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A father’s love is so precious to his children.
One way I know this apart from having a late and dear friend of a loving father in my life, which I daily count my blessings for, we have the ultimate father God in heaven. Ultimate in as much as he always speaks to us in very many different ways when we pray to him. He gives us too the most precious thing that he possesses, and that is Jesus Christ, his son and our saviour.
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God loves you and he wishes to talk to you through the spirit. We are privileged to bathe in the light of our Gospel’s restoration, which the young Joseph Smith encountered some 200 years ago, and it’s true, we receive new revelations daily as we pray to our heavenly father like Joseph did, and for that small mercy we are truly grateful….
When we pray to our heavenly father with sincerity, our rewards are tremendous, the restoration light that fills our souls is all the proof we need that our heavenly father does infact love us, and everything definitely becomes ‘alright’ walking along that straight and restored covenant pathway, and to make Jesus smile we just need to share the good news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to God’s children which we are so eager to do.
One way to prepare ourselves to do the great commission is to read Joseph Smith’s First Vision and receive that fantastic light also.
The Pearl of Great Price 1:17
upon me.
17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
we all have an important role to play in sharing the message of the Restoration of Jesus Christ, so let’s prepare ourselves to do do brethren and sisters, each and everyone of us is vitaly important in sharing God’s message and saving his children, blessings.
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What actually did Jesus Christ go through during his crucifixion ?
Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss…..
He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of silver (Matt 26:14-16 KJV), and an interesting thing here is what 1 Timothy wrote…For the love of money is the root of all evil…..Grasping that great moral teaching about the evils of money and how it can corrupt the best of us, sowing that seed of greed in believers. It wasn’t long after this betrayal when the Sanhedrin came for him. Betrayed by the man who Jesus kissed on the cheek at the last supper, and another moral here is how people so close to Jesus can be a traitor deep down inside. This umbrellas into all believers in God , when weaknesses creep into our souls, sometimes knowingly, a lot of the time unknowingly.
Denied Jesus wasn’t just denied by most, he was denied by his most closest of friends.
Peter looks away as he denies Christ….
Peter denied Jesus when the woman accused him of being with Jesus, and Peter showed his denial by saying…woman I know him not…Wow! denying an innocent man in the hour of need really does make me feel like a traitor, and because of my denials I realise I need repentance more than ever now, to rid me of my shame, to rid believers of their shame. But to continually deny someone innocent and pure and good like Christ is, it’s no wonder that Peter cried bitterly when Jesus looked upon Peter, and yet Peter still denied him. What can I and my fellow believers learn form Peter’s behaviour, only that without repentance and that chance to say we’re sorry to the lord, no amount of tears that we shed could ever repair our damaged souls.
Accused So Jesus during his trial before crucifixion was accused of very many things by the chief priests of the Jews, and every time Jesus held his peace and said nothing.
Jesus falsely accused by his own people.
To be accused and ridiculed in front of the Roman authority, and yet Jesus didn’t say a word to defend himself. Every accusation was a lie, every charge was fabricated through evil, and still Jesus took every last word that they threw at him during his prosecution, and yet no reply back in defence. The truth was, no matter what Jesus would have said he knew that nothing was going to save him from crucifixion, and still those lies fell upon the ears of Pilate. Jesus Christ without doubt at this point where Mark 15:3 reads …and the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing….was certainly preparing himself as the sacrificial lamb, getting ready for the slaughter, where he was about to save mankind, even his accusers if they later would have the gall to repent and say sorry to heavenly father, and how absolutely ironic that scenario is, to be saved, to have the chance of entering into heaven, even the prosecution would have to repent, how many prosecutors did only god knows, the rest wont make it though as Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven from the Christian believers perspective…
Rejected (Luke 9:22) All believers know that Jesus Christ is the son of God, however, Peter was told to keep this fact to himself, for a while anyway. Why? well Jesus knew that between the time he was in the Garden of Gethsemane to the time of his crucifixion, he must….suffer many things….and be rejected….by his own people, knowing that shortly after his death he would be resurrected to be with our father God in heaven.
Jesus was also rejected earlier on in his ministry by his own people…….
If Peter told anybody between that time period just mentioned, somebody might have killed Jesus there and then and that definitely would have destroyed God’s plan of his son being the perfect once and for all sacrificial lamb, the final offering to God for the sins of the world. Peter, however, when he denied Christ was more to do with his fear of being killed himself, and not following Jesus’ command to ‘be quiet’ until his glory had come! To me as a disciple of Christ, I love the fact that Jesus now rests in peace, and is so very alive in my heart, like when he ministered on this planet in the Holy Land some two thousand years ago. We are in his peace as well, and what joy that brings too us.
Bound (Mark 15:1) When the high priests , elders and scribes decided to take Jesus to the governor, who was the Roman Pontius Pilate, to be tried, they didn’t just take Jesus along with them so he could move freely, but bound him then took him like he was a convicted villain. They paraded him to Pilate for all to see, like Jesus was some kind of dangerous being, capable of hurting people, like Barabbas, who was as we know a convicted thief and murderer and was set free by the people in place of Jesus Christ who hung on the cross instead. When believers in Christ see this treatment that he underwent, and knowing that he was totally innocent of any charges his accusers threw at him, I think that they may as well have bound an infant and taken a small child too be judged because at the end of the day Jesus Christ was as innocent as a little baby. This was the injustice and humiliation that the king of kings and lord of lords had to endure as his time for crucifixion and his resurrection drew ever nearer.
Scourged (John 19:1) The leaders of the Jews wanted Jesus crucified, and Pilate could not find any fault in him. He had Jesus scourged and dressed up in mocking attire in a bid to satisfy the blood thirsty mob, however, the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus crucified all the more. As Pilate sat looking at the crowd and looking at Jesus, he gave the order to lead him away to be crucified. It was nearly all over for Jesus, or in other words, very close to his entry into his father’s glory. As Jesus began to carry that rugged cross up Calvary, the pain that he suffered in order to save us believers was immense , where the nails would be soon driven into his already whipped and beaten body. Finally finishing with a spear through his side to speed up his death because of the Jews Passover getting close to starting on that day, and Jesus’ blood dripped on the wood of the cross and floor, as the final sacrificial lamb hung there dying and bleeding for the sins of the world. My personal tears can only sooth Jesus’ wounds just a little , and this is why he let’s me now stand in his shadow, because of those tears. Learning about Jesus Christ, and why not start at his crucifixation……
Mocked (Matt 27:29) ….Hail the King of the Jews….rang from the mouths of the Roman soldiers, under the orders of their governor, Pontius Pilate. The blood at this point was pouring down his face from the crown of thorns which they pressed on his head. After further humiliation and spitting at him, striking him on his head with the makeshift sceptre made of reed, they re-clothed him in his own clothes then lead him off to be crucified. This was certainly no dignified execution if there does exist such a thing, this was an act of total human degradation and inhumanity conceivable. The physical as well as mental anguish which our lord and saviour was undertaking too me was unimaginable. This was an act of murder at its most vilest, and yet at this point Jesus as he always had compassion upon his taunters and mockers and murderers. His body whipped and battered and bleeding, and yet not overdone where he couldn’t carry his own cross, so the mocking could continue even upon his final breath hanging on a cross…..
Reviled (Matt 27:39) where Jesus was terribly criticised in a very abusive and angrily insulting manner. So, as people walked past Jesus as he hung on the cross they reviled him in such a cruel way. Some of them laughing at him and telling him to come down from the cross if he was the son of god. Even the two thieves who hung on crosses either side of Jesus reviled him, heaping insults at him, as he was getting closer to meeting his maker and father in heaven. Contempt and anger spewing from their mouths, all directed out our innocent lamb Jesus Christ, and gall mixed with some pain deadener offered to Jesus , which he refused when he finally asked for water , very very close to the point of death and the start of glory. The sky became darker and darker the closer Jesus was nearing the end, and the only thing Christ felt towards the world was compassion and forgiveness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXrOG02NMB0&feature=youtu.be
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you are invited …….
The world would be a dark place without peace ,happiness or safety without being able to repent. It’s the way I erase my past mistakes, in a personal way, and without that ‘repentance’ get out clause in my life, I know I would be very unhappy. I hope that you have a good ‘repentance’ system in your life as well. It surprises me when people can’t repent for some reason, and yet feel they are OK with God!
Jesus’ atonement pardons believers from wrongdoings and repentance is the key in freeing oneself, and the most beautiful thing is you actually free ‘yourself’, where you don’t need anyone else to release you like in prison and unlocking that cell, and outer door where you walk to your freedom. Believers have their own key of freedom when they know and do repent of their sins. That preciousness of freedom and god’s children have the agency and personal choice too use their key of freedom any time they want too, anytime they repent.
As Satan tempts believers and if we consent to this , which happens alot, imprisons us, then through sincere repentance, we can get away from him and live a free and beautiful life….
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9070960/skint-dad-gold-nugget-beach-daughters/
‘DADDY, IS THIS GOLD?’
Experts say the 20-ounce lump is genuineBy Nicola Stow14th May 2019, 11:52 amUpdated: 14th May 2019, 7:17 pm
A SKINT dad found a lump of gold worth £20,000 while walking with his family and their dog called Lucky.
He was walking on the outskirts of Bendigo, Australia, when his daughter stumbled across the nugget and asked: “Dad, is this gold?”
The dad-of-two, who wants to remain anonymous, told the Bendigo Advertiser: “I actually walked right past it but my daughter pretty much kicked it as she was walking.
“She then goes, ‘Dad, is this gold?’. I said, ‘I think it might be’.’’
He headed to the supermarket to weigh the gold and it came in at 20 ounces.
He said: “We couldn’t find anywhere to properly weigh it.
Play VideoGiant gold nugget weighing 90kg and worth a whopping £2million found in Australia
“We ended up taking it to the IGA and weighing it up there at the supermarket. They weren’t too happy that we were weighing it at the deli there.”
And the gold couldn’t have come at a better time for the cash-strapped family.
The dad added: “We’ve come on some tough times so it’s really good because we’ve been struggling financially. It couldn’t be better timing really.”
By Diana Novak Jones Oct 21 (Reuters) – A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms on Wednesday to pay the state $25 billion after a jury found the company had misled consumers about the privacy of their data, hitting the company with one of the largest financial penalties in US history. The ruling came in a case stemming from allegations that Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, obtained data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. New Mexico had sued Meta, accusing it of lying to Facebook users in New Mexico about who had access to their data. “Facebook’s wrongdoing — over the course of years and systematically broadcast to the public — goes to the heart of Facebook’s core business practices,” Judge Francis Mathew wrote in his order, which came more than three weeks after the verdict. Mathew found that a penalty of more than $219 billion was warranted based on state law, but he reduced the figure to $25 billion. In a statement, C.J. Mahoney, Meta’s chief legal officer, said the company is confident it will win on appeal. “This ruling, and the Attorney General’s approach to this enforcement, makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico,” Mahoney said. “At its core, this lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to enforce new rules for what people can say online.” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement after the ruling the penalty was one of the largest financial penalties against a corporation in US history. Meta previously faced a $5 billion penalty from the US Federal Trade Commission in 2019 over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Six other states settled their lawsuits against Meta related to Cambridge Analytica for $459.2 million as part of a $17.1 billion multistate settlement the company reached in August to resolve states’ claims that the company’s platforms had harmed teen mental health. LAWSUIT FILED FIVE YEARS AGO New Mexico’s attorney general sued Meta in 2021 following revelations that Cambridge Analytica had harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app. The state accused Meta of lying to Facebook users in New Mexico about who had access to their data and its handling of hate speech and misinformation posted on the platform. It alleged the company knew third parties had broad access to users’ data and tolerated hate speech or other harmful content when it benefited the company’s bottom line. Cambridge Analytica, now defunct, used the data for voter profiling and targeting. “It has been a long time coming holding Big Tech accountable,” Torrez told a press conference in Albuquerque after Wednesday’s ruling. “I think today’s judgment is a clear break with that past and a very clear warning to those in this space and beyond that we intend to protect our people and protect our consumers.” Mathew’s decision comes as Meta faces thousands of lawsuits and pressure from lawmakers over the impact of Instagram and Facebook on teen mental health, with another trial slated to begin next week. Earlier this year, New Mexico won $942 million in a pair of trials against Meta over claims it facilitated sexual exploitation of young people on Instagram and Facebook and misled consumers about the platforms’ safety. Analyst Gil Luria, head of technology research at D.A. Davidson & Co, called the latest New Mexico ruling costly but unlikely to impact the company’s value. “Meta is worth nearly two trillion dollars, and will likely continue to appeal these cases and drag them out,” Luria said. EXPERTS EXPECT LONG APPEAL FIGHT Jurors in September had found that the company and its leadership made 26 misleading statements on data privacy, hate speech and other subjects. Multiplying those statements by their potential audience, they said the company had committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection laws. At a hearing on October 1, Randi McGinn, a lawyer for New Mexico, had asked Mathew to award the state between $35 billion and $40 billion. “This court should speak to Meta in the only language it understands, which is money, and the value of its stock price,” McGinn said. In court filings, Meta urged Mathew to cap the penalties at $3.45 billion. The evidence showed that Meta does not sell user data and New Mexico did not prove that any consumer had actually been misled, the company said in court filings. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago, additional reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico and Jaspreet Singh and Anzar Mehraj in Bangalore. Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Nia Williams, Aurora Ellis and Stephen Coates) This article originally appeared on Reuters at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-ordered-pay-25-billion-172737485.html
Super Typhoon Champi, which is barreling across the western Pacific Ocean, became one of the strongest storms on Earth in 2026 on Wednesday.The tropical cyclone tied April’s Super Typhoon Sinlaku for the strongest 1-minute sustained winds of 2026, at 185 mph, which is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.Hurricanes and typhoons are both tropical cyclones with sustained winds of at least 74 mph. “A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The main difference between hurricanes and typhoons is geographic: Storms in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons, while those in the North Atlantic and central and eastern North Pacific are called hurricanes.The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies a storm as a super typhoon when its 1-minute sustained winds reach at least 150 mph. That threshold falls within the Category 4 hurricane range.What is Champi’s path?Champi is currently east of the Philippines and southeast of Taiwan, moving west-northwest across the Philippine Sea at 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds are at 175 mph, after peaking at 185 mph, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service.The storm is forecast to make a slight turn toward the northwest and weaken through Thursday.Super Typhoon Champi’s path.Naval Meteorology and Oceanography CommandWhat are the expected impacts?Champi is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Taiwan and eastern China through the weekend, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Jason Nicholls.Heavy rain is expected to affect Taiwan from Thursday night (Oct. 22) into Saturday (Oct. 24) and east-central China from Friday night (Oct. 23) through Sunday (Oct. 25). Rainfall is forecast to total up to 18 inches, with the heaviest rain expected in northeastern Taiwan.The heavy rain could cause flooding, mudslides, structural damage and transportation delays, according to AccuWeather.Strong winds from Champi, with wind gusts up to 120 mph, are expected to affect Taiwan and eastern China from Thursday night into Sunday. The winds could cause structural damage, prolonged power outages and transportation delays.This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/article/super-typhoon-champi-becomes-one-of-2026s-strongest-storms-as-it-heads-toward-taiwan-and-eastern-china-212554537.html
Saudi Arabia has been facing near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen (Fayez Nureldine)Washington has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.It came after a diplomatic source told AFP that “all American staff and their families have been ordered to depart from the US embassy” in the Gulf kingdom. The source added that families of embassy staff had also been ordered to leave the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, all of which have been targeted by Iran during the Middle East war.US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott subsequently confirmed the order in a post on X, but said it applied to “non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only”.He linked the move to Houthi attacks on the country, including airports, saying “the safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority”.Saudi Arabia has this month come under near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was the kingdom’s deadliest in years, as the war with the group escalates.On Wednesday, the Saudi energy ministry said that falling debris from the successful interception of a drone targeting an oil facility killed two people and injured a further two.”The attempted attack resulted in the deaths of two individuals, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others,” the ministry said in a statement.It did not say who launched the drone aimed at Shaybah oil field near the UAE border. Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen reported intercepting six drones.In June, a four-year-old truce in Yemen’s civil war collapsed, reviving the conflict that dates back to 2014. The Saudi-led coalition has backed the internationally recognised government since 2015.- Iran explosions -The US previously ordered non-essential staff to leave the Gulf ahead of the start of its war against Iran and again in July before US President Donald Trump called off a new wave of strikes.Late on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in the southern Hormozgan province overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, breaking a spell of relative calm.”A few minutes ago, the sound of several explosions was heard in the Karpan area of Sirik, in Hormozgan Province,” the official IRNA news agency said.It added that “local sources have not yet disclosed the nature of these explosions”.The conflict began in late February, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, along with senior military commanders.Iran has attempted to blockade the strategic waterway, demanding all ships seek its authorisation to cross. In peacetime, the Hormuz strait carried around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.In retaliation, the United States has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports and ships.bur/jsa/dcpThis article originally appeared on AFP at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/washington-orders-us-embassy-staff-203401687.html
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pushed back against suggestions that the Trump administration had ordered Elon Musk’s Starlink and its military-grade counterpart, Starshield, to limit Ukraine’s access to the satellite communications networks, saying any such decisions were up to the SpaceX founder — and not the White House.“We cannot direct a private company as to the decisions they make or not make,” Rubio told reporters on an overseas trip in Mumbai.Rubio had stated previously that “nobody” had ordered Starlink’s speed to be slowed down, adding that it just “sort of happened.”The secretary of state spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in an effort to ease tensions.Appearing on Fox & Friends on Wednesday, Zelensky said that Starlink connectivity is still limited in Ukraine and was told by Rubio that the U.S. State Department would work to “unblock” the slowdown.What is Starshield and why is it so important to Ukraine?Ukraine soldiers set up a Starlink satellite communication terminal in the Donetsk region on Oct. 16.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesStarshield is a low-earth satellite network designed by SpaceX for government use. According to SpaceX, Starshield “leverages Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts.” The Ukrainian military has been using the system for communications between its armed forces, allowing Kyiv to carry out drone strikes against Russia.Earlier this month, officials in Kyiv said they discovered that Ukraine’s access to Starshield had been throttled by SpaceX, limiting its ability to defend itself from Russian ballistic missile attacks on energy infrastructure. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk ordered the slowdown after discussions with President Trump about Ukraine’s recent attacks on Russia’s diesel refineries, which Trump has blamed for skyrocketing U.S. fuel prices.Elon Musk speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition in Washington.ASSOCIATED PRESS“Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network,” the Journal reported, “rendering some offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless.”Last week, the Telegraph reported that Musk has approached Trump with “the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine,” and that Trump “agreed.” In a post on X, Musk said Starshield systems are “owned and controlled by the US government” and that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities…— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2026 In response, Trump denied any involvement, saying: “I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon.” On Wednesday, Rubio insisted that neither the president nor anyone in the administration “ever requested that any changes to that system be made.”But he would not say whether the United States was aware of the decision to limit Ukraine’s access to Starshield beforehand.“I’m not going to comment on what we knew that they might or might not do,” Rubio said.“The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk,” the secretary continued. “That’s a private company. The president doesn’t run that company and can’t direct that company to do anything.”He added: “I’m telling you there was no foreknowledge, but beyond it, even if there was, we don’t control what a private company — how they decide their product can be used.”Rubio: If not for U.S., ‘there would be no Ukraine right now’A young woman reacts as she looks at her damaged home after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on Oct. 14.Efrem Lukatsky/APThe secretary also took issue with comments by Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, one of Ukrainian Zelensky’s military advisers, who told the BBC that U.S. intelligence had also failed to give Ukraine advance warnings of incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes, resulting in the deaths of civilians.“I don’t know who this official was in the Ukrainian Government that went around saying that a bunch of people had died as a result of what America was denying them,” Rubio said. “No country in the world has done more to help Ukraine over the last four and a half years than the United States, including under the Trump administration, and that continues to be the case.”He added: “We’re no longer going to be defensive about this topic, OK? Because if it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now.”This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/who-cut-ukraines-starlink-speeds-musk-and-the-white-house-offer-conflicting-accounts-185435059.html
Democrats have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the Justice Department, alleging that the Trump administration is unlawfully interfering with the midterms by pressuring states to remove voters from their rolls. The complaint, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, cites the Department of Homeland Security’s recent demands that states remove alleged noncitizens from their voter rolls. The complaint argues such action is based on “shoddily compiled lists” that have “crumbled upon the barest inspection.”Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. The complaint also alleges that Trump administration officials at the Justice and Homeland Security departments have directed a “persistent stream of threats and intimidation” at state and local election officials across the country. The complaint noted that Trump himself had last week threatened to imprison California election officials if they counted mail-in ballots by people the Trump administration claimed were noncitizens. “None of this is lawful,” the complaint states. “The Executive Branch enjoys no authority to superintend state voter list maintenance, to supplant state determinations of who is qualified to vote, or to dictate who gets a ballot or whose ballot gets segregated.” The complaint, filed by three national Democratic groups and other Democratic leaders, asks a federal court to stop Trump and his administration from trying to alter states’ voter rolls and to stop pressuring and threatening election officials. In a statement Wednesday, the Justice Department said that enforcing federal election law and election integrity was a top priority. “Every action the Department has taken to protect the integrity of this year’s elections is grounded in the law and being litigated in open court. Ensuring that only eligible citizens vote and that every lawful ballot is counted a requirement of federal law,” Justice Department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels said. Asked about the lawsuit Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis blamed Democrats for fighting “common sense election-security measures.” “Anyone who illegally votes in our elections will be held accountable,” Bis said in an email. Trump has spent years claiming noncitizen voting is rampant, even though court reviews and independent studies have found it is rare. Many of the administration’s claims of noncitizen voting have fallen apart under scrutiny. This summer, the Department of Homeland Security asserted that up to 16,000 voters on the rolls in Nevada could be noncitizens. It later dramatically scaled back its claims and provided the state with a list of 185 suspected noncitizens. State officials checked those names and determined all of them were citizens. Earlier this month, the Justice Department sued California officials over what it claimed were more than 20,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls. California elections officials have also said those numbers are not accurate. A preliminary review of a sample of 200 of those voters found more than half were not sent ballots and many appeared to be eligible to vote, according to filings from the Registrar of Voters office in Los Angeles County. The complaint filed Tuesday was made by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, the Nevada Democratic Party, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and Erick Jose Jimenez, a naturalized citizen and California resident. In addition to Trump and the Justice Department, the complaint also names Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin as defendants. The legal challenge comes one day after elected officials in a Northern Virginia county also sued the Trump administration, alleging that administration officials have unlawfully claimed the authority to send armed federal agents to polling places. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Tuesday by the Arlington County Board, alleges that the administration’s policies threaten to disrupt the voting process and undermine trust in local election officials. The lawsuit said the potential for federal interference has forced county officials to “plan for and expend resources to address the possibility of unlawful activity and the reasonable fears of voters and election workers.” “Threatening to send armed agents to polling stations is unlawful and contravenes the bedrock values of free and fair elections we hold dear in this country,” Matt de Ferranti, chair of Arlington County’s board, said in a statement. “These statements are a clear attempt to stoke fear and undermine confidence in our elections.” Liam Bowman contributed to this report. Related ContentThis article originally appeared on Washington Post at https://washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/21/democrats-sue-trump-doj-over-effort-remove-voters-state-rolls/
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The BBC’s Liza Tambunan is in central Kalimantan, to explain what peat is and why Indonesia is facing its worst wildfire season in a decade.
Hotel chaos, transport mishaps and diplomatic blunders cast a spotlight on organisers and the firm hired to deliver the games.
The fine is the largest to date against Facebook’s owner, larger than an $18bn deal with California.
Russia says it is “ready in principle” to resume peace talks and US President Donald Trump says the world is “the closest we’ve been” to ending the war.
Early on Thursday morning local time, South Korea’s oceans ministry said the shark had been successfully guided out of the canal.
Stephen Says,
Hello friends, what attracts me to solar energy is the fact that you can have your ideal home anywhere in the world, as long as there is sunshine, ie absolutely everywhere! I’ve been recently reading people’s opinions regarding solar energy, and it’s pros and cons. Some tips were to get a consultant in to help you choose the best solar options, worth their weight in gold. There is what is known as a ‘smart solar box’ which can even charge up on cloudy days and provide you with 20 hours of electricity to power small appliances in your home.
Fortum Say,
Solar power is the key to a clean energy future. Every day, the sun gives off far more energy than we need to power everything on earth. That’s why we’re investing heavily in solar plants and why we are now offering solar kits to our customers in Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Solar panels produce electricity by transforming the continuous flow of energy from the sun to electricity.
No harmful emissions are released into the air when electricity is produced by solar panels.
The photovoltaic process that transforms sunlight into electricity doesn’t require any fuel and has no variable costs.
The sun provides more than enough energy to meet the whole world’s energy needs, and unlike fossil fuels, it won’t run out anytime soon. As a renewable energy source, the only limitation of solar power is our ability to turn it into electricity in an efficient and cost-effective way.
No greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere when you use solar panels to create electricity. And because the sun provides more energy than we’ll ever need, electricity from solar power is a very important energy source in the move to clean energy production.
After solar panels have been installed, operational costs are quite low compared to other forms of power generation. Fuel isn’t required, and this means that solar power can create large amounts of electricity without the uncertainty and expense of securing a fuel supply.
As a renewable CO2-free power source, the environmental impact of solar power is significantly smaller than other power generation methods. The impact is mainly related to the production and supply of the special materials and metals that are required to produce solar panels. The location and the water used to clean the solar panels also affect the environment. We are working hard to find alternative ways to clean our solar panels.
Stephen’s Solar Energy Conclusion.
So, in conclusion to Solar Energy, it will probably be a life saver. After all when there’s no energy left on this planet, the sun will always be shining for at least a few more billions of years, and that energy may one day have to be utilized, even helping to rebuild the damage that has been done by us (humans) to carry on our existence!!!
Views: 600
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/childrens-stories-about-abuse/margarets-story/
I’ve been recently reading stories that ultimately have affected children in an ‘abusive’ way, where I’ve obtained this information from the NSPCC. The domestic violence issues or even crisis has gone on for years behind ‘closed doors’, and it’s a fact that the woman and her children are the victims in a lot of cases. The NSPCC can provide ‘safe houses’ but when the ‘bread winner’ in the relationship is the male, being a brave woman and taking those first tentative steps of reporting a ‘domestic violence’ incident to the police, and then leaving a nice home to live in basic relief conditions like a ‘safe house’ can in a lot of situations be almost impossible, and so the abuse continues, whether emotional, spiritual, physical or mental or a combination of these really begin to take their toll worryingly on the children over the years, after all, the children are the innocent victims here right!
We stand up for children in England by finding the best ways to prevent abuse and neglect and influencing the Westminster government to take action.
We’re committed to finding out what’s working and – more importantly – what isn’t, and what we can do about it. We do this by evaluating the services we provide for children and families and conducting research.
Our findings show that the range of support available to children in England who have been affected by abuse or neglect needs to be improved and we’ll be working with the government and partner agencies to achieve this.
Our policy team in England respond to government consultations and write briefings to influence the development of policies and laws that affect children and young people. Below are the most recent government consultations we’ve responded to.PDF / 331 KBNSPCC response to the consultation on reporting and acting on child abuse and neglectOur submission in response to the consultation on reporting and acting on child abuse and neglect in October 2016.PDF / 454 KBNSPCC and Rees Centre response to the Education Select Committee inquiry on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After ChildrenOur joint submission with Rees Centre in response to the Education Select Committee inquiry on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After Children October 2015PDF / 263 KBNSPCC response to child safety online: age verification for pornographyPaper submitted in response to a call for age verification for pornography to help keep children safer online.PDF / 237 KBNSPCC young people’s response to child safety online: age verification for pornographyYoung people’s paper submitted in response to a call for age verification for pornography to help keep children safer online.PDF / 352 KBNSPCC submission to the Women and Equalities Select Committee Inquiry on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in SchoolsOur submission in response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee Inquiry on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in Schools.PDF / 584 KBNSPCC response to Law Commission consultation paper no.214: data sharing between public bodiesOur submission in response to the Law Commission consultation paper no.214: data sharing between public bodies in December 2013.PreviousNext
Every childhood is worth fighting for
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“I was 16 when a friend introduced me to her church youth group. The first time I went, I met the youth leader, Adam. As I got more involved in the group, transport started to become an issue for me and Adam offered to give me lifts.
“Quite early on, Adam and I began texting. When he suggested we hang out outside of the group I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was probably common for youth workers to want to spend time with young people.
“I didn’t have a lot of friends so I felt like I’d made a close friend in Adam. He was paying me attention and I enjoyed his company, it felt like he was really looking out for me.
“Then, Adam started to encourage me to hang out with him at his house. He started telling me that we had a special friendship.
“I felt helpless to tell anybody about what was happening.”
Lee
“It was gradual and quite innocent to start with, but I began to feel increasingly uncomfortable. Adam started sitting closer to me on the sofa, trailing his finger over mine – things I thought were strange but not big enough to react to at the time.
“Over time, Adam started to give me extended hugs and kiss my face. He’d tell me I was his best mate and what we had was special. He said it was normal to do these things, even biblical; reading me passages from the Bible.
“As things continued I told him I wasn’t comfortable with what he was doing. He didn’t listen and instead ramped things up by kissing me on the lips. The kissing on the lips then became more regular and I felt helpless to tell anybody about what was happening.
“I was so confused but knew what he was doing was wrong. I wanted it to stop but part of me was afraid to speak out because I didn’t want to get him into trouble.”
Lee
“When I told Adam I wasn’t gay – that I liked girls and wanted him to stop – he’d turn things around by telling me I must want this, because I’d instigated it. He’d threaten to take me off the preaching rota or stop giving me lifts. He made me feel as if I’d be ostracised from the group if I put a stop to things and told me constantly that I wasn’t to tell anyone.
“Things escalated when he made us masturbate in the same room as each other. When we weren’t together, he’d text me telling me he thought about me while he was masturbating. He continued to pressure me, saying we were going to spend our lives together and that he wanted us to have sex.
“The way the law stands currently, Adam can’t be legally prosecuted for what happened. This is because I was 16 at the time and he wasn’t viewed to be in a position of trust.”
Lee
“I was so confused but knew what he was doing was wrong. I wanted it to stop but part of me was afraid to speak out because I didn’t want to get him into trouble. Being unable to talk to anybody about what was happening was making me feel really depressed.
“A year and a half later, I moved away from the area to practice youth work in London. Because I was no longer in the situation I felt able to share what had happened with my new manager. Adam was removed from his post and isn’t involved in the youth group any more and I was fortunate enough to receive counselling, which has really helped me move on from what happened.
“The way the law stands currently, Adam can’t be legally prosecuted for what happened. This is because I was 16 at the time and he wasn’t viewed to be in a position of trust.
“I’d encourage other victims of grooming and sexual abuse to talk to someone, however bad it seems or however trapped you feel. Someone will be able to help you.”
Names have been changed to protect identities. Any photographs are posed by models.
In the average primary school class, at least 2 children have suffered abuse or neglect. Donate now and help protect children today and prevent abuse from happening tomorrow.Donate now
Children and young people can be groomed online or in the real world, by a stranger or by someone they know – a family member, friend or professional. Read more about groomingPreviousNext
“My life when I was younger wasn’t very happy. I knew from a young age that my dad was taking drugs because I’d learnt about them at school. I remember one day, when I was about 8 or 9 years old my dad’s mate came round and I saw the drugs laid out in the kitchen and I realised what they were and what they were doing.
“Living with dad wasn’t very nice. He used to get angry if he didn’t have any drugs and would shout at me. He would shout at me in the mornings because he’d overslept and we’d be late for school. I’d have to get my uniform washed and clean for school because if I left it for him to do, he’d put it in the washing machine and then forget to take it out so I wouldn’t have anything clean to wear. I was doing my own washing and ironing at primary school. Then I’d walk to school by myself. I often had to make my own dinner, because Dad would be asleep on the sofa or couldn’t do it. I’d have ravioli from a can.
“His mates would be at our flat all the time and they would make a noise at night when I was trying to sleep. If they came in the daytime they’d bring sweets for me to try and keep me out of the way. I’d be sent to my room or made to sit in the living room by myself. They used to be in the kitchen doing the drugs.
“When I lived with my dad I felt like nothing. I felt like he didn’t care about me all he cared about was the drugs.”
Kimberley*
“I had met Gemma* when I was 4 years old. She was our landlady and also worked in the shop next door. I started going into the shop to talk to Gemma instead of going home because I didn’t like to be at home with my dad.
“I would visit Gemma every day after school. I wouldn’t tell her too much about what was going on at home, but I’d tell her little things. If things were really bad with my dad I’d tell her about it and I’d sometimes stay overnight at her house. She always made time for me, it was normally when I was going to bed and she’d sit at the end of my bed and we’d talk through whatever I was worried about.
“I remember one night, my dad was asleep on the sofa and I couldn’t wake him up. The flat was dark and I was scared so I rang Gemma who came and picked me up and left a note for my dad to tell him where I’d gone.
“With Gemma’s support and help I told my school about what life was like living with my dad and I was given a social worker. The social worker helped a bit, but the biggest help was NSPCC. Anna* and Ray* from the NSPCC Blackpool Service Centre came to visit my house to speak to me and Dad and told me about a local group called Family Environment: Drug Using Parents (FEDUP). They said that I could go and speak to other young people who were going through something similar to me and could have 1-2-1 chats with Anna at school. Ray said he’d come to my dad’s house and talk to him about how his drug use was affecting me.
“I enjoyed the FEDUP group. We did fun things like making towers out of marshmallows and dried spaghetti. I could talk to Anna about how I was feeling and I trusted her. I was in a session with Anna when I told her I didn’t want to go home and live with my dad anymore.
“After that day, I never went back to my dad’s flat again. I saw him once after I’d left him to go and live with Gemma. We went on a day out which was nice, but he got angry when I told him I couldn’t see him again a few days later because I was busy. He swore at me and stormed off. He still wasn’t nice to be around. Now that I’m at high school, I sometimes see him in the street. He tries to say hello but I don’t like it.
“I really like living with Gemma. I’ve been to Spain with Gemma and her family. I’ve lived with her for over 2 years now.
“I have a proper family who take me out and take me on holiday. ”
Kimberley*
“Being in the FEDUP group really helped me to speak out. They helped me to understand that if something doesn’t feel right then I should speak out and tell someone. To anyone living with a mum or dad who’s using drugs and making them unhappy, I’d say tell someone who you can trust and get help. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Names have been changed to protect identities. Any photographs are posed by models.
In the average primary school class, at least 2 children have suffered abuse or neglect. Donate now and help protect children today and prevent abuse from happening tomorrow.Donate now
We need to make sure every child always has a place to turn – night and day. Sign our petition calling on the government to help our Childline service be there for every child.Find out more
Our helpline is here 24/7. So if you’re worried about a child, you can always talk to us.Report abuse to our helplinePreviousNext
In this hi tech day and age, where computers rule the world, and as quickly as children can click a button on a computer and enter into ‘online grooming’ at the hands of ‘dodgy adults’, that click can turn into one of a cry for help with the NSPCC. This is a ‘get out’ clause for abused children, and abuse comes in so many ways. The point is safeguard officials can view each case on its individual merits, and the most sensitive of cases can be approached in a likewise manner. Can the child fight back in our modern world and get NSPCC support, or do they just keel over and continue getting abuse in so many different ways and forms! It’s not so obvious as battered and bruised kiddies, or sexually abused children, it’s psychological manipulation, emotional blackmail, spiritual threatening, to name but a few from adult perpetrators. The time has come for pressure to be put back on these people TOO STOP It! Below are some easy ways to get in touch with the NSPCC. All the best. Stephen.
Don’t wait until you’re certain if you are worried about a child. If you have any concerns or suspicions, contact us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by email or our online reporting form. You can also call the Helpline Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm or 9am – 6pm at the weekends.
We will listen to your concerns, offer advice and support and can take action on your behalf if a child is in danger.
You don’t have to tell us who you are if you don’t want to, or you can ask us not to share your name or contact with the police or social services. Find out more about how you can remain anonymous below.
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Update: We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with some emails sent to help@nspcc.org.uk. If you receive an deliverable message from your email provider, please do contact us on 0808 800 5000 to discuss your concerns and to provide you with the right support.
If you have concerns about a child’s safety and welling, including a child in your family, you can report it to us online. One of our advisors will read it within 24 hours and decide what action needs to be taken.Report your concern online
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or call us on 0808 800 5000, straight away.
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Views: 88
As I watch and read more about Marisa Peer’s expertise and skills and talents, the more certain I am that she can get people results and ‘fast’. I came to this conclusion because I’ve been feeling her presence within my soul. I’ve been expressing myself in a way that’s been getting more positive feedback from people in a way I’ve never got before. I mean my vocabulary hasn’t changed a great deal over the last couple of months but my volume and quality of output communication has. It’s like Marisa has reached parts of my mind that no other person has reached and I’ve found myself expressing myself in such a way, where I’m sure my mind in the past has said or instructed me to ‘not say this or that because it’s insignificant and to trivial a matter to say’! How wrong could I be, some insignificent memories that I’ve told no one like the time I went camping and mentioning no names saw a world champion darts player throwing darts for exhibition, and having taken a photo of this talented bloke, saw on the photo that he appeared to have a hole (or the very least) a very worn out soul as his rear foot lifted up as he threw, brought me to the conclusion that ‘it’s not all tinsel and glamour’ for stars in any niche, and got the people I was speaking to to ‘I’m sure’ open up in a way they wouldn’t have before. It’s like Marisa spirit just spreads from one person to the other! Anyway, I’ve posted some profile info about Marisa so I hope this helps any fellow bloggers come viewers who may read this short post. Take it from me friends, you can’t go far wrong if you listen to a few of her great videos, see you soon, Stephen.
Through her public speaking, therapy training course, and best-selling books, award-winning therapist Marisa Peer has profoundly changed the lives of countless people. Drawing on her three decades of experience treating a client list that includes international superstars, CEOs, Royalty, and Olympic athletes, Marisa brings an unparalleled breadth of experience, candour, and compassion to everything she does. Her audiences, readers, trainees, and clients consistently report dramatic results after working with Marisa. Her therapy method itself is world-renowned for its ability to effect lasting change in the room, without the need for ongoing sessions.
Training early in her career as a child psychologist, Marisa later earned further qualifications from the Hypnosis Training Institute of Los Angeles and the Pritikin Longevity Centre. In addition to being a national magazine columnist, she has appeared on major media outlets and television shows including GMTV, Lorraine Kelly, This Morning, Sky News, ITV News, BBC News, Channel 4 News, BBC Radio, Supersize Versus Superskinny, Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Big Brother, and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Most recently she has been a speaker for TEDx, Awesomeness Fest, and Summit Series and has been voted best speaker at the last three talks she gave including at awesomeness fest in Croatia.
Now focused on spreading her message to as many people as possible, Marisa continues to do speaking tours at the international level and is pioneering her own training course, The Marisa Peer Method, to teach her transformational therapy techniques to other practitioners and to those who wish to be one. Her first course was taught in London last November.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/marisa-peer-2a333516
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