New to Bellacroft!

The popular Cocoon is now available in TOFFEE!

Hemp and Silky Black are still out of stock so we have now expanded your options! This attractive color blends well with any decor and your little one will love the benefits of the womb-like sensations that the cocoon has to offer!

Order now!

Arm's Reach Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon Sleeper, Toffee/Natural Stripe $5 Shipping

NATO defense ministers are yet to reach consensus on the alliance’s role in the fight against narcotics in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Thursday.

General view of the informal meeting of NATO defence ministers in Budapest October 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

“It is a complex question. I can’t say that all noses are pointing in the same direction,” he told a press conference.

Discussions on this issue will continue on Friday, he said, hoping that the ministers could come to some form of conclusion by the end of the two-day meeting.

“No decisions were taken yet today. But ministers had an intense discussion whether ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) could play a role in going after the drug laboratories and the precursors,” said de Hoop Scheffer.

The defense ministers devoted their first day of a two-day meeting to Afghanistan.

De Hoop Scheffer said the ministers supported the idea of growing the Afghan National Army (ANA) from about 7,000 at present to 130,000. The growth means the alliance needs to spend more money and provide more trainers, he said.

NATO’s strategy is to gradually transfer security responsibilities to the Afghans themselves, seeing the strategy as cost-effective in the long term.

The ANA now takes part in 70 percent of the operations of the NATO-led ISAF and leads in 60 percent of its operations, said NATO spokesman James Appathurai on Tuesday.

The ministers also agreed to help provide security for next year’s presidential elections. The ISAF commanders have not yet formalized their demands for extra forces for this task, said the NATO chief. But the alliance is ready to play its part as it did in the previous elections. NATO support has already begun since the start of voter registration on Monday.

The NATO chief said a number of countries have offered to beef up their contingents in Afghanistan, without naming those specific countries.

The ministers’ informal meeting is overshadowed by comments of British military commander in Afghanistan, Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, over the weekend that the war with the Taliban could not be won. While the New York Times on Thursday quoted a draft report of U.S. intelligence agencies as saying that Afghanistan is in a downward spiral and that the Afghan government, plagued by corruption, may not be able to stem the rise of the Taliban.

De Hoop Scheffer, however, chose to be “cautiously optimistic” on Thursday.

“There is no reason, whatsoever, for gloom and doom,” he told reporters.

But he admitted that 2008 has been a challenging year both for Afghanistan and ISAF as attacks in Afghanistan and cross-border support from Pakistan for insurgency in Afghanistan were up.

“Seven years after the fall of the Taliban, the challenges remain real. But the progress is just as real. And our commitment to carry this mission through to success … remains undiminished,” he said.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

http://lookatvietnam.tinmoi.vn/2008/10/nato-defense-ministers-yet-to-reach-consensus-on-drug-role-in-afghanistan.html

We are commanded to take the Gospel message to a lost and dieing world. People is im not mistaking that means we are to tell EVERYONE! I once heard at a church that we don't let that kind in here. What's the meaning of "that kind?" How does that show the love of Christ to people who are lost. My Grandfather is as lost as lost can be. One of the biggest thing he tells me about becoming a Christian is they way we act and point different people out. Look how far we have come from when Christ shared to EVERYONE and we only share to the one's that look like they could be a Christian.

Back in April of this year we attended a Conference that had Charlie Hall as the worship leader:

 He has a bald head, tattoos all over both of his arms and gage ear rings. If people were to see him out and about and not know that he sings and leads worship they would say that there is no way he could be a Christian because of the way he looks. That's a sad thing to think and know. We look too many times at the outside of the cover and don't care to open the book up and see the heart inside. I hope that you are challenged to change the way you look at people. Hall's heart is to bring glory to god is all that he does and you can hear it it the songs he writes. Look past the cover and open it up!

So now that we have that part out of the way I was challegned by a message that I heard from Ed Young. Watch the video to get my point..... http://vimeo.com/1687140. It's a simple question.... who are you reach and how far is your reach?

We are tring to reach a generation that is not being reached from the churches today. If you are that one that has been turned away I would like to invite you to come and visit one of our Saturday Night Services. SNC is for you...check it out!

What do you think? How can we help everyone in our church reach out to EVERYONE?

Reglamento (CE) 987/2008 de la Comisión, de 8 de octubre de 2008, por el que se adapta el Reglamento (CE) 1907/2006 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo relativo al registro, la evaluación, la autorización y la restricción de las sustancias y preparados químicos REACH en cuanto a sus anexos IV y V

© DOUE L 268, 9 Oct. 2008.

REACH Artículo 2 Aplicación

7. Quedan exentas de lo dispuesto en los títulos II, V y VI:

a) las sustancias incluidas en el anexo IV, puesto que se tiene información suficiente sobre ellas y se considera que, por sus propiedades intrínsecas, entrañan un riesgo mínimo;

b) las sustancias cubiertas por el anexo V, puesto que el registro de estas sustancias se considera inadecuado o innecesario y su exención de lo dispuesto en los títulos mencionados no perjudica los objetivos del presente Reglamento;

Nota: Los títulos II, V y VI tratan sobre:

• TÍTULO II REGISTRO DE SUSTANCIAS
  • Capítulo 1 Registro obligatorio general y requisitos de información
  • Capítulo 2 Sustancias que se consideran registradas
  • Capítulo 3 Registro obligatorio y requisitos de información para determinados tipos de sustancias intermedias aisladas
  • Capítulo 4 Disposiciones comunes para todos los registros
  • Capítulo 5 Disposiciones transitorias aplicables a las sustancias en fase transitoria y a las sustancias notificadas
• TÍTULO V USUARIOS INTERMEDIOS
• TÍTULO VI EVALUACIÓN
  • Capítulo 1 Evaluación del expediente
  • Capítulo 2 Evaluación de sustancias
  • Capítulo 3 Evaluación de sustancias intermedias
  • Capítulo 4 Disposiciones comunes

]]> http://citysightsny.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/new-york-city-sights-2/ Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:37:13 +0000 myguodong http://citysightsny.id.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/new-york-city-sights-2/ new york city sights

Hurry while Supplies last!

The Arm's Reach Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon Sleeper is now available in SHADOW STRIPE. The quantities are low so get yours NOW!

ONLY $5 SHIPPING!

Arm's Reach Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon Sleeper, Shadow Stripe $5 Shipping

Do you ever think about bricks beyond them being those things your house is made of or that you walk on or the start/finish line at Indy? Well, one thing about bricks that you may or may not realize is that they have the ability to store heat from the sun and then release it throughout the night. This makes them useful in building houses because of their ability to provide some level of natural heat. I think that you and I should be like that. We should store up what the Son gives to us and then release it as the world around us grows dark.

Can you think of any other correlations?

Hope, thanks for the pic.

I'm Hassell Scott, thanks for reading.

Lihat TV liburan lebaran kemarin ... Banyak sekali iklan ucapan ”Selamat Idul Fitri” bertebaran diseluruh stasiun TV.  Memburu target Gross atau Target Audience Rating Point, Reach dan Frekuensi yang tinggi ... Ada banyak tekhnik yang dilakukan ... semua mencoba mencuri perhatian pemirsa di jagat persaingan layar kaca yang super cluttered, ketat ... dan mahal ... di Prime Time pula ...

Ada Iklan yang baik, tapi banyak pula iklan yang belalu begitu saja ... sia-sia tanpa kesan.

Lalu Iklan apakah yang dianggap menarik oleh si Trainer ini ... ???
(Tanpa bermaksud untuk Iklan ) ... Aku memilih sebuah Iklan Ucapan Selamat Idul Fitri.  Dari PT Telkom ... Ini iklan yang bagus ... dan menarik ...

Settingnya di sebuah SD ... ceritanya para murid diminta oleh gurunya untuk mengeluarkan PR menggambarnya mengenai kegiatan ”Berlebaran”

• Murid pertama yang gendut ... memperlihatkan gambar ketupat dan paha ayam opor.  Lebaran identik dengan makan ketupat dengan opor ayam buatan ibunya.
• Murid kedua seorang perempuan ... memperlihatkan gambar dia dan ayah ibunya ... yang menelpon nenek-kakeknya di kampung halaman ... Lebaran identik dengan menelpon sanak famili di kampung
• Murid ketiga ... menggambar mobil bak terbuka dengan orang-orang diatasnya ... Lebaran identik dengan berkendara ke rumah kakek neneknya dan berwisata beramai-ramai ... plus dapat angpau pula ...

Lalu ... the momment of truth ...

• Murid ke empat ... memperlihatkan kertas gambarnya yang putih bersih ... tanpa ada coretan sedikitpun ... lalu dengan cerdiknya dia bilang ...”Bapak bilang ... lebaran itu sama dengan kembali  putih, suci dan bersih dari segala kesalahan ...” (kurang lebih begitu dia ngomong ... sambil nyengir-nyengir nakal ... )(karena dia tidak menggambar apa-apa ...)(i.e ... tidak mengerjakan PR dari Gurunya ...)

Ini iklan yang kocak ... cerdas ... menyentuh ... memorable dan ... syarat makna ... !!!

Bravo bagi creative director yang membuat konsep iklannya ...

Lalu apakah perusahaan si Trainer ini memasang iklan juga di TV ...

Ohh ada pren ... mau yang versi Corporate atau yang versi Brand ... (dua-duanya ada ...)

Tapi aku ndak mau cerita ... nanti disangka Iklan ...

Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is a new European Union regulation, which requires the disclosure of all chemicals sold in the E.U. in quantities of more than one metric ton per year.  REACH addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment. The regulations contain 849 pages and took seven years to pass. 

According to some in the chemical industry, REACH is the strictest law to date regulating chemical substances and will impact industries throughout the world.  REACH started in June 2007, and will be phased in over the next decade.  When REACH is fully implemented, it will require all companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances into the European Union in quantities of one ton or more per year to register these substances with a new European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki, Finland. Because REACH applies to some substances that are contained in objects ('articles' in REACH terminology), any company importing goods into Europe could be affected.

A major part of REACH is the requirement for manufacturers or importers of substances to register them with a central European Chemicals Agency.  A registration package must be supported by a standard set of scientific data on that substance. If a company does not register its chemical and supply the required data, the company cannot manufacture or sell them in the European Union. 

REACH focuses regulatory attention on so-called substances of very high concern, which include those that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, persistent, bioaccumulative, or toxic to reproduction.  Currently, 16 chemicals, including three phthalates, are on the REACH list as chemicals of concern.  In the coming years, the REACH law will require that companies prove the safety of a given chemical before it is allowed to be sold; those chemicals deemed dangerous—or "substances of very high concern" due to associated human health risks—will only be sold with special governmental permission.

Nihon, Nippon, Japan,
That beautiful rising sunspotted land

One step onto that far out eastern soil

And your soul
Your soul and mind
Your soul and mind and every
eternal electrical pulse that will never
stop pulsing even after reaching all there is to reach

Will transform from what they never were
To what they were always meant to be

After a first listen I am hooked...there are songs for the young believer as well as for the mature believer...

Mixing Theology with a Great sound, Lecrae does a great job of presenting truth throughout his songs...

here is three of his songs from the CD

check out the album on itunes!

This does not mean we cannot lower ourselves to experience such horror, it simply means that, considering the grace of an Almighty Creator, I truly doubt if an average person, trying to make out the best they can with what they have will be condemned to an eternity of either ice or fire. The belief that man is totally depraved and deserving of eternal death is actually rather unrealistic and sounds more like the ravings of a depressed individual that needs therapy.

I am aware that Hashem is perfect and shining and awesome and totally beyond our imaginations, I am also aware that in comparison to that vision we are shadowy beings at best. But, I want you to look at the writings of a man whose words mean a great deal to the Evangelicals, i.e. Paul. In I Corinthians chapter 13, he speaks of Love, genuine from the heart caring, and he does a very nice job.

1If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

There, in the 5th verse, is the key to my commentary. for if G-d is Love (1John4:7&8), then G-d keeps no record of wrongs. So, who does keep a record, and is that one more powerful than Hashem? And is the one who condemns your G-d? The one who condemns is not my G-d. I choose love, and I choose to love. No, it does not make the nastiness of living in a limited dimension disappear, but it does ease the pain. Choose love first, always.

"The first thing is that they are shocked that I'm a Christian,"
said Bishay, who lives in Foxborough with his wife, a native of
Palestine. "They have trouble understanding. It's definitely not the
norm."

Much has been written and said in this country in recent
years about Arabs and about evangelical Christians, but rarely in the
same sentence.

Yet in one of the most prominent locations in West
Roxbury - on Spring Street across from the Veterans Administration
Hospital and next to the local Elks lodge - is the Arabic Evangelical
Baptist Church, a large, modern building with a faux lighthouse, an
attached gymnasium, meeting rooms, television studio, and underground
parking area.

The Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church of West
Roxbury, with a congregation of around 200, is the largest church of
its kind in the Northeast, according to its leaders. It belongs to the
Southern Baptist Convention, and it shares the beliefs and practices of
the megachurches that are so influential in other parts of the United
States. "We are evangelical Baptists," said its
pastor, the Rev. Khaled B. Ghobrial. "We understand we are a minority
of a minority, but we are reaching out."

Services in the church
are conducted in Arabic, and most parishioners are first-generation
immigrants from primarily Islamic countries of the Middle East and
North Africa. They travel to the church from across Greater Boston,
although the bulk of the congregation is drawn from the significant
Arabic population in West Roxbury, Dedham, and nearby communities.

The
church's reach extends far beyond Massachusetts, however. The weekly
services are recorded and turned into video programs distributed to
cable stations across North America and beamed by satellite to the
Middle East.

Ghobrial, a native of Egypt who came to Boston to
head the church six years ago, said he finds it remarkable he is able
to deliver his message to such a far-flung audience. In his home
country and in many of the predominantly Muslim countries, Christians
are afraid to express their faith openly, he said.

"Actually God
is opening the windows. Especially in the Middle East and North Africa,
we never thought we could get our message into people's homes,"
Ghobrial said.

In the Middle East, the largest Christian group is the Coptic Church, followed by Catholics and evangelical Christians.

The
West Roxbury church opened in 2006 on the site of an old lumberyard and
warehouse. Founded in the early 1970s, the congregation met for many
years in rented space at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in West Roxbury.
Since opening the new building, the church has stepped up its outreach
programs, offering day care and language classes in Arabic and English
that are open to the public.

The church also has opened its space to community groups, including Irish step-dancing classes.

"We
have two symbols that summarize our vision: a lighthouse and a bridge,"
Ghobrial said. The lighthouse on top of the building shines brightly at
night, although its light does not rotate like those on the coast. A
painting of a bridge hangs in the church's lobby. The
main sanctuary has seating for about 400. At the front and to the side
of the altar is a baptismal pool. During services, music is provided by
a band with drums, keyboard, electric guitar, and other instruments.

"We are trying to be as wide as possible in our worship style," said Ghobrial. "We have a multigenerational congregation."

While most programs are in Arabic, offerings for youth, who are typically second-generation immigrants, are in English.

Jimmy
Kamel, 22, a research assistant at Brigham and Women's Hospital, was
born in the United States and has been a member of the church all his
life. A Dedham resident, his mother is Syrian and his father is
Egyptian.

"My lifelong friends are from the church," said Kamel.
"The people there have been my core." Like evangelicals elsewhere, the
members of the Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church take their message
beyond the walls of their church.

In the summer, about 15 or 20 church members go out about once a month to spread the Gospel.

"We
go out in the streets," said Ghobrial. "Downtown Crossing, Harvard
Square, Revere Beach. We go to worship, to sing, to have free
literature, to present the gospel to all the Arabs, Christians, and
Muslims. We invite them to have a dialogue with us."

In these places, the proportion of passersby who speak Arabic is small, but in the course of a day, a few might appear.

"If
you meet two, three Arabs throughout the day who are interested to
listen and to talk and to ask questions, this is a big catch," Ghobrial
said.

The church is growing, according to its pastor, but he has
no illusions of its joining the ranks of the evangelical churches of
the American South.

"Is the church growing? Yes. Is it growing like a megachurch? No. We're not within the Bible Belt. We're in New England."

Source: Boston.com

JOURNEY GROUPS...

I have been hearing some cool stories coming out of Journey Groups but let me tell you of this underneath theme that is running through many of them right now.

We have groups that come in all sizes.  Will Goodwin is leading the way with having like 29 people on his roster.  All of this is cool but let me tell you what I love to hear.  I had a group leader tell me last week that they did not have a great turn out so I immediately was trying to get them plugged into another group and here was the response., "No, we want to give it more time we have a new couple coming so we want to keep trying."

I was pleasantly surprised by this person's willingness to allow God to use them.  You see I believe God wants to do great things through us but many times we have to be patient.  Many of us are seeing and sensing this right now because of our economy.  This is when God decides to work because He wants to show Himself.  It, and here's a churchy word, 'glorifies' Him and HE gets the credit.  Then everyone knows He's in charge.

For those in groups and you are worried about numbers hang tough and above all KEEP INVITING!  It could be that God wants to see how much you are in this thing by seeing your passion for inviting others.

By the way when you ask Will how he got that many people he will tell you, "I just asked".

Reach & Kidrobot

New Reach Product.

NEW DELHI, September 24 (Compass Direct News) – The unprecedented wave of anti-Christian attacks that began a month ago continued in the past week with more incidents of murder, rape and arson, mostly in the eastern state of Orissa and southern state of Karnataka. Two Christians were also found murdered in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

“The atmosphere in the Kandhamal district of Orissa is still volatile,” an attorney visiting Kandhamal with a team to provide legal aid to victims told Compass. “Yesterday afternoon, we were going to the Raikia area, but as we were about to reach there, we were informed that a mob had attacked a police station and the police had to open fire. We had to flee Kandhamal right away.”

According to The Indian Express, around 2,000 people, including women, surrounded the Raikia police station yesterday to demand the release of two fellow villagers from Masakadia village who had been arrested on charges of arson and rioting.

Security personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a federal agency, opened fire to prevent the mob from entering the police station. The security personnel resorted to fire after failing to control the mob with persuasion and the use of batons, added the daily. One person died and two were critically injured from the gunfire.

The attorney also said Hindu extremists had destroyed all communication links in Kandhamal, including mobile phone networks, and blocked some roads with trees and stones.

Rape, Murder, Arson in Orissa

Attacks on Christians continued in the Kandhamal district. While a young woman was reportedly gang-raped by unidentified rioters on Sunday night (Sept. 21), a man went missing and was allegedly killed on Friday (Sept. 19).

Father Ajay Singh of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bhubaneswar, Orissa’s capital, told Compass that a local Oriya-language newspaper, Dharitri, reported that a 20-year-old woman was raped by about 15 men in an area under Tikabali police jurisdiction in Kandhamal late on Sept. 21.

The victim, who was living in a relief camp and believed to be Christian, had gone back to her house to see her grandmother. A group of men stormed the house and took her to a nearby jungle and raped her, Singh said, adding that the police had confirmed the incident.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Iswar Digal, who had taken refuge at Ghumusar Udayagiri relief camp and was believed to be Christian, went missing after he went to meet his ailing father in Gatingia village on Friday (Sept. 19). Digal’s wife, Runima Digal, filed a police complaint stating that Hindu extremists killed her husband after he had gone to the village along with her to visit his father.

She said the extremists had warned them not to return to the village if they did not convert from Christianity to Hinduism. Police, however, have registered only a case of kidnapping, added PTI.

The news agency also reported that at least 10 houses, believed to be that of Christians, were burned in Gochhapada area on Saturday (Sept. 20). An Orissa state official told The Times of India, “It is difficult to guard all the remote areas. But we are trying our best.”

The violence in Kandhamal began following the assassination of a leader of the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP), Laxmanananda Saraswati, and four of his associates on Aug. 23. Although Maoists claimed responsibility for the murder, the VHP put the blame on local Christians, saying they killed him because he was resisting conversion of Hindus to Christianity.

According to the All India Christian Council (AICC), at least 14 districts witnessed violence with Kandhamal as the epicenter, and at least 50,000 people from 300 villages have been affected by the violence, with hundreds still hiding in forests. Some 4,000 houses and 115 churches have been burned or destroyed, and the AICC reported 45 Christians were confirmed dead with five others still missing.

Killing in Uttarakhand

Amid persistent tensions in various parts of the country following the violence in Orissa, two Catholics, including a woman, were found murdered on Monday (Sept. 22) in the Dehra Dun district of the northern state of Uttarakhand (formerly known as Uttaranchal).

A 56-year-old Catholic preacher, Sadhu Astey, and his disciple, identified only as Mercy, 32, were found strangled to death at their prayer center, called Samarpanalaya, in Chotta Rampur village near Herbertpur area in Vikasnagar Block, reported The Tribune.

Police said local residents grew suspicious when there was no movement at the center the past two days and informed officers. The center was found ransacked.

“We are investigating these murders to know whether it was done by dacoits [bandits] with an intention to loot, or there is something else,” Police Inspector Harish Verma told media. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said he suspected Hindu extremists were behind the killing.

The Tribune said it was the fourth attack on Christians in the Dehra Dun district in the past few months.

“Sangh Parivar [family of Hindu nationalist groups led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS] activists had attacked Christian missionaries on Aug. 15 when they were distributing their leaflets,” the daily reported. “They were brought to the police station and beaten up. Interestingly, instead of taking action against the attackers, the police detained five of the Christian leaders for nine hours.”

Christians were also attacked in the area on June 4 and June 22, it added.

Uttarakhand is ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Attacks in Karnataka, Kerala

Suspected Hindu extremists attacked at least three more churches in the southern state of Karnataka, where violence against Christians rose to new heights after tensions began in Orissa.

On Sunday (Sept. 21), two churches were vandalized in the state capital, Bangalore, and another church was attacked in the Kodagu district, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Bangalore.

In Bangalore, extremists desecrated the St. James Church in Mariammanapalya near Hebbal area and the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Rajarajeshwarinagar area, reported The Times of India. Police told the daily that they had detained seven people and suspended a constable for negligence in protecting the churches.

In Kodagu district, members of the Brethren’s Church in Nellihudikeri area found portions of the front glass facade of the church broken on Sunday morning, reported the daily. The vandalism occurred despite two constables guarding the church.

Karnataka police arrested the state convener of VHP youth wing Bajrang Dal, Mahendra Kumar, on Friday night (Sept. 19) in connection with the spate of attacks on churches and prayer halls in several parts of the state. Bajrang Dal extremists vandalized numerous churches and Christian institutions in various parts of Karnataka earlier this month.

On Monday (Sept. 22), anguished Catholic Archbishop of Bangalore the Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras told Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa that he was ready to “shed blood and give his life for Christ,” reported the Economic Times.

Yeddyurappa had called on the archbishop and senior state officials after an emergency cabinet meeting. Archbishop Moras “greeted the visitors with a grim face without the customary geniality,” the daily reported, “and blurted out his anguish: ‘I am deeply hurt and saddened. This is not a happy occasion to meet the head of the state.’”

The Karnataka chief minister assured the Christian minority community that security at churches and Christian institutions had been increased. He also claimed that the attacks on churches were part of a conspiracy to malign the BJP in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa said police had arrested three persons including the son of a local Congress Party leader in connection with a violent incident in the Sagar area of Shimoga district, reported the Rediff News on Monday (Sept. 22). “Ravi, another person arrested in connection with the attack, is said to have instigated these youth to desecrate churches by promising to pay 1.5 million Indian rupees [US$32,800],” it reported.

Yeddyurappa had earlier blamed the anti-Christian violence in parts of the state on a booklet reportedly circulated by a Christian organization that allegedly hurt Hindu sentiments.

But a fact-finding team of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), which visited the violence-hit areas of Udupi, Mangalore and Bangalore in Karnataka last week, has indicted the BJP government for “being in league with the Hindu extremist groups. It has failed to check attacks on Christians and churches,” reported the Hindustan Times.

The NCM will submit the report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

According to The Times of India, two churches were attacked in neighboring Kerala state on Sunday (Sept. 21) near the international airport in Nedumbassery, close to Kochi city.

Some churches were attacked in Kerala last week also.

Ban on Extremism – or on Conversion

In the wake of the ongoing wave of anti-Christian attacks in various parts of India, the NCM is mulling recommending a ban on the Bajrang Dal.

The Hindustan Times said the NCM was working towards a unanimous decision seeking tough measures against the Bajrang Dal, as its involvement in “frequent attacks on the minorities and their places of worship across the country has been established beyond doubt.”

The former prime minister of India and chief of the Karnataka-based Janata Dal (Secular) party, H.D. Deve Gowda, also demanded a ban on the Bajrang Dal during a sit-in protest in Delhi yesterday. Several other political parties have also urged the federal government to ban the Bajrang Dal.

But a senior BJP leader, Venkaiah Naidu, termed conversion as the root cause of violence and social disturbances, saying a strong federal law to prevent religious conversion across the country would be brought if BJP regained power in the general elections expected to be held early next year, reported PTI on Sunday (Sept. 21).

The BJP leader also asked the Orissa state government to strictly implement the existing anti-conversion law in the state.

The VHP’s central governing body is likely to deliberate on ways to further intensify its campaign against religious conversions in Orissa’s Kandhamal district at its two-day “brain- storming session” in Delhi beginning tomorrow, The Statesman daily reported.

The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) will hold a rally tomorrow at Lafayette Square in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. – the day Prime Minister Singh will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush – demanding an end to violence against Christians in India.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has sent a letter to President Bush urging him to raise pressing concerns about religious freedom in India during his meeting with Prime Minister Singh.  

Report from Compass Direct News

Over the last year, ChemSec has collaborated with public interest organisations to develop a list over high concern chemicals. The list, called the REACH SIN* List 1.0 (*Substitute It Now!), is based on the criteria for Substances of Very High Concern, or SVHCs, in REACH, which should be given the highest priority in the REACH Authorisation process. ChemSec

Läs mer:

• ChemSec:s hemsida
• Reach Sin List med 100 kemikalier som bör bytas ut.

/Daniel Eriksson

It's about striving to reach someone, or touch someones feelings.

It's about understanding and being understood instead of judged.

This is my wish for the new Jewish year...

You can go to Golden Joystick.com now to reward the games you love with your votes and give yourself a chance to win some ace prizes.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the awards and to celebrate Virgin Media are giving away a host of prizes to reward you lot for voting. Prizes are doled out every 10,000 votes and with loads of great stuff still available, including magazine subscriptions, Blu-ray DVDs and another five big prizes of similar value to the Bravia, there's no better time to have your say on which games go away with the gongs.

So if you want to name Niko your favourite character of the year, send Snake off in style by giving him the best game gong or congratulate Capcom for DMC 4 by voting them as best developer, now’s your chance.

Go to Golden Joystick.com to register your votes now!

You can go to Golden Joystick.com now to reward the games you love with your votes and give yourself a chance to win some ace prizes.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the awards and to celebrate Virgin Media are giving away a host of prizes to reward you lot for voting. Prizes are doled out every 10,000 votes and with loads of great stuff still available, including magazine subscriptions, Blu-ray DVDs and another five big prizes of similar value to the Bravia, there's no better time to have your say on which games go away with the gongs.

So if you want to name Niko your favourite character of the year, send Snake off in style by giving him the best game gong or congratulate Capcom for DMC 4 by voting them as best developer, now’s your chance.

Go to Golden Joystick.com to register your votes now!

You can go to Golden Joystick.com now to reward the games you love with your votes and give yourself a chance to win some ace prizes.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the awards and to celebrate Virgin Media are giving away a host of prizes to reward you lot for voting. Prizes are doled out every 10,000 votes and with loads of great stuff still available, including magazine subscriptions, Blu-ray DVDs and another five big prizes of similar value to the Bravia, there's no better time to have your say on which games go away with the gongs.

So if you want to name Niko your favourite character of the year, send Snake off in style by giving him the best game gong or congratulate Capcom for DMC 4 by voting them as best developer, now’s your chance.

Go to Golden Joystick.com to register your votes now!

You can go to Golden Joystick.com now to reward the games you love with your votes and give yourself a chance to win some ace prizes.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the awards and to celebrate Virgin Media are giving away a host of prizes to reward you lot for voting. Prizes are doled out every 10,000 votes and with loads of great stuff still available, including magazine subscriptions, Blu-ray DVDs and another five big prizes of similar value to the Bravia, there's no better time to have your say on which games go away with the gongs.

So if you want to name Niko your favourite character of the year, send Snake off in style by giving him the best game gong or congratulate Capcom for DMC 4 by voting them as best developer, now’s your chance.

Go to Golden Joystick.com to register your votes now!

You can go to Golden Joystick.com now to reward the games you love with your votes and give yourself a chance to win some ace prizes.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the awards and to celebrate Virgin Media are giving away a host of prizes to reward you lot for voting. Prizes are doled out every 10,000 votes and with loads of great stuff still available, including magazine subscriptions, Blu-ray DVDs and another five big prizes of similar value to the Bravia, there's no better time to have your say on which games go away with the gongs.

So if you want to name Niko your favourite character of the year, send Snake off in style by giving him the best game gong or congratulate Capcom for DMC 4 by voting them as best developer, now’s your chance.

Go to Golden Joystick.com to register your votes now!