The Gazette

 

0476 - Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the western Roman Empire, was deposed when Odoacer proclaimed himself King of Italy.

1530 - Russian Czar Ivan “The Terrible” was born.

1609 - English navigator Henry Hudson began exploring the island of Manhattan.

1776 - Francois Rene Chateaubriand was born. He was a French poet, novelist, statesman, historian and explorer.

1781 - Los Angeles, CA, was founded by Spanish settlers. The original name was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula,” which translates as “The Town of the Queen of Angels.”

1825 - New York Governor Clinton ceremoniously emptied a barrel of Lake Erie water in the Atlantic Ocean to consummate the “Marriage of the Waters” of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic.

1833 - Barney Flaherty answered an ad in “The New York Sun” and became the first newsboy/paperboy at the age of 10.

1882 - Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street electric power station began operations in New York City. It was the first display of a practical electrical lighting system.

1885 - The Exchange Buffet opened in New York City. It was the first self-service cafeteria in the U.S.

1886 - Geronimo, and the Apache Indians he led, surrendered in Skeleton Canyon in Arizona to Gen. Nelson Miles.

1888 - George Eastman registered the name “Kodak” and patented his roll-film camera. The camera took 100 exposures per roll.

1894 - A strike in New York City by 12,000 tailors took place to protest sweatshops.

1899 - An 8.3 earthquake hit Yakutat Bar, AK.

1917 - Henry Ford II was born. He was the head of the Ford Motor Company for 40 years.

1917 - The American expeditionary force in France suffered its first fatalities in World War I.

1921 - The first police broadcast was made by radio station WIL in St. Louis, MO.

1944 - During World War II, British troops entered the city of Antwerp, Belgium.

1948 - The Dutch Queen Wilhelmina left her throne for health reasons.

1949 - The longest pro tennis match in history was played when Pancho Gonzales and Ted Schroeder played 67 games in five sets.

1951 - The first live, coast-to-coast TV broadcast took place in the U.S. The event took place in San Francisco, CA, from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. It was seen all the way to New York City, NY.

1953 - The New York Yankees became the first baseball team to win five consecutive American League championships.

1957 - The Arkansas National Guard was ordered by Governor Orval Faubus to keep nine black students from going into Little Rock’s Central High School.

1957 - The Ford Motor Company began selling the Edsel. The car was so unpopular that it was taken off the market only two years.

1967 - “Gilligan’s Island” aired for the last time on CBS-TV. It ran for 98 shows.

1967 - Michigan Gov. George Romney said during a TV interview that he had undergone “brainwashing” by U.S. officials while visiting Vietnam in 1965.

1971 - An Alaska Airlines jet crashed killing 111 people near Juneau.

1971 - “The Lawrence Welk Show” was seen for the last time on ABC-TV.

1972 - Swimmer Mark Spitz captured his seventh Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay event at Munich, Germany. Spitz was the first Olympian to win seven gold medals.

1973 - John Ehrlichman and G. Gordon Liddy were indicted with two others in connection with the burglary of a psychiatrist’s office two years earlier.

1982 - The Dorothy May Apartment-Hotel building in Los Angeles, CA was set on fire by an arsonist killing 25 people.

1983 - U.S. officials announced that there had been an American plane, used for reconnaissance, in the vicinity of the Korean Air Lines flight that was shot down.

1986 - South African security forces halted a mass funeral for the victims of the riot in Soweto.

1987 - West German pilot Mathias Rust was convicted by a Soviet court and sentenced to four years in a labor camp. The charges were concerning his daring flight into Moscow’s Red Square. He was released after one year.

1988 - Bangladesh officials reported that at least 882 people had been killed by floods that had inundated their nation.

1989 - A reconnaissance satellite was released by the Air Force’s Titan Three rocket. The Titan Three set over 200 satellites into space between 1964 and 1989.

1993 - Pope John Paul II started his first visit to the former Soviet Union.

1993 - Jim Abbott, pitcher for the New York Yankees, pitched a no-hitter. Abbott had been born without a right hand.

1995 - The Fourth World Conference on Women was opened in Beijing. There were over 4,750 delegates from 181 countries in attendance.

1997 - A triple suicide bombing in the heart of Jerusalem killed seven people, including the three assailants.

1997 - Three Buddhist nuns acknowledged in testimony to the U.S. Senate that their temple outside Los Angeles illegally reimbursed donors after a fund-raiser attended by Vice President Al Gore, and later destroyed or altered records.

1998 - In Mexico, bankers stopped approving personal loans and mortgages.

1998 - The International Monetary Fund approved a $257 million loan for the Ukraine.

1998 - While in Ireland, U.S. President Clinton said the words “I’m sorry” for the first time about his affair with Monica Lewinsky and described his behavior as indefensible.

1999 - The United Nations announced that the residents of East Timor had overwhelmingly voted for independence from Indonesia in a referendum held on August 30. In Dili, pro-Indonesian militias attacked independence supporters, burned buildings, blew up bridges and destroyed telecommunication facilities.

2002 - The Oakland Athletics won their AL-record 20th straight game. The A’s gave up an 11-run lead during the game and then won the game on a Scott Hatteberg home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

2003 - Keegan Reilly, 22, became the first parapalegic climber to reach the peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 ounces grated Parmesan

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture, salt, and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

The Gazette

The Pulpit

Mark Barna

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, my Rosh Hashana story will run at gazette.com. In the story I write about what the Jewish observance means and about a 19th-century scroll that has been used for 110 years during Rosh Hashana services.

Most synagogues use a scroll, on which is written the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, during services. But how are they created?

Jewish historian Perry B. Bach gives the following run-down:

“Religious Jews believe that God gave the first Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai, shortly after he led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Since ancient times, the Torah has been inscribed in Hebrew on scrolls of parchment using the same process. 

“Specially trained devout scribes start by making parchment from the skins of kosher animals.  A special black ink is prepared with the ashes of gallnut tree wood, gum Arabic and copper sulphate.  Before the scribe even starts his holy task, he takes a ritual bath and prays that he’ll be worthy to perform the task.  He then writes the words of the Torah in Hebrew calligraphy, using a quill, making sure that every letter and word is perfect.  It takes a scribe about one year to finish the task; there are no shortcuts. 

“Next is the task of authenticating the scroll, with a student reading aloud and spelling out the text of the Torah, while the scribe verifies word-by-word in the scroll. The sheets of parchment are then sewn together with a thread made of sheep ligament.   The finished scroll is attached to wooden rollers.  No instrument containing iron or steel may be used in the creation of a Torah scroll, because these metals are used to create instruments of war.  This process, still used today, was used in making the Torah that was brought to Colorado Springs in 1900.”

The Gazette

The Pulpit

Mark Barna

There’s a lot of talk about President Barack Obama’s faith. Is he a Christian, a Muslim, an agnostic, an (gulp) atheist?

But would any of that change the way he leads America?

America, after all, has a Constitution and Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court judges have set lots of precedent in cases. All this might be seen as the secular moral fibre of America, and it seems to have done a pretty good job, leading to the end of slavery, pushing against racism and keeping many freedoms intact, including freedom of religion.

But are secular moral ordinances and laws sufficient? Or does religion need to be in the mix, as well?

An author and blogger makes the point in an essay for the Washington Posts’ On Faith site that Obama’s faith shouldn’t matter. We should judge him by his actions. Read the essay here.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Worthy News)– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet every two weeks to continue U.S. backed direct negotiations for the creation of a Palestinian state within a year despite serious differences that remain between the two sides.

The next scheduled meeting will take place on September 14 and 15 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell plan to attend the talks.

On Thursday, Netanyahu and Abbas met for two hours in a closed-door meeting to begin direct negotiations for peace. According to Mitchell, the two agreed to come to a peace agreement within a year.

ISRAEL WANTS PEACE

In a press conference yesterday, Netanyahu told Abbas, “I see in you a partner for peace. Together, we can lead our people to a historic future that can put an end to claims and to conflict.”

However, he stressed that a “true peace, a lasting peace, would be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides.”

LEGITIMACY AND SECURITY

Netanyahu identified “two pillars of peace that will enable us to resolve all the outstanding issues…legitimacy and security.”

“Just as you expect us to be ready to recognize a Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people, we expect you to be prepared to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.” Netanyahu added that more than one million non-Jews live in Israel with full civil rights.

“I think this mutual recognition between us is indispensable to clarifying to our two people – our two peoples that the conflict between us is over.”

Netanyahu continued by reiterating that “security is the foundation of peace. Without it, peace will unravel. With it, peace can be stable and enduring.” Netanyahu pointed out the Iranian threat along with its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza. He also stressed the need to end terrorist attacks against Israel.

FINAL STATUS ISSUES

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said much has already been accomplished over the years and now was the time to address the “final status issues” of “Jerusalem, the settlements, the borders, security, water, and also releasing the detainees – in order to end the occupation that started 1967, the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and in order to create the state of Palestine that lives side by side with the state of Israel.”

Abbas continued by stating that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) had already recognized Israel in 1993. He pointed to a “document of mutual recognition” signed by late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and former PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

“And in this document, we give enough so – to show that our intentions are good, our intentions with respect to recognizing the state of Israel,” he added.

PLO REJECTS ISRAEL AS A JEWISH STATE

However, the previous night PLO Executive Committee member Wassel Abu Yousef told reporters in Ramallah that the “Palestinians reject the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.”

The PLO has never agreed to recognize Israel specifically as a Jewish state.

Last year in Bethlehem, Abbas’ Fatah faction of the PLO adopted a platform rejecting the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

PLO OUTLINES ITS POSITIONS

On Thursday, the PLO released a statement through its news agency Wafa outlining its vision for a peace agreement.

“Freedom means control of our borders” with the Palestinian government seated “in our historic capital” of Jerusalem. It stated that “Jerusalem does not belong to one faith or people.”

Along with East Jerusalem as its capital, the PLO reiterated its call for Palestinian refugees’ right of return, along with their “properties”, their “homes”, and the ability to choose how to exercise that right.

The PLO said that the borders of a Palestinian state must be the same as they stood before the 1967 Six Day War, including that of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Along with these borders, a “territorial link connecting the West Bank and Gaza is crucial to the integrity of the Palestinian state", thus in effect dividing Israel.

The PLO claimed “the single greatest threat to a viable two-state solution, and hence, to a just and lasting peace” are the 170 Israeli settlements scattered across the West Bank.

HAMAS CLAIMS ABBAS ILLIGIMATE PALESTINIAN LEADER

In Gaza, thousands of people marched and cheered the successful terrorist attacks in which Hamas claimed responsibility for the killing of four Israelis near Hebron on Tuesday and the wounding of another two Israelis near Ramallah on Wednesday.

Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar rejected any possibility of compromise or peace with Israel in a speech given in Gaza on Wednesday.  Zahar questioned the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and its leadership. He said, “Today marks the start of direct negotiations between someone who has no right to represent the Palestinian people and the brutal occupier, to provide a cover for Judaizing Jerusalem and stealing the land.”

TERRORISTS UNITE

A man identified as Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, said 12 armed groups have now agreed to cooperate in carrying out more effective attacks against Israel.

He further added, “we will not allow the [peace talks] to pass, the resistance will have its word.”

DESPITE DIFFICULT OBSTACLES U.S. REMAINS HOPEFUL

In a press conference Thursday, U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell acknowledged that the differences between the sides were “many,” “deep” and “serious” and that both sides would need to be willing to make “difficult concessions.”

But he said he believed Netanyahu and Abbas were “committed to doing what it takes to achieve the right result.”

ZHEJIANG, CHINA (Worthy News)– A prayer center complex, known as “Prayer Mountain", was destroyed in China after several elderly Christians were forcibly removed, and then watched helplessly as their building was demolished according to ChinaAid?, Worthy News has learned.

Several hundred men led by Chinese police officials removed about twenty elderly Christians from the building. After their removal, the church was destroyed as they futilely watched the destruction of their complex.

Known as “Prayer Mountain,” the complex was owned by the Taishan Christian House Church (located in Qinggang District, Yuhuan county, Taizhou City, Zhejiang province), according to China Aid.

PERSECUTION INTENSIFIES

This is the latest incident of persecution against house churches in China. According to ChinaAid?, at least three house churches were shut down in early August. The house churches were part of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF), one of the leading house church networks in China, with an estimated 5-7 million members.

The churches were forced to close down by the Chinese government because church leaders were invited to attend the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in October 2010 at Cape Town, South Africa, according to ChinaAid.

Sources told ChinaAid? that the Chinese Public Security Bureau obtained a list of 200 Chinese invitees to the convention and threatened some of them not to attend, but CGF leaders refused to back down.

“In August we have seen an increase in persecution that is alarming and unjustifiable,” ChinaAid? President Bob Fu told Worthy News. “We condemn the destruction of the Prayer Mountain church complex, and urge local authorities to cease their threats against the China Gospel Fellowship to prevent them from exercising their religious freedoms.”

The persecution of Christians in China come amid concerns among Communist Party officials about the spread of Christianity in China, Worthy News established. Some officials recently suggested there are about 130-million Christians in China, 50-million more than previous estimates. Most of them are believed to worship in the ‘underground’ house churches as they do not want to gather in the Communist approved denominations.

HAVANA, CUBA (Worthy News)– A respected church leader in Cuba was unexpectedly arrested on Monday on trumped up charges of “offensive behavior” and “threats” according to a Christian human rights organization.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says Reverend Rodriguez was arrested and taken to a town in Central Cuba where he is expected to stand trial. Reverend Rodriguez is in his late 60’s and in poor health, family members said. His arrest was so sudden that the pastor was unable to take important medication with him. His family fears without it, his health will continue to deteriorate as he awaits trial.

TARGETED BY CUBAN GOVERNMENT

Rodriguez, the former national president of CIMPEC, the Interdenominational Fellowship of Evangelical Pastors and Ministers, became a government target when he led his organization to withdraw publicly from a government sanctioned religious umbrella group in the second half of 2008, and that the criminal charges against him are an attempt to discredit and silence him, Christians said.

CIMPEC formally withdrew from the Cuban Council of Churches, citing constant government interference in their internal affairs.

In late 2008, charges against Reverend Rodriguez were brought, and he was given three trial dates over the course of 2009, however no trial ever took place.

“The treatment of Reverend Rodriguez and his family over the past 21 months has been disgraceful,” said Stuart Windsor, national director of CSW.  He called on the European Union to investigate the human rights situation in Cuba. He further added, “While some heralded the release of some Cuban prisoners of conscience this summer as an improvement in the human rights situation, the arrest of Reverend Rodriguez this week demonstrates that the Cuban government is not interested in real human rights reform.”

CSW is calling on Cuban authorities to release Reverend Rodriguez immediately and to drop all charges against him.