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Nepal Church Bomber Faked Repentance
Imprisoned chief of Hindu militant group used Christianity to cover up extortion, terror.
KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 4 (CDN) — The chief of a militant Hindu extremist group sought to disguise his extortion and terror activities from behind bars by claiming he had repented of bombing a church in Nepal and showing interest in Christianity, according to investigators.
The revelation emerged when Nepal's premier investigation agency foiled a plot to explode a series of bombs devised by Ram Prasad Mainali, former chief of the Hindu militant outfit Nepal Defence Army (NDA), in the capital city of Kathmandu. Police on March 4 arrested six cohorts of Mainali carrying powerful "socket bombs" – home-made, hand grenade-type weapons made from plumbing joints – and high-explosive powder, to be used as part of a plan to extort money from industrialists, The Himalayan Times reported.
In an interview last year, Mainali had told Compass that his interaction with Christians inside jail in Kathmandu's Nakkhu area had led him to repent of his deeds and read the Bible (see "Bomber in Nepal Repents, Admits India Link," Jan. 4, 2010). Mainali was arrested on Sept. 5, 2009 for exploding a bomb in a Catholic parish in Kathmandu, Our Lady of the Assumption, which killed a teenager and a newly married woman and injured more than a dozen others on May 23 of that year.
Prior to the Compass interview, Mainali had sent a handwritten letter from the prison to a monthly Christian newsmagazine in Nepal, Hamro Ashish (Our Blessing), saying he regretted having attacked Christians.
A local Christian worker who had known Mainali said the church bomber used Christianity to evade police surveillance.
"I was disheartened when I recently learned that Mainali had threatened some pastors with violent attacks, demanding protection money from them," he told Compass on condition of anonymity.
The source said Mainali threatened him and pastors he knew by phone. He suspected that a fellow prisoner, Jeevan Rai Majhi, previously considered a convert to Christianity, had given the pastors' phone numbers to Mainali. Majhi, formerly a notorious criminal, had allegedly accepted Christ inside the prison, and jail authorities made him the prison leader. He also led a Bible study group in the prison.
"Some prisoners who attend the Bible study in the Nakkhu Jail told me that Mainali shared the extortion money with Majhi, which aroused jealousy among other prisoners, who reported it to the jail authorities," the source said.
Around 150 prisoners attend the Nakkhu Gospel Church inside the prison premises, though Majhi is no longer leading it. Both Mainali and Majhi were recently transferred, Mainali to the Dilli-Bazaar Jail and Majhi to the Mid-Nepal Central Jail.
Deputy Inspector General of Police and Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) Director Rajendra Singh Bhandari told The Kathmandu Post that the arrest of Mainali's men was a "tremendous achievement" that averted "mass casualties" in the capital.
"It seems that Mainali had filled the arrestees' minds with dreams of earning quick bucks through terror," the daily quoted another investigation official as saying.
The Christian source said he still hoped for genuine repentance in Mainali and Majhi.
"Mainali and Majhi must have at least some knowledge of the Bible," he said. "So I am still hopeful that they would reflect on who God is and truly repent of their ways as they spend their time in prison cells incommunicado [prohibited from speaking with any outsider]."
According to The Kathmandu Post, the CIB had been observing Mainali following complaints that he had demanded large sums of money from businessmen and others.
"He had been making phone calls and sending demand letters to them," the daily reported on March 4.
Compass requested an interview with Mainali at the Dilli-Bazaar Jail, which officials refused.
"We have orders not to allow Mainali to meet anyone," said one official.
Mainali had earlier told Compass that he formed the NDA with the support of Hindu nationalists in India in 2007 to re-establish the Hindu monarchy, which fell after a decade-long armed struggle by former Maoist guerrillas peaked in 2006, when all political parties joined protests against King Gyanendra.
The NDA is also believed to be responsible for bombing mosques and killing Muslims and Christians, including the Rev. John Prakash Moyalan, a Catholic priest who was principal of the Don Bosco educational institution in eastern Nepal, in June 2008. While Christians in Nepal faced persecution at the hands of the Hindu monarchy until 2006, non-state actors have been attacking them since the country began transitioning to a secular democracy.
"Several incidents of religiously incited violence directed at minority religions and their property have been recorded since the signing of the peace accord [between the interim government and the Maoists in 2006]," a local Non-Governmental Organization, Informal Sector Service Sector (INSEC), noted last year.
"Although moves have been made to promote religious tolerance and a climate of peace and cooperation, this area must continuously be monitored," stated an INSEC report, "Commitment versus Reality," which mentioned attacks on Christians by Mainali's outfit.
Of the roughly 30 million people in Nepal, only .5 percent are Christian, and more than 80 percent are Hindu, according to the 2001 census. The actual number of Christians, however, is believed to be much higher.
Posted in Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Nepal, Nepal Defense Army, Roman Catholicism	| Tagged 2006, 2007, accepted, accord, activities, agency, allegedly, area, armed, arrested, bars, behind, Bible, bomber, bombing, bombs, capital, carrying, Central Investigation Bureau, chief, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, CIB, city, claiming, cohorts, convert, cooperation, cover-up, criminal, demanding, democracy, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dilli-Bazaar Jail, director, disguise, Don Bosco, eastern, educational, explode, extort, extortion, extremist, faked, foiled, former, God, government, grenade, group, guerrillas, Gyanendra, Hamro Ashish, hand, handwritten, high-explosive, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, home-made, imprisoned, India, industrialists, Informal Sector Service Sector, injured, INSEC, Institution, interest, interim, investigation, investigators, Islam, jail, Jeevan Rai Majhi, John Prakash Moyalan, joined, joints, Kathmandu, killed, killing, king, leader, letter, local, magazine, Maoist, married, Mid-Nepal Central Jail, militant, minority, monarchy, money, mosques, Muslim, muslims, Nakkhu, Nakkhu Gospel Church, nationalists, NDA, Nepal, Nepal Defence Army, newly, news, Non-Governmental Organization, notorious, numbers, Our Blessing, Our Lady of the Assumption, outfit, parish, parties, pastors, peace, Persecution, phone, plan, plot, plumbing, police, political, powder, powerful, premises, priest, principal, prison, prisoner, promote, protection, protests, Rajendra Singh Bhandari, Ram Prasad Mainali, re-establish, read, religions, religious, repentance, repented, Rev, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholics, secular, series, showing, signing, socket, struggle, study, teenager, terror, threatened, tolerance, truly, violence, weapons, woman | Leave a comment
Prospects Dim for Religious Freedom in Nepal
Right to share faith could harm Nepal's Hindu identity, lawmakers believe.
KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 29 (CDN) — A new constitution that Nepal's parliament is scheduled to put into effect before May 28 may not include the right to propagate one's faith.
The draft constitution, aimed at completing the country's transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular democracy, contains provisions in its "religious freedom" section that prohibit anyone from converting others from one religion to another.
Most political leaders in the Himalayan country seemed unaware of how this prohibition would curb religious freedom.
"Nepal will be a secular state – there is no other way," said Sushil Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, Nepal's "Grand Old Party," but he added that he was not aware of the proposal to restrict the right to evangelism.
"Forcible conversions cannot be allowed, but the members of the Constituent Assembly [acting parliament] should be made aware of [the evangelism ban's] implications," Koirala, a veteran and one of the most influential politicians of the country, told Compass.
Gagan Thapa, another leader of the Nepali Congress, admitted that banning all evangelistic activities could lead to undue restrictions.
"Perhaps, the words, 'force, inducement and coercion' should be inserted to prevent only unlawful conversions," he told Compass.
Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, also from the Nepali Congress, said that of all the faith communities in Nepal, Christians were most active in converting others, sometimes unethically.
"There are problems in Hinduism, such as the caste hierarchy, but that doesn't mean you should convert out of it," he said. "I believe in reforming one's religion."
Asked if the restriction on converting others violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Akal Bahadur of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) said, "It may, but there was a general consensus on it [the prohibition]. Besides, it is still a draft, not the final constitution."
Nepal signed the ICCPR on May 14, 1991. Article 18 of the ICCPR includes the right to manifest one's religion, which U.N. officials have interpreted as the right to evangelistic and missionary activities.
Akal Bahadur and Thapa are members of the Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, which was tasked to propose the scope of religious freedom and other rights in the draft constitution. This committee, one of 11 thematic panels, last year submitted a preliminary draft to the Assembly suggesting that a person should be allowed to decide whether to convert from one religion to another, but that no one should convert anyone else.
Binda Pandey, chairperson of the fundamental rights committee and member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), told Compass that it was now up to the Assembly to decide whether this provision violates religious freedom.
The Constitution Committee is condensing the preliminary drafts by all the committees as one draft constitution. At least 288 contentious issues arose out of the 11 committees, and the Constitution Committee has resolved 175 of them, Raju Shakya of the Kathmandu-based Centre for Constitutional Dialogue (CCD) told Compass.
The "religious freedom" provision with its ban on evangelism did not raise an eyebrow, however, as it is among the issues listed under the "Area of Agreement" on the CCD Web site.
Once compiled, the draft constitution will be subject to a public consultation, after which another draft will be prepared for discussion of clauses in the Constitutional Assembly; provisions will be implemented on a two-thirds majority, Shakya said.
Hindu Identity
Thapa of the fundamental rights committee indicated that religious conversion could become a contentious issue if the proposed restriction is removed. Even the notion of a secular state is not wholly accepted in the country.
"If you hold a referendum on whether Nepal should become a secular state, the majority will vote against it," Thapa said.
Most Hindus see their religion as an essential part of the country's identity that they want to preserve, he added.
Dr. K.B. Rokaya, the only Christian member of Nepal's National Commission for Human Rights, said Nepal's former kings created and imposed a Hindu identity for around 240 years because it suited them; under the Hindu ethos, a king should be revered as a god. Most of the numerous Hindu temples of Nepal were built under the patronage of the kings.
Rokaya added that Christians needed to be more politically active. The Assembly does not have even one Christian member.
According to the 2001 census, over 80 percent of Nepal's 30 million people are Hindu. Christians are officially .5 percent, but their actual number is believed to be much higher.
Nepal was the world's only Hindu kingdom until 2006, when a people's movement led by former Maoist guerrillas and supported by political parties, including the Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxist Leninist, ousted King Gyanendra.
An interim constitution was enacted in 2007, and the Constituent Assembly was elected through Nepal's first fully democratic election a year later. The Assembly was supposed to promulgate a new constitution by May 28, 2010, but its term was extended by one year.
It is still uncertain, however, whether the approaching deadline will be met due to persistent disagreements among parties. The Maoist party has 220 members, the Nepali Congress 110, and the Unified Marxist Leninist 103 in the 575-member Assembly.
Rokaya, a member of the newly formed United Christians Alliance of Nepal, comprising a majority of Christian denominations, said Christians would continue to ask for full religious freedom. The use of inducement or force for conversions is deplorable, but the right to preach the tenets of one's religion is a fundamental freedom, he added.
Posted in Christianity, Communism, Hinduism, Nepal	| Tagged 1991, 2006, active, activities, Akal Bahadur, Area of Agreement, banning, believe, Binda Pandey, built, caste, CCD, Centre for Constitutional Dialogue, Chairperson, Christian, Christianity, Christians, committee, Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, Communism, communist, Communist Party of Nepal, communists, consensus, Constituent Assembly, constitution, Constitution Committee, Constitutional Assembly, consultation, conversions, converting, country, created, curb, decide, democracy, Democratic, denominations, deplorable, dim, Dr, draft, effect, elected, election, enacted, ethos, evangelistic, faith, Final, force, formed, former, fundamental, Gagan Thapa, general, God, guerrillas, Gyanendra, harm, hierarchy, Himalayan, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, ICCPR, identity, imposed, inducement, interim, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights, K B Rokaya, Kathmandu, king, Kingdom, kings, lawmakers, leaders, led, Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, manifest, Maoist, member, missionary, monarchy, movement, Nepal, Nepal's National Commission for Human Rights, Nepali Congress, Nepali Congress 110, new, newly, panels, Parliament, parties, patronage, people, Persecution, political, politically, preach, preliminary, President, prohibit, prohibition, promulgate, propagate, propose, prospects, provision, provisions, public, Raju Shakya, referendum, reforming, religion, religious freedom, restrictions, revered, right, rights, scheduled, scope, secular, share, signed, supported, Sushil Koirala, temples, tenets, thematic, transition, unaware, Unified Marxist Leninist, Unified Marxist Leninist 103, United Christians Alliance of Nepal, United Communist Party of Nepal, violated | Leave a comment
Convert from Islam Escapes Egypt with Daughter
After painful effort to change ID card, Christians flee – to similar fate.
CAIRO, Egypt, March 21 (CDN) — When the plane carrying Maher El-Gohary and his daughter, Dina Mo'otahssem, took off from Cairo International Airport last month, they both wept with joy. After spending two-and-a-half years in hiding for leaving Islam to become Christians, they were elated by their newfound freedom.
They also felt secure that once they arrived in Syria, they would quickly obtain visas to the United States and start a new life. That hope soon proved unfounded.
After spending more than a week and a half unable to obtain a visa to the United States or to any country in Europe, they realized they may have traded in the reality of being prisoners in their own country for being refugees in another. And as El-Gohary watches the weeks pass and his resources dwindle, he said the stress is almost unbearable.
"I feel like we've stepped out of a prison cell and into a fire," he said. "We are in very, very bad conditions … My daughter and I divide the bottles of water to live, because there is no income."
Maher Ahmad El-Mo'otahssem Bellah El-Gohary, 58, gained notoriety in Egypt after he sued the government in August 2008 to gain the right to change the religion listed on his state-issued ID card from Islam to Christianity. In Egypt, ID cards play a critical role in a person's life, being used for everything from opening a bank account and renting an apartment to receiving medical care.
The listed religious affiliation, whether a card-holder subscribes to it or not, also determines whether the person is subject to Islamic civil law. The listed religious designation determines what state-mandated religion classes minors are required to take in school. El-Gohary said he filed the suit so his daughter, then 15, could opt out of the religious classes and would not be subject to the persecution he suffered when he became a Christian in his 20s.
It is a crime punishable by imprisonment to have no ID card in Egypt.
The suit sparked outrage throughout Egypt. Both El-Gohary and his daughter were publicly branded apostates in a country where 84 percent of Muslims think those who leave Islam should be executed, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center in December. The same month the suit was filed in 2008, El-Gohary and his daughter were forced into hiding.
For two-and-a-half years, El-Gohary shifted back and forth among several apartments in Cairo and Alexandria, usually once every month. Even in hiding, the two were harassed regularly by Egypt's dreaded State Security Intelligence service (SSI) and assaulted repeatedly by others, including someone pouring acid on Dina, El-Gohary said.
While in hiding, El-Gohary tried repeatedly to leave Egypt, but officials at the Ministry of the Interior blocked him at every attempt. On at least one occasion, they seized his passport. In December 2010, after a long legal battle, El-Gohary got a court decision ordering the Ministry of the Interior to allow him to travel, but he said it still took several weeks for the government to comply with the order; the Jan. 25-Feb. 11 revolution didn't hurt, El-Gohary said.
Out of Egypt
After the national demonstrations that led to the removal of both President Hosni Mubarak and Minister of Interior Habib Al-Adly, El-Gohary and his daughter went to Cairo International Airport on Feb. 22 to leave the county. They came prepared with their newly issued passports, the court order and myriad documents to prove they had the right to leave the country. Even so, authorities took the two aside for interrogation at the airport.
"My daughter and I went to the counter of the airport to the manager, then they took us to the SSI," El-Gohary said. "We spent an hour talking to an officer trying to tell him, 'We spent ages during Habib Al-Adly's time, and even now after the revolution, we don't have the right to leave?'"
According to El-Gohary, the guard asked him if he really wanted to leave the country.
"Yes," El-Gohary replied. "I have a court order against Al-Adly, and I have the right to leave and the freedom to travel outside the country." As if to add insult to more than two years of injury, the SSI officers told El-Gohary that Egypt was "their country" and to "come back anytime you want to."
El-Gohary credits the revolution as the reason he was allowed to leave Egypt, saying it was a miracle "from God."
They chose to go to Syria because Egyptian citizens are not required to have visas to visit there. After contact with a U.S. organization that concentrates on religious freedom, El-Gohary expected it would be easy to get a visa to the United States, where his wife lives. But he said he has been unable to obtain an entry visa there or to any country where he will feel safe. He went to a U.N. office in Syria seeking assistance; he was given an appointment to come back on April 20.
"I wasn't expecting, after all this suffering and all these years, that…" El-Gohary said, cutting himself off. "The series of persecution is not finished."
Although they don't live under the same type of threats as they did in Egypt, El-Gohary and Dina now live in an apartment where they still watch everything they say and everyone with whom they talk. They still spend much of their time trapped between the four walls of their apartment because Syria, El-Gohary said, is a country where converts to Christianity from Islam are persecuted.
"The danger is still there," El-Gohary said. "We don't get out of the house. We don't meet people. We don't tell people what we are doing or talk to them about our situation. Because we don't want someone to say, 'Why are you applying to the U.N.?' There are still a lot of enemies."
Dina, now 17, said that although leaving Egypt was "like a miracle," she is devastated by the prospect of having to spend more time with her life on hold. She said she is just as scared in Syria as she was in Egypt.
"We're really, really tired of all this suffering," she said. "I've lost two years of my life. I want to finish school."
Muslim converts to Christianity in Syria were sometimes forced to leave their place of residence due to societal pressure last year, according to the U.S. Department of State's 2010 International Religious Freedom Report. While there is no official state religion in Syria, the constitution requires that the president be Muslim and stipulates that Islamic law is a principal source of legislation.
With strict monitoring and curtailing of militant Islam, the government in Syria has long been considered a moderate regime. The government's fear of violent responses by Islamic extremists to increasing conversions to Christianity, however, was at least partially responsible for the closing of six buildings where Christians were meeting last year, according to Christian support organization Open Doors. Noting that several Christians were arrested and interrogated in 2010, the organization's World Watch List bumped Syria's ranking up to 38th place among nations in which persecution of Christians takes place, from position 41 the previous year.
Syria is 90 percent Muslim, and 6.34 percent of its 22.5 million population is Christian, according to Operation World.
Though El-Gohary and his daughter have a dark outlook on their current situation, they are still grateful.
"Without God's love, we would have been dead by now," El-Gohary said. "Getting out of Egypt itself was a victory from God."
Dina said she also is thankful, but that as she gets older she is becoming increasingly preoccupied by one wish.
"I want to get out so I can finish my studies," she said. "I want to go into a church and out of a church without being scared of being killed."
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Vietnam Grants Last-Minute Permit for Christmas Event
Officials present several obstacles to large-scale worship service.
HO CHI MINH CITY, December 29 (CDN) — Granted permission only five hours before a scheduled Christmas event, house church leaders turned an empty field into a rudimentary stadium and welcomed some 20,000 people for a time of worship and evangelism on Sunday (Dec. 26) in Vietnam's largest city.
The last-minute permission for the event in Ho Chi Minh City reflected the byzantine manner in which authorities have applied Vietnam's religions laws. The central government's Bureau of Religious Affairs (BRA) in Hanoi, the body charged with managing religion in communist Vietnam, gave permission for the event to the newly registered Vietnam Assemblies of God (AOG) organization in early December. The Vietnam AOG represents a large grouping of mostly unregistered house churches in the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship (VEF).
Organizers were grateful for the early permission this year – last year they received only 42 hours notice for an event that 40,000 people attended – but when the AOG superintendent, Pastor Duong Thanh Lam, and other VEF leaders began working out particulars with the Ho Chi Minh City BRA, they met with considerable resistance. After the Ho Chi Minh City BRA finally consented, church leaders said, the organizers found that landlords with potential venues, clearly under pressure, refused to rent them space.
The stand-off lasted until Christmas Day. Meantime, based on the permission from Hanoi, organizers sent invitations to many thousands of Christians in the city and surrounding provinces, and Christians were preparing to come with friends and neighbors to the event, sources said. Some 300 buses, each carrying 60 to 70 passengers, were to bring people from the provinces, they said.
By 11 a.m. on Christmas Day, in spite of official promises, the required permission papers had not yet been granted, church leaders said. Organizers debated whether to push ahead or call off the event – wondering whether communicating word of a cancellation was even possible at that point. Finally at 5 p.m., in an emergency meeting with the city's ruling People's Committee, they got a verbal go-ahead and a promise of a written permit.
They said this meant they had only 24 hours to build a perimeter around the field, bring in electricity and water, prepare sanitary facilities, set up chairs, erect a stage, and install the sound and lighting systems.
But the next morning – the Sunday of the planned event – authorities informed organizers that the permission was not for their program but only to provide a place where the buses and people could come so organizers could explain, apologize and send them home, sources said. Organizers said it was another in a series of deeply discouraging betrayals, but that many Christians in Vietnam and worldwide were praying fervently.
Just before noon, a church leader went to the BRA office in a last-ditch attempt to get written permission. He urged officials to think through the possible consequences of many thousands of people arriving in the city for a much anticipated event and finding nothing. Finally at 1 p.m., just five hours before the event was scheduled to start, the BRA issued written permission for a gathering of 5,000 people.
Permission at last in hand, organizers called and text-messaged the many people standing by to help set up to come to the venue in district 12. Sources said they came quickly, like a small army, encountering huge cement culverts and pilings on roads as they approached the venue. These had to be manually removed to allow buses and trucks to enter.
Too late now to set up properly, they said, they did only what was absolutely necessary. They brought in 14,000 chairs on flatbed trucks, and one of the trucks served as the stage. As a backdrop they had time only to put up a large red cross with a white border that, when lit, sources said, stood starkly and powerfully against the night sky.
Crews and volunteers worked feverishly erecting towers and installing sound and lighting systems. Christmas worshippers began arriving in large numbers at 5 p.m., even though people reported authorities had prevented a significant number of buses from embarking on their journey, and that others were intercepted and forced to turn around.
The program began only 30 minutes later than the announced start time of 6 p.m., which organizers regarded as a miracle, and people continued to pour into the venue until well after 7 p.m. while worship music was underway. Those attending enthusiastically participated in loud and joyful praise, and sources cited as especially moving a local choir of hundreds singing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty."
As they did last year, the Jackson family of six from the United States sang at the rally. The state-controlled media had earlier given ample coverage to the unique sight of the Christian group giving away their CDs in a busy downtown area.
Pastor Ho Tan Khoa was well into his evangelistic message when the lights went out, although sources said that, miraculously, the sound system was not affected. Thousands of people in the crowd opened their cell phones, lighting the darkness with their digital candles. The failure – or cutting – of the electricity did affect the live video broadcast on www.hoithanh.com , but within about 15 minutes power was restored.
After a song and prayer for healing, Pastor Pham Dinh Nhan asked those who wanted to follow Christ to come forward. Hundreds streamed up, and sources said those who arrived first rushed onto the flatbed truck serving as a stage and clung to the large cross. Organizers estimated 2,000 people indicated a first-time decision to follow Christ.
In a fitting closing song, the Jackson family sang both in Vietnamese and English, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Pastor Duong Thanh Lam then graciously thanked the relevant government departments for "recognizing our need to worship" and for "creating the conditions for this event to happen."
Those who follow religion in Vietnam were puzzled that the government went to such lengths to hinder the gathering. They cited the government lock-out of a scheduled Christmas celebration in Hanoi on Dec. 19 as an example of interference that will also long be remembered (see http://www.compassdirect.org, "Vietnam Authorities Move to Stop Protestant Christmas Events," Dec. 20).
"It seems Vietnam squandered an excellent public relations opportunity at a time when there are renewed efforts in the U.S. Congress to put Vietnam back on the religious liberty blacklist," said one long-time observer.
Some Vietnamese church leaders and international observers have said they believe officials have clamped down on Christmas celebrations this year because they were alarmed at the size of last year's Christmas events.
One church leader told Compass of Directive No. 75 of the Ministry of Interior, an Oct. 15 order that presumably forbids such gatherings. Though no church leader has been shown the directive, an official considered to be sympathetic to Christians told a pastor that the directive orders strict adherence to the Decree on Religion 22. This 2005 decree, the main law governing religion, forbids Christians in unregistered groups from any public gatherings, restricting their religious activity to
single family worship in their household.
In practice, sources said, many house churches have experienced considerably more freedom than that. Last year many unregistered groups were allowed, though reluctantly, to hold large public Christmas gatherings in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The unregistered house churches are becoming increasingly frustrated. Most have tried to register their congregations according to existing laws but have either been refused or ignored. The freedoms that members of registered churches enjoy are not available for unregistered Christians, sources said, and unregistered Christians are unable to register.
Many speculate that concern over security in the run-up to the January 2011 Party Congress, held every five years, is one reason for the government's approach. Whatever the reason, all concerned church leaders agreed that the efforts to stop the large Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Christmas events this year were ordered from the top level of government. No leaders said they believe the obstacles resulted merely from disagreements and delays among government departments, as it was sometimes made
to appear.
A number of other events held in public venues by the registered Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) and the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) went ahead peacefully. The largest one in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 17 attracted an estimated 9,000 people, with about 1,000 indicating a desire to follow Christ.
In some places, unregistered house church organizations held small Christmas events without difficulty. According to one count, at least 6,000 people throughout Vietnam indicated a first-time decision to follow Christ in this year's Christmas events.
Posted in Assemblies of God, Christianity, Communism, Vietnam	| Tagged ampty, AoG, Assemblies of God, BRA, broadcast, Bureau of Religious Affairs, central, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, Christmas, Christmas Day, churches, city, Communism, communist, communists, cut, Duong Thanh Lam, electricity, Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North), Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South), evangelism, evangelistic, event, field, government, granted, grants, Hanoi, healing, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Tan Khoa, house church, large-scale, largest, last-minute, laws, leaders, live, managing, message, newly, obstacles, officials, Pastor, People's Committee, permission, permit, power, prayer, present, registered, religion, religions, rudimentary, scheduled, service, song, stadium, superintendent, unregistered, USA, VEF, video, Vietnam, Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship, worship | Leave a comment
Church Building in Israel Set Ablaze
Unidentified arsonist guts bottom floors of Jerusalem ministry center.
ISTANBUL, November 4 (CDN) — An unidentified arsonist in Israel set fire to a Jerusalem church building that has long been a focal point for anti-Christian sentiment in a Jewish ultra-Orthodox-leaning neighborhood, church officials said.
On Friday (Oct. 29) shortly before 1 a.m., someone broke the basement windows of the Jerusalem Alliance Church Ministry Center and set fire to its bottom floors. An area resident noticed the fire and called the fire department, which arrived 20 minutes later and found the church basement engulfed in flames.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, ventilated the smoke and left after inspecting the rest of the building, said Jack Sara, senior pastor of the church.
Smoke and the noise of the blaze had awakened 10 volunteer workers who were sleeping at the church's overnight facilities. The volunteers, who were visiting Israel from the United States and Denmark, went to a nearby hospital and were treated for smoke inhalation; they were released several hours later, church leaders said.
The church building sustained approximately $85,000 of smoke and fire damage. The fire largely gutted the basement and destroyed recent renovations.
Sara said he had difficulty understanding how the arsonist could have carried so much hate; whoever set the fire had to know people were inside the church, he said.
"He not only intended to burn a room but to kill people," Sara said. "Whoever did it intended to kill people."
According to Sara, fire investigators initially said the fire was accidental. Then they shifted and said the fire was arson, only to change back again to their original claim that it was accidental.
Although the Israeli press reported that investigators had not formally announced their findings, Sara said investigators told him the fire was "very suspicious." Contrary to some reports, he insisted that there were no candles lit in the basement when the fire broke out.
Sara said his church, which hosts several congregational groups including expatriates and both Arab Christians and Messianic Jews, routinely receives threats. Referring to Orthodox Jews, militant Palestinians and even some Orthodox Christian communities, Sara said he receives hatred "from all sides."
It is not unheard of for ultra-Orthodox extremists to burn churches or Bibles in Israel. Not far from the ministry center is the Narkiss Street Baptist Church. In 2007, the church was damaged in a fire believed to be set by ultra-Orthodox Jews. The church building had been rebuilt on the site of a church facility destroyed 25 years prior by anti-Christian groups.
Other recent anti-Christian attacks in Israel have included the bombing of a Messianic Jewish pastor's home that left his teenage son clinging to life, the disruption of religious services by mobs of protestors and assaults on members of groups deemed "missionaries" by far-right, Orthodox Jews.
The Alliance Church building was constructed roughly 100 years ago. Palestine Bible College was founded at the building.
In 1948, after Zionist leaders declared the establishment of the State of Israel, the church opened other buildings in the Old City of Jerusalem to serve Arab Christians hampered from attending religious services by newly established political realities. Since 1967, Sara said, the building has been used for many purposes.
Sara said his church will host a prayer meeting on Saturday (Nov. 6) to ask for protection of the congregation and for a blessing on its enemies.
In a statement provided to the press, Sara said he wanted the church building to be "a beacon of light reflecting God's love to all people."
"We will continue to serve the Holy Land residents from this place, proclaiming peace and justice for all human beings, declaring God's love for all of our neighbors, friends and enemies," he said.
Posted in Baptist, Christianity, Denmark, Islam, Israel, Jews, Orthodox, Palestine, USA	| Tagged 1948, 1967, 2007, ablaze, accidental, anti-Christian, Arab, arson, arsonist, assaults, attacks, attending, basement, beacon, Bibles, blessing, bombing, bottom, building, buildings, burn, center, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, churches, clinging, communities, congregation, constructed, damaged, declared, deemed, Denmark, destroyed, enemies, established, establishment, facility, far-right, fire, floors, focal, founded, friends, God, groups, guts, hampered, hate, home, host, inside, investigators, Islam, Israel, Israeli, Jack Sara, Jerusalem, Jerusalem Alliance Church Ministry Center, Jew, Jewish, Jews, kill, leaders, leaning, life, light, love, members, Messianic, militant, ministry, missionaries, mobs, Muslim, muslims, Narkiss Street Baptist Church, neighborhood, newly, officials, Old City, opened, Orthodox, Palestine Bible College, Palestinians, Pastor, people, Persecution, point, political, prayer meeting, protection, protestors, purposes, realities, rebuilt, reflecting, religious, senior pastor, sentiment, serve, services, son, state, teenage, threats, ultra-orthodox, unidentified, USA, visiting, volunteers, windows, Zionist | Leave a comment
Threat of Return to Hindu State in Nepal Looms
With deadline for new constitution approaching, Christians fear end of secular government.
KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 30 (CDN) — Four years after Nepal became officially secular, fear is growing that the country could revert to the Hindu state it was till 2006, when proclaiming Christ was a punishable offense and many churches functioned clandestinely to avoid being shut down.
Concerns were heightened after Nepal's deposed King Gyanendra Shah, once regarded as a Hindu god, broke the silence he has observed since Nepal abolished monarchy in 2008. During his visit to a Hindu festival this month, the former king said that monarchy was not dead and could make a comeback if people so desired.
Soon after that, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, a former prime minister and respected leader of the largest ruling party, said that instead of getting a new constitution, Nepal should revive an earlier one. The 1990 constitution declared Nepal a Hindu kingdom with a constitutional monarch.
There is now growing doubt that the ruling parties will not be able to fashion the new constitution they promised by May.
"We feel betrayed," said Dr. K.B. Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Nepal. "The Constituent Assembly we elected to give us a new constitution that would strengthen democracy and secularism has frittered away the time and opportunity given to it."
The clamor for a Hindu state has been growing as the May 28 deadline for the new constitution draws near. When a Hindu preacher, Kalidas Dahal, held a nine-day prayer ritual in Kathmandu this month seeking reinstatement of Hinduism as the state religion, thousands of people flocked to him. The throng included three former prime ministers and top leaders of the ruling parties.
"The large turnout signals that Hinduism is enshrined in the hearts of the people and can't be abolished by the government," said Hridayesh Tripathi, a former minister and Constituent Assembly member whose Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party is the fifth-largest in the ruling alliance. "It was a mistake to abolish Hinduism in a hurry."
Another blow for a Hindu state was struck by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N), the only party that fought the 2008 election in support of monarchy and a Hindu state. It is now calling for a referendum. As a pressure tactic, it paralyzed the capital and its two neighboring cities in February by calling a general strike.
"The election gave the Constituent Assembly the mandate of writing a new constitution, not deciding issues of national importance," said Kamal Thapa, the RPP-N chief who also was home minister during the brief government headed by Gyanendra. "Most people in Nepal want a Hindu state and a constitutional king. If their demand is not heeded, they will feel excluded and refuse to follow the new constitution. We are asking the government to hold a referendum on the two issues before May 28."
With only two months left, it is clear the demand can't be met if the constitution is to come into effect within the stipulated time. Now the specter of anarchy and violence hangs over Nepal.
Nepal's Maoists, who fought a 10-year war to make Nepal a secular republic and who remain the former king's most bitter enemy, say attempts have begun to whip up riots in the name of a Hindu state. The former guerrillas also allege that the campaign for the restoration of Hinduism as the state religion is backed by ministers, politicians from the ruling parties and militant religious groups from India.
Effectively Hindu
Even if a new, secular constitution is approved by the deadline, there is still no guarantee that the rights of religious minorities would be protected.
Nilambar Acharya, who heads the committee that is drafting the new constitution, said it would be merely a broad guideline for the government; compatible laws would have to be drafted to protect rights.
"The previous constitution abolished 'untouchability' [a practice among Hindus of treating those at the bottom of the social ladder as outcasts]," Acharya told Compass. "But untouchability still exists in Nepal. To achieve all that the constitution promises, the mindset of society has to be changed first. For that, you need political will."
Though Nepal became secular in 2006, Hinduism still gets preferential treatment. The state allocates funds for institutions like the Kumari, the tradition of choosing prepubescent girls as protective deities of the state and worshipping them as "living goddesses." The state also gave money to organizers of a controversial, five-yearly religious festival, the Gadhimai Fair, where tens of thousands of birds are slaughtered as offerings to Hindu gods despite international condemnation.
There is no support, predictably, for Christian festivals. When the Constituent Assembly was formed – partly though election and partly by nomination – no Christian name was proposed even though the prime minister was authorized to nominate members from unrepresented communities.
Christian leaders want such religious bias abolished. Rokaya of the National Council of Churches of Nepal said Christians have recommended full freedom of religion in the new constitution: allowing one to follow the religion of one's choice, to change one's religion if desired or have the right not to be associated with any religion.
The churches have also asked the state not to interfere in religious matters.
"We are asking the government not to fund any religious activity, not to be part of any religious appointments and not to allow public land for any religious event," Rokaya said.
The recommendations, however, may not be heeded. During their brief stint in power, the Maoists tried to stop state assistance for the Kumari. It led to violence and a general strike in the capital, forcing the party to withdraw the decision.
In its 2009 report on religious freedom in Nepal, the U.S. Department of State notes that while the interim constitution officially declared the country secular, "the president, in his capacity as head of state, attended major Hindu religious ceremonies over which the king previously presided."
It also notes that there were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice.
"Those who converted to a different religious group occasionally faced violence and were ostracized socially," it states. "Those who chose to convert to other religious groups, in particular Hindu citizens who converted to Islam or Christianity, were sometimes ostracized. They occasionally faced isolated incidents of hostility or discrimination from Hindu extremist groups. Some reportedly were forced to leave their villages."
Dr. Ramesh Khatri, executive director of Association for Theological Education in Nepal, has experienced such persecution first-hand. When he became a Christian in 1972, his father disowned him. Then in 1984 he was arrested for holding a Bible camp. Though the case against him was dropped in 1990 after a pro-democracy movement, Khatri said hatred of Christians still persists.
"Christians can never sleep peacefully at night," he said wryly. "The new constitution will make Nepal another India, where Christians are persecuted in Orissa, Gujarat and Karnataka." The Oxford University-educated Khatri, who writes a column in a Nepali daily, said violent responses to his articles show how Nepal still regards its Christians.
"I am attacked as a 'Rice Christian,'" he said. "It is a derogatory term implying I converted for material benefits. The antagonistic feeling society has towards Christians will not subside with the new constitution, and we can't expect an easy life. The Bible says that, and the Bible is true."
Christians continue to face persecution and harassment. In March, missions resource organization Timeless Impact International (TII) noted that a church in northern Nepal, near the foothills of Mt. Everest, was attacked by a local mob.
The newly established church in Dolakha district was attacked during a fellowship meeting in January. An ethnic mob headed by religious leaders destroyed the church meeting place, assaulted participants and warned them not to speak about Christianity in the village, TII said.
The situation, even now, remained unchanged.
"None of the church members have been able to return to their homes," TII stated. "They feel completely unsafe and at risk."
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Pakistani Christian Beaten for Refusing to Convert to Islam
Brothers converted by Muslim cleric who raised them leave him for dead.
KALLUR KOT, Pakistan, February 22 (CDN) — The four older Muslim brothers of a 26-year-old Christian beat him unconscious here earlier this month because he refused their enticements to convert to Islam, the victim told Compass.
Riaz Masih, whose Christian parents died when he was a boy, said his continual refusal to convert infuriated his siblings and the Muslim cleric who raised them, Moulvi Peer Akram-Ullah. On Feb. 8, he said, his brothers ransacked his house in this Punjab Province town 233 kilometers (145 miles) southwest of Islamabad.
"They threatened that it was the breaking point now, and that I must convert right now or face death," Masih said. "They said killing an infidel is not a sin, instead it's righteousness in the sight of Allah almighty."
Masih begged them to give him a few minutes to consider converting and then tried to escape, but they grabbed him and beat him with bamboo clubs, leaving him for dead, he said.
"They vented their fury and left me, thinking that I was dead, but God Almighty resuscitated me to impart His good news of life," he said.
Masih told Compass that his brothers and Akram-Ullah have been trying to coerce him to convert to Islam since his brothers converted.
"They had been coercing me to embrace Islam since the time of their recantation of Christianity," Masih said, "but for the last one month they began to escalate immense pressure on me to convert."
He grew up with no chance to attend church services because of his siblings' conversion to Islam, he said, adding that in any event there was no church where he grew up. He knew two Christian families, however, and he said his love for the Christian faith in which he was originally raised grew as he persistently refused to convert to Islam.
He said Akram-Ullah and his brothers offered him 1 million rupees (US$11,790), a spacious residence and a woman of his choice to marry in order to lure him to Islam, but he declined.
The Muslim cleric had converted Masih's brothers and sisters in like manner, according to human rights organization Rays of Development (ROD), which has provided financial, medical and moral support to Masih. ROD began assisting Masih after a chapter of the Christian Welfare Organization (CWO) brought the injured Christian to ROD.
A spokesman for CWO who requested anonymity told Compass that Akram-Ullah had offered Masih's brothers and sister a large plot of residential land, as well as 500,000 rupees (US$5,895) each, if they would recite the kalimah, the profession of faith for converting to Islam.
"He never accepted the Islamic cleric's invitation to Islam, although his newly converted Muslim sister and four elder brothers escalated pressure on him to convert, as well, and live with them as a joint family," the CWO spokesman said.
Adnan Saeed, an executive member of ROD, told Compass that when Masih's parents, carpenter George Albert and his wife Stella Albert, passed away, Masih and his siblings were tenants of Akram-Ullah, who cared for them and inculcated them with Islamic ideology.
Saeed said that when they converted, Masih's now 37-year-old sister, Kathryn Albert, adopted the Islamic name of Aysha Bibi; Masih's brothers – Alliyas Masih, 35, Yaqoub Masih, 33, Nasir Masih, 31, and Gullfam Masih, 28 – adopted their new Islamic names of Muhammad Alliyas, Abdullah, Nasir Saeed and Gullfam Hassan respectively.
Masih's family attempted to kill him, Saeed said. A ROD team visited Masih at an undisclosed location and, besides the support they have given him, they are searching for a way to provide him legal assistance as well, Saeed said.
Masih said that because of Islamist hostilities, it would be unsafe for him to go to a police station or even a hospital for treatment. A well-to-do Christian has given shelter to him at an undisclosed location.
In hiding, Masih said that his brothers and Akram-Ullah are still hunting for him.
"Since they have discovered that I was alive and hiding somewhere, they are on the hunt for me," he said. "And if they found me, they would surely kill me."
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Somali Christian Flees Refugee Camp Under Death Threat
Flood of refugees to camp in Kenya brings Muslims hostile to his family.
NAIROBI, Kenya, December 9 (CDN) — Somali Christian Mohamud Muridi Saidi last month fled a refugee camp near Kenya's border with Sudan after Muslims threatened to kill him.
For Saidi, a father of four, the recent relocation of 13,000 refugees from the Dadaab refugee camp near the Somali border to the Kakuma camp, where he had lived since 2002, brought its own nightmare: the arrival of Muslims from Somalia's Lower Juba region who knew of his father's Christian activities in his home village.
After Somalis four times threw stones at Saidi's iron sheet home in the Kakuma refugee camp – once in mid-October, and again on Nov. 17, 21 and 22 – word spread that they intended to kill him. Case workers for a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) service group confirmed the death threat.
"I know the attackers are the Muslims who forced us to leave Somalia in 2002," Saidi told Compass in Nairobi, adding that he was unable to bring his family with him when he fled on Nov. 23. "They are not safe, and that is why we should be out of Kakuma as soon as possible."
Saidi has reported the attacks to the LWF service group as well as to police in Kakuma. Case workers for the LWF service group confirmed that the stoning of his home had escalated to the threat of him being assassinated.
"Saidi has security-related issues fueled by the new refugees from Dadaab," said one LWF service group worker, who requested anonymity for security reasons, last month. "I did some investigation and found out that Saidi's life is threatened."
On one of the occasions in which his house was stoned as his family slept, Saidi turned on a flashlight and neighbors rose up, scaring off the assailants.
He and his family had enjoyed some tranquility since fleeing raging conflict in Somalia, but that ceased with the transference of the Somali Muslims from Dadaab refugee camp to Kakuma in August. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees relocated the refugees to ease congestion in the crowded Dadaab camps of Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley, where close to 300,000 Somalis had arrived to sites designed to house only 90,000 refugees.
The influx of those refugees from the Dadaab camp more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away came with the quickly spreading word that Saidi and his family must be Christian, since his father was a well-known Christian while living in Somalia. A Somali Bantu from Marere, Lower Juba, Saidi's family left Marere in 2002 after strict Muslims sought to kill them when they found out they were followers of Christ.
Saidi's late father had coordinated activities for a Christian charity in Lower Juba. Since the death of his father in 2005, Saidi has been working as a translator for a Non-Governmental Organization. As a translator, he became known to the newly arrived Somalis from Dadaab.
Because of the dangers, Saidi has been forced to abandon his job for fear of exposing himself to other Muslims who might know of his father. He is the sole supporter for his family, including his 55-year-old mother, wife and four children.
"It is not safe for us to continue living in Kakuma – we have to move away, possibly to Nairobi," Saidi said.
As a stop-gap measure, Saidi said he hopes to work as a freelance translator, for which he would need a computer, printer, photocopying machine and laminator.
"This would be a temporary measure – asylum for my family would be a permanent solution," he said.
Despite the relocation of the refugees from Dadaab, overcrowding has not eased due an influx of newly displaced people fleeing fighting in southern Somalia. Earlier this month, radical Islamic al Shabaab militia recaptured three key towns, including the key town of Dobhley, in Lower Juba province along Somalia's border with Kenya. They retook control from the more moderate Isbul-Islam militants as they each try to overthrow the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government of president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed in Mogadishu.
Posted in Al Qaeda, al Shabaab, Christianity, Islam, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, United Nations	| Tagged 2002, 2005, ;province, abandon, activities, al Shabaab, anonymity, arrival, arrived, assailants, assassinated, asylum, attackers, backed, Bantu, border, brought, camp, case, ceased, charity, children, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, confirmed, conflict, congestion, continue, control, coordinated, crowded, Dadaab, Dagahaley, dangers, death, designed, Dobhley, ease, enjoyed, escalated, exposing, family, Father, fear, fighting, flashlight, fled, fleeing, flees, flood, followers, forced, found, fueled, group, Hagadera, High Commissioner for Refugees, home, hostile, Ifo, influx, intended, investigation, iron, Isbul-Islam, Islam, Islamic, issues, job, Kakuma, Kenya, kill, knew, late, leave, lived, living, Lower juba, Lutheran World Federation, LWF, Marere, measure, militants, militia, moderate, Mogadishu, Mohamud Muridi Saidi, mother, Muslim, muslims, Nairobi, neighbors, new, newly, nightmare, non-governmental, occasions, organization, overcrowded, overthrow, permanent, Persecution, possible, President, radical, raging, reasons, recaptured, recent, refugee, refugees, region, related, relocated, relocation, requested, retook, safe, scaring, security, service, sheet, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, sites, slept, sole, solution, Somali, Somalia, southern, spread, spreading, stones, stoning, stop-gap, strict, Sudan, supporter, threat, threatened, threw, town, towns, tranquility, transference, Transitional Federal Government, translator, UN, United Nations, village, western, wife, Word, worker, workers, working | Leave a comment


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Amazon Prime Video Launches First Mobile-only Plan in India to Take on Netflix | Details Here
Amazon's introduction of the mobile-only plans in India is a global first as it competes with other s players such as Netflix, Disney+Hotstar and Zee5, among others.
Published: January 13, 2021 5:24 PM IST
New Delhi: With the battle for eyeballs intensifying, Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday announced its first mobile-only plan in the world, starting with India. The move from Amazon comes more than a year after its rival Netflix launched its mobile plan priced at Rs 199 a month in India. Also Read - Tandav Controversy: Netizens Trend #BoycottTandav #BoycottBollywood For Allegedly Mocking Hindu Gods
Launched in collaboration with Bharti Airtel, the Amazon plan will only be available to pre-paid Airtel users in multiple forms – a 30-day free trial which may be followed by a 28-day plan priced at Rs 89 for Prime Video content along with 6GB data. Traditional Amazon Prime membership was available for Rs 129 a month or Rs 999 per year. Also Read - Dhamaka: Kartik Aaryan Starrer To Premiere on Netflix? Here's What We Know So Far!
Amazon's introduction of the mobile-only plans in India is a global first as it competes with other s players such as Netflix, Disney+Hotstar and Zee5, among others. Also Read - Tandav Twitter Review: Saif Ali Khan Starrer Leaves Audience Divided - True Political Drama or Hinduphobia?
"India is one of our fastest-growing markets globally with very high engagement rates. Buoyed by this response, we want to double-down on our efforts and reach out to an even larger audience. Powered by affordable data, smartphones have become the preferred screen for entertainment in India," Amazon Prime Video India Director and Country General Manager Gaurav Gandhi told a news daily.
As per updates, the Prime Video Mobile Edition of Amazon is a single-user mobile-only plan which provides SD (standard definition) quality streaming to customers.
Part of the Prime Video Mobile Edition launch in India, all Airtel customers on bundled prepaid packs can avail a 30-day free trial by signing up to Amazon from the Airtel Thanks app using their mobile number.
However, they can after the 30 days free trial access Prime Video Mobile Edition through prepaid recharges starting at Rs 89 for 28-day access to the service along with 6GB data. Moreover, Amazon.in can recharge with a 30-day Amazon Prime membership at Rs 131 or recharge with a Rs 349 pack of 28-day validity.
The recharges will be available on the Airtel Thanks app and over a million recharge points across the country.
Amazon Prime Video will continue to be available as part of Amazon's Prime offering that is available for Rs 999 annually or Rs 129 a month.
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Published Date: January 13, 2021 5:24 PM IST

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
HULU vs. Sling
By Ester
In a Future of Streaming Television, How Do Hulu and Sling Compare?
There's no question that cable TV is dying as millions of viewers make the jump to streaming. These days, you can watch your favorite shows on almost any device, meaning you never have to miss out because you're on the move. Netflix may have been the first service to make waves, but today there are dozens of options to choose from. The question is: which service should you pick to "cut-the-cord" and replace your current setup? Today, we're going to take a look at both Hulu and Sling to help you find the best modern TV streaming solution based on your needs.
Channel Offering
First, it's important to recognize that Hulu offers both a video-on-demand (VOD) service, like Netflix, as well as their Live TV package. Sling, on the other hand, is solely a live TV service. Both Hulu and Sling provide access to dozens of your favorite channels, like ESPN and NMCSN for sports, ABC, Fox, CNN and MSNBC for news, and MTV, FX, The History Channel, and National Geographic for entertainment. Ultimately, both companies are able to serve as comprehensive replacements for your current cable setup.
You can stream these channels live anytime, anywhere, on almost any device as long as you have a stable internet connection. However, it's worth pointing out that both services structure their packages differently – Hulu's Live TV is one price for 60+ channels, but you'll need to pay separate subscriptions for premium channels like HBO. Sling's model is focused on customization, which means you have more flexibility over what channels you have and what you pay and are less likely to waste money on channels you don't need. If you're a TV fanatic though, you can't forget Hulu's VOD service that comes as standard, which includes dozens of cult classics such as The Simpsons, ER, Twin Peaks, and Seinfeld. You should also be aware that Disney recently acquired Hulu and launched a separate Disney + streaming service, so future pricing and content may change in the near future.
Original Programing
Original programming is where Sling just can't compete with Hulu, as the former doesn't have any – or at least not yet. Hulu is home to the multi-award-winning The Handmaid's Tale, and acclaimed original content like Catch-22, The Act, Harlots, and Remy. Hulu focus on quality over quantity, but it's guaranteed they'll still release plenty of fantastic shows in the near future.
Flexibility & Price
In terms of flexibility, Sling definitely offers more options. With Hulu, you can pay $5.99 a month (after a free trial month) for their VOD service, or $44.99 a month (with a week free trial) for their VOD and Live TV service. The Live TV package comes with over 60 of the most popular TV channels, but for the likes of HBO you'll need to pay an extra $14.99 a month. Sling offers 3 packages: Orange, Blue, and Orange & Blue. The Orange package and Blue package come with the same core channels, but the former is more news and sport focused, whereas the latter has more entertainment channels – both packages are $25 per month, but the first month is only $15 at the moment. The Orange & Blue package is $40 per month, but only $25 for the first month. If you don't have an internet-connected TV, you can prepay for 2 months of the service and you'll receive your Sling device for free.
So, who should you choose? If you're a massive TV-lover who needs to stay up to date with the best new shows while binging old favorites, Hulu is for you. In terms of value for money it really is unbeatable when you factor in the VOD service and all that groundbreaking original content. However, if you're on a budget and prefer a more stripped-back package, Sling is the best service around to make sure you're only paying for what you need. We suggest browsing both of their websites to work out which channels and shows you can't do without before making your final decision.
Get 50+ Live and On Demand Channels, Plus a Huge Streaming Library! Starting at $39.99/Month!
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text:
from pprint import pprint

from config_loader import try_load_from_file
from hpOneView.exceptions import HPOneViewException
from hpOneView.oneview_client import OneViewClient

config = {
    "ip": "<oneview_ip>",
    "credentials": {
        "userName": "<username>",
        "password": "<password>"
    }
}

# Try load config from a file (if there is a config file)
config = try_load_from_file(config)

oneview_client = OneViewClient(config)

# Define the scope name to add the logical interconnect group to it
scope_name = ""

# Get the interconnect type named 'HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module' and using the uri in the values for the fields
# "permittedInterconnectTypeUri" and create a Logical Interconnect Group.
# Note: If this type does not exist, select another name
interconnect_type = oneview_client.interconnect_types.get_by('name', 'HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module')[0]['uri']

options = {
    "category": None,
    "created": None,
    "description": None,
    "eTag": None,
    "uplinkSets": [],
    "modified": None,
    "name": "OneView Test Logical Interconnect Group",
    "state": "Active",
    "status": None,
    "enclosureType": "C7000",
    "interconnectMapTemplate": {
        "interconnectMapEntryTemplates": [
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": "1",
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": interconnect_type
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": "2",
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": interconnect_type
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 3,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 4,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 5,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 6,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 7,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            },
            {
                "logicalDownlinkUri": None,
                "logicalLocation": {
                    "locationEntries": [
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 8,
                            "type": "Bay"
                        },
                        {
                            "relativeValue": 1,
                            "type": "Enclosure"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "permittedInterconnectTypeUri": None
            }
        ]
    }
}

# Create a logical interconnect group
print("Create a logical interconnect group")
created_lig = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.create(options)
pprint(created_lig)

# Get the first 10 records, sorting by name descending, filtering by name
print("Get the first Logical Interconnect Groups, sorting by name descending, filtering by name")
ligs = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_all(
    0, 10, sort='name:descending', filter="\"'name'='OneView Test Logical Interconnect Group'\"")
pprint(ligs)

# Get Logical Interconnect Group by property
lig = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_by('name', 'OneView Test Logical Interconnect Group')[0]
print("Found lig by name: '%s'.\n  uri = '%s'" % (lig['name'], lig['uri']))

# Update a logical interconnect group
print("Update a logical interconnect group")
lig_to_update = created_lig.copy()
lig_to_update["name"] = "Renamed Logical Interconnect Group"
updated_lig = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.update(lig_to_update)
pprint(updated_lig)

# Get all, with defaults
print("Get all Logical Interconnect Groups")
ligs = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_all()
pprint(ligs)

# Get by Id
try:
    print("Get a Logical Interconnect Group by id")
    lig_byid = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get('f0a0a113-ec97-41b4-83ce-d7c92b900e7c')
    pprint(lig_byid)
except HPOneViewException as e:
    print(e.msg)

# Get by uri
try:
    print("Get a Logical Interconnect Group by uri")
    lig_byuri = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get(created_lig["uri"])
    pprint(lig_byuri)
except HPOneViewException as e:
    print(e.msg)

# Performs a patch operation
scope = oneview_client.scopes.get_by_name(scope_name)
if scope:
    print("\nPatches the logical interconnect group adding one scope to it")
    updated_lig = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.patch(updated_lig['uri'],
                                                                   'replace',
                                                                   '/scopeUris',
                                                                   [scope['uri']])
    pprint(updated_lig)

# Get default settings
print("Get the default interconnect settings for a logical interconnect group")
lig_default_settings = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_default_settings()
pprint(lig_default_settings)

# Get settings
print("Gets the interconnect settings for a logical interconnect group")
lig_settings = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_settings(created_lig["uri"])
pprint(lig_settings)

# Get Logical Interconnect Group by scope_uris
if oneview_client.api_version >= 600:
    lig_by_scope_uris = oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.get_all(scope_uris="\"'/rest/scopes/3bb0c754-fd38-45af-be8a-4d4419de06e9'\"")
    if len(lig_by_scope_uris) > 0:
        print("Found %d Logical Interconnect Groups" % (len(lig_by_scope_uris)))
        i = 0
        while i < len(lig_by_scope_uris):
            print("Found Logical Interconnect Group by scope_uris: '%s'.\n  uri = '%s'" % (lig_by_scope_uris[i]['name'], lig_by_scope_uris[i]['uri']))
            i += 1
        pprint(lig_by_scope_uris)
    else:
        print("No Logical Interconnect Group found.")

# Delete a logical interconnect group
print("Delete the created logical interconnect group")
oneview_client.logical_interconnect_groups.delete(updated_lig)
print("Successfully deleted logical interconnect group")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Dr Zhivago and to plunge into the romantic atmosphere of the city, described by the Russian author, Boris Pasternak. We will stroll through the streets of Moscow where the main events took place: this includes seeing the old house where Lara, Yuri and the lawyer, Komarovskyi lived. You will also feel the spirit of the 1917 Revolution and the hopes of the young generation of the time. During the tour, we can, as an optional, have lunch at the famous " Dr Zhivago" restaurant, with a magnificent view of the Kremlin from there.
10:00 We meet at your hotel and make metro to the history center of Moscow (Red Square area) and start our tour with the area where Lara lived with her mother, Kamergerskyi lane,Tveraskaya street area, Petrovka street.After take metro to Arbat area and have tea break at one of the old houses of Dr.Zhivago era and explore the streets where Yury Zhivago spent his Moscow years.Then we take metro to visit the hospital where Zhivago worked and after find the house of the Boris Pasternak who wrote the novel. At the end of the tour, as an optional, you can have meal at Moscow legendary restaurant "Dr Zhivago"


text:
/**
 * @file
 * @brief System/hardware module for STM32L4 processor
 */

#include <kernel.h>
#include <device.h>
#include <init.h>
#include <soc.h>
#include <arch/cpu.h>
#include <cortex_m/exc.h>

/**
 * @brief This function configures the source of stm32cube time base.
 *        Cube HAL expects a 1ms tick which matches with k_uptime_get_32.
 *        Tick interrupt priority is not used
 * @return HAL status
 */
uint32_t HAL_GetTick(void)
{
	return k_uptime_get_32();
}

/**
 * @brief Perform basic hardware initialization at boot.
 *
 * This needs to be run from the very beginning.
 * So the init priority has to be 0 (zero).
 *
 * @return 0
 */
static int stm32l4_init(struct device *arg)
{
	uint32_t key;

	ARG_UNUSED(arg);

	key = irq_lock();

	_ClearFaults();

	/* Install default handler that simply resets the CPU
	 * if configured in the kernel, NOP otherwise
	 */
	NMI_INIT();

	irq_unlock(key);

	/* Update CMSIS SystemCoreClock variable (HCLK) */
	/* At reset, System core clock is set to 4MHz */
	SystemCoreClock = 4000000;

	return 0;
}

SYS_INIT(stm32l4_init, PRE_KERNEL_1, 0);


text:
Band | Islands | Vinyl
The Band: Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm.
Additional personnel: Larry Packard (violin); Tom Malone, Jim Gordon, John Simon (horns).
Engineers include: Rob Fraboni, Nat Jeffreys, Neil Brody.
Originally released on Capitol. Includes liner notes by Chris Morris.
Digitally remastered by Larry Walsh (August 1990, Capitol Recording Studios).
When The Band announced their retirement from touring, it was with the important addendum that they'd continue to record together. In actuality, the only album that subsequently emerged was ISLANDS, which also served to finish out the band's contract with Capitol Records. At the time of its release in 1977, it was received with some dismay by fans anxious for a repeat of the powerful NORTHERN LIGHTS SOUTHERN CROSS of two years previous. With the passing of time having removed the pressures of those expectations, ISLANDS can be heard as an album that, while fragmented, includes some fine gems. The musicianship throughout is never less than compelling. Richard Manuel's vocal on "Georgia On My Mind" is alone worth the price of admission--he sings it as if the thousand other classic versions never existed.
RSD Release Date: n/a


text:
A taxing quandary: Assessments divide Mamaroneck town, villages
David McKay Wilson
dwilson3@lohud.com
Tax fairness came to Mamaroneck in 2013 when the town completed its long-overdue revaluation of all town properties – 44 years after the town's assessment rolls were last updated.
But that fairness won't totally extend to the town's villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, which have said thanks, but no thanks, to the updated assessments developed by the town. That means Larchmont and Mamaroneck village residents will pay their county, town and school taxes based on the updated assessments, but their village taxes — about 20 percent of their overall bill — will be calculated based on their old assessment.
As it happens, some of the town's most valuable real estate lies in Larchmont, and many of Larchmont's highest-priced houses are the ones whose assessments jumped most dramatically in the town revaluation.
Consider the situation of Paul Curnin, who grew up in Larchmont, the son of former mayor Miriam Curnin. He has prospered as a partner in the Manhattan law firm, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he co-chairs its litigation department. He bought his parents' home at 40 Ocean Ave. five years ago. The village pegs its value at $2.7 million. The town valued it at $4.7 million.
Meanwhile, his Simpson Thacher partner, William Curbow, lives five blocks away in a home at 20 Maple Ave. that the village says is worth $2.4 million. The town doubled its taxable value to $4.8 million.
Curnin did not return phone messages. Curbow declined comment.
Curbow and Curnin will benefit from Larchmont's decision to stick with the old assessments, set in 1968, and brought to what the village considers full market value with an imperfect state formula called the equalization rate. Larchmont homeowners pay about $4,500 in village taxes for each $1 million in full-market value, so Curbow and Curnin will save an estimated $9,000 a year by keeping the old values for village taxes. The taxes they save get picked up by their neighbors in the 1.1-square-mile village.
The law partners are part of a much larger picture analyzed by Tax Watch, which compared the outdated Larchmont assessments to the updated town assessments for about 900 of Larchmont's 1,587 residential parcels. Tax Watch looked at 450 single-family homes valued up to $840,000 and 455 valued at $1.3 million and above. Among the higher-priced group, the revaluation boosted the values of 66 homes by at least $1 million, with nine of those gaining at least $2 million in taxable value.
Twelve of those 66 homes are on Pryer Lane in Larchmont Manor, where mansions line the narrow street in one of Westchester's most exclusive neighborhoods by Long Island Sound. A Larchmont home valued at $2 million in 2013 paid about $42,000 in town, county, school and village property taxes.
And while a $42,000 tax bill would make many people cringe, more than $220 million in taxable value, found by Mamaroneck at Larchmont's priciest homes, has been left on the table by the village board's decision to stick with its old assessments. A Tax Watch analysis shows the taxable value on 370 village homes, now assessed at more than $1.3 million each, rose a total of $223 million under the town's revaluation.
Some of Larchmont's more modest homes — 361 that are valued at less than $840,000 — also gained value in the revaluation, but less dramatically, adding a total of $45 million to the town's assessment roll.
Leonard Verrastro, 67, the retired Mamaroneck village manager, is on the opposite end of the Mamaroneck town-Larchmont village assessment continuum. His home at Kilmer and Boston Post roads was valued by the town at $660,000. His Larchmont value nears $800,000.
He was among about 60 Larchmont residents who grieved their village assessments this year, after learning that Mamaroneck had set their values lower. But several of his neighbors, he said, told him they were unaware of that change and did not seek to lower their village assessment.
Verrastro does not like subsidizing his Larchmont neighbors whose homes remain under-assessed on the village's tax rolls.
"Doing a reval is the most equitable way to make sure that everybody pays their fair share," he said.
Neither Larchmont nor Mamaroneck village plans to bring its assessment roll up to date any time soon, according to Larchmont Mayor Anne McAndrews and Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum.
"Reval is still on the table, but we don't want to do it this year," McAndrews said. "We want to see how it all shakes out."
It will be at least two years before new values could be set for village taxes, Larchmont Assessor Dan Whittemore said.
Adopting the Mamaroneck values, and then bringing them up to 2014 levels, would cost an estimated $125,000 because the town's revaluation vendor would have to do a fresh review of village parcels, Whittemore said. Larchmont taxpayers have already contributed to the $1.1 million cost of the town's initial revaluation.
Mayor McAndrews also awaits rulings in tax-grievances cases brought by 202 Larchmont residents who have argued in state Supreme Court that Mamaroneck raised their values too much.
Among them is Larchmont Village Trustee Peter "Bubba" Fanelli, whose home at 50 Park Ave., which faces the waterfront Manor Park, saw its value soar from $1.4 million to $2.8 million. Fanelli argued in court that his assessment should be reduced because water company trucks park by his home daily, and town employees pile leaves by his house each fall.
"This does not happen to someone that is living in a $2,750,000 home," Fanelli wrote.
When reached by phone, Fanelli said "We are investigating certain revals. I have grieved our town assessment and it is being worked out (in court) in White Plains."
Meanwhile, Fanelli will reap the rewards of his low Larchmont assessment. The town of Mamaroneck may tax him as if his home is worth $2.8 million. But the Larchmont Village Board of Trustees, on which he sits, won't imperil a system that says the same house should be taxed as if it was worth $1.4 million.
@davidmckay415
Fairview Fire Chief Anthony LoGuidice has asked Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner to meet privately with the fire district attorney to discuss Tax Watch's column on the chief's admittedly obscene and anti-Semitic remarks directed at the supervisor.
The Larchmont Village Board meets April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall.