Islam growing

According to this CNN article, major world religions are growing. Christianity has the highest number of adherents in the world now, but Islam is growing faster. By the year 2050, according to a study by Pew Research, they will be roughly equal in number.

Europe will be more than 10% Muslim, while the number of European Christians will decline. Christians will be a smaller percentage of the American population. Africa will be home to 40% of the world's Christians.

Again, all of this is projected by Pew Research as a result of their very big study. Factors that they think are driving these predictions . . tomorrow.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Thanks CIA

You can slide down from the 70th to the 69th floor on the outside of the biggest building in Los Angeles  (please excuse the possible commercial):



After the 911 attack of 2001, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had planned a "second wave" attack with this building as the intended target. He revealed under interrogation that he had planned "in late 2001 to . .  crash a hijacked airliner into the tallest building on the US West Coast.” Arrests were made and the plan failed.

So thank you, CIA, for the building that still stands, for the value that was not destroyed, and for the lives of people who didn't die in the building and on the ground where it would have fallen.

Renewal

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

The state of Indiana passed its school voucher law in 2011. Five years later, 85% of The Oaks' students receive some kind of financial assistance. There are also donors,"some of whom see The Oaks as part of a larger spiritual urban renewal in Indianapolis."

Cautiously, the school has opened two more campuses in Indianapolis - keeping in mind the original founder's goal to be a blessing to those in need.

"The Oaks led the state on the Indiana academic test this past year, beating out better-endowed private schools and suburban schools—but Oaks CEO Hart remembers a much bigger purpose  . .  Isaiah 61:3-4: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD . .  They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

Expectations

"We’re trying to live out our faith and not just adopt the Christian label.” That is "Oaks in the City," a multi-racial classical school in Indianapolis that promotes a culture of high expectations.

They started in a tough neighborhood in 1998 with 53 students. Crime has decreased and the school has grown to 665 students who are 40% black, 40% white, 20% Asian, Hispanic, or biracial.

"Jonathan and Devonia, who have four black sons, saw from public school experience a subtle attitude of lowered expectations for their children. It wasn’t so much racial prejudice as an unconscious assumption by teachers that young black males would cause trouble and not do well in the classroom."

A mixed-race mom, Frances, says “We want them to be aware of racial identity, but not be wholly defined that  way.” Dad Michael says that diversity here is not just a social project, but diversity with a purpose.

(cont'd tomorrow)

House concerts

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

"[E]qual parts recital and party," these classical house concerts have small and crowded venues packed (they do sell out in NYC) with 20-somethings. 

“Modern audiences are willing to sacrifice what musicians think of as acoustic superiority in favor of proximity,” said Fleming. He enjoys these kinds of performances, where he feels he connects with the audience.

Violinist Annika, 20, agrees, “It’s exciting for us, to literally have people sitting almost in your lap.”

"The last generation to broadly love classical music may simply be aging, like World War I veterans, out of existence." I sure hope not. As Groupmuse's founder says, "All you need is one or two of these evenings to understand that Beethoven is no joke.”

Groupmuse

"[B]ack in 1937, the median age at orchestra concerts in Los Angeles was 28. Think of that!" Whatever the median age of classical concert audiences today, it's decades beyond age 28. Audiences today are much older and smaller.

But a 26-year-old came up with . . wait for it . . a start-up business that may be creating a new audience for classical music. A millennial starting up a business, yes, this sounds familiar. But classical music instead of technology - that's different.

The start-up is "Groupmuse." In Boston about three years ago, they started organizing house concerts. Since then about 1500 have been set up in cities like Seattle, New York, Denver, Chicago, San Francisco. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Faster

China has announced that they now have the world's fastest computer. "At its peak, the computer can perform around 93,000 trillion calculations per second," something like 30% faster than America's fastest.

"“Considering that just 10 years ago, China claimed a mere 28 systems on the [TOP500 global supercomputer listing], with none ranked in the top 30, the nation has come further and faster than any other country in the history of supercomputing . . ” 

This level of technology will probably be used in "new weapon technology, medicine, and cyber security." 

"It’s a breakthrough for China’s attempts to reduce dependence on imported technology."

Return good

Minority Christians living in Syria, that hotbed of civil war and danger, are still trying to live as Jesus would want them to live:

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart . ."

"[W]hile ISIS is inspiring mass murderer, the Syrian Orthodox archdiocese of Aleppo is feeding poor Muslim families during the month of Ramadan. "

This is the archdiocese whose Archbishop was kidnapped by radical Islamists in 2013 and is presumed dead.

Triple risk

Nothing could summarize this article any better than the title does: "Working long hours harms women but protects men, study shows."

"Work weeks [for women] that averaged 60 hours per week or more over three decades were found to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis, according to new research from The Ohio State University."

Wait, that's a whole lot of hours. Wouldn't that level of work harm everyone? No! "[T]he same pattern was not seen in men. In fact, they got healthier the longer they worked." 

This raises so many questions. Here's one:  should young women be made aware of the risk to their long-term health when they consider an intensely demanding career?

Not perfect

• "63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average."

This is just the first of a big list of statistics on a website I heard of today, "The Fatherless Generation."  The numbers indicate more pain and confusion for fatherless kids.

But there's something here that should encourage dads. These sad statistics apply to homes lacking fathers, not homes lacking perfect fathers. There are no perfect fathers out there.

Dads, you - in all your imperfection - make a big difference in your children's lives.

photo: focusonthefamily.com

Chick-fil-A

Last Sunday in Orlando, blood donors were lined up waiting to give blood to the injured. A couple of Chick-fil-A restaurants looked for a way to help. Though the restaurants are always closed on Sundays, employees came in to prepare food and freely serve it to those donors.

From their Facebook page: "Our restaurant, along with a couple of others in the area, simply responded just like numerous other Orlando businesses and residents have done — we came together as a community to lift those in need."

Company spokeswoman Carrie Kurlander, "We do not think this requires any recognition. It is the least we can do in this community we love."

"Marry" value

Intuition would say that it's good to be married. Study results agree that married men do better in health, income, and other areas mentioned in this video. Btw, remember that this research does not speak for 100% of men. The data refers to trends and percentages.

That "piece of paper" documenting your wedding could be the most valuable thing you ever own according to this University of Virginia professor.

Barriers

Melanie Armstrong grew up in African American culture. In that tradition, she says, generation after generation of women have braided their hair.

After a few years of working in psychology, she dreamed of opening and running her own business to carry on the hair braiding tradition. But her dream started to become a nightmare when she encountered barriers put up by the government.

The State of Mississippi required her to get licensing in irrelevant skills to start the business, which would mean going to school for a year and a half plus paying the State a fee of $10,000. She fought against this barrier, then started her business plus a school to teach the skill.

She says, "I think we need to take a serious look at the regulatory walls that are barring entrepreneurs from making an honest living."

China crosses

China's Zhejiang Province is "home to one of China’s largest and most vibrant Christian populations." About two years ago, 1200-1700 crosses topped churches in the province - but no longer.  The Chinese government has been on a crusade to chop them off.

The message seems to be, "we will tell the peasants what to think and how to worship." Some say it's a test in Zhejiang, that the campaign will expand if the government likes the results, according to the NY Times.

But "broadening the campaign to regulate religion could backfire . . with worshipers abandoning government-run churches in favor of underground congregations . . . It could also antagonize many of the urban, white-collar professionals who have embraced Christianity."

Earned it

To plan and prepare for the future is a grown-up thing to do. But there are plenty of adults who would rather go for the immediate pleasures, who never do discipline themselves to prepare for their future.

That's what sets apart Kevuntez King. As a 12-year-old he looked ahead to what would be best for his 17-year-old self, and decided he would want to go to college. So every Sunday he sold newspapers and saved his earnings, and this spring he was accepted to go to Tennessee State University - and it's paid for.

He says, “Make sure you surround yourself with people that’s trying to go up in life and not trying to bring you down. Just stay positive and always believe in yourself and push for it.”

He's got self esteem. He earned it.

Executed

Yazidis are a religious minority among the Kurds, a Middle Eastern ethnic group who form a large part of the population across several countries in this area:

Yazidi and other religious minority women are enslaved by Islamic State as they conquer territory.  According to Kurdish news source ARA News, nineteen women were burned alive last Thursday in Mosul, Iraq, as punishment for refusing sex with IS fighters.

Let's decide to never become callous to the victims of Islamic State.

D-Day prayer

Monday was June 6, the anniversary of World War II D-Day (1944). Americans found out about the invasion that day, and that evening President Franklin Roosevelt did a radio broadcast - not to talk politics, but to ask them to pray with him.

"My fellow Americans . . I ask you to join with me in prayer.
"Almighty God, our sons, the pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor: a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity . . "


Yes, the president of the United States prayed to God over the radio.

Commence

No graduate heard this sort of commencement address last month. Mike Rowe says, "Don't follow your passion."



His points give clarity to that key question for graduates, "what should I do now?" The common advice - do what you passionately love - is lacking something. What if the student doesn't love anything? What if serious debt is involved?

"Passion" is just one thing to consider. If your passion doesn't pay too well, you might want to consider whether you're also passionate about supporting your future family. So, commence your new life with common sense and a thoughtful decision.

Islamic calm

Islamic State (IS) seeks to overwhelm, kill, or enslave Christians and other minority religions in the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands have had to leave their homes and run for their lives. Who knew there were great numbers of Christian believers in Syria and Iraq? I didn't.

When we hear news of militant Islamic attacks happening in other parts of the world too, it seems like Islam itself is at war with everyone. So different news , like the following, is just a bit of good news:

Last month the biggest Muslim organization in the world hosted a meeting of 300 Muslim leaders in Indonesia, where they denounced extremism and encouraged living in peace with other religions.

Back in January, 200 Muslim leaders met and put out the " Marrakesh Declaration: a 750-word document calling for religious freedom for non-Muslims in majority-Muslim countries." It declares that Muslims should "go beyond mutual tolerance and respect, to providing full protection for the rights and liberties to all religious groups in a civilized manner that eschews coercion, bias, and arrogance."

NBA MVP

Sonya Curry says that from November til June she and her husband "are just tired." They stay up late watching their two sons play for the National Basketball Association.

Last year the Golden State Warriors won their first NBA championship in 40 years. The Currys' son Stephen was Most Valuable Player. "In 2012-13, he set a new NBA single-season record for 3-pointers (272), only to break it twice since . . Assuming good health, Curry is a solid bet to eclipse Ray Allen’s NBA record for career 3-pointers (2,973)."

"[T]he NBA’s leading scorer, [Curry] has become one of the sports world’s must-watch entertainers because of his quickness, unlimited range, and crafty handle."

And Stephen is a Christian. “I’ve always been a believer that the Lord has put whatever talent in you, [and] whatever gift He has put in you, He wants you to get the most out of that. He wants you to succeed; He wants you to pursue and work and be passionate about it . .” Agreed!

What then?

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

There could be at least two reasons why U.S. agencies plan to throw a million pounds of peanuts into Haiti.

This Wall Street Journal author claims that subsidies (paid to U.S. farmers to grow peanuts) have encouraged too much production, so they're trying to get rid of "hundreds of millions" of pounds of peanuts - evidence of the department's failed farm policy. The other possible motive is that USDA and USAID just want to help--and get points for generosity.

Neither motive justifies this plan, neither a cya cover-up nor a desire to help.

That's because they haven't asked the primary question, "What effect will this have?" As in medicine, the first principle ought to be "First, do no harm."

"One of the leaders of Haiti’s largest rural organization, the Peasant Movement of Papaye, denounced the peanut donation as “a plan of death” for the country’s farmers.

Poorest

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere with unemployment at 60% or worse. Most people make less than $800 per month.

Out of a population of 9 million, there's 150,000 trying to make a living as peanut farmers. The peanut industry supports an overall total of about 500,000 people. 

But this important part of the economy may soon be wounded . . by the American government. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture plans to "dump" about a million pounds of our surplus peanuts there. 

If that happens, peanut farmers won't be able to sell the crop they spent time and money to produce so they will lose what they can't afford to lose. People employed in the industry will lose their jobs. It's why sixty aid groups have written an open letter to USDA and to USAID demanding cancellation of this disaster.

(cont'd tomorrow) 

Frequency

If you're looking for a movie with a good story, and you don't need special effects, I can suggest "Frequency" (released in 2000, now available on Netflix).

Forget about explosions and, while you're at it, forget about believable science. A boy grows up without his NYC fireman dad who died in the line of duty, and things are not good in his life. Jim Caviezel is the son, Dennis Quaid is terrific as his dad.

For some reason (here comes the non-science): there's unusual northern lights appearing over New York and somehow that enables them to be linked over a ham radio. A connection not over space but over time makes it possible for the son and dad to talk to each other.

There's love and mystery and a sense of hope in this story. Read a review here, but only if you don't mind spoilers.

Not in vain

Memorial Day is the day set apart in the United States to honor those who "gave the last full measure of devotion." Here is Hillsdale College's tribute to the fallen.

Grateful

Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, surrendered to the armies of the North on April 30, 1975. A man with twelve children watched fear, secrecy and hunger become their life. One day his daughter told him she was leaving.

He begged her to take one of his younger sons. Two days later on a dark night she took her little brother and her 3-year old and became a refugee with no country and no security.

"After eight months in [a] refugee camp, perfect strangers at a church in Knoxville, Tennessee, sponsored [her] to come to the dream land." And that's how this refugee mother with her first child and her brother came to America. She survived it all.

Her second daughter, Adrienne, feels deep gratitude for what her mom did. "From the moment I entered this world as your second baby girl, I have never wanted for anything. Heaven willing, I will never know the hunger and desperation that defined your twenties. . with all the privileges I have as a healthy young woman with a Yale degree, nothing I accomplish can compare to what you’ve done."

Adrienne sums it up this way, "I have grown up so comfortably eating the fruits of your suffering."

Influencer

Some of us believe in God and see His influence in all of life. But we didn't all come to that personal faith in the same way. Everybody is a little different. John Stonestreet, for example, heads up a Christian organization now - but as a teenager, he says, he was a knucklehead.

At the age of 14, his Christian school made him and a buddy go visit some elderly "shut-ins" right before Christmas break. The two of them didn't exactly bring Christmas cheer to their first subject.

"[T]here we were: an 11th grader, a ninth grader, and an 89-year-old widow. We didn’t have a lot in common."  It was awkward. But the lady prayed with them before they left for the mall.

Two years later, John woke up one morning thinking about her. He actually went back to her house to see her. What he found out started to change his life. He'll tell you what it was here.

Nestle

"Nestle" makes . .  chocolate chips. That's the first thing I think of, but you might think of other chocolate foods. What one doesn't picture is a very major employer in Europe, and a huge global food company with brands like Carnation, Baby Ruth, Haagen-Dazs, and lots more.

They're making a big move toward nutrition issues. They have a $500 million/year division dedicated to researching health break-throughs, and another group tasked with figuring out how to market those "medicine" discoveries within the foods you want to eat, maybe Butterfingers.

Militant goal

So Venezuela (yesterday's post) is rich in oil reserves, and depends on that oil for nearly all its economy. Nigeria too is rich in (and dependent on) oil. Nigeria's oil industry is going downhill.

There was hope that Nigeria's growing economy could trigger prosperity all over Africa. But in just months their oil production has has sunk by about 30%.  Why? "Militant" attacks. Groups of barbarians attack and blow up pipelines, with the result that production of barrels per day went from 2.2 million to 1.4.

It's an expensive risk for Eni (Italian), Chevron, and Shell to try to keep business going. This serious setback for Nigeria's economy means hardship for its people. Oil companies can't keep investing capital in a location where their pipelines are blown up and their people are in danger.

New militant group "Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the Chevron attack and said, on its website, that its “major goal” is “to cripple the Nigerian economy.”

Extra power

As you know if you follow this blog, the South American nation of Venezuela is (as Huff Po puts it) "on the verge of collapse" economically. How bad can it get? Here is their summing up of the situation:

• Murder - second highest rate of murder in the world, following Honduras
• Inflation - expected to reach over 700% this year. Cash is useless.
• Their economy is shrinking by 8%. "It might not have been so bad if former president Hugo Chávez hadn’t chosen his oil company leaders based on their loyalty to him and his party. The employees took money from the company, but didn’t re-invest the cash to improve the country’s processes."
• Shortages of stuff the people need
• Corruption - the ninth most corrupt nation on the globe

Seventeen years of central control under socialism has ruined the prosperity Venezuela used to have. So what is current president Nicolas Maduro's urgent demand? More power, of course. "Things are so bad that President Nicolas Maduro has declared a state of emergency, giving him extra power . . "

Misconception

If you already know the information in this post, you are in a small minority. A whopping 84% of Americans think global poverty is growing.

But the truth is the opposite. Over the last 30 years or so, about a billion people on earth have emerged from extreme poverty.

If we want the rest of the world to enjoy a more prosperous life - and we do - the urgent question that must be answered is, "how did that happen?"

According to The Economist magazine, "[T]he biggest poverty-reduction measure of all is liberalising markets to let poor people get richer. That means freeing trade between countries (Africa is still cruelly punished by tariffs) and within them (China’s real great leap forward occurred because it allowed private business to grow)."

So then, "Free trade and global investment aren’t just economic priorities, they’re moral ones."