Sunday, January 2, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Apple Shuts Down A Christian App Because of its Questionable Content About Marriage Between Only a Man & Woman!
Apple Refuses to Reinstate Christian App
Apple recently rejected the resubmission of a Christian app after it was pulled from the app store for being "offensive."
More than 46,000 people signed a petition asking the company to reinstate the Manhattan Declaration app, which is based on a document that upholds the traditional understanding of marriage and the sanctity of life.
But organizers behind the Manhattan Declaration said they were notified last week that the resubsmission was not accepted.
"Apple is telling us that the apps' content is considered 'likely to expose a group to harm' and 'to be objectionable and potentially harmful to others," they said.
"Inasmuch as the Manhattan Declaration simply reaffirms the moral teachings of our Christian faith on the sanctity of human life, marriage and sexual morality, and religious freedom and the rights of conscience, Apple's statement amounts to the charge that our faith is 'potentially harmful to others.'"
The Manhattan Declaration app was initially approved in October and rated as a 4+, which indicated that it contained "no objectionable material."
But opponents of the app started a petition on Change.org demanding that Apple remove the "anti-gay, anti-choice" application. It was pulled over the Thanksgiving holiday. A revised version - that does not contain a poll asking users about same-sex relationships and abortion - was submitted to Apple early this month along with a petition addressed to Steve Jobs.
Those behind the Manhattan Declaration called the latest rejection by Apple "appalling."
"It is difficult to see how this is anything other than a statement of animus by a major American corporation against the beliefs of millions of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox citizens," they stated.
The Manhattan Declaration, unveiled last November, outlines principles that uphold the sanctity of life, the historic understanding of marriage, and religious liberty. It has been endorsed by prominent evangelical, Orthodox and Catholic leaders and so far nearly half a million signatures have been added to it. The original drafters are Dr. Timothy George of Samford University, evangelical leader Chuck Colson, and Dr. Robert George of Princeton University.
Organizers plan to take their rejected app matter to Apple's App Review Board after they return from the Christmas and New Year's holiday observances.
Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Jesus Christ Decor Being Called a "Yard Sign" & Told to Take it Down!
No signs - except for real estate or security signs - are allowed in the Prince William County development. Henderson was given 15 days to comply.
Mr. Henderson, is a federal government employee who will keep the Jesus sign up until Jan. 1.
"When I got the letter on Christmas Eve, I called my wife over and said, 'You're never going to believe this,' " Henderson, 38, said. "I figured we couldn't put up commercial or political signs, but certainly the association could use discretion when it came to religion.
"What really bothered me was that they sent it on Christmas. I consider myself a man of faith. The sign shows to all of our neighbors what Christ means to us."
Carol Piering, a spokeswoman for the management company, said the sign's religious message had nothing to do with the decision to enforce the rules. "The content of the sign is not why the letter was sent," she said, acknowledging that the warning could have been mailed on a different date. "The letter was ill-timed, and for that we absolutely apologize."
"This is a matter of a private contract, and HOAs are entitled to have declarations, and whatever those declarations are make up the laws of that community," said Mike Inman, a Virginia Beach lawyer and co-publisher of the Virginia Condominium & Homeowners' Association Law Blog. "But it would seem to me that the 'Happy Birthday Jesus' item was not necessarily a sign, but yard decor for the season."
CLICK HERE To Read more of the ORIGINAL ARTICLE
JMC Response:
At this time there are over 1400 who have participated in the poll on the Washington Post site. 80% so far want to see the decor stay up!
Christ is the ONLY reason for Christmas. If not then why call it CHRISTmas? It is the celebration of God's son born on Earth!
God bless this family for taking a stand for Christ!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
U.S Citizens Looking For Jobs Won't Find Them In The USA
Corporate profits are up. Stock prices are up. So why isn't anyone hiring?
Actually, many American companies are — just maybe not in your town. They're hiring overseas, where sales are surging and the pipeline of orders is fat.
More than half of the 15,000 people that Caterpillar Inc. has hired this year were outside the U.S. UPS is also hiring at a faster clip overseas. For both companies, sales in international markets are growing at least twice as fast as domestically.
The trend helps explain why unemployment remains high in the United States, edging up to 9.8 percent last month, even though companies are performing well: All but 4 percent of the top 500 U.S. corporations reported profits this year, and the stock market is close to its highest point since the 2008 financial meltdown.
But the jobs are going elsewhere. The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, says American companies have created 1.4 million jobs overseas this year, compared with less than 1 million in the U.S. The additional 1.4 million jobs would have lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, says Robert Scott, the institute's senior international economist.
"There's a huge difference between what is good for American companies versus what is good for the American economy," says Scott.
American jobs have been moving overseas for more than two decades. In recent years, though, those jobs have become more sophisticated — think semiconductors and software, not toys and clothes.
And now many of the products being made overseas aren't coming back to the United States. Demand has grown dramatically this year in emerging markets like India, China and Brazil.
Meanwhile, consumer demand in the U.S. has been subdued. Despite a strong holiday shopping season, Americans are still spending 18 percent less than before the recession on furniture, and 10 percent less on electronics, according to MasterCard's SpendingPulse.
"Companies will go where there are fast-growing markets and big profits," says Jeffrey Sachs, globalization expert and economist at Columbia University. "What's changed is that companies today are getting top talent in emerging economies, and the U.S. has to really watch out."
With the future looking brighter overseas, companies are building there, too. Caterpillar, maker of the signature yellow bulldozers and tractors, has invested in three new plants in China in just the last two months to design and manufacture equipment. The decision is based on demand: Asia-Pacific sales soared 38 percent in the first nine months of the year, compared with 16 percent in the U.S. Caterpillar stock is up 64 percent this year.
"There is a shift in economic power that's going on and will continue. China just became the world's second-largest economy," says David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's, who notes that half of the revenue for companies in the S&P 500 in the last couple of years has come from outside the U.S.
Take the example of DuPont, which wowed the world in 1938 with nylon stockings. Known as one of the most innovative American companies of the 20th century, DuPont now sells less than a third of its products in the U.S. In the first nine months of this year, sales to the Asia-Pacific region grew 50 percent, triple the U.S. rate. Its stock is up 48 percent this year.
DuPont's work force reflects the shift in its growth: In a presentation on emerging markets, the company said its number of employees in the U.S. shrank by 9 percent between January 2005 and October 2009. In the same period, its work force grew 54 percent in the Asia-Pacific countries.
"We are a global player out to succeed in any geography where we participate in," says Thomas M. Connelly, chief innovation officer at DuPont. "We want our resources close to where our customers are, to tailor products to their needs."
Ancient Human Remains Found In Israel
JERUSALEM –
Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans.
A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old.
AP/Oded Balilty
He stressed that further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, "this changes the whole picture of evolution."
The accepted scientific theory is that Homo sapiens originated in Africa and migrated out of the continent. Gopher said if the remains are definitively linked to modern human's ancestors, it could mean that modern man in fact originated in what is now Israel.
Sir Paul Mellars, a prehistory expert at Cambridge University, said the study is reputable, and the find is "important" because remains from that critical time period are scarce, but it is premature to say the remains are human.
"Based on the evidence they've cited, it's a very tenuous and frankly rather remote possibility," Mellars said. He said the remains are more likely related to modern man's ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.
According to today's accepted scientific theories, modern humans and Neanderthals stemmed from a common ancestor who lived in Africa about 700,000 years ago. One group of descendants migrated to Europe and developed into Neanderthals, later becoming extinct. Another group stayed in Africa and evolved into Homo sapiens — modern humans.
Man Pays for Woman's Grocery's Without Asking for Anything in Return!
The generous stranger was at the South Jefferson Street store to cover the woman’s $84 grocery tab.
“He swiped his card through the card reader and before the receipt even came out, he was gone,” Newton said. “I was stunned. Someone coming up and paying for someone’s groceries. Stuff like that doesn’t happen that much anymore.”
Newton and the customer were speechless.
“We just looked at each other,” Newton said. “She thought I knew him and I thought she knew him. I just told her that her groceries were paid for.”
Link to Original Article
Thursday, December 23, 2010
School Now Allows Pledge of Allegiance Without Permission Slip
School sends home permission slips for Pledge of Allegiance: MyFoxBOSTON.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thief Returns Stolen Baby Jesus - The Triad News Story - WXII The Triad
It looks like a repentant heart can be found. A thief who took baby Jesus and some lawn equipment returned the nativity Jesus.