Rick Warren returns to pulpit after son's suicide

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Nearly four months after his son's suicide, popular pastor Rick Warren returned to the pulpit Saturday afternoon at the Southern California megachurch he founded.

Warren, dressed in his usual casual black T-shirt and jeans, took the stage at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. with wife, Kay Warren, and was greeted with a long standing ovation by the congregation.

A shout of "We love you!" came from the crowd before Warren began.

"I love you, too," a smiling Warren replied. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

It was the first time Warren had taken the Saddleback pulpit since his 27-year-old son Matthew shot and killed himself on April 5.

In the sermon, first in a series called "How To Get Through What You're Going Through," Rick Warren said he had the perfect role model for his struggles.

"God knows what it's like to lose a son," Warren said.

He remained mostly composed, but choked back tears at times, including when he thanked his surviving two children.

"How proud I was of Amy and Josh, who for 27 years loved their younger brother," Warren said. "They talked him off the ledge time after time. They are really my heroes."

He delivered a formal, prepared speech with notes and quotes from Scripture but often broke off to talk frankly about his son.

"I was in shock for at least a month after Matthew took his life," Warren said.

But, Warren said he was grateful to come from "a family of spiritual redwoods."

"Satan picked the wrong team to pick on," he said.

Warren has been an essential figure in the modern, megachurch brand of Christianity.

His multimillion-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" made him a national star in the realms of religion and self-help, and he delivered the opening prayer at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.

Saddleback, the church he founded in 1980, has grown to 20,000 members, according to Warren's biography on the church's website.

But in April, Matthew Warren, after a lifetime of struggle with depression, shot and killed himself in what Warren at the time called "a momentary wave of despair."

"For 27 years I prayed every day of my life for God to heal my son's mental illness," Warren said.

But Warren said Saturday that he intended to turn his grief into a message of service and hope.

"God wants to take your greatest sorrow and turn it into your life's greatest message," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rick-warren-returns-pulpit-sons-suicide-235912447.html

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A First Look At Younity, The App That Lets You Access All Your Files All The Time

Younity, which is in the current class of Los Angeles-based startup accelerator MuckerLab, purportedly creates a "personal cloud" for the files shared on all of your various devices to let you access them anytime, anywhere. I met Younity co-founder Erik Caso while we were in L.A. visiting MuckerLab earlier this month, and his pitch was quite interesting -- from the looks of it, I'd be able to access vacation photos that are on my home computer from my phone in a snap (that is, if I had an iPhone.) Essentially, it makes the experience of the cloud come to you, rather than the other way around.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/E4FZgzbPQNk/

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You Can Use Your Own Body Way To Build Muscle

The information in this article will help you become educated in all aspects associated with fitness. If you want to avoid hurting yourself or wasting your time, it?s important that you have some knowledge beforehand. Take the time to do some research before you begin to exercise.

Consider opening up your own garden. Gardens aren?t a joke, they require a lot of effort and labor. You will need to weed, dig, turn over sod, and your body will be moving around a lot! When you are looking for a non-traditional exercise that gets you outdoors, you can do worse than garden.

If you have never worked out before, consider buying one or two sessions with a trainer to learn proper form and good exercises to use while you are starting out. A personal trainer can help you establish your goals and set up a workout that focuses on your problem areas. You can get some extra motivation to get to a new gym with the help of a professional trainer. This can give you a leg up for kicking off an effective, long-lasting exercise routing.

Signing up for a multi-month gym membership is a great way to make sure that you stick with your fitness program You will be more motivated because the money is already spent. However, you should only do this if you?re struggling to get yourself to workout.

You can boost your own motivation to get fit by purchasing something cute to exercise in. Even if it is just a small item, it will motivate you to show it off (and more importantly, get to the gym).

When working out using weights, start by using smaller machines first. Your smaller muscles get tired before larger ones do, so it makes sense to start with dumbbells or barbells before the bigger machines, for example. If you follow this plan, your small muscles can cool off while you work out the larger ones.

Crunches alone won?t help you build abs. A prominent university found that only one pound of fat gets burned even after 250,000 crunches. Simply doing only crunches means that you aren?t getting as much of a workout as you need. Therefore, it is important to work your abs in other ways.

Plant a garden of your own. Many don?t expect gardening to be as difficult as it is. You will need to weed, dig, turn over sod, and your body will be moving around a lot! It?s one of several hobbies you can do around that house that can actually help you get in shape.

Working out while enjoying your favorite t.v. show can take your mind off the exercise and increase the number of calories you burn in a day. Something as simple as a few minutes of walking during each commercial break can be very effective. Try small weight training as you sit on the couch. There is no shortage of ways to get a bit more exercise in during the day.

If you?re dedicated to getting in shape, consider hiring a personal trainer. A personal trainer is a wealth of knowledge, and they can motivate you to keep going when times are tough. However, some people are very successful when they work out on their own.

When you set goals for yourself, it is easier to stay motivated. It keeps your focus locked on the end point you want to reach, rather than getting caught up in how to get past the inevitable obstacles. Goals help you to see that fitness is an ongoing process.

You can boost your workouts by controlling your breathing. Try a powerful exhale when your shoulders reach the top of your crunch or sit-up. Exhaling deeply causes muscles to contract and forces them to work more intensely on your behalf.

Before starting any workout routine, make sure to visit a doctor to get a checkup. Your doctor will make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise and can give you some tips. If you smoke or have health problems, it is extremely important to speak with your doctor.

Depending on your ultimate goal, the frequency of your strength training will vary. If your target goal is bigger and bulkier, then you will actually have fewer strength sessions over time. However, those aiming to be lean, mean, and defined will more frequently stress the muscles in a strength training session.

Offer to help out during school fitness programs, and demonstrate to your child that you?re just as enthusiastic about health and fitness as you think that they should be. Showing your interested can help you child to become more involved.

Adding weight through barbells or dumbbells while doing bench training is a good way to increase fitness levels. Picking just the right bench can really help to make your workout powerful. If you feel wood from the bench on your back, you need to try a different bench. Benches that have flimsy cushions like this can hurt your back.

Strengthening your thighs is a great way to protect your knees. Tearing a knee ligament is among the most common injuries in sports. Work out both your hamstrings and your quads to ensure that your knees are protected. Leg curls and extensions are great for this.

Avoid bouncing when you stretch. This could lead to muscle strain. In spite of popular belief, stretching and bouncing at the same time does not make you more flexible. You might even hurt yourself in the process. You should do strong and steady stretches.

It is tempting and easy to go way too hard when you decide to embark on a fitness journey. You need to be careful to build up slowly when you first start exercising so that your body adapts to the new level of activity. To avoid getting hurt, slowly work into exercise, because your body and muscles have been sedentary and not used to the exertion required.

If you have problems working out often enough, or motivating yourself for exercise, you need to plan out a schedule. You should strive to work out a set number of times each week, and never miss a day. If you have to miss a workout, you should schedule an additional session and approach it with as much vigor as you would any other workout.

To keep your fitness routine from stagnating, it is important to change it up every now and then. There are many reasons why variety is a good idea. Number one is that you want to avoid becoming bored. If you become too used to old exercises, you may work less and you may not see the results you want. That?s why it?s important to try out new exercises on a regular basis.

You can consider adding yogurt to any diet plan. Yogurt offers a wide range of health benefits, including digestive aid. Yogurt is also high in calcium and protein. People who ingest more dairy tend to have better health.

You should take time out of your day to exercise. Doing extra things like taking the stairs can help you burn extra calories.

The best way to stay in shape is to set aside time in your schedule every day to exercise. Don?t schedule your day full of other productive activities and neglect your fitness. Otherwise you might lose the progress you?ve made in the exercise room. Any occasion of free time throughout your day could be utilized wisely by engaging in physical fitness.

There are many options when it comes to exercise. You need to find what works right for you. With the wealth of fitness information available today, it?s easier than ever to put together a customized workout plan that is fun and engaging. You will find fitness very interesting if you start to learn about it.

If you are looking for a fun and new method of working out, try kickboxing. There aren?t many people that try kickboxing and don?t end up drenched in sweat, knowing that they just completed a big workout. This exercise is great for quickly burning lots of calories and building up your strength.

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Tulsa Community College program gives prisoners a Second Chance

By MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer on Jul 26, 2013, at 2:22 AM??Updated on 7/26/13 at 2:52 AM

HOMINY - After he graduated from Collinsville High School, Trymaine White planned to take a year off before attending college to become a pediatrician. A felony conviction derailed that plan.

White, who had been a juvenile offender, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a firearm.

Now the father of three is determined to do right by his family when he is released from the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy.

On Thursday, he took the first steps down that path when he received a business computer user certificate from Tulsa Community College through its Second Chance program.

"I want to let them know that even though I got in trouble, I'm not a bad person," White said.

"I want to be an inspiration to my two sons and daughter because everyone was always telling me I was a bad person."

White was one of 26 inmates to receive certificates or associate's degrees during a graduation ceremony at the prison Thursday.

Through the Second Chance program, TCC sends faculty members to the prison to teach classes to medium- and minimum-security offenders.

The inmates can obtain certificates in areas such as computers, hotel and restaurant management, and landscape design.

Associate's degrees are available in business and enterprise development.

"People with felonies have a hard time getting a job," said Jim Maxson, an associate professor at TCC and the corrections education organizer.

He said TCC chose those particular fields of study because they are industries that are open to hiring felons.

"We know they'll start at the bottom, but as their peers move on, our hope is that they will be able to move into supervisor positions in those industries," Maxson said.

TCC created the Second Chance program in 2007 with a grant and now funds the program with scholarships and private funding.

Since its inception, nearly 320 inmates have gone through the program.

"More than 60 percent of those incarcerated have less than a ninth-grade education," Maxson said.

He added that the average recidivism rate is 23.8 percent. But for offenders with some college education, it's less than 12 percent, and for those with an associate's degree, it's less than 1 percent.

"If you give them an education, you save money and create a productive citizen," Maxson said, adding that the average cost for an incarceration is $100,000.

The graduation address was given by Jeff Henderson, an award-winning chef, author and convicted felon who spent 10 years in a California state prison, where he developed a passion for cooking.

"I never would have imagined I would value education," he said. "Education is power. Education is money in the bank. Education is the only way to achieve the American dream the right way.

"It's not easy to have a house with a nice kitchen and a swimming pool in the backyard," Henderson told the honorees, "but this is a road map that leads to success."

---

Mike Averill 918-581-8489
mike.averill@tulsaworld.com

Original Print Headline: Prison to paycheck

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Tulsa_Community_College_program_gives_prisoners_a_Second/20130726_11_A11_CUTLIN715599?rss_lnk=1

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Pocket-sized sensor gives instant fat burning updates

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Fitness fanatics may soon be able to gauge if their hard work is paying ?off without the need for weighing scales thanks to a new device that can ?instantly tell if your body is burning fat. The portable, pocket-sized sensor, produced by a group of researchers in ?Japan, works by measuring increased levels of acetone on the breath - a ?good indicator of when the body has begun to break down fat.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/aK8iDXXmSBc/130724200213.htm

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Report Card Day Not Just for Students | NCC News

? AP, 2013

By Jeffrey Tousey SYRACUSE (NCC News)-?The days of only students stressing out over report cards are officially over, at least in New York State. ?For the first time in New York state history all 700 hundred school districts have implemented mandatory teacher evaluations. Every teacher in every district received a report card based on their performance in the classroom and how their students scored on standardized tests.

?

Why are we evaluating teachers?

This comes after the federal government ?put together an incentive program that would provide states with millions of dollars in additional funding if they had a teacher evaluation system in place for every school district. ?Governor Cuomo realized that New York state spends more money on education that any other state in the nation, and had no system in place to track how the money was being distributed.

After a failed attempt to get the teacher?s union to work with him on getting an evaluation system put in place, he came back with an ultimatum; if school?s did not put in an evaluation system they would not receive any state funding. ?By early 2012, every school district in the state of New York had a teacher report card in place. ?This now gave state officials the ability to measure every teacher, every classroom and every school in the state and further cross reference between districts, to better determine what is and isn?t working in the New York state education system.

How are the teachers being evaluated?

The teacher evaluations are scored on a 100 point system and broken down into three sections.

Weighing in the heaviest and accounting for 60 points is teacher performance in the classroom. ?This is scored by an unannounced visit by the principal or a school administrator, where they will observe the teacher for a 40 minute lesson.

?I don?t care if people are in my classroom,? said Anna Morrow, a teacher at?Liverpool elementary, ??Like come in, see what I?m doing, and come in often, so that my evaluation isn?t based on a 40 minute lesson.?

The other two sections are a twenty, twenty split based on student achievement in state and local standardized tests.

?And that?s scary to me that we?re?. We?re taking 20 points and basing it on six days of testing,? said Morrow.

Once all the observations are recorded and the test scores returned teachers are then rated as either ineffective, developing, effective, or highly effective.

If a teacher scores ?ineffective,? the school district is then required to work with that teacher individually to help them become a stronger educators. ?If after two years, the teacher is still scoring ?ineffective,? they may face a termination hearing.

Governor Cuomo believes?the program puts students first and makes New York a national leader in holding teachers accountable for student achievement.

Listen to the story here

?

Source: https://nccnews.expressions.syr.edu/?p=101967

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Pope's Brazil security questioned after mob scene

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? There was widespread finger pointing on Tuesday over the security scheme meant to protect Pope Francis during his seven days in Brazil after a frantic crowd of faithful Catholics repeatedly surrounded and halted the vehicles he was riding in as he paraded down main avenues.

But one of biggest hurdles to avoiding such mob scenes is Francis himself. The pope has repeatedly said he wants the church to go out among the masses, a practice he has personally adopted.

The "slum pope," as was dubbed in his native Argentina for the amount of time he spent in impoverished areas most people consider dangerous, smiled as his car was mobbed Monday shortly after his arrival in Brazil. He kept his window rolled down and even kissed a baby passed into the vehicle by its mother.

"I was so surprised! Maybe I'm looking at it from a foreign perspective, but it seemed odd that the people were allowed that close on the roads," said the Rev. Joseph Tan, a priest from the Philippines, echoing the reaction of many in Rio for the papal visit. "In the Philippines, people would have gathered to get a glimpse, but nothing like what we saw. But that's the pope's personality, he was just being himself."

Papal spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi made clear that despite the mobs, Francis wouldn't change his decision to use an open-air vehicle and specifically planned to use the open car for the very events expected to draw the largest crowds: a speech on Copacabana beach on Wednesday, a Way of the Cross procession on Friday, and a weekend vigil and Mass in a rural part of Rio.

Lombardi said the pontiff deliberately chose to use the same car he uses in St. Peter's Square, and not the bulletproof popemobile, to be closer to people and interact with them. But that square is a closed and controlled; Vatican and Italian police ring the square, the faithful are fenced into pens, and bodyguards trail the car at all times.

But how Vatican and Brazilian authorities decide to organize his security going forward is ultimately not the pope's responsibility, Lombardi said. "Obviously he desires to have a possibly very direct contact with the people. This is clear, and not a militarization of the situation," said the spokesman. "But the concrete solutions are not chosen by him."

Figuring out how to keep this hands-on pontiff safe is now the nightmare chore for Brazilian security forces. The Federal Police are mostly in charge of the pope's security in Brazil, though when he travels to a rural part of Rio this weekend, the army will secure the massive pasture where he'll celebrate Mass.

On Tuesday, authorities blamed each other for the traffic fiasco the day before.

Officials with the Federal Police who have control of the pope's security in urban Rio told the local press the blame belonged to Federal Highway Police. But the highway police said they were just following specifications laid out by the Federal Police. Neither agency returned calls. Meanwhile, the Rio mayor's office said it knew nothing about the plan for the pope's travel from the airport to the city center while even the secretary general for President Dilma Rousseff said he didn't know who was to blame but that he was "relieved" no harm came to Francis.

It wasn't the best means to project confidence on security arrangements for a nation that saw widespread anti-government protests paralyze scores of cities last month and that's preparing to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

Authorities in Brazil earlier said about 10,000 police officers and more than 14,000 soldiers would take part in the overall papal security plan, but on Monday virtually no uniformed officers were seen along the route as Francis was mobbed by the crowds.

There were few barricades set up along the route and thousands of faithful easily made their way onto streets that were meant to be shut off from the public. In some places along the route, people could be seen forming "human chains" to keep the crowds at bay.

About three dozen plain-clothes officers including the pope's personal bodyguards and some Brazilian officers were seen surrounding the pope's vehicles, trying desperately to push the crowds back

Paulo Storani, a Rio-based security consultant who spent nearly 30 years on the city's police force and was a captain in an elite unit sent in to clear out slums, said the fiasco seen Monday had to be analyzed in two ways.

"From the point of view of a head of state, and the pope is a head of state, it's unacceptable what happened. The proximity people had with him was a huge risk, even for his image," Storani said. "On the other hand, in the case of a head of a church and having a charismatic figure like this pope, the situation is different because he wants to be close to the people.

"The police intelligence units have to do a lot more work to detect potential threats to the pope's security and there needs to be a bigger presence of plainclothes officers in the middle of the masses to ensure his security," he added.

There was no word on whether Francis would agree to a heavier security presence when he travels to the city of Aparecida on Wednesday, or holds a Thursday meeting with Catholic youth on Copacabana beach that is expected to draw a crowd of 1 million.

But many changes seemed unlikely.

Francis made clear even before he was pope that the Catholic Church must stop being so closed and self-referential and go out to the edges of the world to interact with the most marginalized. Many cardinals point to a speech Francis made as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, days before he was elected pope, as the mission statement that essentially got him elected.

In that pre-conclave speech, Bergoglio said the church must "move toward the peripheries, not only geographic but also existential: those of sin, suffering, injustice, ignorance and religious abstention, thought and all misery."

"When the church does not emerge from itself to evangelize, it becomes self-referential and therefore becomes sick. ... The evils that, over time, occur in ecclesiastical institutions have their root in (being self-referential), a kind of theological narcissism," Bergoglio said then.

After becoming pope, he followed those words up with actions even before his Rio trip. His first parish visit in Rome was to a church in a poor neighborhood on the farthest outskirts of the capital. His first trip outside Rome was to the most peripheral part of Italy, Lampedusa, a speck of an island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, where he mourned the deaths of refugees trying to reach Europe.

Francis is visiting his home continent for the first time since becoming pontiff, with his visit coinciding with the church's World Youth Day, an event held every three years to bring young Catholics together in an effort to inject new energy in the church.

He will celebrate two Masses expected to each draw more than 1 million people: one on Copacabana beach and the other in a rural pasture. He'll also visit a slum in Rio in an area known by locals as the Gaza Strip because of its heavy violence before police "pacified" it in January, pushing out powerful drug gangs and setting up a permanent outpost.

___

Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja and Vivian Sequera contributed to this report.

___

Follow Bradley Brooks and Nicole Winfield on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradleybrooks and www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/popes-brazil-security-questioned-mob-scene-165431856.html

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