Prayer News | Where Christians Pray Through the News

Prayer List: Mass Starvation Killing Hundreds of Venezuelan Children

Venezuelan selling food in 2012, before the oil prices dropped and the economy failed.

In a heartbreaking news article, The New York Times reports that in 2018 almost 400 Venezuelan children died from starvation at nine public hospitals following emergency room visits.

Dr. Livia Machado told The Times, “Never in my life had I seen so many hungry children.” Dr. Milagros Hernández describes the tragic conditions of her patients, “Children arrive with the same weight and height of a newborn.

Prayer List

* Pray for Venezuela’s starving citizens to receive the food and nutrients they need for physical health.
* Pray for the Holy Spirit to comfort the parents and siblings of children grieving the loss of family members.
* Pray for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of parents, doctors, nurses and other care givers struggling at this time.
* Pray for Venezuela’s political leaders to change their destructive economic policies or be replaced by politicians that will pursue policies that would rebuild the economy.

Unreached People of the Day



Thursday: Magh in Myanmar
Friday: Arab, Jordanian in Canada

Operation World Prayer Focus




Thursday: Global Hot Spots
Friday: The Church Worldwide

Birthday Prayer Lists


Have you prayed for the salvation of all your friends? Why not turn your Facebook friend list into a prayer list? It shouldn't take long to pray for each friend on their birthday.

Some Christians also pray for entertainers, politicians and media personalities on their birthday.

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Berean Research

  • Benny Hinn’s Confession – Full Transcript
    Full statement from Benny Hinn, popular wealth-and-health Word of Faith preacher, on September 3, 2019, speaking to his followers during a Facebook Live broadcast: So it’s all about our brokenness, our old man, we call that the flesh must be broken, must be out of the way. And today, sadly, among a lot of circles, […]The post Benny Hinn’s Confession – Full Transcript appeared first on Berean Research.
    - 15 days ago 5 Sep 19, 2:57am -
  • By WHOSE Standard?
    Saints, you’ll want to pay close attention to how the Social Justice Movement has been worming its way into churches of all denominations, but especially into the pews of the Southern Baptist Convention. It’s as if leaders have forgotten that Jesus came as Savior to wipe away our guilt and shame, and are instead demanding […]The post By WHOSE Standard? appeared first on Berean Research.
    - 58 days ago 24 Jul 19, 3:16am -
  • Lou Engel ends “The Call” to usher in Billy Graham’s “mantle”
    Millions of young people around the world are being told that they can soon supernaturally receive the hovering mantle of evangelism from the late Billy Graham, and that this opportunity will be theirs on February 23. Please hear me, Christian, there is no “mantle” from any person dead or alive that we are to activate […]The post Lou Engel ends “The Call” to usher in Billy Graham’s “mantle” appeared first on Berean Research.
    - 28 Jan 19, 9:28pm -
  • Holding on.
    Discernment Ministry. What do you think of when you hear or read that term? Does your nose wrinkle a little? Does your upper lip curl in disgust? A lot of good, solid, caring, sheep-loving discerning writers are being told not to quit their day jobs due to the actions of a few. Whether those actions […]The post Holding on. appeared first on Berean Research.
    - 9 Oct 18, 2:21am -
  • Why we “Mark and Avoid”
    There is a growing trend to dismiss the Bible in a world that says, “you can’t believe a book that’s a couple thousand years old,” as Rob Bell has done. Bell recently made these statements and said that the Church is very close to embracing gay marriage. If you haven’t boldly marked false teachers, people […]The post Why we “Mark and Avoid” appeared first on Berean Research.
    - 5 Oct 18, 7:37pm -

Christian Headlines

Christian Post

Christianity Today

  • 5 Tips for Training Little Evangelists
    Faithful speech doesn’t need to rely on formulas.In fifth grade, I received evangelism training through my church. It went something like this: Memorize a series of verses (the famed “Romans Road” of evangelizing), identify an unbelieving friend, ask her to get together, share the gospel, and invite her to place faith in Christ.My Sunday school teacher spent the summer helping us learn the words we would need to know, and in late August, she drove two of us to pick up a classmate and test our skills. I remember nervously sipping a milkshake next to our target unbeliever, terrified I wouldn’t get the formula right or remember the Sinner’s Prayer. I don’t remember whether the evening ended in conversion, so I’m guessing it did not.I’m not here to knock my well-intentioned teacher nor critique the various memory tools or verbal formulas for evangelism. God certainly uses these means. But my husband and I chose a less formulaic approach to train our children to be invitational, relational, and convictional in the speech they used to share the good news of Jesus Christ.It may seem counterintuitive to train children in gospel words even before they themselves have professed faith. But when we focus less on apologetics and more on Christian speech, these patterns can and should be taught as soon as they start to talk.First, we should train our would-be tiny evangelists to be fluent in kind words. Children in Christian homes should be taught to forgo sarcastic, bullying, and teasing speech for gracious, encouraging, and affirming speech. When we model and reward kind speech inside our homes, our children are likely to use it outside of them. Kind language is in short supply in our culture, and children who learn to stem the tide of vitriol ...Continue reading...
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  • Female Evangelical Leaders Have a Hidden Predecessor to Thank
    Kathryn Kuhlman’s story offers a case study of the indisputable achievements of strong evangelical women and the equally indisputable roadblocks they often face.“You have been called ‘hypnotic, charismatic, hypnotizing,’” said Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show in 1974. His guest resisted. With a disarming smile, she said she was “just the most ordinary person in the world.” Carson didn’t buy it. “You’re not quite ordinary.”With this telling anecdote, Amy Artman launches her masterful biography of Kathryn Kuhlman, a charismatic healing evangelist who emerged in the post-World War II era alongside Oral Roberts. It’s hard to say whether Roberts or Kuhlman was the most prominent healing evangelist of the day, but it’s easy to say that she was the most prominent woman in the field. At the height of her ministry, many people considered Kuhlman “the best-known woman preacher in the world.” Very few female religious leaders of any theological stripe were famous enough to snare a berth on a network talk show like Carson’s.Kuhlman’s story is a big one, yet she has won little attention from historians. Most American religious history textbooks give her a few sentences at most and some none at all. In The Miracle Lady: Kathryn Kuhlman and the Transformation of Charismatic Christianity, Artman not only rescues Kuhlman from undeserved obscurity but also crafts a sweeping interpretation of the cultural origins of the modern charismatic movement. (Artman is careful to credit her secondary sources, including Edith Blumhofer, David Edwin Harrell, Wayne Warner, and, in the interest of full disclosure, me.)Artman—who teaches religious studies at Missouri State University—offers ample biographical details, but her main interest lies in two overarching arguments. The first is that Kuhlman was one ...Continue reading...
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  • When Satan Takes the High Road, We Take the Low Road
    Why humility is one of the most effective tools for resisting the Devil.For we are not unaware of [Satan’s] schemes,” says the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:11. We always forgive people, he says one verse earlier, because we know what the Devil is up to, and we are not having any of it. Similar logic underlies Paul’s insistence that Christians put on the armor of God: “that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). Satan has a plan, but we know what it is so we can stand against him.I’m not sure how many Western Christians today could echo Paul’s sentiments. Many churches, anxious to avoid seeming spooky, weird, or unhealthily preoccupied with the Devil, throw the baby out with the bathwater. They hardly mention him, let alone teach people how he plans to destroy them and what to do about it. More than a handful of professing Christians don’t believe in him at all, which is just how he likes it. “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled,” quips Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects, “is convincing the world he didn’t exist.”Obsessing over the Devil makes us fearful and paranoid, but ignoring him altogether makes us naïve and unprepared. So it is significant that two of the four Gospels give us detailed accounts of Satan’s guerrilla campaign against the Lord Jesus (Matt 4:1–11, Luke 4:1–13). Reflecting on how Satan attacked him—and how he stood his ground—can be illuminating.According to Matthew, immediately after Jesus was baptized, he was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (4:1). (This is worth remembering when it comes to the recent controversy over the Lord’s Prayer and whether God would ever lead his ...Continue reading...
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  • Interview: Kate Bowler: Why Christian Women Become Celebrity ‘Influencers’
    When the path to formal church leadership is blocked, they'll naturally look for other ways to reach an audience.Tish Harrison Warren lit up the internet with an essay for Christianity Today that asked, “Who’s in Charge of the Christian Blogosphere?” In her piece, Warren addressed “a crisis of authority” resulting from so much de facto discipleship occurring on social media rather than in the church—a phenomenon that, for a variety of reasons, women have experienced most acutely.Even before Warren’s essay was published, Kate Bowler, associate professor of the history of Christianity in North America at Duke Divinity School, was compiling years of research on the conditions within modern American evangelicalism that helped lead to this state of affairs. She discovered that evangelical women, denied traditional means of authority within the church (and sometimes the culture), were becoming increasingly adept at tapping into newer forms of authority brought about by the age of mass media and the cult of celebrity it has wrought. In The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities, she examines how Christian women—within both conservative and liberal church traditions—have exploited the power of beauty, therapy, family, and pop art to exert authority of their own. Author and Liberty University English professor Karen Swallow Prior spoke with Bowler about her book.One of the unique qualities of your research and writing is that you bring the sort of personal experience to your subject that many scholars, particularly in the field of religion, lack. You have roots in a conservative Christian tradition—but you’re not mad about it. Can you talk about that?I grew up among the Mennonites in the plains of Manitoba in a broadly evangelical tradition, ...Continue reading...
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  • A Sixth-Generation Mormon Meets a Born-Again Christian
    He asked me how I knew my faith was true. I couldn’t give a compelling answer.I was a competitive tennis player and an academic high-achiever. Whatever I did, I did it with all of my heart—and being a good Mormon was no exception.As a sixth-generation Mormon girl, I believed that the Mormon Church was the one true church of God. I believed Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. By age six, I was convinced that having a temple marriage and faithfully obeying Mormon laws would qualify me to spend eternity in the highest heaven—the Celestial Kingdom. There, I would exalt into godhood and bear spirit children. This was my greatest dream.As a young girl, obedience felt as easy as skipping pebbles. As I entered my teenage years, it felt more like dragging boulders. The burdens included paying a full tithe, dressing modestly, maintaining sexual and moral purity, actively attending church, and obeying the Word of Wisdom (which forbade consuming alcohol, tea, coffee, or tobacco). I longed to make myself worthy of entering the temple one day.But there were temptations to resist. Throughout high school, Mormon friends of mine began drifting into the world of partying. Alcohol seemed to release them from the striving and shame that comes with performance-based love. It took a will of steel to resist joining them each weekend. For three years I resisted, feeling like a pressure cooker of unworthiness waiting to explode.Testing My BeliefsAs a senior, I gave up resisting, telling myself that this rebellion would only last for a season. I jumped into the party world with the same passion I brought to the rest of my life, funneling beer without restraint. One party at a time, my conscience started shutting down. I was “unworthy”—and relieved to no longer care.Yet even as I felt liberated ...Continue reading...
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Forum 18 News Service

  • RUSSIA: Mosque demolished, church to follow?
    Officials repeatedly rebuffed attempts to legalise ownership of the land where Good News Pentecostal Church in Samara has worshipped for two decades. Officials want to demolish the church, at the congregation's expense. A court hearing is due on 25 September. In May, officials bulldozed a mosque built on farmland near Chernyakhovsk in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, claiming it violated planning regulations.
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  • BELARUS: New possible fines for unapproved worship
    On 18 July, criminal punishments for unregistered religious activities, including worship meetings, ended, but were replaced by summary fines of up to five weeks' average wage. "Some church members will be scared and stop coming to worship services or, God forbid, the authorities will impose a restraining order on the church's property," the leader of an unregistered Christian community commented.
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  • TAJIKISTAN: Pensioner jailed until August 2026
    In a closed hearing in prison, a judge in Khujand on 10 September jailed 68-year-old Jehovah's Witness Shamil Khakimov for seven years, six months in strict regime custody for "inciting religious hatred". On release in August 2026, aged 74, Khakimov would be banned from religious activity until August 2029. "I am guilty of nothing," he told the court and is expected to appeal.
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  • RUSSIA: Losing places of worship
    Complex, sometimes contradictory, and often inconsistently applied legislation can lead religious communities to lose their places of worship. Officials barred a Baptist community in Novorossiysk from using its church "for religious purposes", despite the fact that it has worshipped on the same site for two decades. Local authorities are often unwilling to permit the construction of purpose-built churches and mosques.
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  • TURKMENISTAN: Fourth known 2019 conscientious objector jailing
    An Ashgabad court jailed 20-year-old Jehovah's Witness Azat Ashirov for two years on 31 July for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. He had set out his objections in writing and offered to perform an alternative civilian service. Instead prosecutors claimed he had evaded his obligation fraudulently. Seven Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors are now jailed, four of them in 2019.
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Get Religion

  • newBreaking news alert: Nation's religion journalists have gathered in, um, Sin City for #RNA2019
    OK, I hope the boss man — GetReligion Editor Terry Mattingly — will forgive me for a quick, shorter-than-normal post.I’m in Las Vegas, either for the Vegas Dance Explosion or the Religion News Association annual conference. I’m trying to remember which one. Both are happening right now at the Westgate Resort and Casino.So, I flipped a coin and ended up in a big ballroom for the RNA meeting.But seriously, folks, what better place for a three-day gathering of the nation’s religion journalists than Sin City? Besides me, GetReligion’s Julia Duin is here.A bunch of interesting and important religion issues are on the agenda for the three-day event. You can follow it all live via the #RNA2019 hashtag on Twitter. Also, the RNA is live-streaming sessions on its Facebook page.The digital age is something else, allowing anyone with internet access to be a part of this week’s festivities.Speaking of the digital age, Slate published a fascinating piece this week on “God’s Conversion Rate.” The focus is that “Churches are using targeted ads on social media to convert and recruit.” Now, that’s not exactly breaking news, but I don’t know that I’ve seen a specific story on it, so I enjoyed this one.
    - 10 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 9:30pm -
  • newPraying to plants: Twitter explodes when Union Seminary holds one of its interfaith rites
    Yes, this was click-bait heaven.Yes, this was an oh-so-typical Twitter storm.Yes, this was a perfect example of a “conservative story,” in a niche-news era in which social-media choirs — conservative in this case — send up clouds of laughs, jeers and gasps of alleged shock in response to some online signal.I am referring, of course, to that climate-change confession service that happened at Union Theological Seminary, which has long been a Manhattan Maypole for the doctrinal dances that incarnate liberal Protestant trends in America.It’s important to note that the spark for this theological fire was an official tweet from seminary leaders. Here is the top of a Washington Examiner story about the result: Students at Union Theological Seminary prayed to a display of plants set up in the chapel of the school, prompting the institution to issue a statement explaining the practice as many on social media mocked them. "Today in chapel, we confessed to plants," the nation's oldest independent seminary declared Tuesday on Twitter. "Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor. What do you confess to the plants in your life?" The ceremony, which is part of professor Claudio Carvalhaes’ class “ Extractivism: A Ritual/Liturgical Response,” drew ridicule from many on Twitter, some of whom accused the seminary and students of having lost their minds.OK, let’s pause for a moment to ask a journalism question: Would there have been a different response if this event have inspired a front page, or Sunday magazine, feature at The New York Times?What kind of story? A serious news piece could have focused on (a) worship trends on the revived religious left, (b) this seminary’s attempt to find financial stability through interfaith theological education, (c) the history of Neo-pantheistic Gaia liturgies in New York (personal 1993 flashback here) linked to environmental theology and/or (d) all of the above.
    - 16 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 4:12pm -
  • newFor newsroom source lists: A female Muslim lawyer to watch on religious-liberty issues
    A Pegasus Books release has this curious title: “When Islam Is Not a Religion.”Huh? Say what?Is the pope not Catholic? Don’t U.S. Democrats constitute a political party? (With Britain’s Conservatives and Labour that’s open to question lately.) The subtitle then explains what the book is about: “Inside America’s Fight for Religious Freedom.”Author Asma Uddin’s title targets American right-wingers who are claiming Islam is not “really” a religion — but a dangerous political movement.Islam is, in actuality, a variegated global religion that usually intermingles beliefs with politics in ways that can become problematic, just as with some variants of Christianity -- including some of those making that anti-Islam claim.Uddin, a Pakistani-American lawyer in Washington, D.C., belongs on your prime source list (if she is not there already). Contact: asma.uddin@altmuslimah.com. For starters, this Muslim studied her civil rights specialization at the elite University of Chicago Law School.She became the founding editor of a lively, decade-old online magazine that journalists should be monitoring, altmuslimah.com. It emphasizes hot-button gender issues in Islam (e.g. women’s rights, man-woman relationships, polygamy, harem, genital mutilation, honor killing, headscarves and burqas). You won’t want to miss articles on whether Islam, and also Christianity, can consistently be considered religions (!), like this one.In an interview posted by her law school last year, Uddin says her altmuslimah colleagues felt “there were so many of us who wanted to be authentic to our faith, devoted to our faith, and who were struggling with issues that we didn’t always know how to fit with our lived realities. It turned out that these were conversations that people were desperate to have. The response has been overwhelming.”Most important, Uddin is a principled defender of religious liberty across the board, naturally quick to defend the rights of fellow American Muslims but also concerned about believers in all other faiths, including those who suffer suppression in Muslim countries.
    - 19 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 1:00pm -
  • Religion News Service story on Young Life avoids crucial, complex doctrine questions at Duke
    If you dig into the history of Duke University — formerly Trinity College — it’s hard to avoid its deep roots in the evangelical Methodist movement.The key, today, is that Duke is a private university, one defined by research, basketball and modern doctrines linked to its powerful nonsectarian identity. You can still see a few Methodist ties that do not bind in the way the school’s trustees operate (click here for more on that).However, it is educational — when considering Duke history — to follow the money. The University has historic ties to the United Methodist Church. The institution was begun in 1838-39 when Methodist and Quaker families in northwest Randolph County united to transform Brown's Schoolhouse into Union Institute, thus providing permanent education for their children. A formal agreement with the Methodist Church was entered into in 1859 when the name of the school was changed to Trinity College. The motto,  Eruditio et Religio, which is based on a Charles Wesley hymn, and the official seal, both of which are still in use today, were adopted in 1859. The name of Trinity College continues as the undergraduate college of the University. The most significant development in the history of the school came with the adoption of Trinity College as the primary beneficiary of the philanthropy of the Duke family in 1889. This occurred in part because the college was an institution of the Methodist Church and Washington Duke practiced stewardship as taught by his church. So here is an interesting question linked to a current doctrinal dispute on the Duke campus.Right up front, note this: Duke is a private university and, thus, its leaders have every right to define the doctrines and covenants that govern their campus. That’s true for liberal once-Christian schools as well as many traditional colleges and universities. The question for journalists and lawyers is whether Duke leaders are being consistent in the proclamation and application of their new doctrines.This leads us to a recent Religion News Service article that ran with this headline: “Duke University’s student government rejects Young Life over LGBTQ policies.” The problem is that Young Life doesn’t have “policies” that are independent of 2,000 years of traditional Christian “doctrines” on marriage and sexuality.
    - 2 days ago 18 Sep 19, 4:15pm -
  • Arizona media sizzle over whether calligraphers can decline to create gay wedding invites
    Lawsuits involving gay plaintiffs and businesses in the wedding industry are plentiful these days. Usually these cases involve a jilted couple whose bakery, event destination or photographer wants no part of the nuptials for religious reasons.But this time around, a pair of Phoenix calligraphers sued the city's human rights ordinance, saying they have a right to turn down requests to create gay-themed custom-designed invites. The state Supreme court ruled in their favor on Monday.How did the mainstream press respond? Did this story get covered as news or did it draw editorial lightning bolts and that’s that?We'll start with the Arizona Republic's news story with the headline: Phoenix artists don't have to make LGBTQ wedding invitations, Arizona Supreme Court rules.” A Phoenix ordinance that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination cannot be used to force artists to create custom wedding invitations for same-sex couples, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. The high court's decision overturns multiple lower-court decisions that protected the portion of Phoenix's nondiscrimination ordinance that applies to the LGBTQ community. An attorney for Phoenix insisted that the ruling was narrow and did not strike down the city law. Rather, the court ruled that "one company" could refuse to make "one type of product" for LGBTQ couples, he said. "Today's decision is not a win, but it is not a loss. It means we will continue to have a debate over equality in this community," Mayor Kate Gallego said. However, LGBTQ community advocates fear that the decision, however narrow, creates a pathway for other lawsuits. "This decision opens the door for other bigoted owners to outright discriminate against LGBTQ people for who we are and who we love," Brianna Westbrook, vice-chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, tweeted after the ruling.Not only are the plaintiffs not even mentioned until one-third of the way through the piece, there is no reaction from conservative First Amendment groups.The only POVs provided are from left of center.
    - 2 days ago 18 Sep 19, 1:00pm -

Mission Network News

  • Somalia sees bloodiest terror attack in country’s history
    https://www.mnnonline.org/news/somalia-sees-bloodiest-terror-attack-countrys-history/Somalia (MNN) -- Over 300 people were killed in Somalia's bloodiest attackThe post Somalia sees bloodiest terror attack in country’s history appeared first on Mission Network News.
    - 17 Oct 17, 4:00am -
  • Emergency medical flight gets conjoined twin infants to life-saving surgery
    https://www.mnnonline.org/news/emergency-medical-flight-gets-conjoined-twin-infants-life-saving-surgery/DRC (MNN/MAF) -- Conjoined twins saved through ministry’s medical flightThe post Emergency medical flight gets conjoined twin infants to life-saving surgery appeared first on Mission Network News.
    - 17 Oct 17, 4:00am -
  • Christmas short-term mission opportunities!
    https://www.mnnonline.org/news/christmas-short-term-mission-opportunities/Int'l (MNN) -- Short-term mission trip opportunities this ChristmasThe post Christmas short-term mission opportunities! appeared first on Mission Network News.
    - 17 Oct 17, 4:00am -
  • The faces and stories behind World Food Day
    https://www.mnnonline.org/news/faces-stories-behind-world-food-day/International (MNN) -- On World Food Day, ministry spotlighting long-term solutionsThe post The faces and stories behind World Food Day appeared first on Mission Network News.
    - 16 Oct 17, 4:00am -
  • State elections draw near in India, spark anti-Christian sentiment
    https://www.mnnonline.org/news/state-elections-draw-near-india-spark-anti-christian-sentiment/India (MNN) -- Christians are being watched closely The post State elections draw near in India, spark anti-Christian sentiment appeared first on Mission Network News.
    - 16 Oct 17, 4:00am -

PE News

Persecution Blog

  • Missionary Pilot Shares The Rest of the Auca Martyrs' Story
    Growing up the home of missionary parents in Ecuador, Gene Jordan has always known the story of five men—Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—who gave their lives in the jungle to reach an isolated Indian...      Related StoriesVOM Radio: "When We Say Yes to God"Nate Saint Memorial School: End of an Era"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese Prison 
    - 24 Jul 17, 4:06pm -
  • After Arrest, "I Was Terrified"
    “Dr. Andrew” is working to share the gospel in the Middle East, but he hasn’t always had a heart to share Christ’s love with Muslims. Growing up in a nominal Christian family, Andrew was harassed by Muslims his whole life....      Related Stories"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese PrisonPetr Jasek: God Opened the Prison DoorMiddle East Christians "Standing in the Fire" 
    - 27 Jun 17, 10:07pm -
  • Being a True Vessel for God's Use
    “Brother Matthew” is a pastor and church planter in South Asia, working among Muslims to share the gospel. After threats against his life and an attack on his brother, he was encouraged by family members to leave his country. He...      Related StoriesVOM Radio in Central Asia"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese PrisonAfter Arrest, "I Was Terrified" 
    - 7 Jun 17, 4:56pm -
  • VOM Radio in Central Asia
    "Tanya" is a Christian worker in Central Asia, living and ministering in a country where she must always be cautious about what she says openly and who she says it around. Listen to hear how Christians in the former Soviet...      Related StoriesBeing a True Vessel for God's Use"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese PrisonPetr Jasek: God Opened the Prison Door 
    - 9 May 17, 7:17pm -
  • Nate Saint Memorial School: End of an Era
    The end of an era comes next month. In August 1985, I clutched my mom’s hand and squeaked my rubber flip-flopped way down the gravel path from the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) “base” to the cinderblock Nate Saint Memorial school....      Related StoriesMissionary Pilot Shares The Rest of the Auca Martyrs' StoryVOM Radio: "When We Say Yes to God" 
    - 27 Apr 17, 8:14pm -

Religion News Service

  • newWorld Vision launches Chosen™, ushers in a new era of child sponsorship
    For the first time in its seven-decade history, World Vision is launching a new invitation into child sponsorship. The Christian humanitarian organization is enabling children to choose their sponsors through an innovative experience called Chosen™.The post World Vision launches Chosen™, ushers in a new era of child sponsorship appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 4 hours ago 20 Sep 19, 3:42am -
  • newFeds cite Islam focus in review of Duke-UNC language grant
    (AP) — The Trump administration is threatening to cut funding for a Middle East studies program, arguing that it's misusing a federal grant to unfairly promote "the positive aspects of Islam" but not Christianity or JudaismThe post Feds cite Islam focus in review of Duke-UNC language grant appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 8 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 11:53pm -
  • newUnited Methodists float plans to split denomination after LGBTQ vote
    (RNS) — The most likely proposals provide for dissenting congregations to exit the denomination, while retaining ties to United Methodist support organizations. The post United Methodists float plans to split denomination after LGBTQ vote appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 8 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 11:47pm -
  • newWhy the Arizona Supreme Court ruling in favor of our art studio is a win for everyone
    (RNS) — When we decided to start an art studio together, we knew there would be highs and lows. We didn’t know the lows would include the threat of facing jail time. But the highs of winning a tremendous victory for free speech? We really didn’t see that coming, either.The post Why the Arizona Supreme Court ruling in favor of our art studio is a win for everyone appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 8 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 11:45pm -
  • newHow does a church make the poor visible? This one immortalized them in a fresco
    ASHEVILLE, N.C. (RNS) — When completed later this month, the 27-foot-by-10-foot composition, painted on wet lime plaster at a cost of nearly $300,000, will illuminate in bright colors the faces and gestures of the people who visit Haywood Street Church.The post How does a church make the poor visible? This one immortalized them in a fresco appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 9 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 11:20pm -

Today's Creation Moment

  • THE END IS FEAR
    Remember when Bible-denying cartoonists mocked evangelists carrying “The End Is Near” signs? Today, the people holding those signs are not Christians but are climate-change alarmists … and anyone who dares laugh at them will be persecuted for being a science denier and often a whole lot worse. The signs now read “The End Is Near in 12 Years”, and there are many people – especially politicians – who are touting it to gain power, redistribute wealth, undermine capitalism and take away our way of life. Nothing must stand in their way – not even the freedom to make our own decisions regarding the car we drive, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the words we speak and even the thoughts we think. Do the research and you’ll see that such alarmists are not peddling truth. They are peddling fear, and, judging from how many people believe the hoax, they are indoctrinating millions of people into their environmental faith, both in America and around the world. Children, in particular, are exposed to this end-of-the-world scenario, kids who are too young to analyze the data and come to a rational conclusion. When Christians, on the other hand, frighten children by....
    - 2 days ago 18 Sep 19, 2:28pm -
  • Recurring Donations

    - 10 Apr 19, 5:10pm -
  • Radio Archivo
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United Methodist News Service

World Magazine

  • newTimeline: The Hong Kong protests
    Timeline: The Hong Kong protestsHong KongProtestDemocracyPolice violence, protester vandalism, and a new anthem for a free Hong Kong in ongoing pro-democracy demonstrationsPolitical UnrestErica KwongWORLD first published this timeline on Aug. 30 and has periodically updated it as events develop. For the newest entries, please see the bottom of the page.Political unrest in Hong Kong has accelerated since early this year, when the local government proposed a controversial new extradition law. The law would make it easier to send Hong Kong residents to mainland China to stand trial, a measure many people believe would undermine Hong Kongers’ legal protections. Over the summer, the movement has vacillated between peaceful demonstrations of millions of marchers and bloody clashes between protesters and police.The week-by-week recap of the anti-extradition movement below takes as its starting point the June 9 march that drew a million Hong Kong citizens to the streets. Due to the numerous demonstrations and the largely diffuse nature of the movement so far—the lack of a leader, spontaneous logistics via the messaging app Telegram and the online forum Lihkg.com, and no single specific protest site—this timeline is not exhaustive: It focuses on significant events and turning points. The crowd size estimates come from protest organizers.Week 1:June 9: One million Hong Kong citizens participate in a largely peaceful march against the controversial extradition bill. Despite the historic turnout in a region with a total population of 7.5 million, Chief Executive Carrie Lam insists on proceeding with the bill.  Vincent Yu/AP Protesters march on June 9 in a rally against the proposed extradition law in Hong Kong. June 12: During another large demonstration against the extradition bill, clashes between protesters and police mark a violent turning point for the movement. June 14: Mothers in support of young protesters hold a rally with thousands in attendance. June 15: Carrie Lam announces the suspension of the extradition bill. Week 2:June 16: Despite Lam’s concession, Hong Kongers insist on the extradition bill’s complete withdrawal, with 2 million citizens marching again in a peaceful protest. June 21-22: Angered by the excessive use of police force at the June 12 demonstration, thousands of protesters besiege the Wan Chai police headquarters. They demand a retraction of the government’s characterization of the June 12 protest as a “riot” and demand that arrested protesters be released.Week 3:June 24: Civil disobedience overtakes the Revenue Tower, where over 100 protesters occupy the tax office, halting government operations. To garner global support from the G-20 summit later in the week, activists launch a crowdfunding campaign to place advertisements in major international newspapers, including The New York Times.  Anthony Kwan/Getty Images Protesters storm the Revenue Tower in Hong Kong on June 24. June 26: Protesters deliver petitions to foreign consulates. In the evening, thousands gather for a G-20 rally, followed by another rally at the Wan Chai police headquarters.Week 4:July 1: On the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China, hundreds of thousands of citizens take part in an annual pro-democracy march. Meanwhile, another group storms the legislative building. July 5: Thousands of mothers in Hong Kong rally again in support of student protesters.Week 5:July 7: Aiming to raise awareness among mainland tourists, 230,000 Hong Kong residents march to West Kowloon station, a hub for trains connecting Hong Kong and China. July 9: Carrie Lam declares the extradition bill “dead,” but the bill remains functionally suspended, not withdrawn.Week 6:July 14: Mayhem breaks out in a Sha Tin mall following an afternoon of peaceful protest. Clearing the demonstration, police chase down protesters retreating into the shopping center, where skirmishes between protesters and police result in dozens of injuries. July 17: Thousands of senior citizens rally in Hong Kong’s Central District to support young protesters.Week 7:July 21: In a bloody attack at the Yuen Long train station, suspected triad gang members dressed in white ruthlessly beat citizens wearing black, as black-clad protesters head home after a mass rally that ended with the vandalism of the China Liaison Office. The event deepens public distrust in the police, who do little to stop the violence.July 26: An estimated 15,000 protesters occupy the airport to draw international tourists’ attention to the anti-extradition demonstrations. ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images Protesters stand in line to become a human Lennon Wall as they rally at the international airport in Hong Kong on July 26. July 27: Angered by the Yuen Long attack, residents rally in Yuen Long in a tense standoff between riot police and protesters. Week 8:July 28: Demonstrations against police brutality take place in multiple areas of Hong Kong Island—Causeway Bay, Central, Sai Wan, Sheung Wan, and Wan Chai—with protesters blocking roads and starting fires. Police deploy tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray in clearance operations. Aug. 1: Workers from the finance sector hold a rally in Central with over 1,000 participants. Aug. 2: Defying political neutrality, civil servants hold their own rally, with an estimated turnout of 40,000. The same evening, 10,000 medical professionals also gather for a demonstration.Week 9:Aug. 5: Chaos seizes the city due to a general strike that results in hundreds of canceled flights and cripples several subway lines. Protesters besiege multiple police stations. The police fire over 800 rounds of tear gas and make 148 arrests. Aug. 7: Thousands of lawyers hold a silent march, their second in two months. Later, at the space museum, demonstrators flash laser beams over the domed structure in protest of a university student’s arrest for purchasing laser pointers police deemed “offensive weapons.”  PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images Lawyers and members of the election committee’s legal sector hold a silent march on Aug. 7. Week 10: Aug. 11: At a protest near Tsim Sha Tsui police station, a police-fired beanbag round hits and ruptures a young woman’s eye. The same night, riot police chase protesters into Tai Koo subway station, firing pepper ball rounds, and launch tear gas inside Kwai Fong subway station. Aug. 12-13: Airlines cancel hundreds of flights as protesters, angered over the excessive use of police force, stage a large-scale airport occupation. The predominately peaceful occupation ends in violence when protesters discover two mainland Chinese men in their midst, whom they zip tie and beat.Aug. 16: A rally for members of higher education draws 60,000 participants. Aug. 17: A teachers’ rally draws 22,000 participants. Week 11: Aug. 18: An estimated 1.7 million Hong Kongers stage a peaceful demonstration.  Vincent Thian/AP Protesters gather in Hong Kong on Aug. 18. Aug. 19: A second crowdfunding campaign places advertisements in international newspapers.Aug. 23: Thousands of accountants participate in a noontime rally. Later, over 210,000 citizens join hands to make a 30-mile “Hong Kong Way” human chain, recreating the anti-Soviet Baltic Way demonstration 30 years earlier. Aug. 24: Demonstrators in Kwun Tong pull down smart lampposts over fears of surveillance.   Week 12: Aug. 25: Protesters throw bricks and Molotov cocktails in Tsuen Wan, and police use water cannons for the first time, along with a live warning shot from a gun.  Kin Cheung/AP Police clash with demonstrators during a protest in Hong Kong on Aug. 25. Aug. 28: Hundreds rally to protest China’s pressure on the Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific. Earlier in August, Beijing rebuked the airline over its staff’s anti-extradition involvement, leading to the resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg and the firing of several staff members.Aug. 29: Authorities at the Hong Kong airport arrest Andy Chan, a Hong Kong independence activist.Aug. 30: Hong Kong police arrest two young leaders of the pro-democracy organization Demosistō, Agnes Chow and Joshua Wong, charging them with organizing illegal rallies. The two are released on bail the same day. Police also arrest three pro-democracy legislators, Cheng Chung-tai, Au Nok-hin, and Jeremy Tam, for offenses in previous protests. They are released on bail the next day.Aug. 31: Protests escalate on the fifth anniversary of Beijing’s restriction on universal suffrage in Hong Kong. Demonstrators throw bricks and Molotov cocktails, set barricades on fire, and vandalize train stations. Police fire water cannons with blue dye to identify protesters. At Prince Edward station, riot police beat and pepper-spray passengers. Week 13: Sept. 1: Activists stage a sit-in at the Hong Kong airport, vandalize airport train stations, and block roads leading to the terminal. Airlines cancel 41 flights. Sept. 2: On the first day of class, an estimated 30,000 college students from 11 institutions begin a two-week class boycott. Over 4,000 high-school students from at least 230 schools gather for a rally.Sept. 4: Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces the official withdrawal of the extradition bill, giving in to a key demand of protesters. But the public views the concession as too little, too late.  Vincent Yu/AP A man at a home electronics store in Hong Kong watches Carrie Lam make an announcement on the extradition bill on Sept. 4. Sept. 6: Calling for police accountability, demonstrators at Prince Edward subway station demand the release of security camera footage showing the Aug. 31 riot police actions. Protesters vandalize Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei subway stations out of anger toward MTR Corp., Hong Kong’s railway operator, for its cooperation with the police.  Sept. 7: Demonstrators vandalize multiple train stations in the New Territories.        Week 14:    Sept. 8: Tens of thousands of citizens march peacefully to the U.S. Consulate to urge American lawmakers to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Some protesters smash glass at the nearby Central subway station and start a fire at one entrance.Sept. 9: Thousands of high-school students and graduates form a human chain before classes begin.Sept. 10-12: “Glory to Hong Kong,” a new protest anthem, rings out across shopping malls, where hundreds of citizens gather to sing. Vincent Yu/AP Hong Kong residents sing “Glory to Hong Kong” at a shopping mall. Sept. 13: Hong Kongers combine Mid-Autumn Festival holiday celebrations with pro-democracy protests at public parks. They form human chains, sing “Glory to Hong Kong,” and chant slogans.Sept. 14: Brawls break out between pro-democracy residents and pro-Beijing supporters in a Kowloon Bay shopping center.Week 15:      Sept. 15: Outside the British Consulate, hundreds of Hong Kong residents accuse China of violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which stipulates Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and urge the U.K. government to take action. The same afternoon, protesters hurl bricks and Molotov cocktails (80, according to police) at government headquarters and police lines. Hong KongFeaturesEditor's Notes:  NotesUpdated byChangedCreated The first version of this timeline was published Aug. 30. Updated Sept. 13.danieldevine09/13/2019 - 12:4109/13/2019 - 12:41 HONG KONG, HONG KONG - JUNE 26: Protesters hold placards as they take part in a rally against the extradition bill ahead of 2019 G20 Osaka summit at Edinburgh Place in Central district on June 26, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Leaders from the Group of 20 nations are scheduled to gather this week for the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)Protesters march in a rally against the proposed amendments to extradition law in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 9, 2019. The amendments have been widely criticized as eroding the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's judicial independence by making it easier to send criminal suspects to mainland China, where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)HONG KONG, HONG KONG - JUNE 24: Protesters storm the Revenue Tower to demand withdrawal of the extradition bill on June 24, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong government has been staying low after thousands of protesters surrounded the police headquarters in Hong Kong on Friday, calling for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down, and for a complete withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill which would allow suspected criminals to be sent to the mainland and place its citizens at risk of extradition to China. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)Protesters stand in line to become a human Lennon Wall as they rally against a controversial extradition bill at the arrivals hall of the international airport in Hong Kong on July 26, 2019. - Thousands of Hong Kongers, including flight attendants, held a rally in the airport's arrivals hall on July 26 to "educate" visitors about the demonstrations currently gripping the international finance hub as it braces for another weekend of protests. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)Lawyers and members of the election committee's legal sector hold a silent march against what they claim is political persecution by the Secretary for Justice, while demanding an independent inquiry into the anti-extradition law crisis, in Hong Kong on August 7, 2019. - Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history after millions of demonstrators took to the streets, triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China but have evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) (Photo credit should read PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images)Protesters gather in Hong Kong Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. Thousands of people streamed into a park in central Hong Kong for what organizers hope will be a peaceful demonstration for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)Policemen clash with demonstrators on a street during a protest in Hong Kong, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. Hong Kong police have rolled out water cannon trucks for the first time in this summer's pro-democracy protests. The two trucks moved forward with riot officers Sunday evening as they pushed protesters back along a street in the outlying Tsuen Wan district. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)rachelfbeatty08/30/2019 - 12:3308/30/2019 - 11:57 Dateline: in Hong Kong
    - 7 hours ago 20 Sep 19, 12:28am -
  • newJudgment calls
    WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate have put 152 judges in seats on the federal judiciary so far, something Vice President Mike Pence warns conservatives not to take for granted.“They are all conservatives who are committed to upholding the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, including the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms,” Pence said at a Heritage Foundation event in Washington on Tuesday. [They are] strengthening the constitutional foundations of our courts.” The vice president was scheduled to talk about trade, but his speech turned quickly to the importance of the federal judiciary. He cautioned that Democrats would try to pack the courts with liberal judges if given the chance, even by adding justices to the Supreme Court.Several Democratic presidential hopefuls—including South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas—have suggested expanding the high court. Others have said they would select only pro-abortion judges.“The Democrats and their allies in the media are obviously getting desperate,” Pence said. “After dominating our courts for more than a generation, leading Democrats today are now openly calling for packing the court. This week, they have even taken to smearing a sitting justice on the Supreme Court with discredited allegations.”Pence was referring to an essay published Sunday in The New York Times with a new accusation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The article was largely discredited after the Times admitted the alleged victim declined to be interviewed and friends said she does not remember the incident.Some Democrats, including many 2020 presidential contenders, have endorsed impeaching Kavanaugh in the last week. Pence called this a “disgrace and nothing short of an attack on our independent judiciary.”That judiciary has proven essential to supporting the president’s policies on religious liberty and immigration. Trump-appointed judges helped decide that Christian symbols such as the World War I cross memorial in Bladensburg, Md., still have a place in the public square and that Trump’s third-country rule on asylum-seekers can take effect nationwide.Several key abortion cases are also making their way through the federal court system, and some Supreme Court justices have indicated they are ready to consider a challenge to Roe v. Wade. In an opinion issued in late June, Justice Clarence Thomas noted, “Our abortion jurisprudence has spiraled out of control,” and existing precedents for deciding abortion cases are an “aberration of constitutional law.”Pence promised the administration would continue to appoint strict constitutionalist judges: “We are making historic progress strengthening the constitutional foundation of our courts through the appointments this president has made and will continue to make.” Associated Press/Photo by J. Scott Applewhite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Paying the billsThe House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday afternoon to fund the government until Nov. 21, allowing Congress to avert a government shutdown while it debates spending for the upcoming fiscal year. The measure, which also extends healthcare programs due to expire at the end of the month, would maintain 2019 spending levels when the 2020 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said the short-term funding bill will give the Senate more time to pass its versions of annual spending proposals for federal agencies. The House and Senate must then agree on spending levels.Senate Democrats this week blocked debate on 2020 appropriations for the Defense Department and other agencies over concerns about the use of Pentagon funds to pay for a border wall. —Anne K. Walters Joining the clubThe House on Thursday held its first hearing in 25 years on whether Washington, D.C., should become the nation’s 51st state. Local officials and residents have long advocated for statehood, claiming they deserve representation in Congress. But the city relies heavily on the federal government for funds and services, and granting the district statehood would pose a slew of logistical questions. Republicans worry the heavily Democratic enclave would also skew the makeup of Congress. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will debate a statehood bill put forward by the district’s nonvoting congressional delegate, but the committee has not scheduled any votes on the issue. —A.K.W.Radical powerbrokerRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is throwing her liberal star power behind a Democratic primary challenger to pro-life Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois.Marie Newman lost a primary challenge against Lipinski last year by about 2,000 votes. This time, she has the backing of Justice Democrats, a progressive political action committee that worked to elect Ocasio-Cortez. Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont also have endorsed Newman.Lipinski told National Review at this year’s March for Life he is concerned his party is driving away pro-life Democrats. —A.K.W.Prime seatingThe inspector general of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cleared HUD Secretary Ben Carson of mismanaging funds while decorating his office. Carson ordered $31,000 worth of dining furniture for his suite in 2017, but he ultimately canceled the order after media reports brought it to light.The department allocated $5,000 for Carson to redecorate his offices and said he left the details to his staff and his wife. HUD acknowledged it failed to notify Congress it was going to allocate other funds for the purchase. —A.K.W. Image: Deck: Vice President Mike Pence touts the importance of a conservative judiciaryCategory: PoliticsKeywords: PoliticsWashingtonCourtsSupreme CourtWhite HouseKavanaugh ConfirmationBudgetCongressCampaign 2020Slug: PoliticsArticle Title: Judgment callsAuthor: Harvest PrudeDigital Branding: The StewHide from Archive?: 0
    - 11 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 9:20pm -
  • newAbortionist had remains of babies boxed up in his garage
    The 2,246 medically preserved fetal remains authorities found earlier this week at the Illinois home of late abortionist Ulrich Klopfer were stored in small, sealed plastic bags in cardboard boxes in his garage. “In the 31 years I’ve been doing this job, I’ve never seen anything like this, ever,” Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said Thursday. Kelley said investigators think the remains date to when Klopfer worked at three abortion facilities in Indiana between 2000 and 2002.Will anyone face charges? Authorities in Indiana plan to investigate further. They asked possible patients who wanted more information to contact them. Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said because the investigation is ongoing and due to medical privacy laws, he couldn’t release information about the identities or records of the remains, which Illinois will transfer into the custody of Indiana authorities. There is no evidence Klopfer performed any of the procedures at his home.Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on how the remains were found.Image: Category: Pro-LifeArticle Title: Abortionist had remains of babies boxed up in his garageKeywords: AbortionCrimeChildrenTragedyLifeAuthor: Rachel Lynn Aldrich
    - 11 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 9:18pm -
  • newQuestioning animal research
    The Environmental Protection Agency has a plan to end scientific testing on mammals by 2035, but some researchers and doctors worry humans are not ready for the change.The plan calls for cutting mammalian testing by 30 percent in 2020 and eliminating such studies by 2035, except for experiments approved on a case-by-case basis. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., commended the EPA decision and encouraged more agencies to follow its example: “Animal testing is often cruel and painful, with limited applicability to human health outcomes.”For decades, the EPA has required animal testing to make sure chemicals meet federal safety standards before hitting the market or being released into the environment. The studies have proven the most effective way to test the possible side effects of chemicals, but they often involve pain and suffering for lab animals.Laura Vandenberg, an environmental health scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, fears the EPA decision will make it harder to keep harmful chemicals off the market if producers don’t have to test the effects of products on live creatures. “We are going to get caught in a position where we won’t really be able to regulate chemicals in the U.S.,” she told Nature.Jennifer Sass, a scientist with the National Resources Defense Council, expressed similar concerns that the move will undercut regulations meant to protect humans. The EPA plan could “allow potentially dangerous chemicals to get out there into the environment and into consumer products,” she told Science.Recent technological advances offer possible alternatives to animal studies. Computer models can predict and simulate the effects of a chemical. Scientists can also use human cell cultures to produce miniaturized versions of vital organs. They place those tiny organs in a computer chip and use them to study the effects certain chemicals would have on the body.Wesley J. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism, said humans have a duty to treat animals humanely while considering the human benefit of a particular use of animals. He noted most people support the use of animals in medical research to develop new medicines but “oppose dogfighting because it is only about gambling and satiating a blood lust.”Smith said limiting animal testing as much as possible demonstrates humans’ unique ability to recognize our duties: “We are the only species with moral responsibilities.” But, he noted, research institutes should base decisions about animal testing on our responsibility toward animals, not on the incorrect assumption that animals have inherent rights like people. YouTube/Improbable Research Prize-winners Theresa McKeon (left) and Karen Pryor at the Ig Nobel ceremony Who said science is stuffy?Last week, in a 29-year-old Harvard University tradition, several scientists won 10 trillion Zimbabwean dollars for their perplexing, unusual, and just plain weird studies.The prizes, known as Ig Nobels, parody the real Nobel Prizes, and the Zimbabwean cash awards are worth less than one U.S. dollar.This year’s winning research included a study that found surgeons learn and perform better when teachers use ticker training. The technique, commonly used by animal trainers, reinforces desired behavior by clicking a mechanical device when the animal, or, in this case, surgeon, performs correctly. It’s not quite the same as giving a doctor a treat and a pat on the head, but it still works, said Karen Pryor, one of the researchers. According to Pryor, experienced surgeons traditionally train younger surgeons, and the well-seasoned doctors can be hard on the students. But when trained with a clicker, the young surgeons performed procedures with greater confidence and precision.Another award went to researchers who discovered that Romanian currency carries more germs than foreign money, including the euro, U.S. and Canadian dollars, and Indian rupees. The researchers found that Romanian banknotes contain a polymer fiber that makes counterfeiting difficult and improves durability but also allows the growth of drug-resistant pathogens.And, good news for pizza lovers, another award went to Italian researcher Silvano Gallus, who discovered that pizza offers many health benefits. —J.B. NASA An illustration showing the path of C/2019 Q4 Amateur astronomer discovers cometUkrainian amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov on Aug. 30 discovered the second comet ever observed that hails from outside our solar system.The first out-of-town space rock that scientists observed was ‘Oumuamua in 2017, but they didn’t find it until it was already on its way out of our solar system at 98,000 miles per hour. The new visitor’s size and brightness will make it possible to gather more clues as to its chemical composition. And C/2019 Q4 is inbound, giving scientists more time to study it before it moves out of the cosmic neighborhood.The comet will come closest to the sun on Dec. 7 and will approach within 180 million miles of Earth on Dec. 29.“What’s really fantastic is that this thing should be observable for a year,” Matthew Holman, interim director of the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, told National Geographic. “We get to see one little bit of another solar system, and without necessarily knowing which one it came from. That’s exciting.” —J.B. Image: Deck: The EPA plans to eliminate some animal testing by 2020Category: Science & TechKeywords: ScienceResearchAnimal RightsAnimalsDiscoveriesTechnologySpaceMedicineHealthSlug: ScienceArticle Title: Questioning animal researchAuthor: Julie BorgDigital Branding: BeginningsHide from Archive?: 0
    - 13 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 6:46pm -
  • newTrump sues to stop tax return subpoena
    President Donald Trump has asked a judge to block New York prosecutors from accessing his tax returns. The president sued Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. in U.S. District Court on Thursday to stop a subpoena asking for eight years of Trump’s state and federal returns. Trump’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said the lawsuit is intended “to address the significant constitutional issues at stake in this case.”Who else wants Trump’s tax returns? The president and three of his children also sued Deutsche Bank in April to stop it from giving personal financial records to two U.S. House Committees. In July, Trump filed suit against a law that would allow New York to hand over public officials’ state tax returns to Congress.Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on the New York law, which the president said discriminates against him for his speech and politics.Image: Category: PoliticsArticle Title: Trump sues to stop tax return subpoenaKeywords: PoliticsPersonal FinanceTaxesNew YorkWhite HouseAuthor: Rachel Lynn Aldrich
    - 15 hours ago 19 Sep 19, 4:43pm -

World Watch Monitor