"February 26, 2009"
http://www.spaceweather.com/
"Daily Sun: 26 Feb 09 New-cycle sunspot 1013 is rapidly fading away and
will likely be gone by the end of the day."
"Far side of the Sun: This holographic image reveals no sunspots on the far
side of the sun."
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet

Please visit:
http://blog.nj.com/southjersey_impac...SolarCycle.jpg

The right panel shows the face of the Sun as it looked on a good day during
the late Modern Warm Period. Sunspots are the apparent size of craters on
the moon. The left panel shows a spotless Sun.

Please write to Al Gore so that Al knows that the Sun is not living up to
his religious expectations. Al Gore is a divinity school dropout. George
Carlin had a better grasp of the true nature of God's creation, than does Al
Gore.

Please visit:
http://www.co-intelligence.org/newsl...es/sun-etc.jpg
which shows the relative sizes of the Sun and planets. Compared to the Sun,
Jupiter is the size of a pea, earth is the size of a grain of sand.

Tottering economy a 'crumbling pyramid scheme,' says church head

By Graeme Morton, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 25, 2009

CALGARY - The leader of Canada's largest Protestant church has called for a
more compassionate economy to emerge from the "crumbling pyramid scheme" of
the current global economy system.

In an open letter issued Tuesday, United Church moderator Rev. David
Giuliano urged Canadians "to be clear that the needs of hungry children,
homeless families and the working poor supersede the demands of unfettered
commerce."

Giuliano also called on Canada's 3,300 United Church congregations to take
more risks in ministering to those hurting physically and spiritually in the
economic downturn.

"I am praying we respond with creativity, radical hospitality and expansive
generosity," Giuliano said in his pastoral letter to congregations.

Giuliano said Canadians can't simply shop their way to renewed prosperity.
That would simply perpetuate what he sees as an economic system "that's a
crumbling pyramid scheme that rewards those on top and devours everyone and
everything below."

He adds an increased attentiveness to the environment is a path, not a
barrier, to economic salvation.

He noted his own northern Ontario hometown of Marathon is facing the closure
of its pulp mill, the area's major employer.

"It's symbolic of what everyone is going through," said Giuliano. "We feel
increasingly powerless, that the economy is some mysterious force of nature
that we have very little control over."

Rev. Michael Ward of Calgary's inner-city Central United Church applauds
Giuliano's challenge.

"I agree with him that churches need to stop worrying about their membership
numbers or filling committees and focus on becoming a mission to the
communities around them," said Ward.

"This time of economic chaos is an opportunity for the church to be at its
best, to emulate the example of Christ and care for the marginalized and
unemployed."

Giuliano wants Canada's United Church congregations to become what he calls
"communities of hope" to their neighbours, supplying basic human needs and a
safe sanctuary to gather and be heard.

Rev. Tom Melvin of Calgary's Deer Park United Church said clergy
increasingly find themselves counselling people who may have lost their job
after 25 years with a company.

"We must journey with these people, to support them in a spiritual,
prayerful way," says Melvin.

"And this is a time we should also examine our own lifestyles to see what we
truly need to be happy and what's excessive."

Rev. Kelly Osgood of Campbell-Stone United Church in Calgary said Giuliano's
call is well within the Christian tradition of leaders and prophets speaking
out about societal injustices.

"I wish he'd been even stronger, more controversial in his comments," said
Osgood.

Giuliano said the church needs to challenge the foundational values of an
economic system where profits have overtaken the basic needs of many of its
citizens.

"One of the limitations of our affluence in recent years is that it allows
for a very radical kind of individualism - we don't need to know our
neighbours," says Giuliano.

In the 2001 census, more than 2.8 million Canadians identified themselves
with the United Church, although active membership is substantially lower.

Calgary Herald