And people don't believe that the chip is on its way....for such control?? Unfortunately today people are so lost and disconnected from their own Creator God that their solutions are to use the defective material itself to fight the same....make your own AI competitive w/ the one that's coming after your soul. You can't compete with Lucifer on your own. W/o some new true evangelization the generations who have nothing else to guide them will lose themselves. God help the world. And since He won't allow us to completely destroy ourselves perhaps the Warning will be the only real solution and then of course the only Greatest of Mercies ever given the world. Elon Musk's startup Neuralink aims to connect humans directly to computers ELON MUSK SAYS NEURALINK MACHINE THAT CONNECTS HUMAN BRAIN TO COMPUTERS 'COMING SOON' Entrepreneur say technology allowing humans to 'effectively merge with AI' is imminent Elon Musk has revealed his Neuralink startup is close to announcing the first brain-machine interface to connect humans and computers. The entrepreneur took to Twitter to tell followers the technology would be "coming soon", though failed to provide more exact details. Neuralink was set up in 2016 with the ambitious goal of developing hardware to enhance the human brain, however few details about how this will work have been made public. The startup's website, which is currently advertising vacancies for 11 different jobs, describes the futuristic technology as an "ultra-high bandwidth" connection between the human brain and computers. Mr Musk has frequently claimed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity. Such an interface, he says, is essential If humans are to compete with such technology in the future. At a technology conference in 2016, Mr Musk said humans risked being treated like house pets by AI machines if a brain-computer interface was not built. "I don't love the idea of being a house cat, but what's the solution?" he said. "I think one of the solutions that seems maybe the best is to add an AI layer." Speaking last year on the Joe Rogan podcast, Mr Musk said Neuralink's technology would allow humans to "effectively merge with AI". A scientific paper published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2015 described a concept for this connection, explaining how a flexible circuit could be injected into a living brain. "We're trying to blur the distinction between electronic circuits and neural circuits," said Harvard researcher Charles Lieber, who co-authored the study. "We have to walk before we can run, but we think we can really revolutionize our ability to interface with the brain." Despite the technology's potential to augment the human brain, experts have warned that brain-computer interfaces risk being hijacked by a rogue artificial intelligence. Such a scenario could lead to an AI controlling the thoughts, decisions and emotions of a person using a brain-computer link. "Technological developments mean that we are on a path to a world in which it will be possible to decode people's mental processes and directly manipulate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decision," stated a Nature comment piece authored by 27 neuroscientists, ethicists and machine intelligence engineers. "The possible clinical and societal benefits of neurotechnologies are vast. To reap them, we must guide their development in a way that respects, protects and enables what is best in humanity." https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...n-machine-interface-computer-ai-a8880911.html
Don, I have to second Mario’s point. We homeschooled our 3 children for 17 years. Since we were relatively isolated in a small town, we only had about 4 Catholic families locally that also homeschooled, but they were a very tight knit group. We even had our own private campsite on friends’ property where they camped with their homeschooling friends almost every weekend during the summer (always with one of us parents present). We had no way of judging how “well prepared” they were for college, but my oldest scored a 2080 on his SAT, graduated valedictorian at Christendom College, and as you know is in his fourth year of formation with the Norbertines in California. My daughter scored a 2070 on her SAT, graduated with a 3.99 at Steubenville, and just completed teaching a semester of English as a second language to Catholic high school kids in Spain. My youngest “only” scored a 1900 on his SAT and is a sophomore at Steubenville. (We were not “academically rigorous” or obsessed with college or SAT prep - quite the opposite, honestly.) And they do NOT lack “socialization” skills in any way. If it’s a valid option, do NOT let naysayers talk you out of homeschooling!
https://southfront.org/comedian-vol...-victory-in-ukrainian-presidential-elections/ Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy Wins Landslide Victory in Ukrainian Presidential Elections Donate Click to see full-size image Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy won the Ukrainian presidential election with a landslide victory on April 21st. With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Mr Zelensky had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%. In a video published on his Instagram, Zelenskiy expressed his happiness over winning and greeted his supporters. “I will never let you down,” Zelenskiy told celebrating supporters. Zelenskiy said in a speech: “We have accomplished this together.” “All citizens of the post-Soviet countries, look at us! Everything is possible.” Incumbent President Petro Poroshenko admitted defeat and congratulated his opponent. He said the results were “clear” and a reason to “call my opponent and congratulate him.” “I will leave office but I want to firmly stress — I will not quit politics,” he added. Poroshenko posted on Facebook that he will leave the presidential post, but he would still remain in politics. And he would present a strong opposition. Posted by Петро Порошенко on Sunday, April 21, 2019 In another post he said that “they” may have lost this fight, but the war was still not lost. Posted by Петро Порошенко on Sunday, April 21, 2019 Poroshenko, who has been in power since 2014, said the result of the election “leaves us with uncertainty [and] unpredictability.” According to him, Zelenskiy was too inexperienced “to stand up to Russia” effectively. Furthermore, Poroshenko launched a last-minute plea on Facebook, telling Ukrainians “a five-year presidential term is not a comedy that you can easily switch off if it is no longer funny.” Posted by Петро Порошенко on Saturday, April 20, 2019 Zelenskiy, on his part told reporters he would “reboot” peace talks with the separatists fighting Ukrainian forces and volunteers in the east. “I think that we will have personnel changes. In any case we will continue in the direction of the Minsk [peace] talks and head towards concluding a ceasefire,” he said. He also would presumably follow the 10 step-plan his HQ presented earlier. In terms of international reaction to the results, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Mr Zelenskiy in a phone call, as did Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also congratulated Zelenskiy. Congratulations to Volodymyr Zelenskiy & @zeteam_official on your Presidential election success. You will now truly be the Servant of the People. We look forward to working together as the UK continues to support Ukraine, her chosen Euro-Atlantic path, reform process & security — Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) April 21, 2019 The US Embassy in Ukraine also congratulated Zelenskiy. (1/3) We congratulate President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskyy and thank all those who contributed to ensuring Ukraine’s presidential election was conducted in a peaceful manner. — U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) April 21, 2019 European Council President Donald Tusk also extended his congratulations. A decisive day for Ukraine. Free elections and peaceful change of power = strong Ukrainian democracy. Congratulations to Volodymyr Zelensky. The EU is determined to continue its support. — Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) April 21, 2019 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also congratulated the president-elect on Twitter, writing: “Ukraine is a valued #NATO partner & we look forward to continuing our cooperation.” Congratulations to Volodymyr Zelensky on winning #Ukraine’s presidential elections. Ukraine is a valued #NATO partner & we look forward to continuing our cooperation. pic.twitter.com/peHSUmAuLm — Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) April 21, 2019 Notably, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also tweeted regarding Zelenskiy’s win, saying that he should how “sound judgement”, “honesty” and “pragmatism” so that relations can improve. — English text below —Выборы на Украине состоялись. Результат показал явный запрос на новые подходы при решении… Posted by Дмитрий Медведев on Sunday, April 21, 2019 Ukraine has voted, and the election results clearly show that voters are eager for new approaches to resolving Ukraine’s problems. It is obvious that the new president will have to consolidate the country with due account of the reality that took shape over the past years — Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) April 22, 2019 The Russian foreign ministry said: “Exit polls show the citizens of Ukraine voted for change. The new leadership now must understand and realize the hopes of its electors. This of course applies to domestic as well as foreign affairs.” Finally, it should be noted that Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s victory is more than like a result of the current state of Ukraine, the economic and political troubles, as well as the on-going war. The landslide victory is also showing of how worse people’s attitude towards Poroshenko and his government had become. The result is sufficient proof of Poroshenko’s failure to deliver on any of the promises that he proclaimed in 2014 when he was elected as well as the demonstration how destructive his policies towards the situation in eastern Ukraine were.
I came across this article yesterday because it was posted on NewAdvent.org. At that time, I only read the title but a friend sent me something this morning which prompted me to go back and look for it this morning. Political style question for tense times: What do you call people killed in church on Easter? Terry Mattingly Comments April 22, 2019 Religious Liberty, Politics, Pope Francis, Persecution, International News, Christianity, Islam-Muslims, Social Media, Terry Mattingly, Terrorism, Catholicism I have been covering the religion beat, to one degree or another, for 40 years and I have never heard “Easter worshippers” used as a replacement for the word “Christians.” Is this a reference to people who worship ON Easter or, well, people who worship Easter? As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am well aware that Christians around the world — due to the much-covered clash between the Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendar — usually celebrate Christianity’s most important holy day (called “Pascha” in the East) at different times. (For the ancient churches of the East, today is the Monday of Holy week this year.) All that aside, there is no reason to substitute an awkward term like “Easter worshippers” for the word “Christian,” when referring to the victims in the horrible Easter morning bombings in Sri Lanka. So I was surprised to see this oh-so-Twitter firestorm erupt yesterday. Here is the top of a key D.C. Beltway report. The pro-forma headline at The Hill states: “Obama condemns attacks in Sri Lanka as 'an attack on humanity'.” And here is the overture: Former President Barack Obama on Easter Sunday condemned a series of explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka as "an attack on humanity." "The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity," Obama tweeted on Easter Sunday. "On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka." As you would expect, “Christians” pounced and this quickly became a story in “conservative” media. What caused this bizarre mini-train wreck? I can think of two reasons — one based on journalistic caution and the other based on Donald Trump-era cynicism. Let’s start with the closest thing to logic that I can come up with, if one is seeking a non-political reason for this switch. To bluntly state the point: The terrorists attacked churches AND hotels, so one could make a case that Christians were not the only people attacked. Now, yes, that still doesn’t explain “Easter worshippers” in the tweets by politicos. But it might explain why journalists at USA Today produced a Sri Lanka massacre story that never used the word “Christian” until the 15th paragraph. Here is the “Christian” lite overture: A string of bombings at churches, luxury hotels and other sites on Easter Sunday killed at least 290 people, including "several" Americans, in an attack on the South Asian island of Sri Lanka. A police spokesman said more than 500 people were injured. The attacks were carried out by seven suicide bombers from a domestic militant group named National Thowfeek Jamaath, a government official said Monday. All of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but authorities suspect foreign links, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a news conference. Earlier, Ariyananda Welianga, a government forensic crime investigator, said an analysis of the attackers’ body parts made clear that they were suicide bombers, according to the Associated Press. He said most of the attacks were carried out by a single bomber, with two at Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel. Finally, way, way down in the news report there is this: The majority are Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist. The minority Tamil are Hindu, Muslim and Christian. Christians, targeted in Sunday's attacks, have a lower profile than some of the other factions. A few lines later, USA Today did quote Pope Francis — who called the victims “Christians.” Meanwhile, The New York Times used some cautious language in one of its main stories — but not in the blunt headline, which stated: “Sri Lanka Bomb Attacks Targeting Christians Kill Hundreds.” The Washington Post coverage used the word “Christian” early and often and, frankly, added appropriate context linked to Easter. Here’s that overture: Across Sri Lanka on Sunday morning, travelers and worshipers settled in at tables for Easter breakfast and into pews at churches on the country’s east and west coasts, where they had come to celebrate a holy resurrection. Then the explosions began. Between 8:45 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, in three cities, suicide bombers at three luxury hotels and three Christian churches detonated explosive devices. Five hours later, two more explosions were reported near the capital city of Colombo, one at a low-budget inn and the other at a residential housing complex. At least 290 people died in the attacks, and more than 500 were injured — turning Christianity’s most joyous day to one of mass carnage. Sanctuaries were hit by shrapnel and left without roofs. Photos show blood-spattered walls, splintered wooden pews and bodies. So what’s up with the “Easter worshippers” lingo? On Twitter, several insiders stressed that the word “Christian” was certainly appropriate, when writing news reports about persecution and terror. For example: But the POLITICAL context of this hubbub is best seen by comparing this Hillary Clinton tweet about Sri Lanka with her spot-on, blunt commentary on the hellish massacre of Muslims during worship services in New Zealand. Here is a flashback: Then there is this, concerning the larger massacre in Sri Lanka: What themes are missing in the second tweet that were — with good cause — included in the first? Thinking like a cynic — which is a common way of thinking in DC right now — one can only assume that the Christians in Sri Lanka have the wrong allies. Perhaps the caution in using this particular C-word, right now, was linked to tweets such as this:
Some are saying the first Jewish leader elected outside of Israel ever. https://www.jns.org/in-a-landslide-vote-ukraine-elects-first-jewish-president/ In a landslide vote, Ukraine elects first Jewish president Volodymyr Zelensky, 41, a professional comedian with no political experience, defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko, 53, with 73 percent of the vote in the runoff election, according to national exit polls. (April 22, 2019 / JNS) In a landslide vote on Sunday, Ukraine elected its first Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, making the country the first outside of Israel that will have both a Jewish president and prime minister. Zelensky, 41, a professional comedian with no political experience, defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko, 53, with 73 percent of the vote in the runoff election, according to national exit polls. He will be sworn in for a five-year term no later than June 3. And he has a Jewish prime minister as well, Volodymyr Groysman—at least until the country’s parliamentary elections later this year. In addition to having a conflict with Russia since Moscow’s annexing of Crimea in 2014, Zelensky will lead a country that has, despite being the most friendly Eastern European country towards Jews, been haunted by anti-Semitism with a number of Ukrainian Jews moving to Israel. “It wouldn’t be correct to speak of Zelensky as a ‘Jewish showman’ or even a Jewish president,” Eduard Dolinsky, executive director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, told Haaretz. “He’s a Ukrainian with Jewish ancestry; he’s not a member of the Jewish community, he’s not religious, doesn’t keep Jewish traditions and never speaks of himself as a Jew.” Mark Levin, executive vice chairman and CEO of National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, told JNS that Zelensky’s election was “a very significant event,” considering that “there was such great dissatisfaction with the current government that a political novice, let alone a Jewish political novice, received so much support.” Despite the hatred towards Jews that has plagued the country, Levin said that the notion that Ukraine is inherently anti-Semitic was “put to rest when you have a newly elected president of Jewish heritage and a Jewish prime minister.” “Given the oftentimes problematic, centuries-old Jewish history in Ukraine, the result of this election is noteworthy,” B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel Mariaschin told JNS. “We hope that with his election, Ukraine will continue to strengthen its relations with both the United States and with Israel.”
Christians under attack worldwide at a rapidly rising rate People look at damage inside the St. George’s after a suicide bombing, in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egypt, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in the northern Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria as ... more > By Christopher Vondracek - The Washington Times - Monday, April 22, 2019 | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/apr/22/attacks-christians-double-2017/ Violence against Christians — like the bomb attacks that killed at least 311 people in Catholic churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday — has been escalating steadily over the past few years, international observers say. In just the past few weeks, stark reminders of the danger Christians face around the world abound: an underground priest is dragged from his pickup truck in Xuanhua Diocese in China, a Christian couple in India are beaten by a father accusing them of trying to convert his son, 17 Christians are killed during a child dedication service in Nigeria. Open Doors USA, a mission for persecuted Christians, estimates that violent attacks on the faithful doubled from 2017 to 2018, with approximately 11 Christians dying every day for their faith. SEE ALSO: Sri Lankan authorities: ‘Wider international network’ helped local Islamist group carry out attack “There’s a specific pattern of violence around Christian holy days, such as Easter and Christmas,” said Sarah Cunningham, senior director of communications for Open Doors USA. Nearly 50 worshippers were killed on Palm Sunday 2017 by bombers who targeted Coptic Christians in Cairo. That same year, at Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, Pakistan, nine Christians were killed a week before Christmas by suicide bombers linked to the Islamic State. Whereas international organizers tracking attacks against Christians a generation ago concentrated on the officially atheistic Soviet Union, today the focus is on militant and extremist Muslim factions. “Militant Islamic camps are definitely one of the primary sources of Christian persecution in these countries,” said Ms. Cunningham, noting that Christians are being targeted beyond the former borders of the now-scattered Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Sunday’s attacks occurred in largely Buddhist Sri Lanka, where the percentage of Muslims and Christians is in the single digits. News reports suggest that Sri Lankan authorities were slow to respond to growing threats against Christians, who account for less than 8% of the nation’s 23 million people. “Often these nations lack the resources or the desire to confront [persecution against Christians],” Ms. Cunningham said. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the main victims of religious terrorism are overwhelmingly Muslim. It reported that of the more than 70,000 deaths worldwide in 2017, 85% were Muslim. Christians represented a fraction of the victims of religiously motivated violence. Open Doors USA said 4,136 Christians have been killed for their faith since 2018 and 1,200 churches or Christian buildings have been destroyed. In countries where parishioners face violence for their Christian faith, churches have gone underground or into forests, caves and fields. Parishioners are encouraged to congregate in small groups to private homes, separated by 20-minute increments to avoid suspicion. Christian organizers promote seclusion and secrecy rather than assertiveness and confrontation for the faithful in regions where religious minorities are threatened. “We are more likely to work and help a church remain covert and protected,” said Ms. Cunningham, whose organization has helped the Christian girls who were traumatized by Boko Haram captors in Nigeria and Iraqi Christians who returned to a village left in rubble by the Islamic State on the Nineveh Plains. Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians, said one reason news of attacks on Christians don’t spread widely in the U.S. is because major press outlets are populated with “secularists” who “don’t understand fundamentalism” and are skeptical of or not interested in Christians. “These stories aren’t filtering down to Americans for the most part,” Mr. King said. Former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received criticism Monday over their Twitter messages in response to the Sri Lanka attacks that referred to victims as “Easter worshippers” instead of “Christians.” Mr. King said he has been buoyed by the response from the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has “really invested in trying to help the plight of persecuted Christians.” Open Doors USA maintains a World Watch List of nations engaging in Christian persecution. It notes that anti-Christian hostilities have spread to India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brand of Hindu nationalism has encouraged discrimination against the democratic nation’s 65 million Christians, and to Russia, whose authoritarian government has become suspicious of non-Russian Orthodox groups, especially evangelists. This year, Mexico appeared on the watch list, which points out that Mexican drug cartels have victimized pastors and priests who have spoken out against the drug trade. According to Open Doors USA, Mexican Christians also face persecution and ridicule over political issues, such as abortion, same-sex marriage and comprehensive sex education.
https://www.catholicconvert.com/blo...den-is-baptized-in-the-catholic-church-at-85/ Famed Australian Atheist, Bill Hayden, is Baptized in the Catholic Church at 85 by Steve Ray on April 20, 2019 Originally published a few months ago, but very current and good news! Some amazing news came out of Australia today with a famous atheist politician receiving baptism. Bill Hayden had been the leader of a major Australian political party, then was the Governor General of Australia for 7 years. (The Governor General is the one who signs bills into law in the Queen’s name in 15 Commonwealth countries.) Recently, at 85, he renounced his atheism and joined the Catholic Church. Getting Close to Death The Australian reports his motivation to take this step. Bill Hayden, at age 85, has renounced his atheism and been baptised into the Catholic Church. The former Labor leader and governor-general said it was witnessing so many selfless acts of compassion by Christians over his lifetime, and deep contemplation while recovering from a stroke, that prompted his decision. Toying with Catholicism for Years The Australian article continues with a bit of background from Bill Hayden. “I always regarded myself as a fellow traveller with Catholicism and declared I was a Catholic on official forms, but it wasn’t official,” Mr Hayden said. [His family had been Catholic.] “I would go to mass every Sunday and then go to benediction when I was a teenager. I didn’t know that I wasn’t officially a Catholic, and found that out only later when my sister did the family history. “When you grow up with it, I don’t think it ever really leaves you. The Catholics have ceremony very much in place. But it was more than that. I could just feel in my heart that I didn’t feel fulfilled. “There is more to life than just me. I had to make a dedication of myself for the good of others, before God. I felt that strongly.” Sincere Motivations to Convert It is also worth noting the reasons Bill Hayden wrote to friends about his conversion. In a letter to family and friends, he explained that the Christian principles of “humanity, social commitment and service to others” aligned with his personal and political values, and guided his return to the Catholic faith. “Christianity represents for me the qualities I have attempted to apply in my life but from now on will strive to uphold, with faith,” he wrote. So often we can write people off and think there is no hope. However, stories like this of conversion late in life should teach us not to lose hope on anyone.
https://expo.syracuse.com/life-and-...e-became-a-holy-week-sensation-worldwide.html 1949: When a little girl’s 'miracle' became a Holy Week sensation worldwide By Johnathan Croyle | jcroyle@syracuse.com | Posted April 20, 2019 at 08:05 AM | Updated April 20, 2019 at 09:14 AM 0 shares 9 Comments The strongest earthquake in more than 130 years rattled the Pacific Northwest, killing eight on April 13, 1949. That same day in In Washington, the House approved the largest peacetime military bill in history, while in Albany, Gov. Thomas Dewey signed a employee disability insurance bill. In Syracuse, the city’s NBA franchise, the Nats, were eliminated from the playoffs by the Anderson Packers. But most of the city’s attention was focused elsewhere. It was Holy Week, and many were sure that a religious miracle had occurred at the house at 511 Hawley Ave. Soon, thousands were crowding around the home’s front porch hoping to catch a glimpse of an 11-year-old girl and her weeping statue. The Post-Standard, April 14, 1949 And so the story begins The story of how a little Syracuse girl became caught up in an international media firestorm began after a routine household accident. On April 3, 1949, while cleaning her home, Viola Martin, a divorced mother of four, placed a 2-foot tall plaster statue of St. Anne, the mother of Mary, onto to a windowsill. It fell outside and struck a rock, smashing into pieces. The statue left a small cross on the rock. Somehow, the head of the statue remained intact, suffering only a small scratch on its nose, and landed in the driveway. Shirley Anne, 11, the oldest of the children, and described as “very religious,” found the head while playing and gave the statue a kiss. "When you're Roman Catholic, you're trained to kiss something like that if it falls," she told the Post-Standard’s Dick Case in 1999. The head, she said, began to weep tears. She went to tell her mother. “At first, I didn’t pay any attention to her because I was busy with my housework,” her mother said. “But Shirley insisted.” When her mother saw the teardrops, she was shocked. “I didn’t know what to make of it,” she said. “I was even afraid at first to say anything because people might not believe it. But it happens every time.” The devout Catholic family finally decided to share what they had seen. On April 12, 1949, the Tuesday of Holy Week, Shirley and the statue’s head went to Our Lady of Pompeii Church. Brought before three priests, nuns and altar boys, 20 people in all, the statue wept when Shirley kissed it. The priests were stunned and could not explain what they were seeing. “I can only say that it’s a wonderful, extraordinary occurrence,” one said. The Post-Standard, April14, 1949 April 13, 1949: ‘It doesn’t seem probable’ News of what had happened began to leak out, and by the evening of April 13, the neighborhood around the two-story home on Hawley Ave. was in a frenzy. Crowds of people became so thick that Syracuse police were sent out to handle the traffic. By 9:30 p.m. all available parking spaces in the area were taken and the Post-Standard reported that “the Martin home was thronged with Syracusans who had come to witness the phenomenon.” The Post-Standard was there first and witnessed the miracle first hand: “Shirley Anne lightly touches her lips to the forehead, then holds the head away from her. In a moment, the dull plaster finish begins to glisten at the corner of one eye. The glistening spots spread, and touching them leave no doubt, that they are watery, tear-like liquid. If the tears are wiped away, they reappear when Shirley Anne again kisses the statue.” Herman Borzner, the paper’s chief photographer, who called himself a “pretty skeptical guy,” said he “wouldn’t begin to explain it, but I saw water appear in the crevice between the eye and the nose on one side of the face.” Another skeptic was Dean John McMahon of the State School of Ceramics at Alfred University. “It doesn’t seem probable,” McMahon said, explaining that plaster of Paris does absorb water, but does not release it except through evaporation. Copyright 2006 Heritage Microfilm April 14, 1949: World-wide attention The story of the 11-year-old girl and her weeping statue on Hawley Avenue was now front-page news and the Martin family tried to take control of the circus that was sweeping around them. Crowds began showing up at the family’s front porch shortly after the morning’s Post-Standard was delivered. Shirley’s father, Arthur, a Syracuse milkman, drove the girl away early in the morning in his truck, dropping her off at a relative’s house. A sign, written in blue crayon on wrapping paper, was hung on the front door of the house, reading: “The little girl is not here. She will be back this afternoon.” But the crowds of the faithful, curious and skeptical only increased throughout the morning and early afternoon. Their patience was rewarded at around 2 p.m., when Shirley Anne returned home. She stood on the porch, kissed the head of St. Anne and two watery spots appeared. Many in the crowd began praying. Shirley Anne went inside but the crowds remained, some estimates said they had grown to about 3,000 people. They became so large that police had to reroute traffic away from the block and buses had to change their routes. Throughout the afternoon, the crowds requested Shirley Anne come back out. She always did. She would later years later that her lips became dry and cracked from constantly kissing the chalky statue head. Viola Martin, Shirley’s mother, despite being skeptical at first, became something of a tour guide for believers who streamed into her kitchen, encouraging her daughter to show strangers her gift. She would capture a tear on a handkerchief and mail it with a religious medal to the "hundreds" of people who wrote the little girl. "People were taking Shirl's clothing, shingles off the house, dirt from the driveway,” her sister Beverly would remember. Her story was recorded for national television networks. She made her national TV debut that night with WSYR’s Fred Hillegas which was “cut into” NBC’s nightly roundup of national news. That evening, she was taken to the television studios of WHEN where she performed her miracle in front of television cameras. When the tears appeared, they were visible on the television screen for people at home. “I saw tears come from both eyes,” said cameraman Paul Wiley. When asked if he saw anything, stage director Al Rein shouted, “I’ll say I did!” The story was now international news and the Post-Standard said that Syracuse was “a center of world-wide attention.” Fox Movietone News and Life Magazine were on their way to cover the story and a country-western song, “The Tears of St. Anne,” was written. Youtube April 15, 1949: ‘I don’t want it to cry’ Good Friday arrives, and alas, this is the day the tears stopped flowing from Shirley Anne Martin’s statue when she displayed the head to reporters and newsreel cameras. The little girl was almost relieved. Mario Rossi, who had visited with the girl throughout, said he saw changes in her. She was no longer the “tired, somber-faced girl who attracted global attention,” she was now “gay, lively,” broke into songs and was full of pep.” “I’m glad,” she said when asked why she thought the statue did not cry anymore. “Maybe St. Anne has stopped crying because it’s nearly the end of Holy Week; I don’t think she feels bad anymore.” “I don’t want it to cry,” she continued. “You wouldn’t want a human being to cry, would you?” Her mother blamed the television appearance the night before, saying, “It just shows God don’t want you to advertise.” Her father was also relieved that the ordeal might be over: “What we’re getting out of this isn’t worth it. We are just worrying about our little girl. She looks sick. She can’t sleep.” That night, she again appeared on WHEN television to prove that the statue had stopped crying. Word that the miracle had stopped spread, and the crowds in front of the Martin home shrunk to just a handful, including a blind man from Connecticut, hoping to be healed. “We don’t claim to be healers,” Mrs. Martin told a reporter. Youtube April 16, 1949: A fervent appeal The tears returned the day before Easter, and the family was not exactly thrilled. They made a fervent appeal to the public to refrain from plaguing them with requests after news leaked that the tears had again started again that day. Mario Rossi and WHEN’s Edward Ryan were invited into the home and witnessed the miracle again but were told that the family was reluctant to comment further, for fear that the crowds of people would again appear outside their doors. Shirley Anne’s parents were becoming more and more concerned about their daughter’s health and well-being. “We don’t know why this happens or how,” Mrs. Martin said. “We don’t know if it will happen again, but we do know there won’t by anymore public appearances by Shirley Anne.” Continued..
The Post-Standard, April 16, 1949 April 17, 1949: Easter in seclusion On Easter Sunday, the Martins vanished from public view. Reporters were sent to check on them but found only an empty house on Hawley Avenue. The trip to Shirley’s grandparent’s home at 411 Lodi St. also came up empty. Shirley’s grandmother told a reporter that she had no idea where they were, adding the family was so worried about crowds reappearing at their home that they did not even go and pick up Easter baskets waiting for the children. For the first time since the story broke, reporters had no idea if the plaster head had wept that day. The Post-Standard, April 15, 1949 April 18, 1949: ‘Might be stolen away’ The next day it was learned that Shirley Anne Martin was no longer in Syracuse. Despite misgivings over the little girl’s safety, she had traveled to New York City, along with her mother and an aunt, to appear on CBS’ radio and television talk-show “We, the People.” “Our friends have told us to watch her all the time because she might be stolen away,” her mother told the Post-Standard. “We are never going to let her go out on the street alone.” When asked if there had been a specific threat made, Mrs. Martin responded: “No, but we’re afraid that some fanatic who thinks she could work a cure might try to steal her. Someone might take her and harm her.” It was also decided that Shirley would not be returning to school when Easter break was over, instead waiting for some of the “furor” to die down. The plaster head of St. Anne did not make the trip and was hidden away for safekeeping. The family thought they might make a shrine out of it, either in their front yard or maybe a Syracuse park. Copyright 2006 Heritage Microfilm April 19, 1949: In the Big Apple “I can’t heal anybody. I’m just a girl and haven’t any such powers,” Shirley Anne Martin announced to a nationwide audience. Appearing on “We, the People,” without her statue head, Martin said she had no idea why it wept whenever she kissed it. “I think they are tears of happiness, not sadness,” she said. “Maybe it is because St. Anne is happy because I love her.” She posed for a photo with actor Glenn Ford, another guest on the evening’s show. Shirley Anne spent an exciting day in the Big Apple. She did radio interviews and told her story to reporters from the Post, the Sun, The Daily News, the Associated Press and Time magazine. She was late getting to Arthur Godfrey’s show but still received an autograph from the radio comedian. Her mother gave her $9 to spend while in the city, which she used on religious items from a New York City cathedral gift shop. She also visited a novelty shop and purchased a rubber thumb and a pack of gum that shot water when a stick removed. The Post-Standard, April 16, 1949 April 20, 1949: A sense of normalcy Shirley Anne Marin’s family hoped that when their daughter returned home from New York City, a sense of normalcy would return as well. “The family’s goal,” the Post-Standard said, “where Shirley Anne is concerned is to ‘have her lead a normal life.’” The family said she would no longer make public appearances and would return to school on April 25. She had received hundreds of letters from across the United States. “Some of the writers asked for physical assistance, some offer advice and some are just plain cranks,” the Herald Journal said. Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-Standard And then … silence Like many media sensations, the story of Shirley Anne Martin, which captivated Syracuse for over an entire week in Syracuse, quickly faded. The story received zero coverage for 50 years, until columnist Dick Case interviewed Martin and her sister, Beverly, in 1999, the event’s 50th anniversary. Shirley was then 61 years old, married to Kenneth Hamlin and a great-grandmother. She was working at Empire Vision She said that the statue did not stop crying until she married in 1954. She said she and her sister kept a small bottle of the tears from 1949. “We thought it would be wrong to throw it away,” Beverly Martin. She died in 2017 at the age of 79.
What the terrorist threat from Sri Lanka may really mean: ANALYSIS By donald j. mihalek and richard m. frankel Apr 24, 2019, 10:40 AM ET | https://abcnews.go.com/International/terrorist-threat-sri-lanka-analysis/story?id=62593041 Eranga Jayawardena/AP Watch Fears of more bombs planted throughout Sri Lanka [Please click on link to watch this video.] The world watched in horror on Easter Sunday as coordinated suicide bombings went off in Sri Lanka targeting Christian churches and hotels popular with tourists. This attack killed at least 359 people [45 children], including four Americans, and injured hundreds more. The motive isn't clear, but the Islamic State (ISIS), or an associated group, quickly claimed responsibility for the wave of coordinated bombings. If it was ISIS, it may be the most devastating terrorist attack it ever carried out. But even as a deeper investigation begins, the attack may teach the world a lesson it should've learned from al-Qaida -- if you don't learn from early attacks, they'll only get worse. (MORE: ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350) Sri Lanka is a nation still recovering from almost 30 years of civil war, during which terrorism was a regular tactic used most prominently by the Tamil Tigers. Sri Lanka has mostly enjoyed peace since the end of the war in 2009, though. Terrorism has taken on new forms and the world has adopted new tactics since the Sept. 11 attacks. Over the years, many groups have vied for supremacy in the terrorist world. Even among terrorists, competition drives some of their actions. Unfortunately, that competition manifests itself in these groups trying to conduct larger scale and more horrific attacks. Chamila Karunarathne/AP A view of St. Sebastian's Church damaged in blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 21, 2019. Al-Qaida learned this lesson. Prior to the Sept. 11 attacks, it conducted brazen attacks against the USS Cole and African embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, but none compared to planning involved in attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001. That one act took al-Qaida from a regional threat to a worldwide threat and gave it supremacy over all terror groups. Each groups is driven by a perverted ideology that motivates their actions and members. In the case of the Tamil Tigers, it was liberation from the established government. For al-Qaida, it was to push the "infidels" out of Muslim countries and the broader world. ISIS wanted to establish a caliphate, an Islamic state, but with its defeat in Syria, it appears to be filling the void al-Qaida has left vacant. (MORE: 'They don't know what they took' says father of US boy, 11, killed in Sri Lanka) ISIS has become particularly adept at recruitment, using social media to push their message and advocating for individualized, ISIS-inspired attacks around the world. No terrorism group operates in a vacuum though, and each has some type of sponsor to help them stay funded and operational. In some cases, state sponsors that share a group's ideology become a facilitator for activity. The Iranians and Hezbollah are a prime example of terror being enabled through a nation-state. The Mueller report pointed out that Russia attempted to "terrorize" another nation's legitimate electoral process. Ruwan Wijewardene, Sri Lanka's minister of defense, told the Sri Lankan parliament Tuesday that authorities have information showing Sunday's blasts were carried out "in retaliation" for last month's attacks at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people. Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets amid blast debris at St. Anthony's Shrine following an explosion in the church in Kochchikade in Colombo, April 21, 2019.more + Reports indicate that the Sri Lanka intelligence agency had warnings prior to these attacks, but didn't act on them due to a lack of information. If true, this would follow a pattern of intelligence agencies being unable or unwilling to connect the dots prior to an attack, even though the lessons from the Sept. 11 attacks showed that connecting the dots is key to preventing them. It also signals that despite the great strides in intelligence gathering and sharing since the Sept. 11 attacks, when a government doesn't act on intelligence, terrorists will inflict mayhem. The question of what the actual goal was for the attacks still needs an answer. If it was simply to attack Christians on Easter, via a soft target, whoever did it went beyond the normal homemade explosives that lonewolf terrorists generally have used. If it was to destabilize the government of Sri Lanka, why attack churches? If it was indeed ISIS, it is clearly expanding its target radius. (MORE: Security increased at US churches in wake of Sri Lanka bombings) While the investigation is ongoing, one thing is clear: The Sri Lankan attacks could be the precursor to more and larger attacks. The size, scope and coordination of the attacks indicate a greater logistical capability and structure. The spectacular nature of the attacks sends a clear message: someone is vying for the terrorism spotlight. The hope is that if the next incident is in the planning stages, whatever intelligence has been gathered is given more veracity than the information collected by Sri Lankan authorities. Richard Frankel is an ABC News contributor and retired FBI special agent who was the special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark Division and prior to that, the FBI's NY Joint Terrorism TASK force. He is currently the Vice President of Investigation for T&M Protection Resources. Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service agent and regional field training instructor who also serves as the executive vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation. *** Edited to add: Ambassador: US had no prior knowledge of Sri Lanka threat She added that the U.S. believes "the terrorist plotting is ongoing" and said that's why America continued to warn its citizens in Sri Lanka to be careful. Prior to the bombings, Sri Lankan officials ... Star Tribune 1h Sri Lanka attacker studied in UK, says minister, amid warning more bombers on loose it appeared likely that its involvement in the suicide bombings of three churches and three luxury hotels on Sunday would be confirmed by ongoing investigations. Sri Lanka’s defence minister, Ruwan ... The Guardian 6h
So good to hear this incredible story amidst so much disturbing news. I can't imagine what it must have been like for this young girl, and her family, to suddenly be thrown into the spotlight. Heaven knows how to pick these wonderful souls. Thank you for sharing this.
Apr 25, 2019, 03:20pm Iran And Syria Hit By $360m U.S. Lawsuit For Sponsoring Hamas Killings In Israel Zak Doffman | https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...nsoring-hamas-killers-in-israel/#21292b532073 "When I shot the woman," Yahya Haj Hamed told investigators, "I saw there were three or four children in the car, but I didn’t fire in their direction. We got back into our car and drove off." Yahya, a member of a Hamas terror cell, had already "fired in the direction" of the woman's husband, the children's father, "who was killed on the spot." The killings in October 2015 of Eitam and Na'ama Henkin, to avenge an arson attack on the home of a Palestinian family, made headlines around the world. The family was driving in the West Bank when their vehicle was 'sprayed' with gunfire and forced to stop. The parents were killed. The children were spared. "Islam forbids murdering children," Yahya said in his statement. "My character doesn’t let me kill or hurt a baby." The gunmen, all of whom admitted to being members of a Hamas terrorist cell, were arrested several days later. Yahya along with the rest of his cell was sentenced to life imprisonment. The four children, then aged nine, seven, four and ten-months, are now suing Iran and Syria for their sponsorship of Hamas. It is the first such lawsuit since the designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, and that carries extra weight. "The number one sponsor of terrorism worldwide - even in Sri Lanka - is Iran," Jonathan Missner tells me. "There are many weapons to use against terrorism. As a law firm, we can do our part and utilize the U.S. court system." Missner is the Managing Partner of Stein, Mitchell Beato & Missner, the law firm which has filed the "$360 million lawsuit against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic. The suit also targets Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security; Bank Markazi Jomhouri, the Central Bank of Iran; Bank Melli Iran; and Bank Saderat Iran for their involvement." Missner explains that having multiple counterparties increases the likelihood of identifying enough assets to be seized to fund any judgment award. Mike Petrino, another partner on the case, tells me that "the way these cases work against Iran and Syria - or Sudan or other state sponsors of terrorism as designated by Congress or the Executive Branch or the State Department - is that they can be sued in the U.S. in federal court in Washington DC for their acts against U.S. nationals. They don’t usually send lawyers. There's usually a default judgment. And the compensatory portion of that can be satisfied through a terrorism fund that is funded by confiscated assets from various regimes. Iranian assets form the bulk of it." Missner breaks in at this point, explaining that "the first amount of money that went into the fund was the $8.6 billion fine on BNP Paribas for their role in all sorts of illicit money operations." In total, $1.1 billion was put into the compensation fund from U.S. settlements with two French banks. $100 million came from Credit Agricole, but the bulk, around $1 billion, came from a near $9 billion settlement 2014 with BNP Paribas. The terror fund provides for a portion of the compensatory value of any judgment award, to date, the fund has paid or allocated over $2.1 billion to eligible claimants. But anything punitive needs to be satisfied with seized assets. "A few years ago," Missner tells me, "some Iranian assets were found in the U.S., including a building in New York that was worth about $1.4 billion. The case went to the Supreme Court and the victims won. Because the successful plaintiffs could attach to the building, they could go for compensatory and punitive damages. Now we want to win this case for the Henkins. And then find assets to satisfy the judgment as well as using this fund. Our firm has a history here. A few years ago, we collected almost $200 million against Libya for their role in the La Belle disco bombing. We collected 100 cents on the dollar for that." Three people were killed in the 1986 bombing of the disco in West Berlin, a venue frequented by American soldiers. The U.S. accused Libya of sponsoring the bombing after intercepting messages from Tripoli to the country's embassy in East Berlin, leading to retaliatory airstrikes on Tripoli and Benghazi ten days later. The law firm later secured $172 million from the Libyan government for American victims and families of victims of the bombing. In this latest case, Iran has replaced Libya as the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism. Syria, it seems, is a sideshow. "The IRG being designated a terrorist entity is a huge deal," Missner tells me. "We're the first lawsuit anywhere since they were designated. This is one of those moments in time when you see the increased pressure on Iran. With Trump ending the waivers for countries who purchase oil, the basic talking point is that Iran uses those revenues to wreak havoc and terror all over the world. The continued use of terror as a mechanism is completely unacceptable." The lawsuit was clearly in the works before the terrorism designation, before the shift in oil sanctions, but for the law firm, the timing now could not be better now. "What makes this interesting, Missner explains, "is the horrid nature of the crime, that they were convicted, and that it's well proven that Hamas is and has been funded by entities like Iran and Syria and we can show that." As ever, nothing in law moves quickly and the lawyers expect this case to run for two to three years.
This is very sad too and all homes in Sri Lanka are being searched. Sunday Mass canceled across Sri Lanka a week after bombings Emily Schmall, Jon Gambrell and Bharatha Mallawarchi, Associated Press Updated 1:05 pm EDT, Friday, April 26, 2019 | https://www.nhregister.com/news/cri...vy-as-Sri-Lanka-warns-of-further-13796940.php A Sri Lankan soldier stands guard at the damaged St. Anthony's Church or Shrine in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, April 26, 2019. Priests have allowed journalists inside St. Anthony's Church in Sri Lanka for the first time since it was targeted in a series of Islamic State-claimed suicide bombings that killed over 250 people. Broken glass littered the sanctuary's damaged pews and blood stained the floor. Shoes left by panicked worshippers remained in the darkened church, and broken bottles of holy water lay on the floor. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Catholic leaders canceled Sunday Masses indefinitely across Sri Lanka and officials urged Muslims to stay home for Friday prayers in an extraordinary call by the clergy to curtail worship as fear of more attacks plagued the island nation after the deadly suicide bombings on Easter. Shops were closed, streets were empty and heavy security patrols continued across the country despite police saying the alleged mastermind of the attacks that killed over 250 people had died in one of the suicide blasts. Those Sri Lankans who did venture out spoke about the fear encompassing daily life at a level unseen since a long civil war ended a decade ago. Many are angry that the government, paralyzed by internal disputes, hadn't acted on intelligence obtained weeks before Easter that warned of the attacks. On Friday night, Sri Lanka's military said its soldiers in the eastern part of the country engaged in a gunbattle with suspects believed to be linked to the attacks, and police announced a 24-hour curfew until further notice in the Muslim-dominated area where the shooting took place. Continuing government confusion in its investigation — from drastically lowering the death toll to misidentifying a Brown University student as a militant — only added to the public's worries. "Everyone is nervous," said Abdullah Mohammed, a 48-year-old Muslim in Colombo. "Not just the Muslims. Buddhists, Christians, Hindus — everybody's nervous." Officials from the police to the prime minister say militants remain on the loose and have access to explosives. That has led to increased security at shrines, churches, temples and mosques across the multiethnic country of 21 million off the southern coast of India. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told journalists that church officials had seen a leaked security document describing Roman Catholic churches and other denominations as a major target. Ranjith, who is the archbishop of Colombo, asked the faithful across Sri Lanka to stay home for their own safety. "We don't want repetitions," Ranjith said. It was an extraordinary request for a Catholic clergyman to make, as churches often remain a refuge. It came on the day that priests allowed journalists inside one of the bombed churches, St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, where broken glass littered a blood-stained floor. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka also warned the public to stay away from places of worship over the weekend, a stark alert underlining that authorities believe that attackers remain at large. Authorities told Muslims to worship at home rather than attend communal Friday prayers that are the most important religious service of the week, but several mosques held services anyway. At a mosque in Colombo, police armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles stood guard outside for hundreds of worshippers as the imam inside and others wept while praying to Allah to help their country. The Easter attackers are "not Muslims. This is not Islam. This is an animal," said Akurana Muhandramlage Jamaldeen Mohamed Jayfer, the chairman of the mosque. "We don't have a word (strong enough) to curse them." Sri Lanka's government, crippled from a long political crisis between the president and prime minister last year, promised swift action to capture militants still at large. President Maithripala Sirisena said about 140 people had been identified as having links to the Islamic State group. A "major search operation has been undertaken," Sirisena said. "Every household in the country will be checked." [emphasis added] On Friday night, soldiers raiding a house in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province fought a gunbattle with suspected militants linked to the bombings, said military spokesman Brig. Sumith Atapattu. After a couple of hours, he said soldiers were "engaged in a clearing operation," adding that some casualties were possible. In the same area, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said officers acting on information from intelligence officials found 150 sticks of blasting gelatin and 100,000 small metal balls, as well as a van and clothing suspected to be used by those involved in the Easter attack. Suicide bomb vests often are packed with such balls to increase the shrapnel in the explosion, making them even deadlier. Earlier Friday, police confirmed the militant group's leader, Mohamed Zahran, died in the suicide bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel, one of six hotels and churches attacked. Zahran appeared in an Islamic State video claiming responsibility for the coordinated assault, and authorities in both Sri Lanka and Australia confirmed links between IS and the attack. Police said investigators had determined that the assailants' military training was provided by someone they called "Army Mohideen," and that weapons training had taken place overseas and at locations in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province. Police said they arrested the operator of a copper factory who had helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices and purchase empty cartridges sold by the Sri Lankan military as scrap copper. On Thursday night, Sri Lanka's health ministry drastically reduced its estimated death toll from the bombings. A statement said "approximately" 253 people had been killed, nearly one-third lower than an earlier police estimate of 359 dead. The discrepancy was not immediately explained, but it fit a pattern of confused reports by Sri Lankan officials that have muddled the investigation. On Friday, police apologized to a Brown University student and a human rights activist after they posted her picture to Twitter and erroneously identified her as a wanted militant. The police then deleted their Twitter account. ___ Associated Press writers Krishan Francis in Colombo and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed. The Latest: Military clashes with suspects in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Latest on the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka (all times local): 8:35 p.m. A military spokesman says soldiers have exchanged gunfire with suspects after attempting to raid a building in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province as part of the ongoing investigation into the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks. Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said a gunbattle was underway in the coastal town of Sammanthurai, 325 kilometers (200 miles) from the capital, Colombo. Officials say local militants with ties to the Islamic State group conducted a series of suicide bombings on Easter Sunday at churches and luxury hotels in and around Colombo and in the distant seaside village of Batticaloa. The health ministry says about 250 people were killed. Sri Lanka has remained on edge as authorities have pursued suspects with possible access to explosives. ... *** Edited to add: PETITION: Tell UN Chief to condemn anti-Christian attacks in Sri Lanka After hundreds of Christians were murdered in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, this petition tells the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to call on the international community to "stand united against anti-Christian hatred", just as he did for Muslims after the attacks in New Zealand. 19,017 3 days ago Sign This Petition
...The study says the monkeys have "potential to provide important—and potentially unique—insights into basic questions of what actually makes human unique,... So they don't know what actually makes a human being unique? Well for starters, how about a soul. So disturbing.
Please pray for Sri Lanka everyone. And please pray for my son and his family and their safety. I will greatly appreciate it. The situation is very concerning.
AED, Definitely, prayers going up for them right now! I still have to say my daily rosary so it will be for your son and his family and all of the people of Sri Lanka. I agree that the situation there is very concerning. I can't imagine the authorities go house to house unless they suspect that there is a multitude of terrorists in their country. Edited to add: In relation to the news about Sri Lankans being prohibited from attending mass this weekend I had forgotten that it is Divine Mercy Sunday. I think that this makes this news even more devastating, if that is possible. It may also makes this news even a bigger "sign" for all of us.
I will say a special prayer to St.Michael and St. Joseph for your fanily. May God bless and protect them.
