Pope Benedict XVI Refuses Condoleezza Rice

Posted on 9/20/2007 @ 2:50 PM in #Politics by news 0 comments

Pope Benedict XVI refused a recent request by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss concerns dealing with the Middle East and Iraq. The Pope does not normally receive politicians on his annual August holiday at the Castelgandolfo residence near Rome. However, other sources seem to think he failed to acknowledge the issue due to its close relationship with the Bush administration. Two main reasons Pope Benedict might have decided not to see Ms. Rice is because she was the person who made it clear to a special diplomat sent from Rome, Cardinal Pio Laghi, that the Bush administration was not interested in the views of the late Pope on the immorality of launching its planned military offensive. Second, the Pope might have not been responsive to Ms. Rice due to the U.S. responding in an unacceptable manner toward protecting the rights of Iraqi Christians under the new Iraqi constitution. The Bush administration has told the Vatican that as alliances have not succeeded in securing the whole

Bishop Thomas Weeks Will Not Contest Divorce Filing by Wife Juanita Bynum

Posted on 9/18/2007 @ 12:55 AM in #Religion by news 1 comments

Bishop Thomas Weeks will not contest the divorce proceedings filed by wife, evangelistJuanita Bynum. Bynum filed for divorce Monday. Initially, Weeks wanted to reconcile with Weeks, but "has come to the personal resolve, that if Juanita is insistent on a divorce, he will not stand in the way," his attorneys said in a statement. Bynum's attorney Karla Walker said she is withdrawing a divorce petition filed in southern Georgia's Ware County, where Bynum has a home, and refiling the case in Gwinnett County, where Weeks lives. Bynum claims Weeks choked, pushed and stomped on her in an Atlantahotel parking lot after an Aug. 21 meeting in which the couple failed to reconcile. Weeks faces charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats. He is free on $40,000 bond and is not allowed to have contact with Bynum. Bynum is known for her messages on female empowerment and motivational speaking. She now has become an advocate for domestic violence awareness and wants to be seen as a survivor, not a

September 11th Reminds Skeptics of Rudy Guiliani as Mayor

Posted on 9/11/2007 @ 2:58 PM in #News by news 0 comments

As New York City is engulfed in Patriot Day, the holiday given to commemorate the 9/11 attacks six years ago, its former mayor is under question. Rudy Giuliani, the city's mayor on September 11,2001, has been criticized for using how he handled his mayoral position after the attacksfor his campaign to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee. In 2001, Guiliani became the posterboy of America's greatest tragedy. We worked very well with the New York Police Department and Fire Department, which became heroes to the American public. For the months following the September 11th attacks, New York City news became national headlines, and Guiliani was at the forefront. Post 9/11 coverage overshadowed Giuliani's politics prior to the attacks. Many minorities in New York City were livid about his treatment of people of color, specifically Amadou Diallo, a man of African descent who was shot19 timesby New York cops in 1999 while picking up his wallet,and Adner Louima, a Haitian who was beaten and sodomized by

Rev. D. James Kennedy Passes Away

Posted on 9/7/2007 @ 7:31 AM in #Religion by news 0 comments

The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and megachurch pastorwho helped to form the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday. He was 76. Kennedy died at his home in Fort Lauderdale from complications of a heart attack he suffered on Dec. 28. He had not been seen publicly since the heart attack, and his retirement was announced Aug. 26. He urged Christians to evangelize in their daily lives, while condemning homosexuality and abortion as assaults on the traditional family. He also preached on the major policy issues of the day, rejecting evolution and global warning. Unlike rivals Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, Kennedy preferred to be behind the scenes while he started the rise of the religious right. He was a founding board member of the Moral Majority, which he started with Falwell. In 1959, Kennedybecame the minister atCoral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which started with 45 members and has expanded toa megachurch with 10,000 today. In 1996, Kennedy created Coral

Juanita Bynum To Make Public Appearance Tuesday Night

Posted on 9/7/2007 @ 7:31 AM in #Religion by news 1 comments

Evangelist Juanita Bynum is scheduled Tuesday night to make her first public appearance since she was allegedly beaten by her husband Bishop Thomas Weeks in an Atlantahotel parking lot. Bynum will be a special guest on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN)'s "Praise The Lord" program. The nationally renowned preacher been very private since the incident on August 21. Weeks, who has told his congregation that the devil made him do it, was indicted by a grand jury this past Friday in connection with the attack. He has been charged with felony aggravated assault and terroristic threats and two misdemeanor counts of simple battery listed in a Fulton County grand jury indictment handed downthis pastFriday. Weeks is due in Fulton County Superior Courtthis upcomingFriday. The charges against him carry a maximum possible sentence of 27 years. Audience members began trickling into Trinity Broadcast Network before 1 p.m. to get a seat for the Bynum broadcast. The auditorium at TBN holds 300 people. Bynum's appearance

Juanita Bynum files for divorce from Bishop Thomas Weeks, says she will always love him

Posted on 9/7/2007 @ 7:31 AM in #Religion by news 2 comments

Juanita Bynum, who now calls herself “the new face of domestic violence,” has filed for divorce from her husband Bishop Thomas W. Weeks. Bynum was beaten, stomped on, choked and threatened by Weeks on August 21 outside a hotel. Weeks has been charged with felony aggravated assault and making terrorist threats; if found guilty the pastor faces up to 27 years in prison. Although the divorce is in progress, the TV evangelist says she still loves her estranged husband. “I’m not crying just because I was kicked or I was choked. There’s more to it than that for me. I know that scars heal, but I lost somebody that I loved very much. I know people go through this saying I loved him. No, I love him,” Bynum said. Bynum says the marriage is over but her love for Weeks will never 'die.' “My love for Bishop Weeks I don’t think will ever die. I said this to someone yesterday, my love for him, separating what I experienced in that parking lot, I have enough love. It’s so much until I think I can marry him

China Denies Accusations of Hacking Pentagon's Computers

Posted on 9/5/2007 @ 2:18 PM in #Politics by news 0 comments

The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that the People Liberation Army hacked into a computer system in the office of Defense Secretary Robert Gates in June. The breach was enough to shut down the computer system for more than a week. "Some people make groundless accusations against China" that its military attacked the Pentagon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing. "China has all along been opposed to and forbids criminal activities undermining computer networks, including hacking," she said. "China is ready to strengthen cooperation with other countries, including the U.S., in countering Internet crimes." The Financial Times also reported that the Pentagon is investigating how much information was stolen, but again citing an unnamed source who said that most of the information was probably unclassified. "China has all along been opposed to and forbids criminal activities undermining computer networks, including hacking," she said. "China is

Juanita Bynum To Make Public Appearance Tuesday Night

Posted on 9/5/2007 @ 6:48 AM in #Religion by news 3 comments

Evangelist Juanita Bynum is scheduled Tuesday night to make her first public appearance since she was allegedly beaten by her husband Bishop Thomas Weeks in an Atlantahotel parking lot. Bynum will be a special guest on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN)'s "Praise The Lord" program. The nationally renowned preacher been very private since the incident on August 21. Weeks, who has told his congregation that the devil made him do it, was indicted by a grand jury this past Friday in connection with the attack. He has been charged with felony aggravated assault and terroristic threats and two misdemeanor counts of simple battery listed in a Fulton County grand jury indictment handed downthis pastFriday. Weeks is due in Fulton County Superior Courtthis upcomingFriday. The charges against him carry a maximum possible sentence of 27 years. Audience members began trickling into Trinity Broadcast Network before 1 p.m. to get a seat for the Bynum broadcast. The auditorium at TBN holds 300 people. Bynum's appearance

Taj Mahal closed and surrounded by armed police as city erupts into violence

Posted on 8/31/2007 @ 7:43 AM in #News by news 0 comments

One child was left dead and more than 50 people injured after angry mobs attacked the city of Agra. Thousands of tourists were evacuated as the mob, which is thought to be Muslims, attacked police and set fire to cars and shops. The mob was protesting the death of four Muslims who were killed by a speeding truck that was in a “no-entry zone meant for pedestrians.” Tourists were advised to stay in their hotel rooms. India’s top tourist attraction, the Taj Mahal, was closed and surrounded by armed police. “The cause of this violence was that traffic was not regulated properly. Trucks were allowed into a no-entry zone meant for pedestrians who were going to the Shab-e-Barat procession,” said state government spokesman J.N. Chamber.

Nerve gas Phosgene found in U.N. office in New York

Posted on 8/31/2007 @ 7:41 AM in #News by news 0 comments

Several vials of the dangerous nerve gas phosgene were found in Untied Nations offices in New York. U.N. weapons inspectors found the potentially dangerous chemicals as they were clearing the office. The chemicals were removed from the office and U.N. officials believe they were manufactured before 1991. The dangerous material is said to have been removed from Iraq almost a decade ago. Phosgene can be used in chemical warfare but a U.N. spokeswoman said the chemical was in oil and it’s “present state is unknown but which could be potentially hazardous.” “There is no immediate risk or danger,” the spokeswoman said. The chemicals where “unknown liquid substances contained in metal and glass containers ranging in size from small vials to tubes the length of a pen in one of the sealed plastic bags. The only information we have of the contents of that bag is from and inventory of a 1996 inspection which indicates that one of the items may contain phosgene, an old generation warfare agent.”

Japanese Woman Miscarried after 9 Hospital Rejections

Posted on 8/29/2007 @ 7:13 PM in #News by news 0 comments

A woman 3 months pregnant suffered a miscarriage Wednesday after nine hospitals refused to admit her and an ambulance carrying her collided with a minivan in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture. The young woman suffered severe stomach pain and bleeding and was picked up by ambulance at around 2:55 a.m., but the ambulance had to wait until around 4:20 a.m. to find a hospital that would accept her. After about three hours and nine attempts, the 36 year-old woman finally reached the tenth hospital located a little less than 30 miles away. Her water broke around 5:00 a.m. Emergency care services for pregnant women have been in focus in the area following the death of a pregnant woman in Nara Prefecture last year who was refused admission by about 20 hospitals because they said their beds were full. The firefighters and ambulance could not find a maternity hospital in Nara Prefecture due to surgeries in progress or other reasons. Police said they do not know whether the accident caused the woman's miscarriage. In which

Peninsula Hotel Tokyo Sparks Luxury Hotel Uproar

Posted on 8/29/2007 @ 7:12 PM in #News by news 0 comments

The latest in the fabulous life of luxury is the grand opening of the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district, just minutes away from one of Japan’s most distinct shopping centers, Ginza. Spectators have predicted that the competition is intensifying in Tokyo’s international luxury hotel market. Hotel owners are under great pressure to accommodate consistent customers and to ensure they can possess qualified staff while the market is expanding. The Hong Kong Peninsula is the second foreign luxury hotel to debut this year, following the March opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo Midtown. The last predicted entrant is the Shangri-La Hotel in close proximity to Peninsula Tokyo in March 2009. With all of the luxurious hotels being established, worries are not so much about space, economic resources and décor but more of finding good, qualified staff and new customers. Tokyo Peninsula Hotel general manager, Malcolm Thompson stated that, “Tokyo has a lot of potential. More people are becoming wealthier

Marijuana Growing in Japan Prisons

Posted on 8/29/2007 @ 1:54 PM in #News by news 0 comments

One of Japan’s top prisons is trying to eliminate marijuana plants that keep growing on the prisoners exercise grounds. Abashiri Prison, for male inmates serving terms up to eight years in prison, is located on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido noticed the wild herbal growth last year. Over time numerous prisoners have recognized and reported several marijuana plants growing. Prison officials and botanical experts have destroyed at least 300 marijuana plants over the past year. It is believed that the marijuana plants are wild and seeds were accidentally brought in with the soil used for the exercise grounds.

Taliban Freed Over 19 South Korean Hostages

Posted on 8/29/2007 @ 1:53 PM in #News by news 0 comments

The Taliban freed more than 19 South Korean hostages held for six weeks in eastern Afghanistan after the Islamist militants and government officials from Seoul agreed to the terms of their release. A total of 10 women and two men wererelinquished to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Soon after, a group of four hostages was handed over and then and two groups of three and five. The Red Cross was the conduit between the South Korean government and the Taliban. South Korea said yesterday the agreement with the Taliban included reiterating plans to withdraw its 200 soldiers from Afghanistan this year and agreeing to end Christian missionary activities in Afghanistan. The Taliban had demanded a South Korean withdrawal and the release of imprisoned Taliban fighters. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey declined comment on any agreement between South Korea and the Taliban, saying he wasn't aware of any particular concessions. He dismissed any notion that the Taliban's

McDonald’s new “McCafe” .vs. Starbucks

Posted on 8/29/2007 @ 1:53 PM in #News by news 0 comments

With over 31,000 restaurants worldwide, in over 119 different countries, McDonald’s is still bringing smiles. McDonald’s, in Tokyo, is happy to introduce its newest menu selection, the McCafe. The McCafe is providing customers with a new unique assortment of gourmet food and beverages. On Wednesday, approximately 15 new McCafe’s opened, competing with Starbucks and other coffee and café shops in Tokyo. Which they are strategically located in Tokyo’s Ebisu district, humbly known for its trendy café’s. Knowing that Japan is traditionally a green tea nation, the new McCafe is hoping to strengthen business and customer relationships. It is predicted that the new McCafe will open more locations worldwide in the near future.

General Manuel Noriega To Be Sent to France or Panama

Posted on 8/28/2007 @ 10:18 PM in #News by news 0 comments

A U.S. judge is determining whether General Manuel Noriega will be extradited to France or retradited to his home country of Panama. Noriega was the commander of the Panamanian Defense Forces until he was overthrown during an invasion by US troops in 1989. He was then sentenced to 40 years in prison, but will be released on September 9 for good behavior. The hearing today will be presided over by Judge William Turnoff, who will have to decide where Noriega will be sent. Noriega has to serve an additional ten years in France for money laundering, but of course, he wants to return to Panama, where he ruled from 1983 to 1989. Critics say that Noriega's impetus to return to his native Panama is thereliance on a probable judicial appeal that can allow himto serve his sentence from home due to his age. Noriega is now 72.

Bishop Thomas Weeks Blames The Devil for Attack on Juanita Bynum

Posted on 8/28/2007 @ 1:23 PM in #Religion by news 2 comments

Bishop Thomas Weeks blames the Devil as his reason for hisattackonwifeJuanita Bynum. Weeks said that although he made a mistake, he will not stop going to church. Weeks, the founder of Global Destiny ministries,attacked Bynum, a nationally renowned evangelist,last Friday morning in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse hotel by Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. They were there to reconcile, but around 4 am, their interactions became physical when Weeks choked Bynum. He then began to kick her while she was on the pavement. It took a bellman at the hotel to pull Weeks off of her. Weeks fled the scene after this. Bynum was then taken to Piedmont Hospital Their marital problems were known by a few members in the congregation. According to Tiny Gilyard, a 41-year-old woman who attends Weeks' Global Destiny ministries, Weeks hinted at the fact that he and Bynum, 48, were having some marital problems during one of his sermons earlier this month. "He explained that [Bynum] is not going to be

South Korean Hostages to be Freed by Taliban Captures

Posted on 8/28/2007 @ 12:19 PM in #News by news 1 comments

The remaining 19 South Korean hostages that have been held for close to six weeks by Afghanistan’s Taliban are reportedly set to be freed. According to the agreement South Korea will remove its troops that have been stationed in Afghanistan as well as refrain from sending Christian missionaries into the Islamic country. The South Korean government has been working with Afghanistan’s government in Kabul as well as the hard line militia loyal to the ousted Taliban government ever since 23 hostages were taken on July 19. Since that date the Taliban has executed two hostages as a means of pressing their demands for the release of insurgent fighters from prison. There has been no date set for the release of the 19 South Korean hostages that remain under Taliban watch but a Taliban representative revealed that freedom would come soon.

Camilla won’t attend Princess Diana service

Posted on 8/28/2007 @ 12:18 PM in #News by news 0 comments

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, announced that she won’t be attending the service for remembering Princess Diana. She was invited by husband Price Charles and his sons, Prince William and Harry, and had initially accepted. But amid criticism that it would be inappropriate for her to attend; the duchess has backed out. Camilla and Charles had an affair while he was still married to Diana. Queen Elizabeth is said to have approved of her decision to not attend because of the affair. Charles and Diana where divorced in 1996 after both admitting to affairs. She was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1996. “I am very touched to have been invited by Prince William and Prince Harry to attend the thanksgiving service for their mother Diana, Princess of Whales. I accepted and wanted to support them. However, on reflection I believe my attendance could divert attention from the purpose of the occasion which is to focus on the life and service of Diana. I am grateful to my husband, William and

Michael Chertoff Expected to Replace Alberto Gonzales

Posted on 8/27/2007 @ 2:11 PM in #News by news 0 comments

As Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigns today, there is much speculation over who will be his replacement. It is expected that President George W. Bush will nominate Homeland Security Advisor Michael Chertoff. Chertoff has been secretary of Homeland Security since February 2005. Before that he was an assistant attorney general who helped trace the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to al Qaeda, according to his biography on the White House Web site. Chertoff received his law degree from Harvard University and was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William H. Brennan Jr. in 1979 and 1980. He first stepped into a prosecutorial role as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1983 to 1987. From there, he moved to the District of New Jersey and was assistant U.S. attorney from 1987 to 1990 and U.S. attorney until 1994. Between 1994 and 1996, Chertoff was counsel to the GOP Whitewater committee investigating the business dealings of President Clinton and first lady