Church of England Blesses Same-Sex Couples
For the First Time
Posted By: OhioNick, 12/17/2023 11:38:36 PM
Church of England priests offered officially sanctioned blessings of same-sex partnerships for the first time on Sunday, though a ban on church weddings for gay couples remains in place amid deep divisions within global Anglicanism over marriage and sexuality. In one of the first ceremonies, the Rev. Catherine Bond and the Rev. Jane Pearce had their union blessed at St John the Baptist church, in Felixstowe, eastern England, where both are associate priests. The couple knelt in front of Canon Andrew Dotchin, who held their heads..."
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A 13-year-old boy accused of plotting to shoot up and burn down a synagogue in Canton has been placed on probation after admitting to charges connected to the incident.
The boy, a Plain Township resident, pleaded true, the juvenile equivalent of guilty, on Friday to misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and disorderly conduct. Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James ordered probation, but suspended a 90-day sentence at the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center.
The boy was also barred from using the internet without supervision and ordered to continue counseling with a licensed therapist.
Pope Francis’ 87th birthday closes out
a big year of efforts to reform the church,
cement his legacy 18 replies
a big year of efforts to reform the church,
cement his legacy 18 replies
Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope.
Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday morning, and there were “Happy Birthday” banners in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly noon blessing.
One early present came Saturday, when a Vatican tribunal handed down a mix of guilty verdicts and acquittals in a complicated trial that Francis had supported as evidence of his financial reforms. The biggest-name defendant, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was convicted of embezzlement.
Church of England priests offered officially sanctioned blessings of same-sex partnerships for the first time on Sunday, though a ban on church weddings for gay couples remains in place amid deep divisions within global Anglicanism over marriage and sexuality. In one of the first ceremonies, the Rev. Catherine Bond and the Rev. Jane Pearce had their union blessed at St John the Baptist church, in Felixstowe, eastern England, where both are associate priests. The couple knelt in front of Canon Andrew Dotchin, who held their heads..."
A rural California ski resort's plans to install a 20-foot statue of the Virgin Mary has left some irate and pushing back against the Christian symbol they say disrespects the area's rich Native American history. "Virgin Mary at a ski resort makes no sense, keep religion out of skiing," one critic wrote, echoing the complaints of multiple others.
"As a lifelong skier of this park and mountain that holds a dear place in so many peoples' hearts, I am severely disappointed by the choice to erect a giant statue of the Virgin Mary…" another said. "Shame on you Mt. Shasta Ski Park for desecrating this beautiful, powerful & spiritual place…"
Scientists develop world's first 'mind-reading
helmet' that translates brainwaves into words 11 replies
helmet' that translates brainwaves into words 11 replies
Scientists have developed the world's first mind-reading AI that translates brainwaves into readable text.
It works using a sensor-covered helmet that looks at specific electrical activity in the brain as the wearer thinks, and turns these into words.
The revolutionary tech was pioneered by a team at the University of Technology Sydney, who say it could revolutionize care for patients who have become mute due to a stroke or paralysis. A demonstration video shows a human subject thinking about a sentence shown on a screen, which then switched to what the AI model decoded - and the results are nearly a perfect match.
While Social Security is set to increase by 3.2 percent in 2024, many seniors are worried about how the limited inflation adjustment will keep them afloat. [SNIP] The concerns are growing, as nearly three in five seniors said they were struggling financially, and 70 percent of single seniors already struggle with their existing Social Security income. The ramifications of the small COLA boost could be severe, with around two in five seniors saying they plan to seek employment due to the modest increase. For single seniors specifically, 47 percent said they would consider employment to supplement their incomes.
Driving through Manhattan could soon become more expensive for drivers in New York City, as transportation authorities there have approved a congestion pricing plan. Some critics have criticized the move because it does not exempt taxis and Ubers, passing the cost along to those who don't drive.[SNIP] While it would require most drivers to pay a $15 base fare for entering the central business district south of 60th Street in Manhattan, there will be discounts available for low-income drivers.
After meeting with congressional leaders and members of the Biden administration Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was not optimistic about getting help from the federal government to deal with the illegal immigration crisis his city is dealing with. Adams noted in a Friday press conference that the city's residents are weary, angry, and "seeing the impact of the migrant and asylum seeker issue, how it is taking away from the resources that should go to the day‑to‑day services of running the city." He said that he "did not walk out from D.C. with any level of optimism that anything is going to drastically change."
For the first time in nearly a decade, the number of people in U.S. prisons increased - but, new data shows the increase was much bigger for women sent to prison. "It's really disturbing that we're moving in the wrong direction. That for almost a decade we've been reducing the prison population, said Nazgol Ghadnoosh, Co-Director of Research at the Sentencing Project, which is a research and advocacy organization. Ghadnoosh says most women are convicted of non-violent crimes - like property or drug-related crimes - and these crimes are often considered by experts to be crimes of poverty or addiction.
An unforgiving southeast wind cut across Cape May, New Jersey, on a recent Tuesday morning; the 50-mile-per-hour gusts were so strong they created white caps on a section of the bay here that is typically calm. There would be no fishing for Bill Bright and his crew. [SNIP] But back in 2020, federal regulators moved to require herring fishermen to directly pay observers salaries, a move that could potentially cost herring fishermen up to $700 per day. By some estimates, that could top 20% of revenue from a fisherman's catch.
Hamas-linked financiers made hundreds of millions of dollars of profits by shorting Israeli stocks before the October 7 massacre, two analysts say.
One unidentified trader 'shorted' 4.43 million shares in Israel's largest bank, Leumi, between September 15 and October 5 - meaning they gambled that the price of Leumi's shares would fall.
After the October 7 attack, Leumi's share price did indeed plummet as its operations were paralyzed, earning a $900 million profit for the trader, who is believed to have links to Hamas.
The trade and others were unearthed by Robert J. Jackson, Jr, from New York University School of Law, and Joshua Mitts of Columbia Law School.
Gold prices notched a new record on Monday for a second day in a row — with spot prices touching $2,100 as the global rush for bullion appears set to continue.
Gold prices are on course to hit fresh highs next year and could remain above $2,000 levels, analysts said, citing geopolitical uncertainty, a likely weaker U.S. dollar and possible interest rate cuts. Prices of the yellow metal have risen for two consecutive months with the Israel-Palestinian conflict boosting demand for the safe-haven asset, while expectations of interest rate cuts have provided further support.
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All new cars in Canada will have to be zero emissions by 2035, the government will announce next week when it unveils new vehicle regulations, the Star has learned. But rather than being a way to force new technology on consumers, it’s being sold as a way to guarantee that people who want EVs will be able to get them more quickly. The new regulations, called the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, will shorten the lengthy wait times for EVs that have been dampening consumer demand, said a senior government official whom the Star agreed not to name because they were
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she personally warned President Biden about his re-election efforts and the importance of Muslim and young voters, who feel "heartbroken" about the Israel-Hamas war.
CBS Minnesota anchor Esme Murphy asked the far-left "Squad" member about an "abandon Biden" movement, and asked her if she would support the president in 2024.
"I recently had a conversation with the president," she responded. "Muslims were very pivotal to his election, they mobilized in all the key states. Young people were very instrumental in getting him elected. And what I reminded him is that he needs to listen to these voices
ROME — Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office, released Monday, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn’t confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.
While America's public health officials issue one warning after another about this winter's "tripledemic" of COVID, flu, and RSV, the American public is responding with a collective yawn — if vaccination rates are anything to go by.
The CDC's most recent weekly vaccination update says that "receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine is low across all socio-demographic subgroups and has consistently varied by age, race and ethnicity, poverty status, health insurance status, and urbanicity." As of December 2, fewer than 18% of adults reported getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine since Sept. 14, and about another 15% of adults said they would "definitely" get vaccinated.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams again called out the Biden administration and the federal government over its 'baffling' inability to address the Big Apple's migrant crisis.
Adams, a Democrat, has often clashed with the president and Democrats in Washington, constantly begging Washington for money to solve a disaster that he claimed will 'destroy my city.'
It comes alongside the news there are now over 67,000 migrants living in the city's shelter system, over triple the 21,300 at this time last year. In a Sunday interview, Adams was asked why his fellow Democrats in DC have ignored his repeated, in-person pleas to help, the mayor said he was at a loss and
If you’ve ever wondered what colonization in real time looks like, look no further: In September, Minnesota launched an initiative to create a new state seal and flag to replace the longstanding designs after it was determined these dated elements were “offensive” to certain elevated classes. From an item published at AP News at the time:
A state commission went to work Tuesday on designing a new state flag and seal for Minnesota to replace a current emblem in both that’s considered offensive to Native Americans.
One of the main elements of Minnesota’s state flag includes a prominent state seal against a blue background. The seal depicts
Raw unprotected gay sex.
Not a topic that a mainstream political news outlet normally handles. However, when you are talking about Democrats and the U.S. Senate sometimes such outlets do have to handle it. Such is the case with a 24-year-old staffer for Senator Ben Cardin who was discovered on a private video having raw unprotected gay sex in a chamber of the Hart Senate Building on Capitol Hill. So if you are Politico, how do you cover this scandal? Well, very very delicately as you can see in the Saturday Playbook, "Senate staffer out after sex tape scandal."
Pope Francis’ 87th birthday closes out
a big year of efforts to reform the church,
cement his legacy 18 replies
a big year of efforts to reform the church,
cement his legacy 18 replies
Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope.
Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday morning, and there were “Happy Birthday” banners in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly noon blessing.
One early present came Saturday, when a Vatican tribunal handed down a mix of guilty verdicts and acquittals in a complicated trial that Francis had supported as evidence of his financial reforms. The biggest-name defendant, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was convicted of embezzlement.
President Joe Biden reportedly complains that polling shows he is losing to former President Donald Trump in a potential 2024 rematch.
Biden’s angst comes as Trump leads him in most nationwide and battleground surveys, an early indicator of losing the White House in 2024:
Morning Consult: Trump leads Biden in six of seven crucial swing states.
NBC News: Trump leads Biden by two points.
Fox News: Trump trounces Biden by four points.
“He complained that his economic message had done little to move the ball, even as the economy was growing and unemployment was falling,
Can Trump Really Win in 2024?
16 replies
It has long been obvious that the Democrats badly want Donald Trump to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024. This may seem counterintuitive in light of a recent spate of polls showing the former president leading Joe Biden, but this is primarily an artifact of the latter’s weakness. The most reliable polls show Trump bumping up against a ceiling of about 47 percent of the popular vote, which is consistent with his performance in the last two elections. Moreover, in order to win in the Electoral College, he must recapture several swing states Biden narrowly won in 2020.
During an appearance on FNC’s “Special Report,” former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) called on viewers not to back former President Donald Trump.
She said she believed he would not uphold the rule of law.
Cheney said, “Every single president, Republican and Democrat, since George Washington, has ensured the peaceful transition of power. Donald Trump tried to seize power. So we can disagree with Biden policies, but the fact that he tried to seize power, the fact that he ignored the rulings of 61 courts, the fact that he ignored his own attorney general, his own White House counsel, who told him what he was saying about the election was false.
An elected Democratic official in Washington, D.C., has been fined by the District of Columbia Board of Elections for voting twice in 2020.
Vanessa Rubio, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in D.C., voted in the District of Columbia and Maryland during the 2020 presidential election, according to NBC 4 Washington reporter Mark Segraves. She reportedly told the Board of Elections that since DC is not a state, she believed voting twice would be acceptable.