Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mark E. Zuckerberg

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Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook
Updated: Sept. 23, 2010
Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, the world's largest social network with nearly 500 million users around the world.
The start-up, born in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, has become an essential personal and business networking tool in much of the wired world.
As Facebook has matured, so has Mr. Zuckerberg, who was born May 14, 1984. He has traded his disheveled, unassuming image for an ever-present tie while visiting media outfits like "The Oprah Winfrey Show." And he says Facebook's most important metrics are not its membership but the percentage of the wired world that uses the site and the amount of information -- photographs, news articles and status updates -- zipping across its servers.
A new movie about the tumultuous origins of Facebook, "The Social Network," opens in October. Facebook has strenuously, and Mr. Zuckerberg more quietly, asserted that the portrayal of the company's founding is fiction. And Mr. Zuckerberg disputed the characterization of him in the film, though in a New Yorker magazine profile, he acknowledged having indulged in a bit of sophomoric arrogance.
Shortly before the film's opening, the real-life Mr. Zuckerberg made headlines with reports that he is donating $100 million to improve the long-troubled public schools of Newark, N.J. It would be by far the largest publicly known gift by Mr. Zuckerberg, whose fortune Forbes magazine estimated in 2009 was $2 billion. Mr. Zuckerberg, who grew up in Westchester County, N.Y. and now lives in California, has no particular connection to Newark. He and Newark's mayor, Cory A. Booker had met at a conference in July 2010 and began a conversation about the mayor's plans for the city.
FACEBOOK'S ASCENT
Facebook's rise has been marked by several controversies. Three other Harvard students maintain that they came up with the original idea and that Mr. Zuckerberg, whom they had hired to write code for the site, stole the idea to create Facebook. Facebook has denied the allegations. A long-running lawsuit is pending
Another Harvard classmate, Aaron Greenspan, claims that he created the underlying architecture for both companies, but has declined to enter the legal battle.
In 2005, MTV Networks considered buying Facebook for seventy-five million dollars. Yahoo! and Microsoft soon offered much more. Mr. Zuckerberg turned them all down. Terry Semel, the former C.E.O. of Yahoo!, who sought to buy Facebook for a billion dollars in 2006, said, “I’d never met anyone—forget his age, twenty-two then or twenty-six now—I’d never met anyone who would walk away from a billion dollars. But he said, ‘It’s not about the price. This is my baby, and I want to keep running it, I want to keep growing it.’ I couldn’t believe it.”
PRIVACY ISSUES
Mr. Zuckerberg has pushed Facebook users to share more information about themselves. But Facebook users have pushed back, increasingly lobbing vociferous complaints that some new features or settings are privacy violations. The back and forth between Facebook and its users over privacy is gaining importance as the company's growth continues unabated. Facebook's policies, more than those of any other company, are helping to define standards for privacy in the Internet age.
Bowing to pressure over privacy concerns, Mr. Zuckerberg in May 2010 unveiled a set of controls that he said would help people understand what they were sharing online, and with whom.
Facebook's biggest mistake, Mr. Zuckerman said, was failing to notice that as Facebook added new features and its privacy controls grew increasingly complicated, those controls became efectively unusable for many people.
He said the crisis was challenging, but not as stressful as fending off billion-dollar acquisition offers from the likes of Yahoo and Viacom when he was 22.
In February 2009, when Facebook updated its terms, it deleted a provision that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Further, it added new language that said Facebook would retain users' content and licenses after an account was terminated. After a wave of protests from its users, Facebook said that it would withdraw changes to its terms of service.
In one of the latest episodes in a string of frustrations about Facebook, users discovered in May 2010 that a glitch gave them access to supposedly private information in the accounts of their Facebook friends, like chat conversations. Although Facebook moved quickly to close the security hole, the breach heightened a feeling among many users that it was becoming hard to trust the service to protect their personal information.

iOS 4.2 Review of Problems After Installation | Guide for Newbies

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At this point, you should already know that the official iOS 4.2 is now available for all the iDevices of Apple except of course to those first generation grandpas and grandmas of iPhone / iPod Touch. Previously, we managed to tell you all the changes that’s stuffed in this update and somehow, this update managed to make the iPad shine even more. I mean, AirPrint has been one of the most coveted features for the iPad since a Tablet should have a capability to print. During the past, there has been a ton of critics who are somewhat ‘disappointed’ with the iPad just because it doesn’t cater this feature – I guess their perception will become different now, at least.
ios 4 2 download iOS 4.2 Review of Problems After Installation | Guide for Newbies
Apart from the AirPrint feature comes the AirPlay and Multitasking which performs just like what Steve Jobs has previewed during the last music event – which means it’s that good! Just make sure you have an Apple TV to maximize the capability of AirPlay to sync it in your iDevices.
Last time, we have reported some uncanny issues that’s bothering the users like the problem of WiFi on the iPad plus the removal of AirPrint feature. Today, obviously, all of those worries are now put into rest as Apple manages to solve all the bugs first before releasing this iOS 4.2 update. So far, we’ve manage to install iOS 4.2 on the iPad, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 2G without any problems. Although, you should try to reconsider using an iOS 4 type of platform on your iDevices without the A4 chip because you will certainly feel some lag / stalling issues. So far, the only problem you may receive is if you tried to update using an outdated iTunes because the progress bar wouldn’t proceed. So make sure you download the latest 10.1 version, okay?
So do you think iOS 4.2 is a must have update for your iDevices? What are the problems you have faced while installing this new platform? Show us in the comment box below!

iOS 4.2 review (for iPad)

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If you're an iPad owner, you've probably been on pins and needles lately. That's because back in September, Apple announced that a full-scale update to the tablet's OS would be coming in the form of iOS 4.2, bringing a slew of new features to the device. Included in that laundry list is proper iOS 4-style multitasking, folders, major mail improvements, Game Center integration, and Safari enhancements (like find-in-page text searches). Besides those features, the company has been touting two other big changes that could cause a major shift in the way you use your iPad -- namely, AirPrint and AirPlay. Both additions leverage your WiFi network, certain connected printers, and the new Apple TV in an attempt to make the company's slate less like a distraction and more like the center of your digital life.

When the update was originally announced, we took you on a walkthrough of the early developer beta. Though 4.2 will roll out to the iPhone and iPod touch, we wanted to focus on the iPad version, as it represents a major change for the platform. We've had a chance to spend time with the final version of the OS (which is actually 4.2.1 now), and put it through its paces. We've updated our original guide and given the finished product a critical once over, so read on for our full review!



Overall look and feel

As we said before, the OS is functionally identical to iOS 4 for the iPhone. If you've got a handset running the latest software, nothing will look different here. On the performance side, surprisingly (and perhaps due to the A4 purring along at 1GHz), it doesn't feel like the iPad is hurting due to RAM deficiencies or CPU strain. Even though the tablet has half the memory of the iPhone 4 (256MB compared to 512MB), we didn't see the slate struggle. Flipping in and out of apps, opening folders, and managinging large documents was completely smooth, and we didn't see a single hiccup even when playing back HD video over our network and multitasking on the device. Adding the functionality of fast app switching and backgrounding (not to mention some of the interface tweaks and tightening that seems to have been done) to the iPad finally makes the tablet feel more like a real alternative to a laptop.

Multitasking

As we said above, the iPad does an excellent job of handling multiple apps despite the fact that it's dealing with less RAM than its phone counterpart. We had no trouble running our favorite apps and switching between tasks with no break in the action. In particular, app freezing (as seen in titles like Real Racing HD), and backgrounding (which we use extensively in our favorite IRC app, Colloquy) worked without a hitch. We'll give Apple extra points for allowing us to run video or music to our Apple TV (even 720p HD content) and leave enough horsepower for gaming at the same time. We're not sure when that's really going to come in handy, but the fact that it can be done is pretty excellent.

AirPlay / AirPrint

AirPlay has been a feature of particular interest to the team here at Engadget. The premise is simple -- AirPlay compatible devices can have content "pushed" from your iPad or iPhone to that device. That means you can start watching a video or listening to music on one of Apple's mobile gadgets, and then just throw it to your Apple TV or AirPlay compatible speakers. We only had the Apple TV to test with, but in general, this feature works as advertised and should make for a handful of experiences that you probably didn't know you needed in your life, but now won't be able to live without. We did have some issues with video starting up once we'd pushed out to the ATV -- maybe we're impatient, but we found ourselves zipping the scrubber back to the start in order to get the video playing. This didn't happen every time we played video, but enough that it's worth noting. Besides just pushing local video, AirPlay allows you to send YouTube to the TV with ease, which could make sharing hilarious blooper reels considerably more social. We were under the impression that the functionality would allow you to push any video that's viewable on the device (such as our HTML5 Viddler content), but sadly this isn't the case. To be clear, that means no Hulu and no ABC video out to your TV -- a major downer in our opinion. You can get the audio out (you can push audio from anything that plays music, pretty much), and you're also able to toss photos to the TV, but the video stays locked to the iPad.

Aside from that complaint, we had a really solid experience with the feature. Though there is some lag between controlling your video and seeing the reaction onscreen, AirPlay handled most of our content perfectly. One nice feature that Apple added is the ability to sleep or dock your iPad (or iPhone) and let the content keep streaming. You can also run applications (including games, as we said) while watching your content. One weird behavior we noticed is that if you begin watching video and then single tap your home button to go back to your homescreen, your content will stop playing, but if you use multitasking to switch out to another application and then go back home, you'll be fine. It's not clear if this is intentional or not, but it was a little jarring off the bat.

AirPrint also worked out of the box as expected (we tested here with an HP Photosmart Premium C310, an AirPrint compatible device). We were able to print directly from a number of apps on the iPad with little to no trouble -- a joy considering what a roadblock this has previously been. There aren't many options when it comes to getting your content to a printer -- it's very no-frills -- though the results were excellent time after time. We're hoping that there's a big push for printer manufacturers to bring their devices up to speed with this feature. It would be a shame to have to shell out for a new printer in order to use AirPrint. You are able to utilize printers connected to other machines on your network (in OS X 10.6.5 only), but it's a slightly clunkier way to get things done.

Update: Shared printing was working when we initially set up, but now we're having issues using our networked printer. We're looking into it -- there has been some hemming and hawing in the new OS over shared printing.

Other additions

Mail - Not surprisingly, Apple has included all of its Mail improvements previously found in iOS 4. That means a unified inbox, threaded messaging, and all the rest of those tweaks have made their way to the iPad. We've been having a love affair with the iOS 4 Mail changes since we first played with the iPhone 4, but the utility of some of this stuff is really pronounced on the iPad. Just as with many of the updates in the new OS, you can really start to see the device take shape into something much more than just a large surface to play Angry Birds on.

Folders - You can now add more than 12 items to a folder. Up to 20 -- a big relief for those of us with a lot of apps hanging around our iPad Springboard. Obviously this is a no-brainer of an inclusion, but it's nice to finally have.

On This Page - "Find in page" as you know everywhere else is now active in the browser. The option is all but hidden in the Google search menu within Safari, but it operates just about like you'd expect it to. We'd like to see a less buried place for this function, but it works well and the ability to move through the searched words or terms is relatively clean and useful.

Music widget / brightness / orientation - As you probably know by now, Apple has changed the function of the physical toggle switch on the iPad -- it's now used to mute the device, while orientation lock is found in the multitasking pop-up after a swipe to the left. Originally we liked this change, as it grouped a lot of your basic tweaks together (the music widget is present on the same screen, along with a brightness control). Unfortunately, in further practice this actually proved to be a clunky way to keep your screen in one position. The method would be fine if it were something like a triple tap on the home button, but you've now got a rather complex series of actions to find the toggle (double click the home button, swipe left, tap the orientation lock). We wish the company would give users the option to decide what that switch on the side does -- you can default to this current incarnation, but we think a lot of users will not be happy with the change.

In general, we like the idea of this quick access to settings -- it's almost like Apple is taking a page from the jailbreak favorite SBSettings, which lets you access a whole mess of controls from one simple place. Of course, Apple isn't giving us nearly the kind of toggles we'd like. Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G anyone?

Game Center - The app is present here, and looks pretty good on the big screen. There aren't a whole mess of differences between Game Center for the iPhone and the iPad version, but we went head-to-head on a handful of games and it worked as expected.

Everything else - As we said up above, there have been lots of little tweaks to the OS that make it just a little bit nicer to use. One of the standout changes is the option to select a font other than Marker Felt in the Notes application -- we know it's minor, but boy do we hate Marker Felt. Apple has also altered the animations used to switch applications to something that's a little better suited to the iPad's screen real estate. You can see that lots of care went into this update, and from the general stability we saw, it's clear that it isn't simply cosmetic.

Wrap-up

Obviously the iPad has been seriously in need of a shot in the arm when it comes to software. If you'll recall, in our original review of the device one of our biggest gripes was centered around the tablet's thin feature set on the software side. We walked away feeling like Apple had only half finished this OS -- but with 4.2, we can no longer say that's the case. Giving developers the tools present in iOS 4 with this update is clearly a big win for the device, and we expect to see a lot of creative uses for all those new APIs that have previously been reserved just for the small screens in Apple's mobile life. Of course, the iPad (and iOS in general) are still lacking some of the killer changes that we so badly would like to see (non-obtrusive notifications and a Dashboard-like widget system come to mind), but what Apple has added here puts the iPad much, much closer to the netbook-chomping beast we always felt it could be. For those of you who've already invested in the device, upgrading to 4.2.1 will feel like a brand new day, and for those still on the fence about the iPad -- it's time to take another look.

10+ New Features in Apple iOS 4.2

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Apple’s new iOS is in Beta mode and you can bet there’s a bunch of little tics and tacs in the workings that’re noteworthy. This is a unification sort of release, bringing the iPad up to snuff, including such treasures found up until now only on the iPhone. Features such as multitasking, unified email inbox, Game Center, and folders. If you’ve got an iPod Touch like me, you’ve noticed the Game Center peeking at you above behind and around your games for a little while now.



First, new parental controls. There’s blockage of a bunch of functions and apps like YouTube, Camera, FaceTime, iTunes, installing and deleting apps, and changes to accounts and location. Obviously some of these aren’t on the iPad, like the camera control for example. Another iPhone-only change is the ability to adjust your ringtone independently from the main system volume. A potentially big-or-cute feature for developers in the future is the addition of a MIDI framework. Perhaps some Mario action? There’s a button in the SMS App that connects you directly to a FaceTime call, a YouTube like/dislike button, and links to More Video linking you from the Video app directly to iTunes.


In Safari on the iPad, you can now search for words in-page (very helpful if you’re looking at a long document.) Some of you know of the loss of the orientation lock switch in all future models of iPads – don’t fret, it’s now a software function as it probably always should have been, while that same bit of hardware becomes now a mute button for sound.
Then there’s AirPrint, which is just a pretty way of titling the ability of iOS devices and their apps to print wirelessly to an AirPrint-enabled printer. There’s the similarly-titled AirPlay which allows you to stream content from your iPad to AirPlay enabled devices – this means you can play your videos through an Apple TV or a playlist of songs through a computer with iTunes. – This function I find to be sort of fixing something that isn’t broken, but just wait and see, a few years down the line and people will believe they wont be able to live without it.


So most of this stuff is basically tying the devices together. Soon there will be a structure, a “web” if you will, of devices with Apple branding that you cannot get out of, cannot function without, and laugh with joy when its family expands. Or that might be now already. Yep. Apple.
[Via AppAdvice]

First Look: iOS 4.2 beta 1

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iOS 4.1 is so last week. Along with Wednesday’s announcement of AirPrint came the first iOS 4.2 beta release for registered members of Apple’s iOS developer program. Of the two software updates, iOS 4.2 is arguably the bigger release: not only does it finally bring the features of iOS 4 (and iOS 4.1) to the iPad, but it also finally unifies Apple’s mobile software platform across its devices. Plus it actually brings a couple of new, prominent features along with it.
Macworld has taken a sneak peek inside the next version of iOS and brought you the lowdown on what you can expect when the update hits your device in November.

AirPrint



Safari, Mail, and Photos all now sport print options, usually under their Share buttons.
One of the biggest new features touted by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during his annual song-and-dance in September was the ability to print wirelessly from the iPad. As Apple announced on Wednesday, however, AirPrint will work one of two ways at launch: with a compatible printer from HP (and eventually, we presume, printers from other manufacturers) or with printers shared via your Mac or PC.
Unfortunately, we have neither one of those aforementioned printers nor the requisite software for testing shared printers (it requires Mac OS X 10.6.5) so we can’t regale you with tales of making printouts appear from our iPad as though by magic.
However, we can tell you that the print option appears in Safari, under the Share icon to the right of the Bookmarks button; in Mail, where it lives under the Reply button; and in Photos, where you’ll have to tap the Share button before you get an option to select and print pictures. Tapping print under any of these brings up a popover that asks you to select a printer by searching your network, and a control for selecting the number of copies.
Third-party developers will also be able to build in support for AirPrint into their own applications, finally bringing wireless printing to the masses.

AirPlay



The AirPlay menu in the iPad's iPod app
One of the other major features that’s new in iOS 4.2 is support for AirPlay, a new-and-improved version of the AirTunes feature found in the current desktop version of iTunes. With AirPlay, you’ll be able to stream media—for example, music or video—from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to any AirPlay-compatible device. Initially, AirPlay will work with only AirPort Express units (for audio) and the new Apple TV (for audio and video), although Apple is licensing the technology to other vendors to allow them to sell AirPlay-compatible products—speakers, receivers, and the like. (iHome is one of the first companies to announce an AirPlay product.)
Whenever you’re listening to music in an AirPlay-enhanced app—for example, the built-in iPod app—under iOS 4.2, you’ll see an AirPlay button. Tap this button, and any AirPlay-compatible devices on the same local network appear in a popover menu. Tap a device, and your media is streamed directly to it. (If you’ve ever used Apple’s Remote app to control iTunes on your computer, the process of choosing an AirPlay destination is similar to using the Remote app’s Speakers menu to choose an AirPort Express for streaming music.)
As the new Apple TV is not yet available, we couldn’t test video streaming—if you choose an AirPort Express as the AirPlay destination from within the iPad’s Videos app, for example, only audio is streamed.

Additional iOS 4.2 features

Notes After three long years, our national nightmare of Marker Felt is finally over. Settings now has a Notes section which allows you to switch your font to Chalkboard or, happily, Helvetica. It’ll even update all your existing notes to use your new font voice. You can also set your default account for Notes.


As of iOS 4.2, the iPad's multitasking shelf now features a software orientation lock and a brightness slider.
Orientation Lock Like the iPhone before it, the iPad now has a software screen orientation lock when you swipe to the right in the multitasking shelf. Unlike Apple’s smaller devices, you can lock the screen in portrait or landscape orientations. But wait, what about the iPad’s hardware screen orientation lock? Turns out it’s gone, baby, gone—not the switch itself, of course, as that would be impressive for a software update, but it’s now been repurposed as mute switch, as with its iPhone counterpart. At the moment, you can also still hold down the volume down button for a couple seconds to mute the iPad, which is probably a redundant feature that should be excised.
Brightness Apple also added a brightness slider to the left of the media playback controls, a huge win for those who like surfing their iPads in a dim room, but hate having to navigate all the way into the bowels of Settings to find the control.


Safari now allows you to enter text in the search box that you want to look for on a page.
Safari iOS 4.2 brings a couple of small additions to Apple’s Web browser, but they’re nice ones. For one thing, the pages icon in Safari’s toolbar will now show you how many pages you currently have open. And you can also now search text on a page by entering your query in Safari’s search box, and then tapping the entry under the On This Page section at the bottom. You’ll then be able to quickly jump from result to result in the page, with Safari highlighting in yellow all the instances of the term, just like on your Mac or PC.

iOS 4 and 4.1 features

Users who have updated their iPhones or iPod touches to iOS 4 will be thrilled to see, at long last, most of iOS 4’s features make their way to the iPad.
Multitasking In iOS 4.2, the iPad adds support for the same seven types of background tasks that were introduced in iOS 4. You can double-click the Home button to bring up a shelf that lets you quickly switch between apps (on the iPad, it holds six icons in portrait orientation and seven in landscape mode). You can also play music in the background, make background VoIP calls, and receive local notifications, as long as you’re using an app that’s been updated with support for the relevant features.


Folders work on the iPad just as they do on the iPhone, but they can hold up to 20 apps instead of 12.
Folders Compulsive organizers and those deluged by apps will welcome the addition of folders with open arms. Sure, the feature may have only first appeared with iOS 4’s release this summer, but its absence on the iPad has made it feel like much, much longer. Thanks to the iPad’s larger screen real estate, folders can hold 20 apps instead of the 12 you can fit on the iPhone.
Mail The iPad’s version of Mail gets the unified inbox, conversation threading, and top-level inbox index introduced in iOS 4, and—hurrah!—you can finally tap the iPad’s menu bar to jump back to the top of a message list in portrait orientation as well as landscape.
Game Center iPad users now get their own version of Apple’s new Game Center app, specially designed for the app’s larger screen—there’s even a new home screen for the app that displays icons for Game Center-enabled games; tap any of them and you’ll be taken to that app’s listing in the App Store. Logging in with your existing account shows all of your existing friends, achievements, and games.
Calendar Those with Microsoft Exchange accounts will now be able to see event invitations in the iPad’s calendar application, giving them one less excuse for skipping out on that morning meeting.

iOS 4.2 forever—or at least until iOS 5

We’ll be honest: after checking out iOS 4.2, the idea of going back to 3.2.1 is inconceivable. Multitasking, folders—blessed folders!—and Mail’s improvements feel natural on the tablet and we’re sure that AirPlay and AirPrint will make us even more at home when they finally arrive in full force this November.

Monday, November 22, 2010

300 Days To Go

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image With only 300 days to go until the start of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games a message is sent to all Commonwealth Games Associations from the CYG2011 Organising Committee.
The CYG2011 OC are back from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi last month and are working hard getting everything ready for the opening of the 4th Youth Games in September next year; only 300 days to go!
For those of you we were lucky enough to meet whist in Delhi, we would like to thank you for taking the time to see us. If anyone has any queries the CYG2011 OC can be contacted on enquiries@cyg2011.com
Richard from Regency Travel, who you may have met in Delhi, is ready to assist with your travel plans to the Island. Regency Travel have a dedicated website that be found here, or you can contact Richard sales@regencytravelholidays.com If you require a visa we would recommend that you are beginning the process of obtaining them.
Work on the refurbished Bowl Stadium is going well and is on schedule to be completed by May 2011. The Opening Ceremony for the Games will take place at the 3,000 seated stadium on Thursday 8th September and the Rugby 7’s matches will also be held there.
You can now follow us on the Facebook and Twitter Social Networking sites. The links to the CYG2011 pages will be appearing on the website soon.
We are very pleased to announce that all 71 Countries have now shown an interest in participation at next year’s Games. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all to our Island and we do hope you enjoy your stay with us.

CYG2011 Ceremonies Launch

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image Geoff Karran, Chairman of the Organising Committee, said, “With less than 300 days until the opening ceremony, plans are now in full swing to deliver a Games that the Island can be proud of. This is the most important multi sporting event that the Island has ever hosted and it is essential that it begins in spectacular fashion. With that in mind, I am delighted to officially launch plans for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games.”
Manchester based company Walk the Plank have been appointed to produce the ceremonies and at a presentation at the Villa Marina, outlined their vision for the opening ceremony.
Liz Pugh, Artistic Director of Walk the Plank, said, “The beginning of the ceremony is inspired by Manx folklore, magic and marauding Vikings and will be executed to a thunderous soundtrack and spectacular pyrotechnics. This will then give way to the spirit of youth, dances of the world and the Carnival of the Commonwealth. We are committed to putting on a great show befitting the importance of the Games and proudly representing the Isle of Man to a global television audience.”
Walk the Plank are no strangers to major events in the Isle of Man and are best known to the Island for their theatre ship and TT fireworks display.
Alongside Walk the Plank, local hip hop dance teacher David Cowley (of Represent Dance Company and Kinetix Crew) was introduced as the Assistant Artistic Director for the ceremonies. Mr Cowley addressed local schools in the hope of recruiting young volunteer performers.

David Cowley said, “We are looking to recruit about 150 enthusiastic young people between the ages of 13 and 18 to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity to represent the Island on the international stage. It doesn’t matter if you are not a dancer or performer, if you are enthusiastic and can commit to attending rehearsals, there will be a role for you.”
The Opening Ceremony of the Games is to be held on Thursday 8th September 2011 at the newly refurbished Bowl and the Closing Ceremony will take place at the Villa Marina on Monday 12th September 2011.
Minister of Department of Community, Culture and Leisure, Hon David Cretney MHK, said today, “Having been the Minister who was responsible for securing the CYG in my former role at Department of Tourism and Leisure and recently obtaining the funding for the refurbishment of the Bowl, King George V Park, I am really pleased at the progress being made and cannot wait to welcome the nations of the Commonwealth to our little nation.”
All 71 nations of the Commonwealth will be represented at the most prestigious sporting event the Isle of Man has ever hosted. The featured sports are: Athletics, Rugby, Swimming, Badminton, Gymnastics, Cycling and Boxing.

Commonwealth Games 2010

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New Delhi, Oct 20, DHNS & Agencies:

After the embarrassing splurges and financial excesses that went into the Commonwealth Games, the country’s investigating agencies moved into top gear on Wednesday to nail officials not only in the Organising Committee (OC) but also in other government departments for alleged corruption and financial irregularities.
The investigating authorities, led by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which on Wednesday appeared to close in on some key OC office-bearers and decided to interrogate them in a FEMA case, and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) seized files relating to various construction projects undertaken by the CPWD and DDA, in an effort to expose the immense waste and corruption.
Not a bystander
Not to be viewed as a mute bystander, the Centre directed confiscation of Rs 183 crore bank guarantee furnished by Emaar-MGF, a private building contractor, against whom legal action has already been ordered after irregularities and deficiencies were detected in the Games Village which had become an eyesore following complaints of bad construction and poor hygienic conditions.
The direction means Emaar-MGF, which claims to have built the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, cannot encash the bank guarantee. But refuting charges of construction deficiency, Emaar-MGF said the Commonwealth Games Village was built to the “highest standards of quality and design”. In a statement it said:  “All the pertinent milestones were achieved as per our scope of work.”
The government action came on a day after DDA submitted an interim report to  the Urban Development Ministry in which it said there were “various deficiencies” and “irregularities” in construction of the Village and the builder had exceeded the permissible limits of construction.
BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal, whose premises were searched by Income Tax officials on Tuesday, refuted corruption charges and accused the government of making him a “political scapegoat” and indulging in a “witch-hunt”.
Claiming that his company, Delhi Tents and Decorative, did business worth only Rs 29 lakh in CWG contracts out of the Rs 77,000 crore earmarked for various projects, Mittal said: “I am being made a political scapegoat.”
He said neither he nor any of his family members were involved in CWG projects. About his links with Deepali Designs, which had bagged contracts worth about Rs 230 crore, Mittal said he had joined the company as an independent director in February this year and resigned in July.
“I have not a single share in Deepali Designs. Neither any of my immediate family members has one share in the company. There was a request made to me to join the board of the company as an independent director. I joined in February this year and left in July,” he said.
However, the BJP made no effort to stand by Mittal, with party spokesman Prakash Javadekar saying, “our stand has already been stated. We have nothing more to say.” BJP President Nitin Gadkari had virtually snubbed Mittal in a press conference on Tuesday when, in reply to a question, he said: “Who Sudhanshu Mittal? I don’t know him. We are not concerned with them. Government should take action.”
The party, however, demanded the removal of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to ensure a fair investigation into allegations of corruption. The ED will likely issue summons to OC officials, including Secretary General Lalit Bhanot, in a case of alleged foreign exchange violation related to the Queen’s Baton Relay in London. The sources said the ED wants to confront the officials with certain documents that it has laid hands on.
 Source : Deccanherald

commonwealth games

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The vibrant city of New Delhi, home to 14 million people, hosted the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. This was the first time India has hosted the Games and only the second time the event has been held in Asia (Kuala Lumpur in 1998 was the first).
Delhi is the capital city of India and is rich in culture and history. It stands on the western end of the Gangetic Plain and is bordered by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. There are two main districts of the city, Old Delhi the capital of Muslim India between the mid 17th and late 19th centuries with its historic sites, mosques and monuments and New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj with its imposing government buildings and tree lined avenues.
The dates for the Games were 3 - 14 October 2010, inclusive of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Weather wise the city experiences an October mean temperature of a minimum 17.2 degrees centigrade and maximum 31.3 degrees centigrade with humidity ranging from 31 to 78% for the October and November months.
The Delhi Games Village was a low rise medium development on a 40 acre site in the heart of the capital which housed 6,500 athletes and officials. Existing and new stadia was used to house the following sports:
Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
In addition, 15 events were contested across 4 Para-Sports, for elite athletes with a disability, on the inclusive Sports Programme:
Athletics, Swimming, Powerlifting and Table Tennis.
Delhi won the right to host the 2010 Games by defeating the Canadian city of Hamilton by 46 votes to 22 at the CGF General Assembly held in Montego Bay in November 2003.
The Indian city of Pune hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games from 12 - 18 October 2008 and saw the following nine sports on the programme; Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
Click the following link www.cwgdelhi2010.org for the official Games website for Delhi 2010 as well as clicking on the links below to read the Delhi and Hamilton Bid documents and CGF Bid Evaluation Report.
Delhi - India:
Click here to view the entire Indian Bid Document
(47MB - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
or visit the Indian Olympic Association's website.

History and Customs of Halloween

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Most holidays commemorate or celebrate something. But what about Halloween? What is Halloween actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual where folks get together for parties, dress up in Halloween costumes and bob for apples?
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.
Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
In Greek mythology, goddesses of the underworld were often used to invoke the Samhain. Popular Greek Goddess costumes portray Hecate and Medusa. Hecate was the most favored goddess by Zeus, and wandered the emptiness between the worlds of life and death looking for souls of the dead. Both were considered serpent goddesses, and their ancient dark legends spawned myths such as vampires, who fed off the living using venom and snake-like fangs. Ritualistic dress includes snake adornments and three headed masks. Today, Hecate is often referred to as the goddess of witches.
The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.
The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.
The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.
© 1995-2010 by Jerry Wilson; Get Permission to Reprint this article.
References: Charles Panati, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, 1987; and Dr. Joseph Gahagan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Personal letter, 1997
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Halloween Origins and Customs

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History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning. Trick or Treat

Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished.

"During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs"
(Celtic Mythology, p. 127).

The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, usually of crops and animals, but sometimes of humans, in order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits.

To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.

Blending of Paganism with Christianity

When Christianity spread to parts of Europe, instead of trying to abolish these pagan customs, people tried to introduce ideas which reflected a more Christian world-view. Halloween has since become a confusing mixture of traditions and practices from pagan cultures and Christian tradition.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. During their rule of the Celtic lands, Roman festivals were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. Another festival was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

As the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands, in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs, to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint's Day from May 13 to Nov. 1 and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. Oct. 31 thus became All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint').

Sadly, though, many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity. Numerous folk customs connected with the pagan observances for the dead have survived to the present.

In 1517, a monk named Martin Luther honored the faithful saints of the past by choosing All Saints Day (November 1) as the day to publicly charge the Church heirarchy with abandoning biblical faith. This became known as "Reformation Day," a fitting celebration of the restoration the same biblical faith held by the saints throughout church history. [What about Halloween?]

Trick-or-Treat?

Walking DeadSome trace the origins of present day "trick-or-treat" to Samhain, which was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. If not placated, villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property.

The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else,human or not, nice or not-so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.

Others trace "trick-or-treat" to a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into 'trick or treat'.

Halloween Comes to America

Traditional Halloween symbols (witches, black cats, pumpkins, candles, masks, parties and pranks) appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800's. In 1848, millions of Irish emigrants poured into America as a result of the potato famine. With this sudden influx of people, the holiday of Druidism found its new home on alien shores. "Proudly Celtic, they called Halloween Oidche Shamhna (`Night of Samhain'), as their ancestors had, and kept the traditional observances" [Common Boundary, Sep./Oct. 1993, p. 31].
Jack-o-lanternThe Jack-o-lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead.

When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since.

Jack-o-lanternPumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror,thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night.

Bats, owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Kid in Witches costumeBlack cats have religious origins as well. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.

Witches and witchcraft are dominant themes of the holiday. Witches generally believe themselves to be followers of an ancient religion, which goes back far beyond Christianity, and which is properly called 'wicca'. Witches are really just one side of a modern revival of paganism - the following of pre-Christian nature religions, the attempt to return to worshipping ancient Norse, Greek or Celtic gods and goddesses.

To witches, Halloween is a festival of the dead, and represents the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It marks the beginning of the death and destruction associated with winter. At this time the power of the underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the best time to contact spirits" (Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p. 146).

The apostle Paul said Witchcraft is one of the acts of the sinful nature and those who practice it will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16-21; see also Revelation 22:15).

Divination

The various activities traditional to Halloween are mostly associated with the idea of obtaining good fortune and foretelling the future. Samhain was a time when it was customary for the pagans to use the occult practice of divination to determine the weather for the coming year, the crop expectations, and even who in the community would marry whom and in what order.

  • The idea behind ducking, dooking or bobbing for apples seems to have been that snatching a bite from the apple enables the person to grasp good fortune. Unmarried people would attempt to take a bite out of an apple bobbing in a pail of water, or suspended on a string. The first person to do so was believed to be the next to marry.
  • Samhain is a time for getting rid of weakness, as pagans once slaughtered weak animals which were unlikely to survive the winter. A common ritual calls for writing down weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment, and tossing it into the fire.
  • There used to be a custom of placing a stone in the hot ashes of the bonfire. If in the morning a person found that the stone had been removed or had cracked, it was a sign of bad fortune. Nuts have been used for divination: whether they burned quietly or exploded indicated good or bad luck.
  • Peeling an apple and throwing the peel over one's shoulder was supposed to reveal the initial of one's future spouse.
  • One way of looking for omens of death was for people to visit churchyards, because the spirits of those who were going to die during the coming year were thought to walk around the churchyard during this night.

Should Christians adopt such practices?

Can we borrow pagan customs and superstitions of ancient peoples and "Christianize" them?

As believers, we are called to "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. [1 Thesalonians 5:21-22] Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil. Christians are to "... have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." [Ephesians 5:11]
Is Halloween just another innocent holiday that doesn't harm anyone? Is it really just childish fun? Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night. Even normally well-behaved children are driven by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Police officials everywhere report a great increase in such activities on Halloween. Worse yet are the horrifying accounts of poisoned candy and fruits booby-trapped with razor blades and needles. Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free X-rays of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions?
Should the church be compromised by accommodating itself to the culture?
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." [Romans 12:2]
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15]
When America and the world celebrates the Festival of Samhain and the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified.
The sort of practices celebrated on Halloween are what defiled the ancient nations [see Leviticus 18:24-30]. The Israelites were warned against such practices when they entered the Promised Land, "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations." [Deuteronomy 18:9]
 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. [Deuteronomy 18:10-14]
As an alternative to the celebration of evil and death, Christians should rather do what Christians are supposed to do every day and that is shine the light of Jesus Christ. We should emphasize the Christian influences and strive to make Hallow's Eve a celebration of the acts of God through his people the saints. We should make it a day when acts of charity instead of vandalism and hatred abound. A day that emphasizes the light of Christ instead of the darkness of evil. A day when people meditate on the acts of Godly people instead of ghosts and goblins.
While you may have participated "all in fun," be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and witches. Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. While some may say, "But we only do this in fun...we don't practice witchcraft," those things that represent Satan and his domain cannot be handled or emulated "for fun". Such participation places you in enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous ground.
Tom Sanguinet, former high priest in the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said "The modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches’ New Year. It was a time when the "spirits" (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet." He went on to say, "Halloween is purely and absolutely evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the Lord Jesus." [The Dark Side Of Halloween]
As evil prevails, Americans have embraced an evil day of Satan, with the pranks of 'would be' hoodlums, combined with 'demon faces' on pumpkins, clothing of 'death' being worn, and calling it fun. When Christians participate in Halloween, it sends a message to children that witchcraft, demonism, Satanism, and the occult are something fun, entertaining and harmless.
WitchcraftMany years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote that one of Satan's most deceptive tactics is to convince people that he doesn't exist. Apparently he has done a good job in his deception. Sadly, many people think of the devil as no more than a symbol of evil: like Santa Claus, he is just a fictional symbol. Many people today also do not think of witches as real people who practice magic, but simply as imaginary figures who represent the supernatural world and everything that is 'spooky.'

Recognizing this pagan holiday gives the false impression that what is actually lethal is innocuous. Smoking gunSome children develop a fascination with the supernatural which leads them later into more sinister occult practices. It's the spiritual equivalent of painting a loaded gun to look like a toy and giving it to child to play with.

It is the kind of celebration that encourages kids like the 16-year-old in Pearl, Mississippi who stabbed his mother to death in her sleep and then opened fire at his high school, killing two students and wounding seven. Authorities found this student along with at least six others involved in a small, avowedly satanic clique that calls itself "Kroth."

How some people can defend this kind of activity as just another innocent holiday that doesn't harm anyone is beyond me.
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

Acceptance of the Supernatural

Central to Satan's goals is the widespread acceptance of the supernatural, including the occult, on the part of North Americans, accompanied by a great revival of spiritism all over the world.

Over the last 30 or so years, the occult has moved into the mainstream of America - in television, movies, magazines, business, and various aspects of daily life. Movies, books, magazines and encyclopedias of the supernatural have abounded. Turn on your TV and hear from the ever-present "Psychic Friends" hotline, or see lead characters in TV shows meet their "spirit guide." Entire bookstores devoted to the occult have become common. Universities regularly offer courses on witchcraft and magic - usually the so-called "white" variety. Myriads of mystical Eastern religions, bizarre and often demonic, have invaded North America and found in most cases an amazing responsiveness.

Indeed, Halloween has taken root in America. Americans spend $21 million on Halloween candies yearly second only to Christmas in total sales. Halloween is the Number 1 season for selling humorous greeting cards. In North America, some 25 million cards are sold annually. (Peter Smith, "By the Numbers," The Toronto Star, 2002-OCT-27.) Halloween is the third-largest party occasion next to Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Increasingly the curriculum in many public schools is becoming a primer in occultism.
 Impressions, a curriculum used in many school districts instructs teachers and students in how to cast spells. One teacher's manual reads, "Tell the children that a magician has cast a spell on some children. Have them work in pairs to write the magic spell the magician used. Have each pair write another spell to reverse the first spell. Have them chant their spells."

About 16,000 school districts use the Pumsey the Dragon curriculum, by Jill Anderson. Many of the relaxation techniques used are identical to those used in hypnosis. Another curriculum called Duso the Dolphin employs relaxation techniques and sends hypnotized youngsters off on guided fantasies to a place called Aquatron.
Satanism has become a phenomena that crosses the city limit into the rural areas of our nation. It is reported there are some 6000 witches, and approximately 10 million people are involved in the occult. However, it is very difficult to establish how many actually participate. These individuals are involved in a wide variety of activities from simply casting spells to human sacrifice. The news wires carry story after story about young children being kidnapped, only to be found later as victims of some bizarre ritualistic crime.
Grim ReaperAs satantic involvement among our youth increases, we begin to see the primary goal of such activity. According to Scripture (2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9), Satan's goal is to deceive man by blinding him to the truth of the gospel and to receive worship for himself (Matt. 4:9; Isa. 14:12-14).

It has become clear that the primary goal is to alter an individual's values and turn him against himself, his beliefs, family, God and society.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
Young satanists believe the strong will rule with Satan. Once an individual becomes involved, they often make a pact with Satan. They commit themselves to a future date when they will take their own lives by suicide. They believe if they submit themselves to Satan in death, they will come back in another life as a stronger being and rule with him forever. According to recent statistics, fourteen young people a day take their own lives.
DemonRecently, a California skateboard manufacturer used a package enclosure similar in appearance to a gospel tract to encourage purchasers to sell their souls to the devil. The brochure titled, "Let's Make a Deal" has a smiley-faced devil who explains to Flame Boy what happened in heaven after he was banished: "First off, they set up a bunch of dumb rules, and then they imposed a really strict dress code. I'l wager that people must be quite bored up there, but hey, that's what they get for being good." He contrasts this with, "Flame Boy, even a dimwit like you can see that hell is by far the best place to retire. Just look at all the fun to be had." Children are asked to sign and return a contract, by which they give possession of their souls to the devil for eternity.

What's wrong with Halloween?

It does not have even one single redeeming virtue. It is custom born out of pagan superstition. It is a demon-inspired, devil-glorifying, occult festival. It is an evening holy unto evil, death, and divination. The Scriptures tells us to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." [1Thess. 5:22]
Wake up Christian! This is the night of evil and those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with it.
We are all accountable for our choices and decisions. Ignorance is no excuse. The choice is up to you. Have you been involved in this satanic holiday? Do you struggle with giving it up because "it's just fun" and an innocent opportunity for children to dress up and collect candy? Don't take my word for it. Let God show you what he would have you do. You might begin by praying the following:
Father in heaven I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ to confess that I'm a sinner. I'm sorry! Please forgive me. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your Son and that You raised him from the dead. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that I might be saved. Each and everyday Father I turn my will and my life over to Your care, and may Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me in all the things I think , do and say. I'm Yours and You are mine. Father, please use me that I might help others come to know and love Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving me. Amen
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Real Men Wear UGGs Too!

Should men wear UGG boots? Yes, yes and more yes! UGGs are generally viewed as a girl thing, BUT trust me on this, once men try them, they absolutely love their UGG boots and UGG slippers every bit as much as us girls do. NO – UGG boots on men are not gay. They are supremely comfortable and the ultimate casual for men who are sure of themselves. I love men in UGGs almost as much as I love men in uniforms. Especially pirate uniforms — umm, maybe that’s not a uniform and a different subject. OK. Back to UGG boots for men.
Of course, men have loved UGG slippers for years.  My father-in-law gets a new pair of UGG Ascot slippers every year.  But because he wears them in the house and outside, he should probably get a pair every six months.  And my husband must have 5 pairs of slippers alone!  For the house, the shop, the yard, work and an extra in case UGG Australia stops making his favorite pair. Here’s an actual picture of his shoe rack in our mudroom.

But in case you haven’t noticed, UGG makes some handsome UGG Boots for men other than the UGG Classic Short mens boots. The new UGG Britton mens boots have handsome motorcycle or engineer styling.  Then take a look at the UGG Wrangell mens boots with their rugged outdoor looks.  These are great to wear for traditional male jobs like shoveling snow off the sidewalk, walking the dog in the winter and dragging the garbage cans to the curb, to name but a few.