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Pope Francis confirms nullification of marriage process will become free

http://www.romereports.com/2015/12/11/pope-francis-confirms-nullification-of-marriage-process-will-become-free

How the Bitter White Minority in the South Ended Up With Huge Power in Washington | Alternet

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/how-bitter-white-minority-south-ended-huge-power-washington

Article: Anonymous asks the Web for help in its faltering fight with ISIS

Anonymous asks the Web for help in its faltering fight with ISIS

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/12/10/anonymous-asks-the-web-for-help-in-its-faltering-fight-with-isis/

USA-LOCAL – Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/

Like a bridge over troubled waters (Simon and Garfunkel YouTube)

Like a bridge over troubled waters

Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over troubled water (with lyrics)

46nicole

When you’re weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all (all)
I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you (ooo)
I’ll take your part, oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
Oh, if you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Songwriters
SIMON, PAUL

Published by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Grou

Read more: Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water Lyrics | MetroLyrics

ISIS has occupied over 70% of Syria’s territory. Putin ordered the Russian army to destroy everything in his path

http://m.adevarul.ro/moldova/politica/isis-ocupat-70-teritoriul-siriei-putin-ordonat-armata-rusa-nimiceasca-sta-cale-1_566acf047d919ed50e1e6807/index.html

Homelessness, An American Tradition: Highland Park nonprofit takes the homelessness problem into its own hands – LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-cedillo-shelter-20151210-story.html

Cayo Costa, Florida

Irrefutable: Proof of global warming

Cine mai are bundiță ca a mea?

Pope Francis opens La Porta Santa Dember 5, 2015

Saint of the Day for Friday, December 11th, 2015: Pope Saint Damasus I

Saint of the Day for Friday, December 11th, 2015

Pope Saint Damasus I

All lovers of Scripture have reason to celebrate this day. Damasus was the pope who commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the Bible. Damasus was … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

Pope Saint Damasus I St. Acepsius St. Barsabas St. Cian St. Damasus St. Daniel the Stylite St. Eutychius St. Fidweten

Bl. Martin of Saint Nicholas Bl. Melchior of Saint Augustine St. Pens St. Sabinus St. Sabinus St. Trason St. Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian

today’s holiday: Burkina Faso Republic Day

Burkina Faso Republic Day

On this day in 1958, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) voted to become an independent republic within the French community. It was then internally self-governing until it achieved independence in 1960. This is considered the most important national holiday in Burkina Faso, with many events held in the capital city of Ouagadougou. More… Discuss

quotation: It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up. W. Somerset Maugham

It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Discuss

today’s birthday: Annie Jump Cannon (1863)

Annie Jump Cannon (1863)

Cannon was an American astronomer whose cataloging work is still in use and serves as the basis for modern theoretical understanding of stellar evolution. In 1897, she became an assistant in the Harvard College Observatory, where she later served as astronomer and curator of astronomical photographs. Recognizing that the spectra of many stars had been photographed in the second half of the 19th century, Cannon classified more than 500,000 stars. What celestial feature is named for her? More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: Adolf Eichmann Found Guilty of War Crimes (1961)

Adolf Eichmann Found Guilty of War Crimes (1961)

Adolf Eichmann was a high-ranking Nazi official who oversaw the maltreatment, deportation, and murder of millions of Jews during World War II. He promoted the use of gas chambers for the mass extermination of Jews in concentration camps and is considered to be largely responsible for the logistics of the Final Solution, which was the Nazi policy to exterminate millions of people. At the end of World War II, Eichmann went into hiding. How was he captured? More… Discuss

The Cliffs of Insanity

The Namurian shale and sandstone Cliffs of Moher are a major tourist attraction in Ireland, where they are noted for the spectacular views they provide of the Aran Islands and Connemara. Even in the early 19th century, tourists flocked to the site; and in 1835, O’Brien’s Tower, a round stone observation tower located approximately at the midpoint of the cliffs, was built to accommodate the visitors. The cliffs were featured in what popular 1987 cult film as the “Cliffs of Insanity”? More… Discuss

word: escapist

escapist

Definition:	(noun) A person who escapes into a world of fantasy.
Synonyms:	wishful thinker, dreamer
Usage:	She calls herself a mere optimist, but we believe her unconditionally sunny outlook makes her an escapist. Discuss.

this pressed for your hearts and minds: STATELESS OF LEBANON | Linda Dorigo

The offspring of a Lebanese woman who is married to a non-Lebanese man cannot be considered Lebanese citizens. Even if they have been born and raised in the country. These children are Al-Maktum Qaid or “Stateless.” The stateless in Lebanon also consist of Palestinian refugees or descendants of Palestinians who rejected Lebanese citizenship in order to steer clear of military service when the country was under the French mandate in 1932. Unofficial estimates speak of 35,000 women married to foreigners, and a number of stateless that exceeds 100,000 out of a population of almost 4 million.The stateless have no passports, do not have access to public health care and cannot attend public schools. They are also unable to own private property. Even marriage and travel are incredible obstacles. Gender inequality in nationality laws can create statelessness in which children cannot acquire nationality from their fathers, and are forced to live an incomplete life.The Lebanese government has refused to discuss the archaic law, which dates back to 1925. Some critics say this is because a change in numerical terms by one group over another would result in a shift in political representation and the balance of power within the already vulnerable and sectarian-divided government. Granting women the right to pass on citizenship would lead to an increase in the number of Muslims within Lebanon and could possibly open the doors to Palestinian refugees too.Karim is 9 years old. Every 3 years he has to renew his resident visa to remain in Lebanon. He must study at a private school, since he is not allowed to attend public school. He says he would like to become a doctor to help his mother, Nadia, who is paying for his education. His father, who is also stateless and is of Kurdish origin, was born in Lebanon 55 years ago. Ibrahim lives with his mother in the Beqa‘ valley. He never knew his Syrian father because he left the family and never returned home. “I did not grow up with my real father,” he says. “My brothers and I can not even go to Syria because when we were born there was not enough money to register births, marriages and deaths.” Ibrahim went to school for only 4 years. He was engaged once, but she left him because of his social condition. Moustafa is the founder of the independent movement “Our rights group”. He is stateless, married and father of 3 children, who are therefore also stateless. “I started this campaign alone, without money, more or less two years ago,” he explains. “I suffered a lot for my condition. Today we need to be united because the inability to extend the nationality denies not only women their full rights as nationals, but also denies her children their basic rights as human beings. The same happened to Youssef: he is Palestinian, married to Nada, and they have 3 children. He and his wife are engineers, they work together, they have a studio, but officially he is her employee. The family house, cars, and properties belong to Nada because Youssef is not allowed to own anything. “Before opening the studio with Nada, I was project manager and I had 12 engineers under me,” Youssef says. “No one knew my origins, otherwise I would have been forced to leave the job. Our children understand the restrictions, and when they get married, we will be careful to choose the ‘right’ person”. The story of Samira is well known in Lebanon. She was married to an Egyptian man who passed away in 1994. She has 5 children. None are studying at university because education for non-Lebanese is very expensive. In 2009, for the first time in Lebanon, Judge John Azzi granted citizenship to her children, but two days later the government intervened and quashed the decision. Azzi, who was Head of the Court, lost his office and became a lawyer. He wrote his experience in “A Trip of a Lifetime to Nationality”. Many other families pay the consequences of the Lebanese law. Yousra for example is mother of 2 sons. Hani’s father is Jordanian, while Ali’s father is Lebanese. Yousra has been divorced twice. Since Hani, the youngest, has no nationality he cannot go to public school. The family pays $2.000 a year for his education and his residence permit needs to be renewed every 3 years. Lorenzo he is an Italian journalist married to a Lebanese woman. Their 2 sons can apply for Italian IDs but not Lebanese ones. “I did not think this could be a problem,” Lorenzo said “But talking with my wife I felt more involved, and discovered the injustice”.Links: Private Magazine, Cargo Collective

Source: STATELESS OF LEBANON | Linda Dorigo

this pressed for the Jubilee Year of Mercy: Meet the Christian Minorities of the Middle East | TIME

Ani, Turkey. Ani is the ancient capital of the Armenian empire, situated at the closed border between Armenia and Turkey. Nowadays Ani is a stack of churches’ ruins, homes and the Cathedral. August 2013.

Ani, Turkey. Ani is the ancient capital of the Armenian empire, situated at the closed border between Armenia and Turkey. Nowadays Ani is a stack of churches’ ruins, homes and the Cathedral. August 2013.

During a four-year journey throughout the Middle East – one that placed photographer Linda Dorigo and journalist Andrea Milluzzi on the trail of Christian minorities in countries where Christianity originated and took root – the two reporters, often against their will, adopted what might be considered a theatrical disguise: they were welcomed as academic researchers in Iran, confused for a newlywed couple in Syria, and even referred to as a priest and nun in Gaza.This speaks for only a fraction of the adventures that marked their extensive “pilgrimage” on the trail of secluded Christian minorities, as the reporters sought them out in the capital cities of Muslim countries such as Damascus, or in remote Assyrian towns like Qaraqosh, Iraq. Their interest in this subject was sparked by a dramatic event – a suicide bomb attack that shocked a Coptic Christian Mass in Alexandria, Egypt, on New Year’s Eve 2011. After the news made headlines, it quickly faded from broader media attention, prompting Dorigo and Milluzzi to start their project.The result is Rifugio – Christians of the Middle East, a black-and-white photobook and journalistic reportage that documents their project chronicling the life of Christian communities in nine countries – Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Milluzzi’s essays and Dorigo’s photographs complement each other seamlessly, grouped into six chapters, describing what they say is the burdensome and often heart-rending plight that these minorities endure. Dorigo’s subtle but eloquent photographs – often blurry, elusive, at time dramatic – capture both joyful moments and oppressions encountered, illustrating a reality suspended between the cultural heritage that these communities embody and their minority nature.“It has been a discovery, a never-ending discovery really, because surely we began our journey with an idea in mind of what we were going to look for,” Dorigo says. “But it is [only] when you travel that you realize that, comparing the reality of each country, that you can’t equate Christians in Egypt with Christians in Iran,” she adds.As they toured the area, their research brought them to some of the most remote places in the region, covering events so extraordinary that they seem part of a different era: In the Old City of Jerusalem, they watched the enactment of the Via Crucis staged by Capuchin monks in the streets of the Christian Quarter. In Rojava, in the Syrian Kurdistan, Dorigo photographed the ruins of the last church in Gharduka, which ISIS jihadists bombed. In Iran’s west Azerbaijan province, they witnessed the annual Armenian pilgrimage to Saint Thaddeus monastery, a custom dating back to 68 AD. On that occasion, the ancient church became their dwelling.Planning their trip, Dorigo and Milluzzi avoided hotels and opted for local lodging. “The more you share, the more you are actually able to go deep in what you’re documenting,” Dorigo says. “We sought the real stories, inside the houses, inside the families.”Some destinations, however, proved difficult to explore. To reach Syria’s far east region from its capital, they bypassed ISIS-controlled territories only by returning to Lebanon, flying to Turkey, taking a bus to Iraq and finally entering Syria’s east border all in the same day. On another occasion, as Iranian authorities were after them, they left the country in a couple of days (but returned after a few months.) They gained access to Christian minorities through religious gatherings, local priests or through the encounters in cosmopolitan Beirut. Surprisingly to them, more than once the Muslims themselves introduced the reporters to their Christian neighbors. “That was a beautiful thing,” Dorigo says, “and it really testifies that a spirit of friendship and brotherhood does exist, despite being often flattened and even obstructed by a series of propagandistic efforts in the name of a religious conflict.

Linda Dorigo is an independent documentary photojournalist and Andrea Milluzzi is a freelance journalist. They are based both in Italy and in the Middle East. Their latest work, Rifugio – Christians of the Middle East, is published by Schilt Publishing.

Paul Moakley, who edited this photo essay, is TIME’s Deputy Director of Photography and Visual Enterprise. Follow him on Twitter @paulmoakley.

Lucia De Stefani is a writer and contributor at TIME LightBox. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow TIME LightBox on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: Meet the Christian Minorities of the Middle East | TIME

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this pressed: Périple : à la rencontre des derniers Chrétiens du Moyen-Orient |— L’important (@Limportant_fr) December 11, 2015

Périple : à la rencontre des derniers Chrétiens du Moyen-Orient https://t.co/pJfvaTbElX pic.twitter.com/WsJd8C27sg

— L’important (@Limportant_fr) December 11, 2015

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Ted Cruz using firm that harvested data on millions of unwitting Facebook users

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China gives rights to ‘black children’

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/11/asia/china-unregistered-citizens-rights/index.html

Madonna stuns Paris with busked show

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/09/entertainment/madonna-paris-place-de-la-republique/index.html

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Trump supporters explain why

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Sugar fix in soft drinks exposed

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Are Arabs fighting ISIS?

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ISIS’ ultimate goals: Religious hatred. Slavery. End of days.

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Obesity ‘women’s biggest health threat’

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34710483

IS finance chief ‘killed in air strikes’

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