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1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
ISRAEL-EUROPE LABELING DISPUTE EXPLAINED
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/30/9821634/eu-israel-settlement-labels
Justin Trudeau meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for 1st time in Paris-CBC – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his Israeli counterpart for the first time as prime minister during a side meeting at the climate change talks in Paris Monday."I'm delighted to see Prime Minister Trudeau," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said."Canada and Israel have had superb relations. There's a foundation there to make these relations even stronger. Very practical things that are of interest to both our peoples, and I look forward to having that conversation with you."Netanyahu also invited Trudeau to come to Israel at his earliest convenience."It would be a pleasure to return to Israel when it works out," Trudeau said. "But in general, this is really about starting a conversation to continue the very strong friendship and relationship between Canada and Israel."We have many issues to talk about, to discuss, but also many issues to collaborate on. And I look forward to continuing the strong friendship that Canada has shown towards Israel for decades and will continue in ongoing times," Trudeau said.Stephen Harper was a staunch supporter of Israel during his tenure as prime minister, promising during a 2014 visit that Canada would stand by the Jewish state "through fire and water."However, Harper faced some criticism for a Middle East policy that some said tilted too much toward Israel, and gave short shrift to the Palestinians.Harper also built a very warm relationship with Netanyahu, who regularly lauded his personal friend "Stephen" as a great friend to Israel.Past Liberal governments have had a pro-Israel foreign policy, but because of the vocal support of the Conservatives since 2006, some Israeli commentators have raised questions about whether the new Liberal government will still be as close to Israel.Netanyahu was among the first leaders to call Trudeau after his Oct. 19 election victory.Bilateral meetings cancelled Trudeau was also set to meet with other leaders from Middle East, including King Abdullah of Jordan and Prime Minister Tammam Salam of Lebanon, but both those meetings were cancelled.Salam called off his trip to Paris entirely amidst an ongoing crisis at home with al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, holding 16 Lebanese soldiers hostage. It was not immediately clear why the Jordanian leader cancelled his meeting with Trudeau.
EU says continues Mideast peace role despite Israel move-Reuters-NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and the European Union said it would continue its role in Middle East peace diplomacy despite Israel saying it was suspending contact.Asked about Israel's move on Sunday to suspend contact with the EU over the bloc's reinforcement of labeling rules on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a European Commission spokeswoman said Mogherini met Netanyahu in Paris on the sidelines of the global climate conference."EU-Israel relations are good, broad and deep and this will continue," the spokeswoman told a news briefing in Brussels, playing down the labeling decision as merely the implementation of an existing policy already being enforced by some EU states."When it comes to the Middle East peace process, the EU continues and will continue to work on this in the Quartet with our partners with both parties because of course peace in the Middle East is of interest to the whole international community," the spokesman added.The European Union is one of the four members of the Quartet of peace brokers, along with the United Nations, United States and Russia.(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
Netanyahu invokes memory of Nazi past over EU labelling-AFP-November 11, 2015 1:08 PM- YAHOONEWS
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday likened the European Union's decision to label goods from Israeli settlements to the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses.Israel in retaliation called off a number of scheduled EU meetings."The labelling of products of the Jewish state by the European Union brings back dark memories, Europe should be ashamed of itself," he said as he wrapped up a visit to Washington."It took an immoral decision... This will not advance peace, it will certainly not advance truth and justice. It's wrong," he said in an English-language video clip posted on Facebook.He drew the same comparison in September when he said that Israelis "remember history and we remember what happened when the products of Jews were labelled in Europe".After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, they imposed a boycott against the country's Jews, issuing orders and posting signs telling the public not to buy from them.The EU move is a set of guidelines for labelling products from Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories and annexed east Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights, all occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.The settlements are deemed illegal under international law and considered a major stumbling block to peace efforts since those in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state."Of the hundreds of territorial conflicts around the world it chose to single out Israel and Israel alone," Netanyahu said, adding that labelling would not hurt Israel's economy but would affect jobs for Palestinian workers employed in the settlements.Israel's foreign ministry summoned the EU envoy to the country over the decision and called the step "discriminatory".EU ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen was informed that Israeli officials would not attend a number of scheduled EU meetings, the ministry said."Because of the latest EU decision, Israel is suspending its diplomatic dialogue with the EU in various forums which had been scheduled to take place in the coming weeks," it said.On Tuesday, in anticipation of the move, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called the labelling measure "disguised anti-Semitism".Trade from settlements accounts for only a small portion of commerce between the EU and Israel, but carries important symbolic weight.The Palestine Liberation Organisation said the EU decision was a positive step but that it did not go far enough, calling for an outright ban on such commerce.
Trump says meeting with U.S. black clergy went 'very well'-By Emily Flitter | Reuters – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump met a group of black pastors on Monday over the objection of other African-American clergy and academics who had assailed what they called the candidate's racially charged rhetoric.Trump, the billionaire mogul, emerged from the more than two-hour meeting saying it went "very well." He said some of the attendees had agreed to endorse him, but the group did not present a formal list of new supporters.The meeting was with a group of black religious leaders, the Coalition of African American Ministers, from across the country who are connected to each other through the South Carolina-based Christian broadcaster, the NOW Television Network.Jordynn Parks, daughter of network co-founder Pastor Mark Burns, said clergy members in attendance regularly appear on the network. Trump and other attendees said there were around 100 participants."I've had many endorsements today," Trump told waiting journalists. Cleveland-based pastor Darrell Scott, who spoke on behalf of the group after the meeting, described it as "very constructive.""We had meaningful dialogue with Donald Trump," Scott said, adding that many of the pastors planned to return to their homes and pray while deliberating whether to endorse Trump. He said some were meeting Trump for the first time.Trump's campaign had initially described the meeting as a precursor to a public event set for Monday in which the group would formally endorse him. But over the weekend the campaign canceled that event and proceeded only with the private meeting.Trump has come under fire for tweeting what critics assail as racially charged statistics about black murder rates and for saying a black protester at one of his political rallies deserved to be "roughed up."In an open letter published on Friday, 114 black religious leaders and academics criticized the clergy members planning to meet Trump for failing, they said, to challenge him over his controversial statements.A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll on Friday showed a 12-point drop in support for Trump. He was the favorite of 31 percent of Republicans in a rolling poll in the five days ended on Nov. 27, down from a peak of 43 percent registered on Nov. 22.(This version of the story corrects the name of pastor Mark Burns's daughter in paragraph 4 from Jordan Burns to Jordynn Parks.)(Reporting by Emily Flitter; Editing by Howard Goller)
European satellite to test method to find ripples in space, time-By Irene Klotz | Reuters – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An experimental satellite slated for launch on Wednesday will test a technique to detect ripples in space and across time, adding a new perspective for viewing and understanding the universe.From a vantage point 93 million miles (1.5 million km) from Earth, the European-built spacecraft, known as LISA Pathfinder, is expected to break ground in the search for the ripples, known as gravitational waves, caused by fast-moving, massive celestial objects such as merging black holes.Black holes are so dense with matter that not even photons of light can escape the powerful gravitational effects."This will really open up a new window into the universe. God knows what we will learn," said European Space Agency deputy mission scientist Oliver Jennrich.Like light, gravity travels in waves. Unlike light, gravitational waves bend the interwoven fabric of space and time, a phenomenon conceptualised by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago. Before Einstein's general theory of relativity, gravity was seen as a force between two bodies.In the pre-Einstein view of physics, if the sun disappeared one day, people on Earth would feel it instantly. In Einstein's view, the effects would not be felt for eight minutes, the time both light waves and gravitational waves take to travel from the sun to Earth.So far, attempts to detect gravitational waves using Earth-based detectors have been unsuccessful.Massive objects such as black holes bend space and time more than smaller bodies like the sun, similar to how a bowling ball warps the surface of a trampoline more than a baseball."There's a whole spectrum of gravitational waves, just like there's a whole spectrum of electromagnetic waves," said astrophysicist Ira Thorpe of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.An operational gravitational wave observatory under development would require three satellites, flying in a triangle formation about 621,000 miles (1 million kilometres) apart. The satellites would contain small metal cubes that would oscillate as a gravitational wave passes through, similar to a buoy rising and falling on the ocean.Using a laser to measure tiny changes in distance between the cubes, scientists hope to track the subtle flexing of space and time. LISA (Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) Pathfinder will demonstrate the concept with two metal cubes 15 inches (38 cm) apart inside a single spacecraft.Launch is set for 0415 GMT on Wednesday (11:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday) from the European Space Agency's Kourou, French Guiana launch site. It will need six weeks to reach its intended orbit and another three months to prepare for science operations.The mission, designed to last six months, cost about 400 million euros ($423 million).(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Will Dunham)
New Canadian renounces oath to the Queen, pledges 'true' loyalty only to Canada-By Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
TORONTO - A Toronto man publicly recanted "the royalty part" of the mandatory Oath of Allegiance to the Queen moments after becoming a Canadian citizen on Monday, choosing to pledge his "true" loyalty only to Canada and its people.Dror Bar-Natan, a math professor from Israel, says the monarchy is a symbol of inequality and calls the portion of the oath dealing with it "repulsive." But he believes strongly in the rest of the pledge that deals with citizens' responsibilities."I'm definitely proud to be a Canadian," the 49-year-old said after the ceremony. "It's a wonderful country, a truly wonderful country, with one small iota that I disagree with."Bar-Natan was one of three longtime permanent residents who challenged the constitutionality of making citizenship conditional on the pledge to the Queen, her heirs and successors.In upholding the requirement, Ontario's top court said the Queen remains Canada's head of state and the oath was a "symbolic commitment to be governed as a democratic constitutional monarchy unless and until democratically changed."The court also found, however, that all citizens have the right to espouse anti- monarchist views and new Canadians could publicly disavow what they consider to be the message conveyed by the oath.Bar-Natan explained that his actions on Monday were fully in line with the court's findings."For a long time I was held back from taking citizenship because of the allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors part of the oath. I never felt comfortable with that," he said. "I hope this paves the way for others."At a citizenship ceremony in east Toronto, Bar-Natan first swore the oath along with some 80 others and then, while being handed his citizenship certificate, informed the citizenship judge of his intent to disavow the portion of the oath pledging allegiance to the Queen.He formally recanted that part of the oath following the ceremony and handed the judge a letter explaining his decision."I wish to affirm my allegiance, my true allegiance to Canada and the people of Canada, but also to disavow the royalty part and only the royalty part of the citizenship oath," Bar-Natan told the judge as others looked on."I hear you sir. And I thank you for your honesty," said citizenship judge Albert Wong, who shook Bar-Natan's hand. "I welcome you to Canada and I look forward to the contributions you will make."Bar-Natan later said he had felt "somewhat humiliated" at having to say the oath at all, despite being able to disavow the part of it he disagreed with later."I do feel that it is comparable to hazing, the fact that you are required to stand up and express views that are opposite to yours," he said. "I don't think it is a part of Canada to impose political speech on others. To impose opinions on others."Bar-Natan added that a website he has set up — disavowal.ca — will allow other Canadians to publicly disavow their pledge to the Queen, regardless of when they took their oath.Bar-Natan's controversial decision sparked some strong reactions on social media."Strip him of citizenship the moment he disavows the oath. If he doesn't want to keep the oath, he shouldn't be made a Canadian," tweeted one person."Why do people come here if they have no intention of following the basic requirements," said another.Bar-Natan's lawyer said he hoped his client's actions would draw the new Liberal government's attention to re-evaluating the wording of the citizenship oath that deals with the monarchy."He underlined how silly it is to require somebody to say it," said Peter Rosenthal. "I hope that will contribute to the public debate about this and the present Liberal government will do what the Chretien government almost did in 1994."In the 1990s, former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien was set to scrap the oath to the Queen but got cold feet at the last minute, then-citizenship minister Sergio Marchi has told The Canadian Press.
Go Public-TD Visa customers' browsing activities open to 'surveillance' by bank-Bank denies collecting general information about what customers do online-By Rosa Marchitelli, Go Public, CBC News Posted: Nov 30, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 30, 2015 3:58 PM ET
A B.C. man decided to Go Public after discovering Canada's second-biggest bank can access and collect information on all of its customers' online activities, even those that aren't banking-related. CBC News investigates-Colin Laughlan is one of thousands of Canadians who had his Visa cards switched from CIBC to TD in 2014 after the Aeroplan rewards program changed banks. "When I saw this — I really had to read it two or three times to make myself believe I was reading what I was reading," he said.He points to two lines in the 66-page Visa cardholder agreement that allows TD to collect details about anything — and everything — customers do online. Under the privacy section of the cardholder agreement:"COLLECTING AND USING YOUR INFORMATION — At the time you request to begin a relationship with us and during the course of our relationship, we may collect information including: Details about your browsing activity on your browser or mobile device.Your preferences and activities.Laughlan, from Vancouver, has a background in privacy issues as a former journalist and communications specialist. He said his radar was up when his new TD Visa card and cardholder agreement arrived in the mail."I couldn't see any reason they had to do that sort of surveillance on Canadians and they weren't being particularly forthright about it. This was slipped into the fine print of the policy and I'm well aware that the vast majority of people don't read these things," he said. Laughlan said it took almost a year before his complaint finally reached TD's privacy office.-Initialled copy of Colin Laughlan's agreement-TD's privacy office crossed out the lines that Colin Laughlan found problematic in his cardholder agreement and an official signed them. (CBC)-The bank eventually apologized, according to Laughlan, and said it was in the process of removing the "browsing activity" line from the agreement. In the meantime, it sent him what it called a "personalized policy" with the browsing activity line crossed out by hand and initialled by a senior officer in the bank's privacy office.-Questionable clause remains-Six months later, Laughlan received another user agreement for a different TD Visa and realized nothing had changed. He complained again and said he was told the agreement was sent by mistake and again assured the problem would be fixed.Then it happened a third time. That's when he contacted Go Public."This is now going on to 18 months. They hadn't changed it as they had promised ... I'm really upset … I thought this is something Canadians should know about," he said.Go Public put the issue to TD Bank Group, which responded with an email saying the intention was to allow the bank to collect information only when customers use TD websites and TD mobile apps."TD has never, at any time, collected general information regarding details about customers' browsing activity, their browser or mobile device," the statement said.The bank did remove the browsing clause from its online cardholder agreement, but it remains part of the printed version mailed out to customers. The bank tells Go Public that will change when the paper agreements need to be reprinted.It will keep, however, the line that allows it to monitor customers' "preferences and activities." The bank said it uses that information for banking purposes, including managing products and services and assessing risk. -It has a 'creepy factor,' says tech expert -Sharon Polsky, the president of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, believes that kind of general wording in user agreements opens Canadians up to sharing far more than they intended, and not just with banks.Sharon Polsky-Sharon Polsky, a technology and security expert, says TD seemed to be keeping its options open when it put the access to browsing information clauses in its Visa cardholder agreements. (CBC)-"The waters are very murky. People do not realize very often that their information is being disclosed," Polsky said.Under Canadian law, consent is needed in order to allow anyone to access your online activity. But Polsky said the problem is most people don't realize that by signing up for a credit card or downloading an app they are granting that permission.'I've heard it said that Google and Facebook know more about you and me than we do.' - Sharon Polsky, privacy expert-"It has a creepy factor.... They can create a very, very detailed profile of each of us … what we do, where we go, what we think," she said.What businesses do with the information they collect is concerning to Polsky, because it is unclear how it will be used."A lot of people don't realize just how invasive organizations are already with our personal information," said Polsky. "So, when you see a clause that says the organization will gather whatever it wishes about you and use it however it wishes — that's when you start wondering why? For whose benefit? Certainly not the consumer," she said.Are banks going too far?-Polsky said all banks need to collect some information about their customers' online habits in order to meet legal and governmental obligations, but she believes often the amount of information being collected goes too far.She points to several online articles that say some banks and other businesses are beginning to look at using information taken from monitoring online activity to assess risk and sometimes gauge a customer's credit worthiness."They figure out what are the likely behaviours. If you shop at a certain store where other people who shop have declared bankruptcy you became a higher risk. If you go to certain neighbourhoods, if you live in a certain postal code," she said."If you say certain keywords on your social media page — innocent words that you wouldn't think twice about using. The word 'wasted' for example. If that's used on your social media profile, that's a trigger, because it apparently indicates certain risky behaviors."83% of apps can mine online info-Polsky said it's not just banking apps that collect information. She said up to 83 per cent of apps have the ability to access everything we do online."Apps can gather basically anything that's on your phone or any device your phone is attached to. They can tie into your contact list, the content of your tweets, your email, your texts, your camera, the microphone," Polsky said.
ISRAEL-EUROPE LABELING DISPUTE EXPLAINED
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/30/9821634/eu-israel-settlement-labels
Justin Trudeau meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for 1st time in Paris-CBC – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his Israeli counterpart for the first time as prime minister during a side meeting at the climate change talks in Paris Monday."I'm delighted to see Prime Minister Trudeau," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said."Canada and Israel have had superb relations. There's a foundation there to make these relations even stronger. Very practical things that are of interest to both our peoples, and I look forward to having that conversation with you."Netanyahu also invited Trudeau to come to Israel at his earliest convenience."It would be a pleasure to return to Israel when it works out," Trudeau said. "But in general, this is really about starting a conversation to continue the very strong friendship and relationship between Canada and Israel."We have many issues to talk about, to discuss, but also many issues to collaborate on. And I look forward to continuing the strong friendship that Canada has shown towards Israel for decades and will continue in ongoing times," Trudeau said.Stephen Harper was a staunch supporter of Israel during his tenure as prime minister, promising during a 2014 visit that Canada would stand by the Jewish state "through fire and water."However, Harper faced some criticism for a Middle East policy that some said tilted too much toward Israel, and gave short shrift to the Palestinians.Harper also built a very warm relationship with Netanyahu, who regularly lauded his personal friend "Stephen" as a great friend to Israel.Past Liberal governments have had a pro-Israel foreign policy, but because of the vocal support of the Conservatives since 2006, some Israeli commentators have raised questions about whether the new Liberal government will still be as close to Israel.Netanyahu was among the first leaders to call Trudeau after his Oct. 19 election victory.Bilateral meetings cancelled Trudeau was also set to meet with other leaders from Middle East, including King Abdullah of Jordan and Prime Minister Tammam Salam of Lebanon, but both those meetings were cancelled.Salam called off his trip to Paris entirely amidst an ongoing crisis at home with al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, holding 16 Lebanese soldiers hostage. It was not immediately clear why the Jordanian leader cancelled his meeting with Trudeau.
EU says continues Mideast peace role despite Israel move-Reuters-NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and the European Union said it would continue its role in Middle East peace diplomacy despite Israel saying it was suspending contact.Asked about Israel's move on Sunday to suspend contact with the EU over the bloc's reinforcement of labeling rules on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a European Commission spokeswoman said Mogherini met Netanyahu in Paris on the sidelines of the global climate conference."EU-Israel relations are good, broad and deep and this will continue," the spokeswoman told a news briefing in Brussels, playing down the labeling decision as merely the implementation of an existing policy already being enforced by some EU states."When it comes to the Middle East peace process, the EU continues and will continue to work on this in the Quartet with our partners with both parties because of course peace in the Middle East is of interest to the whole international community," the spokesman added.The European Union is one of the four members of the Quartet of peace brokers, along with the United Nations, United States and Russia.(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
Netanyahu invokes memory of Nazi past over EU labelling-AFP-November 11, 2015 1:08 PM- YAHOONEWS
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday likened the European Union's decision to label goods from Israeli settlements to the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses.Israel in retaliation called off a number of scheduled EU meetings."The labelling of products of the Jewish state by the European Union brings back dark memories, Europe should be ashamed of itself," he said as he wrapped up a visit to Washington."It took an immoral decision... This will not advance peace, it will certainly not advance truth and justice. It's wrong," he said in an English-language video clip posted on Facebook.He drew the same comparison in September when he said that Israelis "remember history and we remember what happened when the products of Jews were labelled in Europe".After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, they imposed a boycott against the country's Jews, issuing orders and posting signs telling the public not to buy from them.The EU move is a set of guidelines for labelling products from Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories and annexed east Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights, all occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.The settlements are deemed illegal under international law and considered a major stumbling block to peace efforts since those in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state."Of the hundreds of territorial conflicts around the world it chose to single out Israel and Israel alone," Netanyahu said, adding that labelling would not hurt Israel's economy but would affect jobs for Palestinian workers employed in the settlements.Israel's foreign ministry summoned the EU envoy to the country over the decision and called the step "discriminatory".EU ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen was informed that Israeli officials would not attend a number of scheduled EU meetings, the ministry said."Because of the latest EU decision, Israel is suspending its diplomatic dialogue with the EU in various forums which had been scheduled to take place in the coming weeks," it said.On Tuesday, in anticipation of the move, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called the labelling measure "disguised anti-Semitism".Trade from settlements accounts for only a small portion of commerce between the EU and Israel, but carries important symbolic weight.The Palestine Liberation Organisation said the EU decision was a positive step but that it did not go far enough, calling for an outright ban on such commerce.
Trump says meeting with U.S. black clergy went 'very well'-By Emily Flitter | Reuters – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump met a group of black pastors on Monday over the objection of other African-American clergy and academics who had assailed what they called the candidate's racially charged rhetoric.Trump, the billionaire mogul, emerged from the more than two-hour meeting saying it went "very well." He said some of the attendees had agreed to endorse him, but the group did not present a formal list of new supporters.The meeting was with a group of black religious leaders, the Coalition of African American Ministers, from across the country who are connected to each other through the South Carolina-based Christian broadcaster, the NOW Television Network.Jordynn Parks, daughter of network co-founder Pastor Mark Burns, said clergy members in attendance regularly appear on the network. Trump and other attendees said there were around 100 participants."I've had many endorsements today," Trump told waiting journalists. Cleveland-based pastor Darrell Scott, who spoke on behalf of the group after the meeting, described it as "very constructive.""We had meaningful dialogue with Donald Trump," Scott said, adding that many of the pastors planned to return to their homes and pray while deliberating whether to endorse Trump. He said some were meeting Trump for the first time.Trump's campaign had initially described the meeting as a precursor to a public event set for Monday in which the group would formally endorse him. But over the weekend the campaign canceled that event and proceeded only with the private meeting.Trump has come under fire for tweeting what critics assail as racially charged statistics about black murder rates and for saying a black protester at one of his political rallies deserved to be "roughed up."In an open letter published on Friday, 114 black religious leaders and academics criticized the clergy members planning to meet Trump for failing, they said, to challenge him over his controversial statements.A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll on Friday showed a 12-point drop in support for Trump. He was the favorite of 31 percent of Republicans in a rolling poll in the five days ended on Nov. 27, down from a peak of 43 percent registered on Nov. 22.(This version of the story corrects the name of pastor Mark Burns's daughter in paragraph 4 from Jordan Burns to Jordynn Parks.)(Reporting by Emily Flitter; Editing by Howard Goller)
European satellite to test method to find ripples in space, time-By Irene Klotz | Reuters – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An experimental satellite slated for launch on Wednesday will test a technique to detect ripples in space and across time, adding a new perspective for viewing and understanding the universe.From a vantage point 93 million miles (1.5 million km) from Earth, the European-built spacecraft, known as LISA Pathfinder, is expected to break ground in the search for the ripples, known as gravitational waves, caused by fast-moving, massive celestial objects such as merging black holes.Black holes are so dense with matter that not even photons of light can escape the powerful gravitational effects."This will really open up a new window into the universe. God knows what we will learn," said European Space Agency deputy mission scientist Oliver Jennrich.Like light, gravity travels in waves. Unlike light, gravitational waves bend the interwoven fabric of space and time, a phenomenon conceptualised by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago. Before Einstein's general theory of relativity, gravity was seen as a force between two bodies.In the pre-Einstein view of physics, if the sun disappeared one day, people on Earth would feel it instantly. In Einstein's view, the effects would not be felt for eight minutes, the time both light waves and gravitational waves take to travel from the sun to Earth.So far, attempts to detect gravitational waves using Earth-based detectors have been unsuccessful.Massive objects such as black holes bend space and time more than smaller bodies like the sun, similar to how a bowling ball warps the surface of a trampoline more than a baseball."There's a whole spectrum of gravitational waves, just like there's a whole spectrum of electromagnetic waves," said astrophysicist Ira Thorpe of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.An operational gravitational wave observatory under development would require three satellites, flying in a triangle formation about 621,000 miles (1 million kilometres) apart. The satellites would contain small metal cubes that would oscillate as a gravitational wave passes through, similar to a buoy rising and falling on the ocean.Using a laser to measure tiny changes in distance between the cubes, scientists hope to track the subtle flexing of space and time. LISA (Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) Pathfinder will demonstrate the concept with two metal cubes 15 inches (38 cm) apart inside a single spacecraft.Launch is set for 0415 GMT on Wednesday (11:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday) from the European Space Agency's Kourou, French Guiana launch site. It will need six weeks to reach its intended orbit and another three months to prepare for science operations.The mission, designed to last six months, cost about 400 million euros ($423 million).(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Will Dunham)
New Canadian renounces oath to the Queen, pledges 'true' loyalty only to Canada-By Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – NOV 30,15-YAHOONEWS
TORONTO - A Toronto man publicly recanted "the royalty part" of the mandatory Oath of Allegiance to the Queen moments after becoming a Canadian citizen on Monday, choosing to pledge his "true" loyalty only to Canada and its people.Dror Bar-Natan, a math professor from Israel, says the monarchy is a symbol of inequality and calls the portion of the oath dealing with it "repulsive." But he believes strongly in the rest of the pledge that deals with citizens' responsibilities."I'm definitely proud to be a Canadian," the 49-year-old said after the ceremony. "It's a wonderful country, a truly wonderful country, with one small iota that I disagree with."Bar-Natan was one of three longtime permanent residents who challenged the constitutionality of making citizenship conditional on the pledge to the Queen, her heirs and successors.In upholding the requirement, Ontario's top court said the Queen remains Canada's head of state and the oath was a "symbolic commitment to be governed as a democratic constitutional monarchy unless and until democratically changed."The court also found, however, that all citizens have the right to espouse anti- monarchist views and new Canadians could publicly disavow what they consider to be the message conveyed by the oath.Bar-Natan explained that his actions on Monday were fully in line with the court's findings."For a long time I was held back from taking citizenship because of the allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors part of the oath. I never felt comfortable with that," he said. "I hope this paves the way for others."At a citizenship ceremony in east Toronto, Bar-Natan first swore the oath along with some 80 others and then, while being handed his citizenship certificate, informed the citizenship judge of his intent to disavow the portion of the oath pledging allegiance to the Queen.He formally recanted that part of the oath following the ceremony and handed the judge a letter explaining his decision."I wish to affirm my allegiance, my true allegiance to Canada and the people of Canada, but also to disavow the royalty part and only the royalty part of the citizenship oath," Bar-Natan told the judge as others looked on."I hear you sir. And I thank you for your honesty," said citizenship judge Albert Wong, who shook Bar-Natan's hand. "I welcome you to Canada and I look forward to the contributions you will make."Bar-Natan later said he had felt "somewhat humiliated" at having to say the oath at all, despite being able to disavow the part of it he disagreed with later."I do feel that it is comparable to hazing, the fact that you are required to stand up and express views that are opposite to yours," he said. "I don't think it is a part of Canada to impose political speech on others. To impose opinions on others."Bar-Natan added that a website he has set up — disavowal.ca — will allow other Canadians to publicly disavow their pledge to the Queen, regardless of when they took their oath.Bar-Natan's controversial decision sparked some strong reactions on social media."Strip him of citizenship the moment he disavows the oath. If he doesn't want to keep the oath, he shouldn't be made a Canadian," tweeted one person."Why do people come here if they have no intention of following the basic requirements," said another.Bar-Natan's lawyer said he hoped his client's actions would draw the new Liberal government's attention to re-evaluating the wording of the citizenship oath that deals with the monarchy."He underlined how silly it is to require somebody to say it," said Peter Rosenthal. "I hope that will contribute to the public debate about this and the present Liberal government will do what the Chretien government almost did in 1994."In the 1990s, former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien was set to scrap the oath to the Queen but got cold feet at the last minute, then-citizenship minister Sergio Marchi has told The Canadian Press.
Go Public-TD Visa customers' browsing activities open to 'surveillance' by bank-Bank denies collecting general information about what customers do online-By Rosa Marchitelli, Go Public, CBC News Posted: Nov 30, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 30, 2015 3:58 PM ET
A B.C. man decided to Go Public after discovering Canada's second-biggest bank can access and collect information on all of its customers' online activities, even those that aren't banking-related. CBC News investigates-Colin Laughlan is one of thousands of Canadians who had his Visa cards switched from CIBC to TD in 2014 after the Aeroplan rewards program changed banks. "When I saw this — I really had to read it two or three times to make myself believe I was reading what I was reading," he said.He points to two lines in the 66-page Visa cardholder agreement that allows TD to collect details about anything — and everything — customers do online. Under the privacy section of the cardholder agreement:"COLLECTING AND USING YOUR INFORMATION — At the time you request to begin a relationship with us and during the course of our relationship, we may collect information including: Details about your browsing activity on your browser or mobile device.Your preferences and activities.Laughlan, from Vancouver, has a background in privacy issues as a former journalist and communications specialist. He said his radar was up when his new TD Visa card and cardholder agreement arrived in the mail."I couldn't see any reason they had to do that sort of surveillance on Canadians and they weren't being particularly forthright about it. This was slipped into the fine print of the policy and I'm well aware that the vast majority of people don't read these things," he said. Laughlan said it took almost a year before his complaint finally reached TD's privacy office.-Initialled copy of Colin Laughlan's agreement-TD's privacy office crossed out the lines that Colin Laughlan found problematic in his cardholder agreement and an official signed them. (CBC)-The bank eventually apologized, according to Laughlan, and said it was in the process of removing the "browsing activity" line from the agreement. In the meantime, it sent him what it called a "personalized policy" with the browsing activity line crossed out by hand and initialled by a senior officer in the bank's privacy office.-Questionable clause remains-Six months later, Laughlan received another user agreement for a different TD Visa and realized nothing had changed. He complained again and said he was told the agreement was sent by mistake and again assured the problem would be fixed.Then it happened a third time. That's when he contacted Go Public."This is now going on to 18 months. They hadn't changed it as they had promised ... I'm really upset … I thought this is something Canadians should know about," he said.Go Public put the issue to TD Bank Group, which responded with an email saying the intention was to allow the bank to collect information only when customers use TD websites and TD mobile apps."TD has never, at any time, collected general information regarding details about customers' browsing activity, their browser or mobile device," the statement said.The bank did remove the browsing clause from its online cardholder agreement, but it remains part of the printed version mailed out to customers. The bank tells Go Public that will change when the paper agreements need to be reprinted.It will keep, however, the line that allows it to monitor customers' "preferences and activities." The bank said it uses that information for banking purposes, including managing products and services and assessing risk. -It has a 'creepy factor,' says tech expert -Sharon Polsky, the president of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, believes that kind of general wording in user agreements opens Canadians up to sharing far more than they intended, and not just with banks.Sharon Polsky-Sharon Polsky, a technology and security expert, says TD seemed to be keeping its options open when it put the access to browsing information clauses in its Visa cardholder agreements. (CBC)-"The waters are very murky. People do not realize very often that their information is being disclosed," Polsky said.Under Canadian law, consent is needed in order to allow anyone to access your online activity. But Polsky said the problem is most people don't realize that by signing up for a credit card or downloading an app they are granting that permission.'I've heard it said that Google and Facebook know more about you and me than we do.' - Sharon Polsky, privacy expert-"It has a creepy factor.... They can create a very, very detailed profile of each of us … what we do, where we go, what we think," she said.What businesses do with the information they collect is concerning to Polsky, because it is unclear how it will be used."A lot of people don't realize just how invasive organizations are already with our personal information," said Polsky. "So, when you see a clause that says the organization will gather whatever it wishes about you and use it however it wishes — that's when you start wondering why? For whose benefit? Certainly not the consumer," she said.Are banks going too far?-Polsky said all banks need to collect some information about their customers' online habits in order to meet legal and governmental obligations, but she believes often the amount of information being collected goes too far.She points to several online articles that say some banks and other businesses are beginning to look at using information taken from monitoring online activity to assess risk and sometimes gauge a customer's credit worthiness."They figure out what are the likely behaviours. If you shop at a certain store where other people who shop have declared bankruptcy you became a higher risk. If you go to certain neighbourhoods, if you live in a certain postal code," she said."If you say certain keywords on your social media page — innocent words that you wouldn't think twice about using. The word 'wasted' for example. If that's used on your social media profile, that's a trigger, because it apparently indicates certain risky behaviors."83% of apps can mine online info-Polsky said it's not just banking apps that collect information. She said up to 83 per cent of apps have the ability to access everything we do online."Apps can gather basically anything that's on your phone or any device your phone is attached to. They can tie into your contact list, the content of your tweets, your email, your texts, your camera, the microphone," Polsky said.
