3ABN Amazing Facts Merger Talks Called Off
Ervin Taylor, August 3, 2007

According to an August 2, 2007 “Latest News” release posted on the Amazing Facts website “Amazing Facts and 3ABN have decided not to move forward with a merger or an alliance at this time.” The release was signed by Doug Batchelor, the President-Speaker of Amazing Facts. Batchelor stated that the decision was made after “several months of prayer and careful research regarding structural dynamics.” There was no statement, explanation or elaboration as to what the “research regarding structural dynamics” involved or revealed.

Various speculations as to what might be involved in “structural dynamics” includes the continuing style of leadership exhibited by Danny Shelton, the head of 3ABN as well as the reported major downturn in contributions to 3ABN in recent months following the report that merger talks were underway.

North New Zealand Conference Says that the General Conference has taken action that the SDA Denomination Will No Longer Accept Donations Received For 3ABN
Ervin Taylor, August 3, 2007

Adventist Today has received a copy of the North New Zealand Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, The Bulletin, dated 4 August 2007.

Under a heading of “Important Notice” and “3ABN,” there is this statement:

“[F]ollowing advice received from the South Pacific Division and the General Conference we wish to share the following information with members regarding 3ABN.

3ABN is a privately owned and operated company.

3ABN is not denominationally owned, controlled or operated.

3ABN is not registered by the denomination as a supporting ministry.

Serious legal allegations have been made involving the 3ABN organization which have yet to be resolved.

The General Conference and the South Pacific Division has therefore taken action that the denomination will no longer process and/or accept donations received for 3ABN. Therefore any funds received at the local church after 31st August 2007 . . . must be returned to the donor, and any funds received at the conference office after 20th September will be returned to the source from which they were received.”

In an effort to clarify the statement that “3ABN is not registered by the denomination as a supporting ministry,” Adventist Today contacted Rajmund Dabrowski, General Conference Communication Director by email. Mr. Dabrowski quickly replied to the Adventist Today inquiry. He stated: “I am not aware of any list of supporting ministries that are registered with the General Conference or North-American Division. The closest to such a potential listing is the ASI membership roster which by its nature requires that to join indicates an organization to be supportive of the church. We understand that 3ABN is a current member of ASI. As stated previously, there has been no change or review of the status of 3ABN as a supporting ministry by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

Southern Adventist Professor Deploys to Iraq as Non-Combatant Soldier
By Richard Simms, Southern Adventist University (3 July 2007)

Chris Atkins, deploying to Iraq as a non-combatant

"Chris Atkins will help bring peace-of-mind to the soldiers fighting on the front lines in Iraq. As a non-combat army social worker, Atkins will be helping soldiers in Iraq cope with combat stress such as anger, marital problems, nervousness, family separation, and redeployment. The assistant Social Work and Family Studies professor at Southern Adventist University and captain in the United States Army Medical Corp., has been placed on active duty, which began July 1 and will last 400 days. He is currently training at Fr. McCoy, Wisconsin and is preparing to deploy to Iraq with the 785th Medical Company (Combat Stress Control) late in August. 'I’ll be working closely with psychologists, chaplains, and fellow social workers to provide social, emotional, and spiritual support to soldiers stationed in Iraq,' said Atkins. .....

This will be Atkins’ first tour of duty in Iraq. Over the past five years he has worked with army families in the United States to help them cope with the stress of having a loved one gone for an extended period of time. Now he has prepared his own family. Atkins made bedtime story videos, voice recordings for Build-a-Bears, and bought “daddy is here” maps for his daughters, Hannah, 7 and Grace, 5, to prepare them for their father’s long trip to Iraq. To make his time away a little sweeter, Hannah and Grace each have a jar with 400 Hershey Kiss chocolate candies. Each day they’ll get to eat one of the kisses as a countdown until the day when they can kiss their father again.

To learn about Atkins’ experiences during his time in Iraq, visit his blog at (sonsanddaughtersofwar.blogspot.com). "

[ More of the Story]

Ramsden urges Church to help preserve environ
Botswana Press Agency (12 June, 2007)

"GABORONE - God created everything on earth including the stars, the moon and the sun, and gave man the power to take care of them, said the Assistant Minister of Works and Transport Mr Frank Ramsden, when speaking at the commemorations of the World Environmental Day which were organised by the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church in Gaborone West on Sunday.

The minister commended the church for joining the fight for the preservation of the environment and observing the day. He said the aforementioned passage from the Bible did not mean that the earth should be abused.

MP Ramsden said given the size and influence of the SDA church, it could make a notable contribution in the fight against environmental degradation. He added that many other institutions would also follow their example.

The assistant minister also briefed the congregation about the global warming phenomenon, saying its effects are beginning to be felt. He said the earth is warming up to the extent that glaziers have begun melting and deserts are enlarging due to the absence of rain. All these are influenced by mans disregard for this planet which is driven by the love of money and selfish motives, he said.

The assistant minister said the time has come for every Motswana to understand the need to use toilets instead of the bush to protect the environment. He said it is unfortunate that children end up suffering because of the carelessness of parents. You will recall that last year alone we lost 531 children due to a diarrhea that could have been avoided, he said. Pastor Kabelo Kemoabe said he agrees with the assistant minister that the contamination of the ecosystem is due to mankinds environmentally unfriendly behaviour. As a church we are calling for the reformation of lifestyle based on good conduct with nature, he said. He said they have embarked on a project to educate their members for the betterment of the environment, adding practical ways such as clean up campaigns will be utilised." [Link to Story]

Vermont man walks backward to promote spirituality
Sioux City Journal.com (29 June 2007 )

" When Bill Kathan opens the door to his white van, the stench of more than 20 used tennis shoes is staggering.

Kathan, 55, of Vernon, Vt., -- who seems unfazed by the odor -- has burned holes through the soles of all those shoes by walking backward partway across the nation for the past two months.

That's right -- he's walking backward and doing it to save our souls, he said Thursday during a stop in Sioux City at Dunham's Sports on Gordon Drive to check out some sneakers.

Kathan started April 5 in Hartford, Conn., celebrating his 55th birthday June 21 while on the road. So far, he's backtracked more than 1,400 miles on U.S. Highway 20, walking about 30 miles a day. Because he's a Seventh-day Adventist, Kathan rests on Saturdays. He hopes the walk will draw attention to his planned Youth Development Foundation, which has yet to launch.

'I believe we are in our last days and our kids should be more spiritual-minded,' Kathan said.

Kathan is accepting pledges from 1 cent to $1per mile. He plans to finish more than 3,000 miles later in Los Angeles.

The foundation-to-be is intended to keep kids away from negative influences such as drugs and violence, Kathan said."... [More of the Story]

Vaccinations and safe water provided in the aftermath of southwest Pakistan floods
Sandra Bisin, UNICEF

"BALOCHISTAN, Pakistan (August 1, 2007) — The village of Khurmastan is an oasis for farmers surrounded by a vast, arid swathe of land. The community normally sees very little rain, so the torrential rains caused by Cyclone Yemyin, which struck in late June, caught most of the population off guard and took a heavy toll on their livelihoods. 'We heard a strange noise, like water roaring. But we could not believe it," said Ms. Hano, a 30-year-old mother of six. 'Then the village elders came, shouting, 'Water is coming! Wake up!' 'In a single night, we lost everything,' she added. Although no one in Khurmastan died during the flood, the crisis is not over. In the aftermath of the emergency, it is vitally important to provide vaccinations and sanitation supplies to those who were displaced by the floodwaters.

Ms. Hano sits with one of her six children as she recounts the night when the floods hit Khurmastan village in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan

MEASLES CAMPAIGN
'Measles is a major killer of children, especially in times of emergency,'said UNICEF Health Officer Dr. Muhammad Amjad.'UNICEF and its partners have planned to vaccinate 124,000 children in flood-affected areas. So far, over 70,000 children have been vaccinated'....

A young girl affected by the floods being vaccinated against measles in Khurmastan village, in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan.

WATER AND SANITATION ASSISTANCE
The flood swept away homes and belongings as well as water and sanitation facilities in southwest Pakistan. In response, UNICEF and its partners are providing safe water to 125,000 people in both Balochistan and Sindh Provinces....

A boy collects water from a UNICEF water tank in Khurmastan village.

Throughout flood-affected the region, UNICEF and other organizations are helping children and their families rebuild their lives. However, much more work remains to be done as the humanitarian crisis continues in the aftermath of the flood. " [READ MORE OF THE STORY AND DONATE TO UNICEF]

Fascinating Facts About Your Brain...

Have you ever wondered about your brain?

Discover some of the most fascinating facts about your amazing brain....

...the weight of an average human brain is about 1300-1400g - @ 3lbs i.e., almost one bag of sugar. It's smaller than an elephant's brain (6000g) but bigger than a monkey's brain (95g)! A dog's brain weighs about 72g and a cat's brain weighs abut 30g. Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain!

..your brain uses approximately 20% of the total oxygen pumping around your body! ...and about 750ml of blood pumps through your brain every minute!

Approaching 100 billion (1011 or 100 000 000 000) interconnected electro-chemical units (cells) called NEURONS

• Neurons are information-processing devices somewhat analogous to LOGIC GATES in computers

• But they are more complex than logic gates. They have many more connections, and their connections change over time

• Each neuron has around 3000 synaptic connections to other neurons

• In principle the human brain has ~1010 to the power 14 or 10100 000 000 000 000 possible configurations!

• Compare that with the number of elementary particles in the universe: probably around 1087 or 1088

• There are also about 10 to 50 times as many GLIAL CELLS as neurons. These are probably indirectly involved in information processing.

Sources
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/facts.html [photo]
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~sjp7/PY1004/ohp7.pdf [facts]
http://www.thethinkingbusiness.co.uk/brainfacts.htm [facts]

Editorial Comment: With each of us possessing so much potential we all have the ability to create new thought pathways and begin to understand each other's points of view. If we all take the time we can make our moments on earth meaningful by reaching out to one another in compassion and empathy. LJG