I’m not sure this is going to save the day: Speaking to Crystal Cathedral congregants for the first time Sunday after the megachurch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, founder Robert H. Schuller sent out an emotional plea for help. Schuller, 84, talked about a tornado that flattened his father’s cornfield and home in Iowa when he was a teenager. He said his father was the only farmer who rebuilt. “I learned from my father that tough times never last,” Schuller bellowed, his voice echoing across the glass house. “Tough people do.” Schuller’s voice choked up with emotion as he told worshippers that his church has faced several challenges over the last 60 years. “I need more help from you,” he said. “If you are a tither, become a double-tither. If you are not a tither, become a tither. This ministry has earned your trust. This ministry has earned your help.” His daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman, who heads the ministry with her father, explained to congregants why the church is in debt and why they had to file for bankruptcy protection. “Our debt, including our $36-million mortgage, is close to $50 million,” she said. It’s a shame they put so much money and effort into the edifice, which I will always believe Bob Schuller intended as his memorial, much as the Matterhorn
Continue reading …Google’s run into quite a number of privacy concerns in the past, and things hit something of a tipping point earlier this year when it was revealed that the company was snooping on WiFi data while it was collecting Street View images. Now Google has finally come back with some answers to some privacy questions it says it’s been studying for the past several months. First and foremost is the appointment of Alma Whitten as the company’s new directory of privacy, who will manage Google’s privacy efforts across both engineering and product management, and ensure that the company builds “effective privacy controls” into its products and internal practices. Backing that up is some expanded privacy training, including a new program that all employees will be required to take beginning in December, and some new internal compliance procedures, which includes a requirement that every engineering project leader maintain a privacy design document for each project they’re working on. Hit up the source link below for the company’s complete statement on the matter. Google revises internal privacy practices, appoints director of privacy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Photo: Gaius Cornelius , Creative Commons Ben Goldacre is the acclaimed author of Bad Science , a best-selling book and popular Guardian column that takes on bogus science everywhere, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. But he also veers into other sciences as well, and he’s become notorious for knowing bad science when he sees it. He gave a spirited talk at this … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. Green power lit up the world this week as ZenithSolar smashed the record for solar efficiency with its massive parabolic mirrors and Denmark unveiled plans to construct a towering “cathedral” that will transform waste into energy . We were also all abuzz about these batteries made from used coffee capsules and MIT rolled out a new type of foldable paper-thin solar cells . Speaking of super-thin foldable tech, this week we showcased the world’s first biodegradable paper watch and we spotted an ingenious folding beer box that can transform a six-pack into a pitch-perfect xylophone . And while you’re working on that one, you can keep your rowdy kids busy with our Top 5 smart smartphone apps for kids that educate and entertain . High-tech lighting was another hot topic this week as GE launched a new super-bright LED bulb that harnesses jet engine cooling techniques to cut its energy use. GE also flipped the switch on its funky new hybrid halogen-CFL light bulbs , and we saw San Diego blaze a trail for energy-efficient lighting as they unveiled plans to construct the nation’s largest interactive LED light show – on a bridge! Finally, we wrapped up this week’s Apple news with a look at a chic new laptop bag courtesy of vegan handbag company Matt & Nat. Inhabitat’s Week in Green: solar paper planes, Denmark’s flaming tower, and used coffee power originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …When will Microsoft bring Windows 8 to market? 2012′s looking like a safe bet — not only was it slated for that date in an allegedly leaked product roadmap , but Microsoft Netherlands hints that the OS is just two years away. Buried at the bottom of a press release celebrating the first birthday of Windows 7, you’ll find the above Dutch phrase, which Google Translate returns as “Furthermore, Microsoft is of course the next version of Windows. But it will take about two years before “Windows 8″ on the market.” There are certainly plenty of reasons why Microsoft’s riskiest product bet might not hit its target date, but the machine translation seems clear. Here’s hoping the OS will ship with some suitably futuristic hardware . Windows 8 about two years away, according to Microsoft Netherlands originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Torrential rains drenched China’s southeastern coast as once-powerful Typhoon Megi weakened to a tropical depression Sunday. The storm has killed dozens of people, but no deaths have been reported yet in China. (Oct. 24)
Continue reading …For those folks who love the taste of seafood but hate all the trouble of fishing it fr… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …They’ve got one now in Loretta Sanchez and this year we have a chance to kick her out (from Friends for Fulleton’s Future ): Voters of the 47th are now learning that Loretta Sanchez has the charm and class of Kanye West at an awards show. I became aware of her lack of tact and decency back in 2001 when Congress voted 410-0 on a bill to extend birthday greetings to ailing former President Ronald Reagan on his 90th birthday. Instead of voting with the 410 other Representatives in the affirmative, Loretta Sanchez voted “present” with seven other petty, mean-spirited, and highly partisan members. Last month, Loretta Sanchez again showed her lack of integrity and two-faces when she spoke to The Orange County Register’s editorial board and claimed that she was a “Blue Dog” (conservative) Democrat (OC Register 9-12-10 Commentary). This came as a surprise to me, so I looked up her voting record over the past two years of government expansion and found that Sanchez had voted almost identically with ultra-liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (www.nationalrepublicantrust.com/Pelosiindex). Voters of the 47th might be shocked to discover that Representative Sanchez’s recent voting record with Speaker Pelosi’s is 98%, a frequency level higher than several other liberal Congressional stalwarts including: Maxine Waters 93%, Henry Waxman 93%, Shelia Jackson Lee 93%, John Conyers 92%, and Dennis Kucinich 79%. Does anyone other than Hugo Chavez think that Nancy Pelosi or any of these other members are conservative Blue Dog Democrats? Sanchez voted for the $800 billion stimulus package that, like an entree at Denny’s, shows up on the table looking nothing like the fabulous picture on the menu. Sanchez then, without reading the 2,400 page bill, merrily danced to Pelosi’s puppeteering and voted for Obamacare. So with Loretta’s help, the Democrats are now governing like carnival barkers at the Grab Bag booth. “Step right up, step right up, vote for the bill first, and we’ll see what’s in it later!” The expose of Loretta Sanchez continued last month on Spanish television when she (in muy mal Espanol) claimed that the Vietnamese and Republicans were trying to take her seat. A typical response for a liberal elistist, dividing people by race and claiming ownership of the power temporarily bestowed upon her. Because of her “us” verses “them” comments, Representitive Sanchez is now about as popular with the Vietnamese community as a fly in their Pho. Will the 14-year rein of liberalism in central Orange County end with the fall of Sanchez? Will an evacuation helicopter land on the roof of Loretta’s Garden Grove office building on November 2nd and whisk her away to “us” land? One can only hope. Van Tran will make a great replacement for Sanchez, but he’s going to have to beat her bad enoug to overcome the voter fraud which is endemic in that district.
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