As a Gen-Y-er, I seriously loled. It's ridiculous. It's almost funny. Many, many people don't even listen to or trust cable news or the media. Or the WHO. I subtly encourage my co-workers to unplug, be safe, be careful, but take less panic junk in. It's ridiculous. The news does not exist to inform the public. The news exists to manipulatively, carefully enrage, terrify, or whoop up the public, depending on the issue. I'm pretty sure this thing is not natural, hence the immediate global panic. "Oh ***, oh ***, what does it do? We don't know? No one knows? Oh, ***. Lock down everything! Everything!" The local supermarket has no toilet paper, not a lot of bread, not a lot of butter, no yeast, etc. Whew. My poor co-workers are literally getting sick with worry. It's sad. No one should get physically sick with worry. I mean, sure, be careful, protect the vulnerable, wash your hands, etc. Socially distance within reason. Don't be reckless. Or stupid. But remember, the people who demand to be seen, heard, and respected on the television and in popular media are often lying. *cough Gates cough* / rant
Has anyone heard of The Epoch Times? It came to my house unsolicited late last month. It is out of Chicago IL. Grr! How do I attach a photo from here?! Those 3 tools only go to the web.
In reply to Joan J. Someone else posted from Epoch Times recently. I hadn't heard of it so had a look to see the background. It was started in 2000 by a group of Chinese Americans associated with the Falun Gong movement. I think the publication is based in NYC. As well as 'general' news it highlights human rights abuses in China and has also become known for support of Donald Trump and far right politicians in Europe.
Again....but does he know that it's likely that the earth didn't form the virus but that individuals in a country he seems to favor planned a manipulation of laboratory mechanisms to create a pandemic for personal nefarious goals? Pope Francis: 'We Have Sinned Against the Earth ... the Earth Never Forgives' On Wednesday, Pope Francis gave an impassioned speech on the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, calling on Christians across the world to undergo an "ecological conversion" from below, spurred on by popular movements. He claimed that humans have "sinned against the earth" by disobeying God's command to be good stewards of it. "Because of our selfishness we have failed in our responsibility to be guardians and stewards of the earth," the pope said. "We have polluted and we have despoiled it, endangering our very lives. For this reason, various international and local movements have sprung up in order to appeal to our consciences. I deeply appreciate these initiatives; still it will be necessary for our children to take to the streets to teach us the obvious: we have no future if we destroy the very environment that sustains us." Francis went on to confess that humans had "sinned against the earth," and the planet will have its reckoning. "We have failed to care for the earth, our garden-home; we have failed to care for our brothers and sisters. We have sinned against the earth, against our neighbors, and ultimately against the Creator, the benevolent Father who provides for everyone, and desires us to live in communion and flourish together," he said. "And how does the earth react? There is a Spanish saying that is very clear in this; it says: 'God forgives always; we men forgive sometimes; the earth never forgives.' The earth never forgives: if we have despoiled the earth, the response will be very bad." Christians can counter the pope, insisting that the earth is not a person against whom a person can sin. The earth is also not a person who can choose not to forgive sins. Pope Francis's perhaps undue reverence for the earth was not limited to this statement, however. "In today’s celebration of Earth Day, we are called to renew our sense of sacred respect for the earth, for it is not just our home but also God’s home. This should make us all the more aware that we stand on holy ground!" he said. The earth is certainly not God's home, although Jesus did live in Israel. After His Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. While the Holy Spirit dwells in the people of God on earth, the earth is not their home. The Bible clearly teaches that there will be a "new heaven and a new earth." That said, Pope Francis is correct that human beings can sin against God by abusing the earth He entrusted us to steward. However, he used the speech as an opportunity to encourage political activism in the green movement. "At the same time, we need an ecological conversion that can find expression in concrete actions. As a single and interdependent family, we require a common plan in order to avert the threats to our common home," Pope Francis said. He encouraged "concerted action" on all levels: local, national, and international. "It will help if people at all levels of society come together to create a popular movement 'from below.' The Earth Day we are celebrating today was itself born in precisely this way." Pope Francis has repeatedly called for "structural change" to fight climate change, dressing up the green movement in Christian language. Christians do have a duty to steward the environment that God created, but this does not necessarily entail a rejection of free-market capitalism or the oil industry. Cheap energy enables Christians to alleviate poverty across the world, and there is no evidence that burning fossil fuels will bring about a long-predicted climate disaster that persistently fails to occur. Pope Francis' declaration that "we have sinned against the earth ... God's home" and "the earth never forgives" seems dangerously close to the idolatry perpetrated by Union Theological Seminary last year when the mainline Protestant institution celebrated a ceremony of confessing sins to plants. When humans sin by not taking proper care of the earth, they are sinning against God — not plants or the planet. Christians should take any such sin extremely seriously, but it is far from clear that burning fossil fuels constitutes such a sin. https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/pope-...d-against-the-earth-the-earth-never-forgives/
Here is the most important information on Cornavirus you need to know!! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10222241139326816
Thanks AED. To be honest I hadn't seen one either until quite recently. That picture was one I found on the web.
here in Brazil in the state of Amazonas there is an excessive demand for funeral services, burials in the city of Manaus have quadrupled in relation to the normal average. https://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas...ao-normal-expoem-abismo-da-subnotificacao.htm
She should have borrowed one of the scarfs that Dr. Deborah Birx wears to the nightly White House task force briefings. I've been tuning in every night to see which member of the press will ask President Trump the most annoying question. Some of his comebacks are quite entertaining, I think he enjoys taking down the 'fake news' reporters.
Forgive me for saying so, but I can't resist pointing out the failure of Pachamamma to protect the State of Amazonas, despite her new-found, Vatican-bestowed respectability. Best wishes to you and yours.
The Falun Gong people are so hated and oppressed by the Chinese Communist Party that they must be very fine people, indeed. Thanks for the recommendation.
Three more US bishops announce return of public Masses CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2020 / 08:45 pm MT (CNA).- Three further Catholic dioceses have announced they will resume public celebration of Mass, subject to the requirements of public health orders and social distancing. The Montana dioceses of Great Falls-Billings and Helena both announced the re-openings on Thursday, April 23, one day after the bishop of Lubbock, Texas told his priests to prepare to restore access to Communion for Catholics in the diocese. The public celebration of Mass has been prohibited in dioceses across the United States for over a month as part of efforts to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The decisions come one week after Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, New Mexico, became the first bishop in the United States to lift the ban on public celebration of Mass in his diocese. In a short video posted on the diocesan website Thursday, Bishop Austin Vetter of Helena noted that the governor of Montana had initiated “phase one” of a readjustment of closure orders. “That does allow us to begin gathering for Mass,” the bishop said. Governor Steve Bullock’s phased reopening plan permits limited reopening for some retail venues and public gathering places, including bars and casinos. “Beginning on Sunday, those parishes that are able to comply with all that is necessary in phase one for a gathering are able to celebrate Mass,” said Vetter. The bishop added that it was not possible to guarantee that every church in the diocese would be able to open this weekend, owing to the limitations of space in some places and of sourcing necessary cleaning materials to comply with state regulation in others. “It is so important that you understand that not all parishes will be able to [reopen immediately]. Not because of lack of effort or desire,” he said. “I ask all of you good people of God to be patient with us. To be patient with us and with each other as we start phase one, to see how this goes.” Noting that on some occasions more Catholics would want to attend Mass than it will be possible to accommodate in compliance with social distancing, Vetter said “It’s so important that you realize that the Sunday obligation is still suspended for you. It is so important, if you are vulnerable, to stay at home – if you are elderly, if you are [just] not comfortable yet, don’t come. Come only when you are ready.” Vetter also said that parents with small children who would find it harder to observe social distancing may find it easier to remain home, or attend Mass as they are able individually, “at least until we can get a rhythm going and become more comfortable with how this is going to work.” Mass from the Helena cathedral will continue to be streamed live, he said, but would now be moved to the main altar since there will be a congregation. In a letter posted on the Billings-Great Falls diocesan Facebook page Thursday evening, Bishop Michael Warfel announced that he was lifting the ban on the public celebration of all the sacraments. “Public celebrations of the Sacraments are permitted as long as adequate spacing and social distancing are managed and maintained,” he wrote. In addition to Mass, the new directive also covers confirmations and first Communions, which are to be scheduled at the parish pastor’s determination, and baptisms, which are to be limited to immediate family and godparents. “Weddings may be celebrated with the limitations stated above,” the letter said, and made similar provision for funerals. Priests were instructed to consult with county health departments about precautions when administering the sacrament of anointing of the sick to patients with COVID-19. “All priests are encouraged to provide reasonable and prudent measures to ensure everyone’s safety, including their own,” Warfel said. “Everyone is encouraged to continue to practice good hygiene. People who feel sick should remain at home, as should vulnerable and at risk-populations.” In a video posted on YouTube on April 22, Bishop Robert Coerver of Lubbock, Texas, said that, following new guidelines from the state Attorney General, it was now possible for churches to provide for the distribution of Communion through drive-up services. The video was accompanied by a letter on the diocesan website. "Therefore," Coerver said, "I am asking that our parishes make preparations, as soon as possible, that Communion be made available to people at the conclusion of live stream Masses or at the conclusion of Masses which might be offered outdoors." In his own provisions, issued last week for Las Cruces, Bishop Baldacchino emphasized his own preference for outdoor Masses, which could accommodate larger numbers of the faithful in a safe way – either in spaced, parked cars, or elsewhere on parish property. “We have to be creative, we have to respond to the times and the needs of the people,” Baldacchino told CNA. “I was very inspired by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He spoke about how drastic measures are not always good. He opened the churches of Rome – in a safe way, of course – and warned us that we must remain very close to the Lord’s flock at this time. We cannot wall ourselves off.” "Of course," Coerver said, parishes could only hold outdoor Masses "observing social distancing guidelines." "The best prevention of the spread of the virus continues to be staying at home," he cautioned. "Those over 60 years of age, or those with pre-existing medical conditions which make them more vulnerable to the effects of the virus should not attend church services at this time." The bishop reiterated that the suspension of the Sunday obligation remained in effect. All attendees at an outdoor Mass in Lubbock must wear masks, the bishop emphasized, and he said he would be providing the clergy of the diocese with "very specific instructions" on the distribution of Communion. "We need to continue being extremely cautious about the spread of the virus," Coerver said. "I have consistently followed the directives of the civil authorities and will continue to do so, even if I might personally disagree with some of the aspects of reopening which they might be implementing." When he became the first bishop to reinstitute the public celebration of Mass during the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Baldacchino noted that many civil jurisdictions, including the state of New Mexico, had prioritized liquor stores and marijuana dispensaries as “essential services” ahead of churches, calling the priorities "totally upside down." “I hope that this might be a glimmer of Easter hope for all of us,” Coerver said. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/three-more-us-bishops-announce-return-of-public-masses-46313
