Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
Yup. It happened last night.
We live on a lonely-at-night country road — up a somewhat-long, somewhat-tree-shrouded driveway.
And a car showed up. (Yeah, there were people in it.)
Unannounced.
So I gave our big black dog my special whistle to switch him from Welcome Waggin’ mode to Vicious Attack K9 mode. Then I took down the double-banger shotgun from over the back door and opened the door.Read it all
In Mexico’s state of Veracruz, human life begins at conception:
On Nov. 16, 2009 the legislature of the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz passed a law declaring that life begins at conception and ends at natural death.
So, do you think the source of this story is sympathetic or scornful toward the decision? To help, here’s more of the article begun above:
Veracruz now becomes the 17th state in Mexico to criminalize abortion in a string of hotly contested and reactive measures set off by Mexico City’s April 2007 legalization of abortion.
The reforms to the Veracruz State Constitution include a last-minute stipulation by the National Action Party PAN that women who illegally obtain abortions can avoid jail time by accepting medical and psychological treatment.
[…]
The debate in Veracruz, fueled by passion and anger, is characteristic of the larger fight throughout Mexico on the issue of abortion that spans the personal and the political. The abortion wars in Mexico involve political issues, such as the direct intervention of the Catholic Church in a secular state, and health issues deriving from the high incidence of complications from clandestine abortions.
On a personal level, the abortion debate forces the society and politicians to examine the hidden implications of stringent abortion policies and clandestine abortions on the health and lives of Mexican women.
If you’re still not sure where the article’s author stands, here’s the title: Mexico’s Abortion Laws: A Step Backward for Women’s Rights.
Therefore, laws that ban organ sales could be announced in articles similarly titled?
For example, US Organ Sale Laws: A Step Backward for Human Rights
Well, anyway, I’m thankful to believe that human life begins at conception.
If your excuse is poor handwriting, flush that excuse. Or heave it out the window. Or cut it up into little pieces and mix them in with the dog’s food. Do something other than hang on to it!
With e-mail, text messaging, and instant messaging, a handwritten note is getting rarer and therefore more special.
[…]
66 percent of U.S. Internet users said email was their preferred channel for written communications between friends.
Every week, the average person receives 1.5 personal letters.
[…]
There is warmth in a handwritten note — it instantly makes the message more personal, creates a more intimate feeling, and makes the recipient feel more valued.
With e-mail and instant messaging, a handwritten note is getting rarer and therefore more special.
The full article is, well, fuller: A Note of Gratitude.
I am again grateful for religious freedom here in the United States.
New anti-conversion legislation coupled with more “extreme” Hindu extremist cells rising up across India make the future of Christians throughout the country look much more challenging.
First, “To further its campaign against Christianity, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party BJP has demanded an amendment in the Indian constitution to check religious conversions,” according to Christian Today.
While seven states across India already have anti-conversion legislation, if this amendment passed, all of India would have to abide by its regulations and not just scattered states throughout the country.
[…]
In addition to anti-conversion legislation, accompanying the good news of BJP slowly losing ground and facing “a potentially uncertain and unstable future,” according to Christian Today, there is also more bad news for Christians.
As BJP loses popularity, new extremist groups who claim to breakaway factions of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu extremist umbrella organization, are launching their campaign against Christians. These groups go by names such as the Abhinav Bharat (Pride of India), the Rashtriya Jagran Manch (National Revival Forum) and the Hindu Dharam Sena (Army for Hindu Religion).
These new organizations viewed RSS and BJP as “too mild,” according to Baptist Press, and they advocate increased violence against Christians. These beliefs have been supported in their actions with several attacks in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Jabalpur since 2006.
As persecution worsens in India, Christians need to step up and not be afraid to share their faith, Stavers said.
Also, though many actions are restricted, Christians can still do several things to reach the searching of India.
Source: Mission Network News: Political climate makes conditions even worse for Indian Christians.
Some books have rough covers; others, frightening covers.
Some of those same books also have stories within them to match their covers.
Yet once in a while — unexpectedly, surprisingly, refreshingly, shockingly, happily — light bursts forth from the darkness.
So amidst the bad news, how about some good news?
The detention deputy was sitting at his desk when the inmate attacked. The deputy is 64; the inmate 40 years his junior.
Deputy Kenneth Moon had another disadvantage: He was the sole deputy in a jail pod that houses 62 inmates. The only nearby people who could help him were there because they have been charged with attempted murder, home invasion, drug dealing.
And yet they did.
The first one, Jerry Dieguez Jr., is in jail on an armed home invasion charge. When he saw inmate Douglas Burden put Moon in a chokehold, Dieguez didn’t hesitate.
He ran behind the desk and landed a haymaker of a punch on Burden.
Inmates Hoang Vu and Terrell Carswell also provided backup. […]
While Dieguez, Vu and Carswell kept Burden off the deputy, another inmate came charging over.
David Schofield […] reached over to the deputy, took his radio and called for help.
The inmates are credited with saving their jailer’s life.
Source: Inmates saved deputy’s life during attack, sheriff’s office says
Two dollars a day and no Bible. And without the ability to read one anyway.
And how many of them have more joy than I do?
So read this info and recount the blessings you have.
Seven billion people in the world in two years
Half the world lives on less than $2 a day. Right now, that’s more than three billion people, but new research suggests the population will hit the seven billion mark within the next two years.
Researchers with the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) also found that the least developed regions, like Africa, Asia and Latin America, are projected to double in population by 2050. PRB, one of the most trusted sources for world population information, recently released these statistics in their 2009 World Population Data Sheet.
International Director for Faith Comes By Hearing Morgan Jackson said that these new figures are troubling because billions of people may never hear the message of hope and truth in God’s Word.
“Already, the world’s poorest of the poor are cut off from the Bible,” said Jackson. “Half of the world’s people are illiterate and too poor to afford a Bible. Five of six African believers will never own their own Bible. And when people don’t have Scripture in a format they can use and understand, the results can be devastating to villages and whole countries.”
[…]
“Small bits of Scripture may be the only truth they have. They just don’t know any different,” said Jackson.
“But modern technology is helping overcome centuries-old barriers of poverty, distance, language, illiteracy, and culture. For the first time in history, we have the tools to reach every person in the world with the Word of God — no matter where they are,” said Jackson.
One of these tools is the Proclaimer, a self-powered audio player that can be used in the most remote and rugged locations. The Proclaimer’s embedded microchip is pre-loaded with the Audio Drama New Testament in the heart languages of the world. Indigenous believers take these life-changing Audio Bibles into their villages and towns and start listening groups. Villagers in groups up to 300 gather around to listen and then discuss what they’ve heard. By interacting with the Word of God, people come to know and follow the God of the Bible.
Currently, New Testament recordings in more than 397 languages are being used in Bible listening programs in 150 countries.
Learn more about The Proclaimer.
I’m thankful to know how to read. In two languages. And to have Bibles in both. And to earn far more than two dollars a day.
Disclaimer: It appears the Mission Network News article comes from a post at the Faith Comes by Hearing site.
Shop — as in, shop all you want and set up shop all you want.
Drop — as in, drop the above notion(s).
Hop — as in, hop right along to other ventures and venture-ers.
Now, before any further explanations of the title or of the above explanations, a quote to rivet in your head:
Good. That sounds commendable enough to me. I mean, any reasonable person should be in favor of not making that kind of decision.
With no further introduction or commentary….
New Government Policy Imposes Strict Standards on Garage Sales Nationwide
Americans who slap $1 pricetags on their used possessions at garage sales or bazaar events risk being slapped with fines of up to $15 million, thanks to a new government campaign.
The “Resale Round-up,” launched by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, enforces new limits on lead in children’s products and makes it illegal to sell any items that don’t meet those limits or have been recalled for any other reason.
[…]
In order to comply, stores, flea markets, charities and individuals selling used goods — in person or online — are expected to consult the commission’s 24-page Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers (pdf) and its Web site for a breakdown of what they can’t sell.
Violators caught selling anything on the enormous list face fines of up to $100,000 per infraction and up to $15 million for a related series of infractions.
Waddle that do for eBay, Craig’s List, Amazon, Roth’s Curiosity Corner, Anabaptist Bookstore, and your great aunt’s garage sale?
😯
Breaking Discovery: I was ready to publish this post. I decided to pause long enough to have a peek at the CPSC site. Here’s a quote: