October 2011
73 posts
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“Once let the truth of God obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the...”
– Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon commenting on 2 John 2: “For the truths sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.”
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Income of richest US households soars
The after-tax income of the wealthiest 1 per cent of US households increased by 275 per cent over the past three decades, much faster than the average growth of 62 per cent for all Americans, according to a new study by congressional analysts. For the poorest 20 per cent, the growth was only 18 per cent.
The report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which analyses the impact of tax...
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Who Are the "Top 1%" Wealthy Americans Everyone is... →
nicolelapin:
In case you missed my CNN segment on it, here are 5 things you need to know: 1. To get into the “top 1%” of Americans you don’t need to be a billionaire or millionaire or half-millionaire. The minimum wage earners in that group make about $343k/year. 2. Financial services professionals (a.k.a. “Wall Street”) average $311k/year — so they technically don’t make it into the top...
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Rage against the machine: People are right to be...
From The Economist; whole story HERE.
FROM Seattle to Sydney, protesters have taken to the streets. Whether they are inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York or by the indignados in Madrid, they burn with dissatisfaction about the state of the economy, about the unfair way that the poor are paying for the sins of rich bankers, and in some cases about capitalism itself.
In...
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Ohio's War on the Middle Class
The decor of Erin and Anthony Rodriguez’s guest room could really only happen in the United States. In fact, a European did lay eyes on it one time, and his superior brow furrowed instantly with disbelief as he said, “What…is THAT?” It isn’t just the powder-pinkness of the third bedroom in their Gahanna, Ohio, home. It’s more the hot pink stars stenciled along the...
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The Rise of the New Global Elite
From the Atlantic Monthly; full story HERE.
IF you happened to be watching NBC on the first Sunday morning in August last summer, you would have seen something curious. There, on the set of Meet the Press, the host, David Gregory, was interviewing a guest who made a forceful case that the U.S. economy had become “very distorted.” In the wake of the recession, this guest explained,...
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The gap between the rich and poor in America
Over the next day or so, I’ll be posting a series of articles and materials on the growing gap between the poor and middle class and the advent of the super-rich in America (and around the world). This shift is wealth distribution is unprecedented in the history of our country and will have a profound effect on how we shape the future. Closer to home, it will impact what you do for a...
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“Without sap the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a...”
– Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon reflecting on Psalm 104:16—“The trees of the Lord are full of sap.”
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Democracy’s Collateral Damage: 100,000 Coptic...
From the NYT; full story HERE.
THE Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, tracing its roots to St. Mark the apostle and the first century A.D. Coptic Christians have survived persecutions and conquests, the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam. They have been governed from Constantinople and Ctesiphon, Baghdad and London. They have outlasted...
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“The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no...”
– The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer
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Scariest Student Loan Debt Numbers Ever: $100...
For the first time ever, the total amount of student loans in the U.S. topped $100 billion last year. And sometime this year, it’s expected that outstanding student loan debt will hit $1 trillion—also for the first time ever.
Using data from the College Board, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and other sources, a USA Today story lays out the seriously disturbing state of student loan...
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Why Facebook Is After Your Kids: 7.5 million...
In May, Consumer Reports announced that 7.5 million kids age 12 and younger are on Facebook. The magazine called this “troubling news,” in no small part because their presence is at odds with federal law, which bars Web sites from collecting personal data about kids under 13 without permission from their parents. “Clearly, using Facebook presents children and their friends and families with...
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“Even the most “Christlike” Christians on the planet will be totally ineffective...”
– Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith by Bill Hybels
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“What’s new is this amazingly efficient distribution system for stolen...”
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Steve Jobs, in a 2003 interview with the Rolling Stone, commenting on the creation of iTunes and purchasing digital music a song at a time. The interview came at a point in history when free downloading services like Napster and Kazaa were at the forefront of music on the internet. I like how Mr....
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US pulling ALL troops in Iraq at year-end bringing...
BAGHDAD—The U.S. is abandoning plans to keep U.S. troops in Iraq past a year-end withdrawal deadline, The Associated Press has learned. The decision to pull out fully by January will effectively end more than eight years of U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, despite ongoing concerns about its security forces and the potential for instability.
The decision ends months of hand-wringing by ...
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In Praise of Minor Upgrades
For once, the instant critical analysis of an Apple product announcement was muted, not ecstatic. The new iPhone was faster than its predecessor, and included a better camera. You could get it with double the storage. But the case design hadn’t changed a bit, and most of the changes involved subtle refinements. People expected something eye-poppingly new; Apple delivered a phone that ...
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Why Occupy Wall Street Is More Popular than the...
One of the juicier nuggets in TIME’s wide-ranging new poll is that voters are embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement as they sour on the Tea Party. Twice as many respondents (54%) have a favorable impression of the eclectic band massing in lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park than of the conservative movement that has, after two years, become a staple of the American political scene.
A closer...
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Dilma vs. Gisele: The War over Brazilian Womanhood
It’s hardly surprising that Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first female President, has placed women in some of her government’s highest positions. But replacing leathery male dinosaurs may have been the easy part. Rousseff’s latest opponent is one whom many would have expected to be on her side: Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
The political and fashion heavyweights...
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Gluttony Alert: Racetrack Touts New Bacon-Topped...
Hot on the heels of news of Denmark’s fat tax comes this fried Stateside wonder.
In what can only be described as a nutritional step backward, Charlotte Motor Speedway unveiled a brand spankin’ new treat called the “Funnel Bacakonator.”
“Bacakonator,” a disturbing hybrid of “bacon” and “cake,” pretty much describes the dessert in...
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“The cry of the Christian religion is the gentle word, “Come.” The...”
– Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Matthew 11:28—“Come unto me.”
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France Overcomes Internal Strife at World Cup
After the disharmony that plagued the French team in the first stage of the Rugby World Cup, the coaches and players now seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet.
France came within a whisker of being eliminated two weeks ago after Coach Marc Lièvremont’s public criticism of players and after his erratic lineup selection led to internal bickering.
With a loss to Tonga on Oct. 1, after...
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With Just Three 9s, Cain Refigured Math for Taxes
In the strange land of GOP candidates, pizza king Herman Cain now has his own catchy tax plan for helping America. Stay smart, folks. These guys are incredible. Read the entire NYT piece HERE.
It was a strategy session at 28,000 feet. Herman Cain, the Republican presidential candidate, and his advisers were on a campaign flight this summer between Atlanta and New Hampshire, tossing around...
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“The interior journey of the soul from the wilds of sin into the enjoyed Presence...”
– The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
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Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church
The Barna Group has released the findings of a five year study on why young adults are leaving the church. The research project was comprised of eight national studies, including interviews with teenagers, young adults, parents, youth pastors, and senior pastors. No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research...
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“O thou pleasant, comfortable, kindly, good-natured God: How glad I am that I can...”
– At CSF we studied this week the Matthew 25 passage on the sheep and the goats. This “prayer” helps drive home a point about the goats and false Christianity, no matter how much it may be dressed in evangelical clothes. Perhaps nothing can describe it better than this prayer, written...
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Assault with a bratwurst and a bun: Woods Finishes...
From NPR—weird sports news. Full report HERE. And yes, Tiger already is a wiener of many golf tournaments.
The Frys.com Open brought the first PGA Tour win for Bryce Molder, who joined the tour in 2002. But the tournament was also memorable for Tiger Woods, who played well — and survived having a hot dog thrown at him on the putting green.
Molder holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the...
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This is How to Do it--Alltech Cultivates Haitian...
From the Herald Leader; full story HERE. Of all the things we are doing to help Haiti, this may be one of the best. A tip of the cap to Alltech who is showing us how to blend solid business ideas with good works. To me, it will take businessmen leading the way for the church and just ordinary folks who are well-intended but just don’t have the business backgrounds.
A little more than a...
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Barna: State of the Church in 2011-A Disturbing...
George Barna, author of the trends book Futurecast, has released a series of assessments of how America’s faith has shifted in the past 20 years on 14 religious variables. In the series of briefs, Barna explores not only the aggregate national patterns, but also digs into how matters have changed according to gender, ethnicity, region, generation, and religious segments....
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Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement
Christians have a lot to learn from understanding the biblical background and purpose of the Jewish holidays. Yom Kippur finds its roots in Leviticus and God’s requirement that we “afflict our souls.” Almost any Google search will tell you more, but here is a brief explanation of the holiday. Spend some time thinking about this and what it all means to you.
Yom Kippur 2011...
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One Term, Or Two? Obama Faces Season Of Doubt
For President Obama, this is the Season of Doubt.
There is in the American air — some 13 months away from the 2012 election — a whiff of suggestion that Obama might not be re-elected. Or re-electable.
A recent poll reveals that most Americans — 55 percent — believe Obama will be a one-term president. On hearing the results, Obama told ABC News: “I’m used to being an ...
