Tag Archives: texas

Schaeffer: ‘Nuttiest’ Evangelicals Support Israel

Author Frank Schaeffer, son of the late prominent theologian Francis Schaeffer, can’t seem to find anything good about evangelical Christians. In his latest blog on the Huffington Post , Schaeffer criticized evangelicals’ support of Israel. “Some of the nuttiest American religious leaders today (and in the past) have latched on to one form or another of Christian Zionism,” he said. “To put it mildly, the evangelical theological/biblical ‘reasons’ have deformed US policy and made America act against self interest,” Schaeffer wrote. “This has also harmed the state of Israel.” Schaeffer suggested that so-called Christian Zionists “would rather see an innocent Jewish or Palestinian child blown up in a rocket attack as long as the ‘Promised Land’ is ‘fully reclaimed’ to fulfill their harebrained ideas of biblical prophecy.” He suggested that American Christians’ support for Israel was driven by a desire to bring about Armageddon, but downplayed a quote he included from a Texas pastor Rev. John Hagee which seemed to suggest some of that support might stem from Biblical history as much as prophecy. “Israel exists because of a covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 3,500 years ago – and that covenant still stands,” Hagee told The New York Times. “World leaders do not have the authority to tell Israel and the Jewish people what they can and cannot do in the city of Jerusalem.” Schaeffer also took the opportunity to attack what he called evangelicals’ “unhealthy affinity with the idea of religion-based states,” criticizing those who believe America was founded on Christian principles. It’s not the first time Schaeffer has attacked Christians, including his late father. On Huffington Post June 17, he wrote that, “We need to eradicate fundamentalism in all its forms,” specifically targeting fundamentalist Christianity. He called the Bible “nuts in many places” and said “no one” follows it. In 2008, Schaeffer defended President Obama’s controversial preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, by criticizing “right wing white preachers (following in my father’s footsteps) [who] rail against America’s sins from tens of thousands of pulpits.” Like this article? Sign up for “Culture Links,” CMI’s weekly e-mail newsletter, by  clicking   here.

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Schaeffer: ‘Nuttiest’ Evangelicals Support Israel

BP’s Tar Balls from the Gulf Disaster Have Reached the Shores of Texas and Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain

PART ONE… http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/05/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1 By the CNN Wire Staff July 5, 2010 6:52 p.m. EDT New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) — Tar balls linked to the worst oil spill in U.S. history have reached into Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain and hit the beaches near Galveston, Texas, authorities in those states reported on day 77 of the disaster. Easterly winds and high waves that hindered skimmers drove blobs of weathered oil up into the eastern end of the lake, which sits north of New Orleans, said Anne Rheams, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. She estimated the amount of oil that has reached the lake at less than 100 barrels, with no hydrocarbon smell. “They are about the size of a silver dollar, maybe a little bigger, kind of dispersed in long intervals. It's not as dense as it could be, so we're thankful for that,” she said. The Coast Guard reported over the weekend that a shift in weather patterns could send more oil toward sensitive shores in Mississippi and Louisiana, and bad weather over the past few days has significantly hampered cleanup efforts. Rheams said that pattern was expected to persist for at least three more days. Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft said Friday that the prospect of oil reaching up into Lake Pontchartrain “is where I'm losing the most sleep right now.” “I'm going to look, and if I see even sheen, I'm going to push to make sure that we're moving every and all available resources to respond to this particular area,” he said. Tar balls had previously been spotted in Rigolets Pass, which connects the lake with Mississippi Sound. Officials in Orleans and St. Tammany parishes have been using heavy booms, barges and skimmers to defend Pontchartrain since the early days of the disaster, but Rheams said high waves and strong easterly and southeasterly winds have complicated the effort. “The main thing is that they are an indicator that it could be coming more so this way,” she said. State officials closed a swath of the southern part of the 630-square-mile lake to fishing following the discovery, but there was no sign of an impact on wildlife as of Monday, Rheams said. And in Texas, about 400 miles west of the ruptured offshore well at the heart of the spill, Coast Guard Capt. Marcus Woodring said the total volume of tar balls found over the weekend amounted to about five gallons. And while authorities weren't sure how they made it that far, tests confirmed that at least the first batch collected came from the Deepwater Horizon spill off Louisiana, he said. None were found Monday, and the area's beaches and waterways remained open, Woodring said. The tar balls were less weathered than researchers would expect, leading to suspicions that the oil was either stuck to the side of a ship's hull or mixed in with ballast water from a passing vessel, Woodring said. Tar balls are fairly common along the Texas coast, in part because of seepage from undersea oil deposits or from sunken vessels, he said. CONTINUED… http://media.nola.com/2010_gulf_oil_spill/photo/barges-rigoletsjpg-a6271db372480… added by: EthicalVegan

“Hell Freezes Over” at Westboro Protest

Plans by the notorious Westboro Baptist Church to protest the Resource Center Dallas, a northern Texas nonprofit that offers a variety of programs to LGBT and HIV-positive people, on July 9 have been turned into a fund-raiser. The center has launched an initiative called “Hell Freezes Over” and is asking local residents to donate an amount of money for each minute the protesters plan to picket both the center and Beth El Binah, a mainstream Jewish congregation with a longtime LGBT outreach that meets at the center. The center plans to use funds raised to buy a new ice machine for its meals program, which serves lunches to HIV-positive clients every weekday. “The protesters have been known to abandon their protests when they’re turned into a fund-raiser,” says Bret Camp, associate executive director for the center’s health and medical services. “Whether the church shows up or not, this is a way for the North Texas community to stand with us against hate and help us with a timely need.” added by: TimALoftis

Lady Gaga Surpasses President Obama In Facebook Fans

Fame singer will be first living person to pass 10 million mark on the social networking site. By Gil Kaufman Lady Gaga Photo: Getty Images President Obama, Starbucks, “House,” “Twilight” and “South Park.” What do all of these things have in common? As of Friday, they all had fewer Facebook fans than Lady Gaga . According to the British social network statistics site Famecount.com , Gaga is on the verge of becoming the first living person to roll up 10 million Facebook fans. As of press time on Friday (July 2), she surpassed the only other living person on the list who had exceeded her tally: President Obama. Gaga’s fan count reached 9,940,462 to the leader of the free world’s 9,444,942. She also continues to spank Obama in Twitter followers (4,762,938 to 4,422,923) and YouTube subscribers (311,716 to 191,562). The singer, who never misses a chance to shout out her rabid fanbase of “little monsters,” is also miles ahead of other living celebs on the list when it comes to Facebook followers, including Britney Spears (3.1 million), Ashton Kutcher (3.6 million), Taylor Swift (5.8 million), Selena Gomez (5.2 million) and even Justin Bieber (5.9 million). But she still can’t hold a candle to the King of Pop. Among musical acts, only the late Michael Jackson’s Facebook fans list is more massive than Gaga’s. As of press time, the only other Facebook pages to top Gaga’s were for Texas Hold ‘Em Poker (20 million), Jackson (14.1 million), the online game “Mafia Wars” (12.7 million), “Family Guy” (10.1 million) and Facebook itself (10.7 million). Other entities that are surprisingly further down on the friends count list than Gaga?: “Twilight” (7.1 million), “South Park” (6.5 million), Coke (6.1 million), Lil Wayne (5.9 million) and, yes, Skittles candy (5.5 million). Gaga’s upsurge this week on Facebook might have something to do with her cover story in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, in which she provides the most intriguing peek yet into her closely guarded private life. In addition to the bombshell interview with former Afghan war General Stanley McChrystal, the Gaga feature has helped to propel the magazine’s newsstand sales to twice what it usually does. Are you a Facebook fan of Gaga’s? What do you think of her passing President Obama in total friends? Tell us in the comments! Related Photos Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Kicks Off In Montreal The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Lady Gaga Surpasses President Obama In Facebook Fans

Why Are Corporate Giants Verizon, Qualcomm, GE Backing Smart Grid Start-Up Consert Inc?

Image via Consert Inc Consert Inc, a smart grid software company, is getting some major backing by big companies. Verizon, Qualcomm, Constellation Energy and GE have pulled together $17.7 million to invest in promoting the company’s software. Currently, Consert has software deployed with electric utilities in North Carolina and Texas, but they’re looking to spread. And the backing by big companies with known names is a sign that corporate cooperation is going to be a big factor in advancing the smart grid so that every tech company can benefit. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Why Are Corporate Giants Verizon, Qualcomm, GE Backing Smart Grid Start-Up Consert Inc?

BREAKING: Ask BP Questions for LIVE VIDEO Interview

Google, YouTube and the PBS NewsHour are teaming up to bring you into BP headquarters in Houston, Texas for an exclusive interview with Bob Dudley, Chief Executive for BP’s Response. Dudley will respond directly to your questions and concerns in a live session moderated by the PBS NewsHour’s Ray Suarez. Starting now, submit your questions and vote the best ones to the top. Then join us for the live interview tomorrow, Thursday, July 1, at 3:30 pm ET where you can watch the interview LIVE on NewsHour.PBS.org and YouTube. added by: captainplanet71

Chace Crawford Rolls into Court for Weed Case

” Gossip Girl ” star Chace Crawford rolled into a McKinney, Texas courthouse just moments ago — where a judge will formally charge the actor for allegedly having an unlit joint in a car he was sitting in. Chase was technically charged earlier this month… Read more

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Chace Crawford Rolls into Court for Weed Case

Paranormal Activity 2 Trailer So Scary It’s Pulled From Theaters (Related: Pigs Fly)

And you didn’t think there was a sucker born every minute. Variety — Variety! — is reporting that theater chain Cinemark had to pull copies of the admittedly scary Paranormal Activity 2 trailer from its theaters in Texas because of audience complaints that it was “too scary.” Upon hearing the news, Paramount executives presumably feigned surprise and then remembered that it was all part of their elaborate marketing campaign. See you at the theater! [ Variety ]

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Paranormal Activity 2 Trailer So Scary It’s Pulled From Theaters (Related: Pigs Fly)

NFL Star Arrested: ‘White Boys Ganging Up on Me’

Filed under: Cedric Benson , TMZ Sports Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson turned himself into police today — after being accused of socking a bouncer in the face at an Austin ,

The girl who must eat every 15 minutes to stay alive

In fact, the 21-year-old from Austin, Texas, must eat every 15 minutes to stay healthy. Miss Velasquez has a rare condition which prevents her from gaining weight even though she eats up to 60 small meals a day. Despite consuming between 5,000 and 8,000 calories daily, the communications student, has never tipped over 4st 3lbs. “I weigh myself regularly and if I gain even one pound I get really excited,” said 5ft 2 ins Miss Velasquez, who wears size triple zero clothes. “I eat every 15-20 minutes to keep my energy levels up. “I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.” She was born four weeks prematurely weighing just 2lb 10oz. Doctors found there was minimal amniotic fluid protecting her in the womb. “They told us they had no idea how she could have survived,” said Miss Velasquez's mother Rita, 45, a church secretary. Doctors speculated Lizzie might have the genetic disorder De Barsy syndrome but soon ruled it out as it became clear she did not have learning difficulties. “They kept on trying to figure out what was wrong with her but we treated her like any other child,” said Mrs Velasquez, who charted her daughter's health in dozens of notebooks. She was taken to see genetic experts but they still could not diagnose her. Miss Velasquez's case has fascinated doctors all over the world and she is part of a genetic study run by Professor Abhimanyu Garg, MD, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Professor Garg and his team now believe Lizzie may have a form of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome (NPS) which causes accelerated ageing, fat loss from the face and body, and tissue degeneration. People with PRS often have triangular and prematurely aged faces with a pointy nose. He said: “I am aware of a small number of people that have similar conditions to Lizzie but each case is slightly different. “We cannot predict what will happen to Lizzie in the future as the medical community are yet to document older people with NPS. “However Lizzie is lucky to have healthy teeth, organs and bones so the outlook is good. We will continue to study her case and learn from her.” Miss Velasquez has helped to write a book about her incredible experiences. It is due to be released in September. added by: cclark_productions