The Christian Post reports that 61 percent of Americans agree that America is a nation specially blessed by God, and 59 percent agree that the United States should be an example of a Christian nation for the world, according to a survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc. for the PBS news program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and the United Nations Foundation. These ideas were most familiar to Americans who attend weekly religious services. People who strongly believe in America's special blessing and duty to set an example were morely likely to view American involvement in world affairs as a moral obligation. Nonetheless, Americans are equally split about whether the U.S. has a positive or negative impact on the world. - JJ Commentary: God’s blessing, which raised the USA above all other nations, is being systematically removed as the nation turns away from its Christian roots. Unless there is a major turnaround, God’s judgments and the law of sowing and reaping will force America to its knees.
Apple Pledges $100K in Calif. Gay Marriage Fight
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. has joined the short list of publicly traded companies to oppose a ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California. The Cupertino-based computer and iPod maker said on its website Friday it made a $100,000 pledge to defeat Proposition 8. The statement says Apple views the initiative as a civil rights issue. An Apple spokesman declined to elaborate. Jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. gave $25,000 last month to fight the initiative. Same-sex marriage became legal in California in June.
Teachers Outraged over Dues Money to Homosexual Agenda
The president of the Pacific Justice Institute says a large percentage of California public school teachers are outraged over the California Teachers Association's support for homosexual marriage. According to Pacific Justice Institute president Brad Dacus, the CTA has funneled more than $1.2 million into the fight against California's Proposition 8. That proposition, if passed on November 4, would define marriage as between one man and one woman and amend the state constitution accordingly. CTA's opposition to Prop. 8 has angered many public school teachers whose CTA membership fees have been used to fund the opposition campaign. In response, his group has launched a project called ChooseCharity.org.
Half of Doctors Prescribe Placebos, Survey Shows
LONDON (AP) — About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won't really help their condition. And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found. That contradicts advice from the American Medical Association, which recommends doctors use treatments with the full knowledge of their patients. Placebos as defined in the survey went beyond the typical sugar pill commonly used in medical studies. A placebo was any treatment that wouldn't necessarily help the patient. Scientists have long known of the "placebo effect," in which patients given a fake or ineffective treatment often improve anyway, simply because they expected to get better. "Doctors may be under a lot of pressure to help their patients, but this is not an acceptable shortcut," said Irving Kirsch, a professor of psychology at the University of Hull in Britain who has studied the use of placebos.
Kids Less Likely to Graduate than Parents
WASHINGTON (AP) — Your child is less likely to graduate from high school than you were, and most states are doing little to hold schools accountable, according to a study by a children's advocacy group. One in four kids is still dropping out of high school. In fact, the United States is now the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to earn a diploma, the report said. The U.S. was slow to realize it was facing a dropout crisis. For years, researchers reported dropouts as the number of kids who quit school in 12th grade, failing to capture those who left high school earlier. Now the federal government is poised to raise the bar on graduation rates. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is expected to issue new rules next week that will force states to use a common tracking system and will judge schools not only on graduation rates but on the percentage of black and Hispanic students who graduate, too.
Pair of Small Earthquakes Hit Northern California
EUREKA, California (AP) — A pair of minor-to-moderate offshore earthquakes have struck the northern California coast, but there are no reports of any damage or injury. The U.S. Geological Survey says in a preliminary report that the first quake had a magnitude of 5.1. It struck at 2:27 a.m. Sunday about 41 miles southwest of Eureka and 208 miles northwest of Sacramento at a depth of 11.5 miles. The second was a magnitude 4.1 quake that struck one minute later farther south, about 40 miles west of Santa Rosa and 74 miles northwest of San Francisco at a depth of about 3 miles.
- JJ Commentary: A “big one” (but not the big one) is coming soon.
Fighting Continues in Pakistan Border Region
KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — Troops fought Taliban militants in separate battles in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 11 in an insurgent stronghold overlooking the Afghan border, an official said. U.S. officials have praised the two-month offensive in Bajur, a tribally governed region considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda No.2 Ayman al-Zawahri. Pakistan's army launched the offensive after officials declared it a "mega-sanctuary" for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants who had set up a virtual mini-state and were funneling fighters over the mountainous border into Afghanistan.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike on a compound used by Taliban militants near the Afghan border has killed up to 20 people. Two intelligence officials say the strike occurred early Monday in Pakistan's South Waziristan region. The officials say the house was frequented by followers of a Taliban commander, but that the identity of the victims is not immediately clear. U.S. missile strikes into Pakistan's border region have escalated sharply in recent months, despite protests from the Pakistani government.
Christians in India Face Attacks
Bloody anti-Christian riots broke out here in late August, rampages by Hindu hard-liners that since then have left at least 38 people dead, as many as 30,000 homeless and dozen of churches destroyed. The worst of the violence ended after a week or so, when authorities finally deployed soldiers to set up checkpoints and relief camps. But nearly every day since then, the trouble has continued: a house burned, a carload of people beaten, a soldier hacked to death. Repeatedly, Christian villagers say, they have been told they must convert to Hinduism. The anti-Christian violence has also flickered across other parts of India, with churches vandalized and Christians attacked in the high-tech hub of Bangalore, the city of Mangalore and the coastal state of Kerala. India is more than 80% Hindu but its 1.1 billion people include all of the world's major religions, a caste system of near-impossible complexity, colossal divides of wealth and poverty, and, by some estimates, more than 2,000 ethnic groups.
Crystal Cathedral TV Preacher Removed by Father
GARDEN GROVE, California (AP) — Crystal Cathedral founder Reverend Robert H. Schuller has removed his son as preacher on the church's weekly "Hour of Power" syndicated TV broadcast. Schuller said in a statement read to some 450 congregants Saturday by church president Jim Coleman that he and his son, Robert A. Schuller, "have different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry." "For this lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this is placing this entire ministry, it has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways," Schuller said.
Japanese Food Recalls
TOKYO (AP) — A major Japanese meat processor said Sunday it was recalling millions of packages of sausages and pizzas after finding cyanide in water at one of its plants. Itoham Foods Inc. said in a public notice published in national newspapers Sunday that tests have found up to three times the government limit of cyanide in the well water normally used in the products. Separately, Japan's top instant noodle maker, Nissin Food Products Co., announced domestic recalls Friday of its Cup Noodle instant noodles after a woman grew sick from eating noodles that were later found to be tainted with an insecticide.
Iraq's Female Lawmakers Make Strides
BAGHDAD — It took a lot to make the female members of Iraq's parliament finally snap. They tolerated being cut off while speaking, or not being called on at all — or being relegated to "women's issues." The last straw came a few weeks ago when Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the parliament speaker, quipped that women make poor leaders because they are easily distracted by worries their husband might take a second wife. The insult reverberated through the chamber. Nearly all the 74 women — from secular Kurds in pantsuits to fundamentalist Shiites covered head-to-toe in black — boycotted the next day's session. All work came to a standstill without a quorum. About an hour into the boycott, the women swept back into the chamber to loud applause from the men. A chastened al-Mashhadani apologized. "We decided to show them that without women, you cannot pass laws," says Ala Talabani, one of the women who boycotted. "We gained so much from what happened that day."
Civilians Attack U.N. Compound in Congo
GOMA, Congo (AP) — U.N. officials say four of their compounds in eastern Congo have come under attack by thousands of civilians throwing rocks. The civilians are venting their outrage at the organization's inability to protect them from rebel forces advancing on the provincial capital of Goma. The crowd shattered windows and damaged cars, U.N. spokeswoman Sylvie van den Wildenberg said. Several U.N. officials say the attacks appear coordinated and instigated. The officials gave The Associated Press a letter from a provincial official to Congo's army chief urging the government to capitalize on the "angry spirit of the population." People in eastern Congo are angry that the United Nations' 17,000-strong peacekeeping force has been unable to protect them from a rebel attack just 25 miles north of the city. Tens of thousands of civilians have abandoned their homes.
Israeli Leader Livni Halts Coalition Efforts
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Sunday gave up her attempts to form a coalition government, setting the stage for early elections and casting a cloud of uncertainty over already sputtering peace talks with the Palestinians. Israel now appears to be headed toward months of political paralysis, and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, a vocal critic of the peace process, is in a strong position to become the country's next leader. Livni, who hopes to become Israel's first female prime minister in three decades, has been trying to put together a government since she replaced the corruption-tainted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as head of the ruling Kadima Party last month. But partners in the current coalition, which took power in May 2006, used the changing of the guard to press new demands. Livni has been Israel's chief peace negotiator with the Palestinians for the past year, and repeatedly has spoken of the need to make territorial concessions. Netanyahu takes a hard line against ceding land won in war, and has ruled out partitioning Jerusalem, a key Palestinian demand.
Economy
NEW YORK — Wall Street capped another difficult week with steep losses Friday, sending the major indexes to their lowest levels in more than five years as markets around the world skidded lower on the belief that a punishing economic recession is at hand. Much of the selling has been driven by global deleveraging, a process in which investors sell securities to reduce risk and lower their exposure to financial markets. Another downward force comes from people and institutions who cash out because they need cash and can’t get a loan. With the Dow now down more than 41% from its Oct. 9, 2007, high, some investors say this is the time to buy, but only if investors have the stomach to deal with crazy volatility and have a long time horizon.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. bank regulators Friday closed Alpha Bank & Trust in Georgia, the 16th U.S. bank to fail this year as the weakening economy and falling home prices take their toll on financial institutions. In 2007, three U.S. banks failed. A top Treasury official says the $125 billion the government is providing nine major banks will be distributed this week. Assistant Treasury Secretary David Nason said Monday that the deals with the nine banks were signed Sunday night. He said the government will make the stock purchases this week designed to bolster the banks' balance sheets so they can begin more normal lending. Meanwhile, at a time when more consumers are struggling to pay their bills, large banks are raising some account fees to record levels. Bounced-check fees, ATM fees, monthly service fees and balance requirements for interest checking accounts all hit highs in 2008, before adjusting for inflation, according to a survey released Monday by Bankrate.com., which tracks and compares bank products.
WASHINGTON — Sales of new homes recorded an unexpected increase in September as median home prices dropped to the lowest level in four years, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Sales of new single-family homes rose 2.7% last month. The median price of a new home sold in September declined 9.1% from a year ago to $218,400, lowest since September 2004. The surprising increase in September sales still left them 33% below a year ago.
USA TODAY — The economic crisis threatening the nation with the worst recession in decades has set off tremors among non-profits and charities large and small that rely on donations from Wall Street, industry and average Americans. The potential impact is just now taking shape, because 2009 grants from many philanthropic foundations are still being set and the end-of-year holiday giving season is opening. "This is the worst fundraising environment I've ever worked in," says Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer for the American Red Cross.
The Red Cross is suffering as much as a 30% drop in responses and contributions from new donors, and corporate donations are "coming in at lower amounts" at the halfway point of a campaign to raise $100 million by Dec. 31, Towers says. Across the nation, philanthropic organizations report similar omens.
Weather Signs
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) — Floods swept through southern Yemen after a tropical storm slammed into the impoverished country, leaving at least 61 people dead, a senior police official said on Saturday. Hamid el-Kharashi, a police chief in the southern province of Hadramut, said the death toll is expected to rise as scores of people are still missing and hundreds of families are homeless or trapped by the rising waters. More than 638 houses have been demolished by the flash floods in Hadramut alone, he added. The tropical storm formed out in the Indian Ocean earlier in the week and headed north, hitting Yemen's remote Hadramut province on Thursday.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Officials say at least 29 people are dead and 14 others are missing because of heavy rains in Honduras. The rains began nearly two weeks ago in this Central American nation. The Honduran government says nearly 20,000 people are in shelters and more than 40,000 have been evacuated from their homes. Safe drinking water is scarce in some communities, and thousands of acres of bananas, coffee and other crops are under water. More than 200 highways and 100 bridges are damaged. Landslides in western Honduras buried 40 homes. No one was injured because the area had been evacuated after another landslide blocked a river, creating a sudden lake.
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