Chile': 33 Miners Trapped For Over 17 Days In Collapsed Mine

Click to read full story from CNN

(CNN) -- The 33 miners trapped inside a mine in Chile survived for more than 17 days by sharing small amounts of tuna and mackerel that were in a shelter, along with water, President Sebastian Pinera told CNN en Español on Monday.

"They had very little food," the president said, revealing new details about the conditions affecting the trapped miners. "They told us they ate tuna and mackerel every other day, and that they shared ... a jar of peaches among the 33."

A second probe reached the miners Monday, making a total of two devices that are capable of relaying communications, food and water between the trapped miners and those on the ground.

Using a video camera on one of the probes, Pinera said he saw the miners.

"I saw them jumping like children, with an infinite joy. They moved their arms, they turned on their flashlights," Pinera said.

The area where the miners find themselves is about 50 square meters (538 square feet), Pinera said.

He described the shelter as a type of cavern where they had access to an area called the "workshop," where they found batteries for light and water for consumption.

Pinera estimated the temperatures where the miners are hover between 32-35 degrees Celsius (90-95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Earlier Monday, national Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said that tubes packed with flashlights, water and oxygen would be sent to the trapped miners. It was unclear whether the supplies had been delivered yet.

Officials learned Sunday that the copper and gold miners had survived after an August 5 cave-in trapped them more than 2,300 feet underground.

It could take three months or more to rescue the workers, Pinera said.But the miners' health will take priority over rescue-and-removal efforts, Golborne said at a news conference at the disaster site in northern Chile.

Medical officials were sending water down to the miners and then will determine whether they are healthy enough to tolerate liquid nutrients, said Jorge Diaz, the doctor in charge of the medical aspects of the rescue.

"First, we are going to assure the workers' state of health," Diaz said at the news conference.

Psychological help also will be given to the trapped miners, he said.

Golborne reiterated Monday that those responsible for the cave-in will be prosecuted, a point also made a few minutes later at a separate event by Pinera.

"We will investigate and punish those who are responsible," he said.

Family members had cheered Sunday when Pinera held up a handwritten note pulled from the mine.

Written in Spanish in red ink, it said simply: "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us."

The note was tied to a probe authorities had lowered earlier Sunday.

Colorado School Offers Contraception To Students

DENVER - Bruce Randolph School will be the first in Denver Public Schools to offer birth control to students.

Condoms, birth control pills, and emergency contraceptives are now available to any student whose parents signed them up for services at the school based clinic run by Denver Health Medical Center.

Jennifer Gonzalez is part of the parent group that pushed for the contraceptives. She has a son in the high school.

"If the only thing keeping my son from protecting himself is the embarrassment of asking me, or the ability to get to the clinic where its offered for free, then I'd much rather him be able to walk into the school based clinic and ask for it," she said.

Thirteen girls at Bruce Randolph have had babies in the past two years.

The principal hopes access to birth control will bring that number down, and help break the cycle of poverty in the area.

But not everyone agrees. Some people say school is not the place for this, and others believe abstinence should be taught instead.

Bob Enyart with Colorado Right to life expects the number of pregnancies to increase.

"This is a tragedy of parenting and schooling," Enyart said.

There are 14 school based clinics that offer some form of contraception in Colorado, but Bruce Randolph is the first in DPS. The school serves students in 6th-12th grades.
Click to read full story from KDVR.com
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JMC Ministries Response

What Ever Happened to Teaching Children Self Control, Abstinence and the dangers of having sex outside of marriage? Now parents and schools just throw pills, condoms and the day after pill at kids when they want to have sex. Instead of educating them and parents taking responsibility for their children and actually raising them with morals, now we just basically say, "go do whatever you want as long you take a pill (which is not even 100% protecting their children from getting pregnant) and condoms (which is not even protecting them 100% from STDS, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy) This is like throwing a Band Aid On a Opened Wound that without the right kind of care and nurturing will never heal and we will continue to have children younger and younger becoming sexually active and getting pregnant.

Church Reopens On 5th Anniversary Of Hurricane Katrina

Click to read full story from WWLTV.com
NEW ORLEANS-- Inside the Historic Second Baptist Church on Marengo Street came the sound of a service five years in the making. On Sunday, worshippers celebrated their return to the church -- five years after Hurricane Katrina.

"The last sermon before Katrina was 'Stormy Weather.' We sustained about 6 to 8 feet of water, easily," said Pastor Robert Jackson. "We've come this far by faith."

It is a faith that church members carried with them across the region and the city, as they searched for temporary places where they could worship. In the past five years, the 160-year-old church held services everywhere but here: from Houston to Baton Rouge; from funeral homes to parking lots.

On Sunday morning, though, a repaired building, with new floors and shiny pews, welcomed those coming in for services.

"Some days you felt like, 'Oh my goodness, will this ever come?' And then now that we're here, it's just a wonderful, wonderful feeling," said longtime church member Charmaine Robertson.

"You know, your church is like your second home. You know how people have vacation homes? In New Orleans, a church is like a second home to you," said Linda Landry. "There's no place like home. I'm like Dorothy, clicking my heels. I'm home! We're so happy."

The happiness is tempered with thoughts of fellow church members, nearly 40 in all, who didn't make it back to see their church reopen.

"We definitely feel their sense of presence," Robertson said. "Today, you can't help but think about them and what it would have meant to them to be a part of this celebration."

Yet, the celebration goes on, as a sign of life-- and a sign that, perhaps, things can get better.

Barack Obama Elementary School Opens In Maryland

Click to read full story from NBC Washington
The first school in the D.C. area named after the current president opens Monday morning as the school year begins in Prince George's County.

Barack Obama Elementary School opens its doors in Upper Marlboro, Md., for the first time Monday. The school is being touted as being an environmentally friendly "green" school. There have been other schools named after President Obama in the country, but this will be a first in his own backyard in the D.C. region.

That's just one of several new initiatives for Prince George's Public Schools this year. The District also will open an all-male charter school in Upper Marlboro. Called Possibility Prep, the new school will emphasize math, science and engineering. Officials hope that the all-male environment will do away with many distractions and allow students to focus on their studies.

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JMC Ministries Response

We know that in the past there have been many schools that have opened that were named after a present or former U.S President. Some of these parents who were interviewed expect this to be the greatest school ever opened to improve their childrens' education. When if we look at President Obama's record he really has not improved much since coming into office. But you won't hear him admit that, all you will hear is that "It's Bushes Fault" majority of the time as to why America is so messed up today. Yes Bush did make mistakes when he was in office and caused problems. But That was 2 Years Ago now and Mr. Obama is now in office Bush is no where running anything It's you Mr. Obama. You are the one making the decisions and it is you who need to step up stop blaming others. You said, "the buck stops with me" So stop making excuses for the reason why things aren't going the way you planned

Our question is, that if the children in this school start failing and not getting the good grades while attending this school, Is Obama gonna blame Bush for that as well? I pray and hope that this school will help these children and that they have opportunities to excel academically because without a good education, we set children up for failure when we send them out into the real world unprepared.