Passport rules snag child support cash

New regulations snarled travel this summer, but uncovered scofflaws
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The price of a passport: $311,491 in back child support payments for a U.S. businessman now living in China; $46,000 for a musician seeking to perform overseas, and $45,849 for a man planning a Dominican Republic vacation.

The new passport requirements that have complicated travel this summer also have uncovered untold numbers of child support scofflaws and forced them to pay millions.

The State Department denies passports to noncustodial parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support. Once the parents make good on their debts, they can reapply for passports.

See: Passport rules snag child support cash

Tropical Storm Churns Toward Texas

South Texas braced Wednesday for Tropical Storm Erin
By LYNN BREZOSKY,
Associated Press

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (Aug. 16) - South Texas braced Wednesday for Tropical Storm Erin to bring torrential downpours to a state that already has had one of its rainiest summers on record.

As the storm's outermost bands of rain touched the Texas coast, homeowners perused hardware stores in the Rio Grande Valley for supplies to board up their houses.

"They know the drill; they're familiar with it," said Ruben Dimas, assistant store manager at a Home Depot in Harlingen. Gov. Rick Perry ordered emergency vehicles and personnel, including National Guard troops, to the Harlingen and Corpus Christi areas. See: When Will Erin Make Landfall?

U.S. lags behind 41 nations in life span

Yahoo News

"Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries."

"Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands.

"Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington."

"Forty countries, including Cuba, Taiwan and most of Europe had lower infant mortality rates than the U.S. in 2004."

"A baby born in the United States in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years. That life expectancy ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier, according to international numbers provided by the Census Bureau and domestic numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years, according to the Census Bureau. It was followed by Japan, Maucau, San Marino and Singapore."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...

Imus' settlement means he could return to air

Imus and CBS Radio agreed to a settlement
Associated Press

NEW YORK - Don Imus overcame a major obstacle Tuesday in his widely expected comeback bid, reaching a settlement with his former employer that allows him to return to the airwaves at a new station four months after he made a sexist and racist remark about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Imus and CBS Radio agreed to a settlement that pre-empts the fired radio personality’s threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS, the company and Imus’ attorney said in a statement Tuesday. See : Imus could resume show

Megachurches, Megabusinesses

Today's churches aren't so different from corporations
Forbes.com

NEW YORK - Maybe churches aren't so different from corporations. World Changers Ministries, for instance, operates a music studio, publishing house, computer graphic design suite and owns its own record label.

Welcome to the megabusiness of megachurches, where pastors often act as chief executives and use business tactics to grow their congregations. This entrepreneurial approach has contributed to the explosive growth of megachurches--defined as non-Catholic churches with at least 2,000 members.

In 1970, there were just ten such churches, according to John Vaughn, founder of Church Growth Today, which tracks megachurches. In 1990, 250 fit that description. Today, there are 740. The most common trait that these churches share is their size; average number of worshippers is 3,646, up 4% from last year, according to Vaughn. But they also demonstrate business savvy, with many holding conferences (47%) and using radio (44%) and television (38%), according to a 1999 survey conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The average net income of megachurches was estimated at $4.8 million by that same survey.

See Complete Article: Megachurches, Megabusinesses - Forbes.com

Scientists create artificial sperm cells

Papers hype all-female conception
Yahoo News


Scientists say they have managed for the first time to create artificial sperm cells, a development that the popular press has seized upon as a sign that sterile men -- and even women -- may be able to fertilize eggs in the future.

The researchers turned adult stem cells from bone marrow into immature sperm cells. They're excited about the discovery, but say that it could take three to five years to develop a process whereby the cells develop into the more mature sperm cells found in the testes.

"This finding is of interest but we really need to be very cautious about the interpretation," a leading biologist tells BBC News.

No one seems to have shared that word of caution with the headline writers on Fleet Street. Here's how the story's being covered by the British press:

• Daily Mail: "A transplant technique has been devised that could effectively remove men from the process of creating life."

• Daily Telegraph: "Women could one day grow their own sperm, says a scientist who today claims to have turned bone marrow into early-stage sperm cells."

• The Independent: "Women might soon be able to produce sperm in a development that could allow lesbian couples to have their own biological daughters, according to a pioneering study published today."

On Your Feet: High Heels' Effects on the Body

Submitted by Tovleeyah
KNN-Ghana

Experts warn against what one group of foot doctors calls "cruel shoes" -- such as the high heels that Semmelhack says have historically been "one of the primary ways to express what [people] don't have to do," such as walk long distances and do strenuous work.

Shoes with "pointed toes, shoes with thin soles, and shoes with high spike heels" are of the cruel variety, according to the Web site of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, because they can "cause crowding of the toes and increased pressure," which can result in hammertoes and bunions. The American Society of Podiatric Sports Medicine reports that a three-inch heel creates seven times more stress than a one-inch heel.

See:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/05/07/GR2007050700484.html?referrer=emaillink

Bonding with the New Covenant

Promoting a wave of Yah consciousness
By Yehuda H. Cohane -
KNN Resident Priest

In a world filled with deception, much misdirection and confusion, it is difficult for the human family to know where to turn for guidance; they have had no choice but to choose, that which has been given to them. They have been desensitized to the evil that fuels this contemporary civilization. We as the children of the Most Holy must be more inspired than ever to hasten an alternative into the consciousness of those who are seeking life and truth.

The Kingdom of Yah at Jerusalem possesses a people who have distinguished themselves in the eyes of the God of Israel. For forty years we have been on this course that has lead us now to a time in prophetic history wherein the record of our Fathers, the reputation that they obtained with him has been washed away/ cleaned up / repaired.

It is essential that you now know who you are in this prophetic development, and what you must do to continue to strengthen this unique relationship, this unique agreement known prophetically as the “New Covenant”.

We have got to understand the Covenant that has been made with us, our generation. We are bonded with a new Covenant now…and [I] will be their God, and they shall be my people.

“The Teaching Priests have certainly convinced us that there are Teaching Priests again! They have not had the opportunities to articulate during the course of the year in the fullness of classes so now every home during the course of the year they will visit the homes to teach and to restore honor, glory and the beauty of Yah (Yah’s Laws). Every individual from the smallest to the greatest in that intimate setting can understand this great inheritance and the great honor it is to be a part of this High, Holy and Sacred culture that we have.”
Ben Ammi. Memorial Passover Close-out message 2007

We are inviting you to strengthen your understanding by acquiring classes and study materials from the Prophetic Priesthood during this season.

Resident Priest and Scholar Yehuda H. Cohane will be offering classes and spiritual guidance available through KNN. For more information please contact Yehuda H. Cohane at pmhg2005@yahoo.com or Ahk Keymah at keymah777@aol.com. Yah Khai!!!!

DC to host it's 8th Annual "Return to Royalty River Cruise"

Join us on the evening of Saturday, August 18, 2007 from 8-11:00 p.m. For more info call (301) 324-6900 or go to http://www.everlastinglife.net/. We are looking forward to seeing you there!! Yah Khai!!!

The Holy Days are Coming

Holy Calendar & Events

The Prophetic Priesthood at Jerusalem

Shalom Beloved Family,

We are fastly approaching the Divine cycle of Yom Kippur, the Highest Holy Day of the year. It will soon be time for great introspection, retrospection, prayer and supplication for the continued recognition of the Oaht Yah Khai.

As we continue to be Yah Yisrael’s witnesses that he is executing judgment against all evil upon this planet, it is essential that we hear and trust Yah, adhering to his instructions that we receive through his anointed personage, the Shepherd-Lamb, Ben Ammi HaMasheak.

As we prepare for this High and Holy Season, remember to stay aligned with our purpose that truth may produce the promised effects. Here are the dates for the upcoming Holy Convocations for your edification:

Shabbatone Zecrone Thruah - Sundown September 12th through sunset 13th (Sabbath in Remembrance of the Thruah)

Yom Kippur - Sundown September 21 through sunset 22nd

Succot (Opening) - Sundown September 26th through sunset 27th

Succot (Closing) - Sundown October 3rd through sunset 4th

Look forward to more specific information soon on the upcoming Holy Days…

Yours in Faithful Servitude,

The Prophetic Priesthood at Jerusalem

Minneapolis bridge collapses

Workers search for bodies in bridge debris
MSNBC News Service

MINNEAPOLIS - Difficult conditions hampered the search for bodies still trapped beneath the twisted debris of a collapsed bridge Thursday, as finger-pointing began over a report two years ago that found the bridge was "structurally deficient."

The official death count from Wednesday evening’s collapse stood at four, but Police Chief Tim Dolan said more bodies were in the water. Hospital officials said 79 others were injured.

The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, was in the midst of repairs when it buckled during the evening rush hour. Dozens of cars plummeted more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River, some falling on top of one of another. A school bus sat on the angled concrete.

The bridge is the state’s busiest, and carries approximately 141,000 vehicles per day. See: What Went Wrong?

South Carolina lawmakers may cut jail time for inmates who donate organs

Inmates in South Carolina could soon find that a kidney is worth 180 days
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, South Carolina: Inmates in South Carolina could soon find that a kidney is worth 180 days.

Lawmakers are considering legislation that would let prisoners donate organs or bone marrow in exchange for time off their jail sentences.

A state Senate panel on Thursday endorsed creating an organ-and-tissue donation program for inmates. But legislators postponed debate on a measure to reduce the sentences of participating prisoners, citing concern that federal law may not allow it.

"I think it's imperative that we go all out and see what we can do," said the bills' chief sponsor, Democratic Sen. Ralph Anderson. "I would like to see us get enough donors that people are no longer dying."

The proposal approved by the Senate Corrections and Penology Subcommittee would set up a volunteer donor program in prisons to teach inmates about the need for donors. But lawmakers want legal advice before acting on a bill that would shave up to 180 days off a prison sentence for inmates who donate.

See: South Carolina lawmakers may cut jail time for inmates who donate ...

States ease laws that punish teens for sex with minors

The legal age of consent varies from 14 to 18, depending on the state
By Wendy Koch
USA Today

More states are bucking the national crackdown on sex offenders by paring back punishment for teens who have consensual sex with underage partners.
Governors in seven states have signed bills in the past two months that mean no prosecution for some teens or no requirement to register as a sex offender.

States vary widely in how they prosecute consensual teen sex, which prosecutors refer to as "Romeo and Juliet" cases, but some remain tough on teens who are several years older than their partners. The legal age of consent varies from 14 to 18, depending on the state.

WHO IS A PEDOPHILE?: Pedophilia vs. 'playing doctor'

The issue has stirred debate recently through the Georgia case of Genarlow Wilson, 21, who is serving a 10-year sentence for receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old girl at a New Year's party when he was 17. The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Friday on whether to release him.

See Complete Article: States ease laws that punish teens for sex with minors

What's really in the water?

Aquafina labels to tell water’s source — the tap
Associated Press









Pepsi agrees to change as industry comes under increased criticism

NEW YORK - So you thought that water in your Aquafina bottle came from some far-away spring bubbling deep in a glen? Try the tap.

PepsiCo Inc. is the latest company to offer some clarity about the source of its top-selling bottled water as it announced on Friday it would change the label on Aquafina water bottles to spell out that the drink comes from the same source as tap water.

See Complete Article: Aquafina labels will list water's source: the tap

Gorbachev says U.S. is sowing world ‘disorder’

Ex-Soviet premier blasts Bush as helping create ‘very dangerous’ situation
Reuters News Service

MOSCOW - Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev criticized the United States, and President Bush in particular, on Friday for sowing disorder across the world by seeking to build an empire.

Gorbachev, who presided over the break-up of the Soviet Union, said Washington had sought to build an empire after the Cold War ended but had failed to understand the changing world.

“The Americans then gave birth to the idea of a new empire, world leadership by a single power, and what followed?” Gorbachev asked reporters at a news conference in Moscow.“What has followed are unilateral actions, what has followed are wars, what has followed is ignoring the U.N. Security Council, ignoring international law and ignoring the will of the people, even the American people,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bush say they are friends but ties have been strained by U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, disagreements over Kosovo and the war in Iraq, and competition for allies in the former Soviet Union.

Many Russians view the United States as a rival and enemy.

“When I look at today’s world I have a worrying feeling about the growth of world disorder,” he said.

“I don’t think the current president of the United States and his administration will be able to change the situation as it is developing now — it is very dangerous,” he said.
‘Massive strategic mistake’Gorbachev said Russia’s hopes of building stronger ties with Washington had waned in the face of a series of U.S. administrations interested in building an empire.

“It is a massive strategic mistake: no single center can command the entire world, no one,” he said. “Current America has made so many mistakes.”

He said the U.S. administration was apparently unable to adapt to a swiftly changing world and had ignored — or was unable to see — the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China as economic heavyweights.

See Complete Article: Gorbachev: U.S. sowing world 'disorder'

America's Caffeine Addiction Keeps Growing

Make That a Double-Our desire for caffeinated 'energy' products is soaring
By Anna Kuchment
Newsweek Health

July 30, 2007 issue - A few years ago, it dawned on Zach Thomas that coffee didn't have enough caffeine. At the time, he was pulling all-nighters as a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point. By the time he became an instructor at the U.S. Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Ga., he lived by a common saying at his school: "Sleep is a crutch." "I used to just drink a pot of coffee, but then you have to go to the bathroom 100 times during the day. If you could just get more caffeine in one cup, then that would be the best of both worlds," he says. In 2005 Thomas, now 30, founded Ranger Coffee, with a "hypercaffeinated" blend that contains double the caffeine of regular coffee, or about 300 milligrams per 12-ounce serving—the equivalent of six Diet Cokes. The small, Rockmart, Ga.-based company sells 1,700 bags of coffee a year, nearly half of them to troops stationed in Iraq.

These days you don't have to be a war hero to be a caffeine addict. Everywhere you look, people are wired on caffeine or touting its benefits—or both. Tabloids run images of celebrities sipping Red Bull or toting Starbucks venti lattes; Dunkin' Donuts ads feature a coffee-swilling Rachael Ray, who moves so fast she leaves tread marks on the floor. There's no shortage of ways to get your caffeine fix. Sales of energy drinks like Red Bull and Full Throttle have grown tenfold since 2001, and new ones enter the market weekly. Products that already have caffeine are adding more—in the past few months Diet Pepsi, Jolt and Mountain Dew have all rolled out extra-caffeinated versions. Novelty items, like caffeinated lip balm, caffeinated sunflower seeds, caffeinated beer and even caffeinated soap ("Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning java to brew?") are also popping up in retail stores and nightclubs. In a spoof on this caffeine arms race, the site Energyfiend.com launched a "death by caffeine calculator" that shows a 180-pound adult would have to down 44 tall cups of Starbucks coffee before checking in to the big java house in the sky. See: America's Caffeine Addiction Keeps Growing

African Hebrews proud of community's first officer

First member of Dimona's African Hebrew Israelites completes officer training course. 'This is a big step for us,' community leader says
Anat Bereshkovsky
Israel News

Itay Ben Yisrael of the African Hebrew Israelites community in Dimona is the first member of the group to become an officer in the IDF. Some 120 young community members currently serve in the army, after the IDF began promoting their enlistment several years ago.

Itay said that the move from life in Dimona to military life was "a culture shock" for him. "I was stunned by how the other guys talked, the curses, the foul language, the direct approach to everything. They could ask me the most intimate questions, as if we grew up together in the same room.

"On the other hand, in the army I discovered the value of friendship. The guys with whom I trained are today my best friends," he added.

The community's leader, Ben Ami Yisrael, told Ynet, "Itay could become a symbol for all of us here in Israel. this is a big step for us. From now on, no one will doubt our willingness to serve in the Israeli army. Itay is certainly a pioneer, our first officer, and we're proud of him."

See: African Hebrews proud of community's first officer

Zero calories, same great taste (and heart risks)

Diet soda linked to same health problems as sugary drinks in bubbly puzzle
MSNBC News Service

Sodas — even diet ones — may be linked with increased risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, researchers said on Monday.

They found adults who drink one or more sodas a day — diet or regular — had about a 50 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome — a cluster of risk factors such as excessive fat around the waist, low levels of “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure and other symptoms.

“When you have metabolic syndrome, your risk of developing heart disease or stroke doubles. You also have a risk of developing diabetes,” said Dr. Ramachandran Vasan of Boston University School of Medicine, whose work appears in the journal Circulation.

Prior studies have linked consumption of sugar-laden sodas with multiple risk factors for heart disease, but Vasan and colleagues also found the link extends to diet sodas.

The results surprised the researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers. It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.

See: Full story

‘Fat tax’ could save thousands of lives each year

Study: Charging extra for unhealthy foods would cut consumer demand
Reuters News Service

LONDON - A “fat tax” on salty, sugary and fatty foods could save thousands of lives each year, according to a study published on Thursday.

Researchers at Oxford University say that charging Value Added Tax (VAT) at 17.5 percent on foods deemed to be unhealthy would cut consumer demand and reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.

The purchase tax is already levied on a small number of products such as potato crisps, ice cream, confectionery and chocolate biscuits, but most food is exempt.

The move could save an estimated 3,200 lives in Britain each year, according to the study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

“A well-designed and carefully-targeted fat tax could be a useful tool for reducing the burden of food-related disease,” the study concluded.

See: ‘Fat tax’ could save thousands each year

The Hazards of Refined Sugar

...to the Mind and Body
From Everlastinglife.net

Of all the foods consumed today, refined sugar is considered to be one of the most harmful. ...In 1997 Americans devoured 7.3 billion pounds of candy. Americans spent an estimated $23.1 billion dollars on candy and gum. The average American consumed a record 27.3 pounds of candy and gum in the same year-the equivalent of about six regular sized chocolate bars a week-marking the fifth consecutive year of increased demand.

...Consumption of processed foods (which are laced with sugar) cost the American public more than $54 billion in dental bills each year, so the dental industry reaps huge profits from the programmed addiction of the public to sugar products. ...Today we have a nation that is addicted to sugar. In 1915, the national average of sugar consumption (per year) was around 15 to 20 pounds per person. Today the average person consumes his/her weight in sugar, plus over 20 pounds of corn syrup. This means that since there are some people that use no sweets, or much less than the average figure, a percentage of the population consumes a great deal more refined sugar than their body weight. The human body cannot tolerate this large amount of refined carbohydrates. The vital organs in the body are actually damaged by this gross intake of sugar.

...Refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no proteins, no fats, no enzymes, only empty calories. What happens when you eat a refined carbohydrate like sugar? Your body must borrow vital nutrients from healthy cells to metabolize the incomplete food. Calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are taken from various parts of the body to make use of the sugar.

Many times, so much calcium is used to neutralize the effects of sugar that the bones become osteoporotic due to the withdrawn calcium. Likewise, the teeth are affected and they lose their components until decay occurs and hastens their loss. ...Refined sugar is void of all nutrients, consequently it causes the body to deplete its own stores of various vitamins, minerals and enzymes. If sugar consumption is continued, an over-acid condition results, and more minerals are needed from deep in the body to correct the imbalance. If the body is lacking the nutrients used to metabolize sugar, it will not be able to properly handle and rid itself of the poisonous residues. These wastes accumulate through the brain and nervous system, which speeds up cellular death. The bloodstream becomes over-loaded with waste products and symptoms of carbonic poisoning result.

Click here to read complete article: The Hazards of Refined Sugar