluted airshed in the U.S., the testbed for nearly all U.S. air pollution regulation and home to about 6 percent of the U.S. population, it is also ideal for a more detailed study," he wrote. Jacobson programmed the computer to run air quality simulations comparing two future scenarios:

• A vehicle fleet (that is, all cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc., in the United States) fueled by gasoline, versus
• A fleet powered by E85, a popular blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Deaths and hospitalizations
The results of the computer simulations were striking. "We found that E85 vehicles reduce atmospheric levels of two carcinogens, benzene and butadiene, but increase two others—formaldehyde and acetaldehyde," Jacobson said. "As a result, cancer rates for E85 are likely to be similar to those for gasoline. However, in some parts of the country, E85 significantly increased ozone, a prime ingredient of smog."
Inhaling ozone—even at low levels—can decrease lung capacity, inflame lung tissue, worsen asthma and impair the body's immune system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The World Health Organization estimates that 800,000 people die each year from ozone and other chemicals in smog.
"In our study, E85 increased ozone-related mortalities in the United States by about 200 deaths per year compared to gasoline, with about 120 of those deaths occurring in Los Angeles," Jacobson said. "These mortality rates represent an increase of about 4 percent in the U.S. and 9 percent in Los Angeles above the projected ozone-related death rates for gasoline-fueled vehicles in 2020."

The study showed that ozone increases in Los Angeles and the northeastern United States will be partially offset by decreases in the southeast. "However, we found that nationwide, E85 is likely to increase the annual number of asthma-related emergency room visits by 770 and the number of respiratory-related hospitalizations by 990," Jacobson said. "Los Angeles can expect 650 more hospitalizations in 2020, along with 1,200 additional asthma-related emergency visits."

The deleterious health effects of E85 will be the same, whether the ethanol is made from corn, switchgrass or other plant products, Jacobson noted. "Today, there is a lot of investment in ethanol," he said. "But we found that using E85 will cause at least as much health damage as gasoline, which already causes about 10,000 U.S. premature deaths annually from ozone and particulate matter. The question is, if we're not getting any health benefits, then why continue to promote ethanol and other biofuels? There are alternatives, such as battery-electric, plug-in-hybrid and hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles, whose energy can be derived from wind or solar power," he added. "These vehicles produce virtually no toxic emissions or greenhouse gases and cause very little disruption to the land—unlike ethanol made from corn or switchgrass, which will require millions of acres of farmland to mass-produce. It would seem prudent, therefore, to address climate, health and energy with technologies that have known benefits."

This ES&T study was partially supported by NASA.

Did The Virginia Tech Massacre Happen Because of a Speech Problem?

Could the massacre that took place at Virgina Tech Monday morning be the result of a life-long speech impediment -- and the ridicule of classmates?

Chris Davids, a Virginia Tech senior who graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., with Cho Sueng-Hui in 2003, recalled that the South Korean immigrant almost never opened his mouth and would ignore attempts to strike up a conversation.
"Once, in English class, the teacher had the students read aloud, and when it was Cho's turn, he just looked down in silence", Davids recalled. Finally, after the teacher threatened him with an F for participation, Cho started to read in a strange, deep voice that sounded "like he had something in his mouth," Davids said.
"As soon as he started reading, the whole class started laughing and pointing and saying, 'Go back to China,"' Davids said. {FOX News article}

Could this have been one of the moments Cho referred to in his sometimes incoherent video rants that were mailed to NBC's headquarters just before he murdered 30 people in cold, cruel blood?

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," a snarling Cho says on video. "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."

EVERY description I've read or heard regarding Seung Cho says he was quiet; he would not talk and even refused to verbally participate in class. Many think the reason was that he was always angry. I'm starting to think he was extremely self-conscious about a speech impediment -- one that he used as a harbor for the rage that was unleashed on the campus of Virgina Tech Monday morning. Even Cho's family was troubled by his lack of verbal communication as an adolescent.

"We were concerned about him being too quiet and encouraged him to talk more." said an uncle (Cho's mother's younger brother), who requested to be identified only by his last name, Kim. Cho "troubled his parents a lot when he was young because he couldn't speak well, but was well-behaved," recalled his grandfather, who was also identified by only his last name Kim in an interview with the Dong-a Ilbo daily. In a separate interview with the Hankyoreh newspaper, Kim, 81, said the relatives were worried that (as a child) Cho might even be mute.

Stephanie Roberts, 22, graduated with Cho from Westfield High School. "I just remember he was a shy kid who didn't really want to talk to anybody," she said. "I guess a lot of people felt like maybe there was a language barrier." But she said friends of hers who went to middle school with Cho told her they recalled him getting picked on there. "There were just some people who were really mean to him and they would push him down and laugh at him," Roberts said Wednesday. "He didn't speak English really well and they would really make fun of him." {FOX News}

I have seen anger that stems from the frustration caused by speech impediments. I've seen and read about the rage and anger that some people bear -- especially when harassed by classmates or the general public. Seung Cho's video segments, filmed over at least six days, offer audio confirmation that he had a problem speaking clearly. In the often-incoherent video, the 23-year-old Cho portrays himself as persecuted.
Was the perceived persecution caused by his inability to speak clearly or without an accent? Was this the source of the remarks "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours." Did he somehow brood over childhood foolishness & cruelty until April 16th -- and then explode into a murderous rage?

One item of information that would help explain the situation would be someone who could witness to the conversation (or argument) between Cho Seung-Hui and Emily Hilscher early Monday morning. Witnesses says that the two were arguing when Ryan Clark attempted to intervene. Shortly, thereafter Cho shot Hilscher in the back of the head. He also shot Clark in the neck. Both students later died.
Was Emily the object of Seung's affection; one who either made fun of him or refused his advances? Could she and/or Ryan Clark have made comments that Cho perceived as the catalyst for his being backed into a corner?

Maybe someone will come up with a definitive answer to the question of why Cho wrote "Ismail Ax" (or Ishmael Axe) or his arm -- and that will give us further insight?

No one is sure at this point. However, it is now my hypothesis that Cho Seung-Hui may have gone on the shooting rampage as a result of seething anger that boiled over because he suffered from speech problems that lead to much deeper, psychological issues. The end result of which was a horrible psychosis, murder and suicide.


FOR THE RECORD: I am NOT, in any way, blaming the victims for this tragedy. I am merely offering a hypothesis as to why Seung Cho may have given himself a reason to murder innocent people.

Faith of Cho Seung-Hui Uncertain, But Not That of Many of His Victims

Article by Christianity Today
Two days after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech, many questions remain unanswered. Among them are questions about Cho's personal religious beliefs and his attitude toward Christians. The few details that have emerged in the press so far seem to raise more questions than they answer. The Associated Press reports, for example:

Cho … left a note that was found after the bloodbath.A law enforcement official described it Tuesday as a typed, eight-page rant against rich kids and religion.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "You caused me to do this," the official quoted the note as saying. Cho indicated in his letter that the end was near and that there was a deed to be done, the official said.He also expressed disappointment in his own religion, and made several references to Christianity, the official said.

Unanswered: What was "his own religion"? USA Today says that at least one point, he (like many South Koreans) was a Presbyterian: "Pastor Cha Young Ho of the Korean Presbyterian Church said that the family once belonged to his church and that Cho was a quiet boy." McClatchy reporters talked with Young-Hwan Kim, president of the school's Korean Campus Crusade for Christ chapter. "No one knew him," Kim said. "We had no contact throughout four years. It's amazing. We could not reach out to him." It wasn't for lack of trying, Kim said. Members of Korean Campus Crusade repeatedly invited him to meetings, he said, but Cho wouldn't even provide personal contact information.
Another "reference to Christianity" comes from AOL blogger Ian MacFarlane's posting of Cho's now infamous plays. As The Washington Post summarizes, "The two plays are filled with diatribes against Catholic priests and Michael Jackson, along with references to government conspiracies to kill Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon."

On a more positive note: If Cho's faith remains something of a mystery, Christianity is front and center in much of the memorial. Stories of the victims are trickling out. The Myspace page of Lauren McCain, 20, now continues her testimony. "The purpose and love of my life is Jesus Christ," she wrote. "I don't have to argue religion, philosophy, or historical evidence because I KNOW Him. He is just as real, if not more so, as my 'earthly' father." McCain is becoming one of the more prominent Christian victims, but she's not alone. "Several of our students were killed," Campus Crusade leader Tony Arnold told Mission Network News. "Three that we know were involved with either Campus Crusade for Christ or with one of our sister affiliate ministries called Valor. There's also another student that is not officially listed yet, but since no one has been able to reach her, we believe she must be among the casualties."

Tuesday's public convocation also offered several notes of faith. WorldNetDaily complained that "speakers … called on Allah and Buddha in their efforts to minister to the survivors, family and friends of victims of the shooting massacre at the school — but Jesus wasn't mentioned by name." Apparently quoting Jesus doesn't count: The thousands of attendees recited The Lord's Prayer. Both the speeches of President George W. Bush and Gov. Tim Kaine have also been noted for their religious references.
Governor Kaine invoked Job and Jesus. Job, he said, "was angry at his Creator. He argued with God. He didn't lose his faith, but it's okay to argue. It's okay to be angry." It's also okay to feel despair, he said, pointing to "those haunting words that were uttered on a hill, on Calvary, 'My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?'" But do not let go of community, Kaine urged both those directly lost family members and those able to help the grieving.
President Bush sounded a similar note. "Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up in prayer," he said. "People who have never met you are praying for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scriptures tell us, 'Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'"

These are just a few of the faith tidbits appearing in the media so far. Christianity Today has a reporter in Blacksburg and will be looking for other news about campus ministry, the church, and what God is doing at Virginia Tech.

Eleven people hurt in the attack remained hospitalized, at least one in serious condition.

===============================================

EDITORIAL: This article was written before the airing of excerpts from Seung Cho's ranting videos mailed to NBC -- aired last night and this morning. It is very clear from the remarks Cho made that he was NOT a Christian. However, Seung thought himself a martyr in the same way as Jesus was thought a martyr for believers. BTW, Bible believing Christians KNOW that Jesus was not a martyr. He arose on the third day and ascended into Heaven. Therefore, Jesus would NOT be thought of as a martyr by ANY true Christian.
The fact is -- Cho was a psychopath who likened himself to others who commit these kinds of heinous atrocities -- as a result of imagined persecution. They are all self-righteous in their commission of murderous acts.

According to reports, a note left by Cho Seung-Hui talked about the "rich kids," "deceitful charlatans" and "debauchery." And there is also talk that he may have been rejected by a woman, or women, that he had feelings for. Perhaps in Cho's mind, these people were his "jailers" — the wardens of his prison responsible for his emotional incarceration. He vilified them, found them guilty of great offenses and then logically executed his warped sense of justice ... and murdered 32 people. {FOX News}

I have taken quite a bit of bashing for stating that Cho would be found to be a fan of violence media -- and that "his own religion" was NOT Christianity. It should be abundantly clear now that Seung-Hui Cho was not a Believer, even though he may have attended a Presbyterian church some years ago. No, Seung Cho was a demonic psycho bent on destroying those whom he didn't want to or couldn't understand.

Photo of Seung-Hui Cho courtesy of NBC
Photo of Lauren McCain courtesy of DailyPress

Survivors, Mourners Turn to God in US Massacre Aftermath

Source: ChristianityToday

In the aftermath of the worst university massacre in US history, survivors and families in grieving have turned to God for comfort and support.
With scores of prayer vigils ongoing throughout churches in Virginia, US, students have come forward with a clear message that God is with those in need at this difficult time. Megan Martin, 24, was with two-dozen fellow students travelling to a prayer vigil on campus when she told reporters, “God cares about Virginia Tech." Many others in the devastated university carried placards saying ‘Jesus loves you’, ‘God knows and He cares’, and ‘Can we pray with you?’
A memorial service took place Tuesday with US President George Bush telling those hurting to unite in prayer. He urged students to persevere in hope, and to comfort one another with prayers as they struggled to come to terms with the shocking events. Offering comfort in a biblical message to the residents of Blacksburg, a Bible Belt town in southwest Virginia, President Bush stated: “As the scripture tells us, don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
On a day when a clearer picture of what had happened developed rapidly, the community was left in disbelief as they found out it was a fellow student that had carried out the atrocities. South Korean-born Cho Seung-Hui (aka Seung Cho), 23, and English literature student, was named as the only known shooter in the tragedy which killed 33 students, including Cho himself. Students have attempted to deal with their grief by creating a number of memorials throughout the campus area in remembrance of the dead. One memorial left for victim Jarrett Lane, an engineering student read: “God bless you Jarrett, your family, friends, and all of the victims and those around you. Enjoy the Lord's kingdom.” At the same memorial another note left a quote from the Bible: "Be strong and courageous, Do not be terrified; for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.”
The reaction from the churches around the shattered community has been one of compassion, with churches all over Blacksburg leaving their doors open welcoming those in need of refuge, prayer and comfort. Following a prayer vigil at St Francis Anglican Church 22-year-old Adam Henry testified: “You've got to keep your focus on faith.”

The Shooter: Cho Seung Hui - Troubled

Update: 2:24 p.m. (Revised)

Source: NBC4

Officials have identified the gunman in the shootings on the Virginia Tech campus.He has been identified as Cho Seung Hui. He was enrolled as an undergraduate student in his senior year as an English major at Virginia Tech. Cho, 23, a South Korean native, was in the United States as a resident alien with a residence in Centerville, Va.
Cho, a South Korean immigrant who had been in the United States since 1992, held a green card signifying his status as a legal permanent U.S. resident, federal officials said Tuesday. He attended Westfield High School, according to NBC News' Pete Williams.
Immigration records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security show that Cho was born in South Korea on January 18, 1984 and entered the United States through Detroit on September 2, 1992. He had last renewed his green card on October 27, 2003.
University officials said he lived in a dormitory on the Virginia Tech campus, but could shed no light on a motive for the shooting spree that left 33 dead. "He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," said Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker.
The English major's creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the school's counseling service, officials said. Professor Carolyn Rude, chairwoman of the university's English department, said she did not personally know the gunman. But she said she spoke with Lucinda Roy, the department's director of creative writing, who had Cho in one of her classes and described him as "troubled."
"There was some concern about him," Rude said. "Sometimes, in creative writing, people reveal things and you never know if it's creative or if they're describing things, if they're imagining things or just how real it might be. But we're all alert to not ignore things like this." She said Cho was referred to the counseling service, but she said she did not know when, or what the outcome was. Rude refused to release any of his writings or his grades, citing privacy laws.
The gunman's family lived in an off-white, two-story town house in Centreville. "He was very quiet, always by himself," neighbor Abdul Shash said of the gunman. Shash said the gunman spent a lot of his free time playing basketball, and wouldn't respond if someone greeted him. He described the family as quiet. Marshall Main, who lives across the street, said the family had lived in the townhouse for several years.
According to court records, Virginia Tech Police issued a speeding ticket to Cho on April 7 for going 44 mph in a 25 mph zone, and he had a court date set for May 23.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences, and said South Korea hoped that the tragedy would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."
"We are in shock beyond description," said Cho Byung-se, a ministry official handling North American affairs. "We convey deep condolences to victims, families and the American people."

Federal law enforcement officials are saying that Cho (his surname, not first name) left a note "railing" on "rich kids", "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans". They are going through his computer in hopes of finding more clues that will lead them to why Cho committed mass murder yesterday.