The first hurricane of the season spun up as Hurricane Don took shape in the Atlantic while the chance for a new tropical depression or storm from a Caribbean-bound system remains, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 5 p.m., what has been an up-and-down-and-up-again life cycle for Don soldiered in a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph sustained winds and higher gusts.
Hurricane Don cone of uncertainty as of 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22, 2023. (NHC)
It’s located about 480 miles south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland moving north at 12 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend out 15 miles with tropical-storm-force winds extend out 70 miles.
[From The Guardian] China’s Communist party is intensifying religious persecution as Christianity’s popularity grows. A new state translation of the Bible will establish a ‘correct understanding’ of the text
Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain church, who was arrested and detained three months ago, along with his wife.
In late October, the pastor of one of China’s best-known underground churches asked this of his congregation: had they successfully spread the gospel throughout their city? “If tomorrow morning the Early Rain Covenant Church suddenly disappeared from the city of Chengdu, if each of us vanished into thin air, would this city be any different? Would anyone miss us?” said Wang Yi, leaning over his pulpit and pausing to let the question weigh on his audience. “I don’t know.”
Nearly 140 million Christians suffered high levels of hostility in Asia last year, a region the report describes as ‘the new hotbed of persecution’
Experts say China seems to be forcing Christians into ‘the North Korean model – weak, small and invisible in the deep underground’
Nearly 140 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution in Asia last year, according to a new report, which described the situation facing the faith in China as the worst since the Cultural Revolution.
The annual Open Doors World Watch List, released on Wednesday, said Asia is “the new hotbed of persecution for Christians”.
It noted a sharp increase in the persecution of Christians in Asia over the past five years – but with a dramatic spike in 2018, driven by the likes of a rise in Hindu ultra-nationalism in India, radical Islamism in Indonesia and tougher religious regulations in China.
To be as accomplished and prolific a filmmaker as Martin Scorsese, you’d have to be as accomplished and prolific a filmgoer as Martin Scorsese. The Oscar-winning director would be the first to tell you that he is as much a student of movies as he is a creator, and he regularly shares his ever-growing list of essential films that he believes any true movie fan should see.
In 2012, Fast Companypublished an extensive interview with Scorsese in which he talked about his 85 movies “you need to see to know anything about film.” Meanwhile, in 2006, a young filmmaker named Colin Levy wrote to the filmmaker, asking for recommendations on where to start an education on foreign films. Scorsese responded with a list of almost 40 suggestions. And, of course, Scorsese shared even more of his favorite films with Sight & Sound magazine.
The Westinghouse WGen9500DF Dual Fuel Portable Generator produces up to 12,500 peak watts and 9,500 running watts. The WGen9500DF is a dual fuel generator that operates on gasoline or propane (LPG). The heavy duty 457cc 4-Stroke OHV Westinghouse Engine is constructed of a durable cast iron sleeve and runs for up to 12 hours on a 6.6 gallon (25 L) gas tank, keeping you powered through the day with built-in fuel gauge, automatic low oil shutdown, and GFCI outlets.
Living in Central Florida has some advantages. 30 minutes to the Beach, an hour to the attractions which include Disney. We enjoy practically year round sunshine with relatively few freezes. Having said that, there is one disadvantage that can be quite a life changing event. Of course I’m speaking of Hurricanes. I have been through some major storms in my life. 2004 was a whopper where 4 hurricanes crossed central Florida in 3 months time. It was devastating.
Naturally, with the storms, comes the loss of power. There are a few creature comforts that you instantly appreciate when you lose power. Cold water is a much needed requirement and hot showers. Having a generator can be quite a convenance and a gigantic pain at the same time.
When you own a generator, there are considerations that you must address when operating. Gasoline and the ability to obtain and store, power cords and re-fueling the generator at 2 or 3 in the morning to keep the portable air conditioner going. After several major hurricane events, my wife and I decided to pull the trigger on a natural gas, whole home generator to eliminate all the fuss.
The Church of England has sacked a panel of experts who provided independent oversight of how it dealt with abuse.
The Archbishops’ Council confirmed it was “ending the contracts” of all three board members – acting chair Meg Munn, Jasvinder Sanghera and Steve Reeves.
The latter two recently claimed the Church had been obstructive and interfered with their work.
The Church said relations between them and senior bishops had “broken down”.
