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FIVE PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS FOUND GUILTY OF FACE ACT VIOLATIONS IN DC
from: LiveAction News

(29 Aug.) Verdicts were handed down today in the federal trial of five pro-life activists – Lauren Handy, Will Goodman, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, and Herb Geraghty – who were charged with conspiracy against rights and FACE Act violations. The jury found all of the defendants guilty of both charges. Read all the details here.

The defendants were indicted for their participation in an October 2020 rescue action at the D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic (WSC), the abortion facility run by Cesare Santangelo. Santangelo was featured in Live Action's InHuman investigation stating that if a child was born alive at his facility during an abortion, "we would not help it."

Two defendants – Lauren Handy and Herb Geraghty – cited Live Action’s InHuman video as informing their belief that abortion survivors might be being left to die at WSC, which in turn motivated their decision to participate in the rescue action at Santangelo's facility.

However, calling the video "gossip from propagandists" (despite the fact that the video showed the abortionist in his own words) presiding Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly would not allow the video itself to be admitted into evidence. Bias on the part of the prosecution was evidenced by its own word choices. For example, government attorneys referred to a three-day abortion procedure as "care" and as a "treatment" that was "absolutely needed"... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is well-known as a pro-abortion figure. She insisted that because Washington DC has no laws limiting abortions, the 2003 federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act does not apply as an argument for the defense. But federal laws overrule local laws.

 
 

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CARE ROBOTS SEEM INEVITABLE. WHAT STOPS SOCIETIES FROM USING THEM?
from: BioEdge.org

(30 Aug.) The inexorable approach of demographic winter raises many questions, but none so important as how the elderly will be cared for. Globally, the number of people over 65 will rise to 1.5 billion by 2050. With their declining population and birth-rate, the Japanese are particularly worried. By 2040, experts estimate that there will be a shortage [in Japan] of 690,000 caregivers for the elderly.

Who will fill the gap? Or rather, what? In Japan, "care robots" are a vital part of forward planning for the coming crisis. However, to the consternation of planners, people seem to be lukewarm, at best, about entrusting their frail elderly mother to a robot. Why, ask Japanese researchers from Chiba University in the January 2024 issue of Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

To answer this question, they surveyed people in three countries, Japan, Ireland and Finland, to see if there were cross-cultural barriers to acceptance. Professor Sayuri Suwa explains that: "Today, in Japan’s super-aged society, various care robots, including monitoring cameras, have been developed and marketed to compensate for the shortage of care staff and to alleviate their stress. However, there are no discussions among users – older people, family caregivers, and care staff – and developers regarding the willingness to use care robots, the protection of privacy, and..." [read more...]

COMMENTARY: It seems almost inevitable, given the lack of sufficient and willing younger people, that various devices will be developed, including "care robots." But developers and care givers must consult with potential users to be sure it's done right the first time, and not have to redesign and retool.

 
 

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BELARUS: IS THE REGIME PLANNING TO LIQUIDATE NEW LIFE CHURCH?
from: Forum 18 News Service
Hebrews 13:3 – "Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them..."

(29 Aug.) The regime seized and demolished the place of worship of Minsk's New Life Pentecostal Church, banned it from meeting outdoors in its car park, jailed its Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko for 10 days and banned its website for six months. On 23 August, a closed court hearing declared two of its internet postings from 2020 "extremist." Asked if the regime is planning to strip the Church of its legal status, Deputy Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Sergei Gerasimenya refused to say.

After the regime seized and later demolished its church, banned its website and, on 23 August, a Minsk court declared two of its internet postings from nearly three years ago "extremist," Minsk's New Life Pentecostal Church faces an unclear future, a church member said. Asked if the regime is planning to strip the Church of its legal status, Deputy Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Sergei Gerasimenya refused to say. "We give no comments by phone," he repeatedly told Forum 18.

Human rights defender organisation Christian Vision told Forum 18 in mid-August that they suspect that formally finding that the Church published allegedly "extremist materials" is a prelude to the Church being "legally" forcibly closed... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: It is occurring increasingly that the right to freely express one's religious beliefs is being called "extremist" and thus being declared as illegal. So any ideology or belief that does not agree with the official state ideology can be shut down. But that seems to be the definition of "extremist"!

 
 

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WITH JOB COACH IN TOW, HE MADE HIS FIRST REAL SALE. THEN HE CALLED HIS MOM
from: Disability Scoop

(29 Aug.) ATLANTA – The 23-year-old practiced his sales pitch on the car ride over. There were still rough patches. For example, he really needed to remember to say his name.

But the young man insisted he loved "everything" about his little slice of the American dream and owning a business. The chance to meet others. "Talking to people with open-ended questions." The urge to grow. "I'm happy from inside," he said during the car ride.

He insisted he wasn't nervous. But if he secretly was, that would be understandable. His business supplying imported Indian teas was new and really tiny. And he was headed to a sprawling gift shop in Buckhead to approach store managers he had never met before. If they'd even talk to him, would he get the words right? Would they be willing to stock his teas on their shelves?

Every day in communities around the U.S., entrepreneurs and salespeople take a leap of faith. They make cold calls to pitch their wares and services to business owners or consumers they don't know. Failure is common. Angad Sahgal had sold some of his teas at tables in markets and conferences. But never on a cold call, despite several attempts. On this summer day, he would try again. Sahgal faces an additional challenge. He has Down syndrome, which in his case means he has intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Millions of Americans have been classified as having cognitive disabilities. Many of them don’t work, though plenty often want to, sometimes for a variety of reasons, including just to be a part of something... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Nobody likes the feeling of being left out, ignored, or excluded, because "normal" people would rather not think of their own eventual decline and death, so they simply ignore the disabled.

 
 

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RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH PUNISHING CLERGY WHO OPPOSE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE
from: Orthodox Christian Laity

(22 Aug.) The Orthodox Public Affairs Committee (OPAC) decries the punishment of clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch Kirill for opposing the war against Ukraine.

Although there are tens of thousands of Russian Clergy, around three hundred have actively opposed the war and its support by Kirill. They have defied the Russian Church leader by substituting the word "peace" for "victory" in Putin-centric prayers mandated by the Russian Church Hierarchy. Some, like Father Ioann Koval have been defrocked and sought refuge under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Not only does Kirill and his cronies continue to compromise the integrity of the Russian Orthodox Church, they betray the "Prince of Peace" by pushing a war of aggression and conquest that is being waged under the guise of the infamous doctrine of Russkiy Mir and Putin's imperial fantasies.

In recent days, the blessing by a Russian Priest of a statue of the greatest persecutor of the Russian Church, Joseph Stalin, only goes to further demonstrate that the Russian Orthodox Church is aligned with autocracy and tyranny in ways that violate the most fundamental teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

OPAC calls on the World Council of Churches to condemn the persecution of Russian Clergy who are advocating for peace instead of war, and to take action against Kirill and his cronies, denying them a place at the ecumenical table, where they still pretend to be interested in the Gospel... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: Throughout Russian history, there has always been a struggle between church and state. Peter the Great dissolved the Orthodox Patriarch-ate and set up a state body to control the Church. Also, Stalin placed secret police people in leading positions of the Church.

 
 

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ELDER ABUSE: HOW TO SPOT WARNING SIGNS, GET HELP, AND REPORT MISTREATMENT
from: American Psychological Association

(10 Nov. 2022) Older people today are more visible, active, and independent than ever before. As the population of older Americans grows, it’s necessary to ensure they have appropriate care resources. Every person, no matter how old, deserves to be safe from harm by those who live with them, care for them, or have daily contact with them.

Yet, approximately one in 10 people aged 60 and older who live at home experience abuse, including mistreatment and exploitation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some evidence even indicates that the prevalence of abuse of older people in both the community and in institutions has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over time, elder abuse can harm an individual's physical and psychological health, destroy social and family ties, and cause devastating financial loss. Research also suggests that older people who have been abused tend to die earlier than those who have not been abused, even in the absence of chronic conditions or life-threatening disease.

What does elder abuse look like? There is no single pattern of elder abuse. It’s a complex problem that can stem from multiple causes, such as a history of violent interactions within the family, lifestyle adjustments, and tensions that can arise as a result of new living arrangements. Elder abuse can take many different forms, including: Physical abuse; Verbal, emotional or psychological abuse; Sexual abuse; Financial abuse and exploitation; and Caregiver neglect... [read more...]

COMMENTARY: This article goes on to describe in detail each of the forms of elder abuse and how to prevent it. "Neglect" may be the most common form of abuse because it's passive: you just do nothing to people to neglect them, but it's actually abuse. I highly recommend the whole article... read and heed it!