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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.
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from BizPac Review
Parents of students in a New Jersey middle school are furious that a teacher skipped a 9/11 anniversary discussion and opted to read a fictional story about a Muslim boy named “Osama” instead. On the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks masterminded by Osama bin Laden, a social studies teacher at Glen Meadow Middle School in Vernon Township decided not to have students discuss the day of mourning honoring the thousands killed, the New Jersey Herald reported.
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from Christianity Today
Media/News Company based in Carol Stream, Illinois
As a Christian and a neuroscientist, I keep learning that to be human is to have a soul.
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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
Maryland, New York, and Connecticut are following California’s lead in proposing restrictions on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the class of refrigerants widely used in home and car air conditioners as well as the refrigeration equipment in millions of small businesses like restaurants and convenience stores. State legislators and governors are doing so on the grounds that HFCs contribute to global warming. Joining them in support of this effort are Honeywell and Chemours, both of which have patented a number of substitute refrigerants that sell for considerably more than the HFCs they would replace. There is no indication that proponents of these measures have taken a serious look at the price tag or attempted to educate impacted homeowners, car owners, and small business owners of the significant hike in air-conditioning and refrigeration costs likely to result.
Ten years ago, the United States plunged into a financial crisis that would bring the world economy to the brink of collapse. The primary cause of the crisis, as agreed on by people across the ideological spectrum, was the meltdown of the U.S residential mortgage market. As discussed in the second and third part of this blog series, the housing bubble was overwhelmingly a result of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s reckless departure from tried and true underwriting practices, the Federal Reserve’s expansionary monetary policy, and state zoning and land-use laws that restricted the supply of housing.
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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization
Judicial Branch Would Imperil Liberty
Right after Chairman Grassley set a Judiciary Committee vote on Brett Kavanaugh, I read that Democrats were expected to try to delay it until as late as September 27. That was consistent with Democrats’ “leave no stall untried” approach at his hearings and the subsequent Feinstein-FBI finesse. However, that date would also be ironic. That is because the date marks publication of the first of the Anti-Federalist Papers in 1789. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh’s opponents are providing proof that the government abuses Anti-Federalists warned of, enabled by the courts, have come to pass. In our modern “Brutalized” world, among the greatest fears are judges who might move us back toward our Founders’ vision of citizens’ rights and limited federal power, toward treating the Constitution as being a higher law than subsequent distortions. Kavanaugh may become such a Justice. That explains Democrats’ “every dirty trick in the book” opposition to seating him and their campaign to make Americans “afraid, very afraid” that Kavanaugh might undermine some of the Constitutional abuses Democrats most wish to retain.
Venezuela’s Socialist Nightmare: A Prediction on Where It Ends
The bottom line is that Venezuela is in free-fall, but I don’t know where the bottom is. And I don’t know what will happen when the country hits rock bottom. But if you hold a gun to my head, I’ll predict that the regime somehow collapses in 2020.
America's Record Middle-Class Earnings Exposes the 'Imaginary Hobgoblin' of Income Inequality
Americans are, by and large, more prosperous than they've ever been without being noticeably less equal. By three different measures—income shares of the top 5% and 20% and the Gini coefficient—there is no evidence of a significant rise in income inequality over the last 25 years; all three measures have been remarkably flat for more than two decades.
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from The New American Magazine
RIGHT BIAS: John Birch SocietyDeVos Signs on to Globalist UN Education Agenda for U.S.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos signed on to a radical global “declaration” that calls for, among other absurdities, brainwashing children to believe in the United Nations-backed ideology of total government known as “sustainable development.” In fact, the pseudo-treaty inked by Trump's education chief suggests that the purpose of schooling is to indoctrinate children with the right “values” and teach them to be obedient worker drones.
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from Orthodox Christianity
Organization in Moscow, Russia
The Turkish Supreme Court has rejected the request of one religious group to convert the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, currently a museum, into a mosque again, reports Interfax-Religion. The court rejected the application based on the formal mistakes that appeared in it. In its plea, the religious association had argued that barring Islamic prayers at Hagia Sophia was a breach of the right to the freedom of religious and conscience, according to Channel News Asia. There has been an increase in Islamic activity in Hagia Sophia and increased calls for turning it into a mosque again over the past few years. The ruling Justice and Development Party has been talking of turning the museum into an active mosque again since 2013. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , who has referred to the time of the Christian Byzantine Empire as “a dark chapter” in history, publicly announced that he would read Muslims prayers in Hagia Sophia on Holy Friday last year. He also claimed that Kemal Ataturk’s order to transform Hagia Sophia from a mosque into a museum is a fake. Although the president did not read the prayers in the end, the movement for making Hagia Sophia a mosque continues to gain momentum, as seen with a group prayer used as a demonstration on May 13, in which participants brandished signs reading “Break the chains, open the Hagia Sophia.” Hagia Sophia served as the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople from the time of its construction in 537 by Emperor St. Justinian, until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. Under the Ottomans it was converted into a mosque until 1931, being secularized and opened as a museum on February 1, 1935.
In our conversation with Levan Vasadze, a Georgian community leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist, we will learn how to maintain peaceful spirit and develop positive agenda, even considering the events at Golgotha.
RUSSIAN CHURCH SUSPENDS COMMEMORATION OF PAT. BARTHOLOMEW AND CONCELEBRATION WITH CONSTANTINOPLE HIERARCHS, EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION NOT BROKEN
As a result of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s appointment of two exarch bishops in Ukraine without any blessing from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved at its extraordinary session today that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will cease commemorating His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during the Divine Liturgy.
UKRAINIAN CHURCH WILL NOT MEET WITH EXARCHS WHO CAME WITHOUT ITS BLESSING—MET. ONUPHRY
The exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarch recently appointed to Kiev, Archbishop Daniel from the United States and Bishop Ilarion from Canada, have already arrived in Ukraine and have begun their work of preparing “for the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” according to Constantinople’s unilateral plans. However, they will only be meeting with hierarchs of Ukraine’s two schismatic bodies. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, informed the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of these developments at today’s extraordinary session held in Moscow, reports the site of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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from Psephizo Blog
How to speak well on radio
I last wrote about speaking on the radio (and television) four years ago, so thought it worth revisiting the subject. This arose in part as a reflection on contributing to a piece about Justin Welby’s comments on higher tax rates on Radio 4’s Sunday, in which I debated with Andy Walton whether Christian leaders should advocate particular (party) political position.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase trying to block Avista’s sale
Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase is deploying a little-known part of federal law to try to stop the sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility, though a top state official says the law in question isn’t relevant to the deal. In July, Chase sent a letter to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, telling the state to “coordinate” with Spokane County on the regulatory review of the $5.3 billion sale. Chase – who’s running in the November election for county commissioner – says the coordination process gives local governments an “equal basis” for being at the table with state and federal agencies. Washington regulators say the federal law Chase is invoking doesn’t apply to the state’s review of Avista’s proposed sale to Hydro One Ltd. of Toronto. For the sale to go through, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission must determine that it would benefit Avista’s customers. A decision is expected in mid-December.
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Stabilization of African Continent a Global Security Issue - Scholar
The president of the European Commission said during his annual address to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that United Europe has become an unavoidable force in world trade. Mr. Juncker underlined the necessity for the EU to become more of a global player, adding that the bloc should be more independent with regard to defense and security. Sputnik discussed Juncker's comments with Fabio Massimo Parenti, associate professor of economic and political geography at the Lorenzo de' Medici Italian International Institute. "Cooperation is the key word. We should be able to further develop cooperation with China, according to my last study. Above all, [we should also be] cooperating with third parties such as Africa."
Prison System Tries to Erase Transgender People By Ignoring Needs - Activist
A massive prison strike in the United States in recent weeks has brought to the fore some of the myriad problems faced by prisoners. However, the conditions faced by transgender prisoners can be especially dangerous. Radio Sputnik spoke Thursday with an advocate for one black trans woman prisoner about those challenges and how people can help.
Kneeling Debate: America Evenly Divided on Approval of NFL Protests - Poll
Most Americans agree that NFL players have the right to protest by kneeling on the field during the national anthem, but less than half say they should. A majority of white voters, however, disagree with the protests, while a larger majority of black voters find them appropriate. That's according to a new Quinnipiac University poll which found that 67 percent of Americans believe in the right to protest in such a setting, which the NFL announced its intention to ban in May, though that ban was tabled in July. Just 47 percent, however, agreed that the players should, while 47 percent said they shouldn't.
Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase trying to block Avista’s sale
Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase is deploying a little-known part of federal law to try to stop the sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility, though a top state official says the law in question isn’t relevant to the deal. In July, Chase sent a letter to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, telling the state to “coordinate” with Spokane County on the regulatory review of the $5.3 billion sale. Chase – who’s running in the November election for county commissioner – says the coordination process gives local governments an “equal basis” for being at the table with state and federal agencies. Washington regulators say the federal law Chase is invoking doesn’t apply to the state’s review of Avista’s proposed sale to Hydro One Ltd. of Toronto. For the sale to go through, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission must determine that it would benefit Avista’s customers. A decision is expected in mid-December.
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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia
The president of the European Commission said during his annual address to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that United Europe has become an unavoidable force in world trade. Mr. Juncker underlined the necessity for the EU to become more of a global player, adding that the bloc should be more independent with regard to defense and security. Sputnik discussed Juncker's comments with Fabio Massimo Parenti, associate professor of economic and political geography at the Lorenzo de' Medici Italian International Institute. "Cooperation is the key word. We should be able to further develop cooperation with China, according to my last study. Above all, [we should also be] cooperating with third parties such as Africa."
A massive prison strike in the United States in recent weeks has brought to the fore some of the myriad problems faced by prisoners. However, the conditions faced by transgender prisoners can be especially dangerous. Radio Sputnik spoke Thursday with an advocate for one black trans woman prisoner about those challenges and how people can help.
Most Americans agree that NFL players have the right to protest by kneeling on the field during the national anthem, but less than half say they should. A majority of white voters, however, disagree with the protests, while a larger majority of black voters find them appropriate. That's according to a new Quinnipiac University poll which found that 67 percent of Americans believe in the right to protest in such a setting, which the NFL announced its intention to ban in May, though that ban was tabled in July. Just 47 percent, however, agreed that the players should, while 47 percent said they shouldn't.
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from UPI News Agency - United Press International
upi.com
General Dynamics Electric Boat has received a $480.66 million contract for advance procurement and construction of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. Work on the contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, will be performed in Quonset, R.I., Newport News, Va., and Groton, Conn., and will be integrated into the lead ship construction in October 2020. The contract is being combined with a previous United Kingdom contract in the amount of $10 million. The first of 12 planned submarines, the Columbia, is expected to be completed by 2031 at a cost of $10.4 billion, counting research and engineering costs. Follow-on vessels are expected to cost over $5 billion each.
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