Harold Camping 'Flabbergasted' By Failed Rapture Predictions

Harold Camping resurfaced at his home and said the weekend was “tough” after his prediction of global rapture failed to materialize on Saturday.



“It has been a really tough weekend,” Camping, 89, said in front of his Alameda, Calif., home to The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday afternoon.



“I’m looking for answers,” he said, admitting that he was “flabbergasted.”


The Family Radio president had proclaimed that May 21 (at 6 p.m. in each time zone) would be the start of Judgment day and the rapture. Camping further predicted that as Christians were being gathered up, earthquakes would break out across the world. Then on Oct. 21, he said, the whole world would be destroyed.


After making those brief comments to the Chronicle, Camping said he had nothing else to say and that he would be back to work on Monday, when he will have more to say about his failed end of the world prediction.


This is not the first time that the Christian radio broadcaster has made a wrong Judgment Day prediction. Nearly two decades ago, he predicted that Judgment Day would take place in September 1994.

Some people affected by Camping’s false teachings shared on the website Patheos, an evangelical portal, this weekend how their family relationships have suffered as a result.



One commenter identified as TL posted under the blog post, “A Letter to Harold Camping and Those Who Expected Judgment Day,” that his mother had believed in Camping’s teachings for some 20 years, including his 1994 prediction.


“The faith she gave me as a young child (and my sisters) became the subject of much ridicule,” wrote TL. “This has been so hurtful on so many levels. Today, on May 22, I am strengthened by your words and pray for compassion.”


“Lara” wrote: “As the daughter of a man who completely bought into Harold Camping’s false teachings this is the most comforting thing that I’ve read so far. Our lives have been wrecked for the past 2-3 years. My father apologized to our family today. We are thanking Jesus for the miracle. We have hope that God will use evil for good.”


But people who know Camping personally say he is nice and sincere.


Gabriel Otero, who was fired by Camping as dean of Family Radio School of the Bible after 34 years for wanting to remove organized religion from the nonprofit, said of Camping: “He’s a nice man. A wonderful fellow. Simple, clean as can be and very trustworthy,” according to The Associated Press.


Otero, however, expressed disagreement with his formerboss’s rapture date prediction.



And Charlene Key, who now lives near Houston but has known Camping since the 1950s, said, “He’s extremely sincere in his beliefs, but he’s not one of those Tammy Faye Bakker types,” as reported by AP. She stressed that Camping has never asked her for donations.


“He gives every nickel he collects to charity,” Key said.


Although Camping is being accused of scamming people and being a cult leader, people who know him well say that he is nice, albeit confused about what the Bible says about the end times.






 

Makers of Four Loko Sued After Teen's Deadly Accident

CHICAGO—The Chicago-based maker of the popular party drink Four Loko is being sued by the family of a 15-year-old boy who was hit by a car and killed after his family said he drank two of the alcoholic beverages and became disoriented.



The family of John Donald Rupp III, who was known as Bo, contend in the lawsuit that Phusion Projects was "careless and negligent" for making a caffeinated, alcoholic beverage that "desensitizes users to the symptoms of intoxication and increases the potential for alcohol-related harm."


In November 2010, a few weeks after Rupp's death, Phusion Projects announced it would remove caffeine and other stimulants from its products. The Food and Drug Administration had warned Phusion Projects and three other companies that caffeine was an "unsafe food additive" when combined with alcohol.


The FDA said experts believe caffeine can mask some effects of intoxication and said peer-reviewed studies suggest that drinking beverages containing caffeine and alcohol is associated with risky behaviors.


Rupp's family and attorneys said though caffeine has been removed from the drinks, the 12 percent alcohol concentration and sweet flavoring are still a concern.


"It's not beer. It's not wine," said Jeffrey Simon, an attorney representing the Rupps. "The product still tastes like juice."


Further, Simon said, the products are heavily marketed to college-age and underage drinkers and can be easily purchased in convenience stores.


In an emailed statement, Phusion Projects said its products no longer contain caffeine, guarana or taurine and are for adults older than 21. The company said that Rupp's accident, while tragic, speaks to "serious, societal concerns regarding the misuse of alcohol," including underage drinking.


Rupp, who lived in a suburb of Washington, D.C., bought the beverages at a convenience store before attending a tailgate at a concert last fall, Simon said.


Rupp reportedly drank two cans of Four Loko, after which concert venue staff called his mother to pick him up because the boy's behavior was "erratic and agitated," his mom, Karla Rupp, said.


She drove him home and as she reached their neighborhood, Rupp took off on foot. The 15-year-old ended up on a well-traveled highway, where he fell or sat down and was hit by a car, according to the lawsuit. He died the next day.


The wrongful death lawsuit is filed in Cook County, Ill., court.

Tennesee Senate Passes Bill Banning The Teaching Of Homosexuality In Grades K-8

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.



Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it's unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic.


The bill isn't likely to be taken up by the House before lawmakers adjourn this spring, but the sponsor there has said he would push it forward in 2012 when the General Assembly comes back for the second year of the session.


Passage would make Tennessee the first state to enact such legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2003, Washington defeated a proposal similar to Tennessee's, as did California in 2005 and 2006. A Louisiana law forbids the use of sexually explicit materials depicting homosexuality in sex education classes.


Under the proposal, any instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school would be limited to age-appropriate lessons about the science of human reproduction.


The legislation was amended from the original version, which said no elementary or middle schools will "provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality." Republican Senate sponsor Stacey Campfield of Knoxville said some of his colleagues were uncomfortable with that language.


"There's more than one way to skin a cat," Campfield said after the vote. "I got what I wanted."


He said the language is appropriate because "homosexuals don't naturally reproduce," and he said it's necessary because the state's curriculum is unclear on what can be taught.


However, a critic said the new wording could create other problems.


Sen. Roy Herron, D- Dresden, said it "may inadvertently prevent the teaching of ethics, morality and abstinence."


Stephen Smith, assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, also said he's unaware of homosexuality being taught anywhere in the state. He said there is nothing in the state's curriculum standards that allows students to be taught about homosexuality.

Commemoration of 86th Birthday Of Malcolm X

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Norton Little, was a homemaker occupied with the family's eight children. His father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday.Regardless of the Little's efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. Police ruled both incidents as accidents, but the Little's were certain that members of the Black Legion were responsible. Louise suffered emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. Her children were split up amongst various foster homes and orphanages. Malcolm was a smart, focused student. He graduated from junior high at the top of his class. However, when a favorite teacher told Malcolm his dream of becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," Malcolm lost interest in school. He dropped out, spent some time in Boston, Massachusetts working various odd jobs, and then traveled to Harlem, New York where he committed petty crimes. By 1942 Malcolm was coordinating various narcotics, prostitution and gambling rings. Eventually Malcolm and his buddy, Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis, moved back to Boston. In 1946 they were arrested and convicted on burglary charges, and Malcolm was sentenced to 10 years in prison. (He was paroled after serving seven years.) Recalling his days in school, he used the time to further his education. It was during this period of self-enlightenment that Malcolm's brother Reginald would visit and discuss his recent conversion to the Muslim religion. Reginald belonged to the religious organization the Nation of Islam (NOI). Intrigued, Malcolm began to study the teachings of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad taught that white society actively worked to keep African-Americans from empowering themselves and achieving political, economic and social success. Among other goals, the NOI fought for a state of their own, separate from one inhabited by white people. By the time he was paroled in 1952, Malcolm was a devoted follower with the new surname "X." (He considered "Little" a slave name and chose the "X" to signify his lost tribal name.)Intelligent and articulate, Malcolm was appointed as a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Elijah Muhammad also charged him with establishing new mosques in cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Harlem, New York. Malcolm utilized newspaper columns, as well as radio and television to communicate the NOI's message across the United States. His charisma, drive and conviction attracted an astounding number of new members. Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. The crowds and controversy surrounding Malcolm made him a media magnet. He was featured in a week-long television special with Mike Wallace in 1959, called "The Hate That Hate Produced." The program explored the fundamentals of the NOI, and tracked Malcolm's emergence as one of its most important leaders. After the special, Malcolm was faced with the uncomfortable reality that his fame had eclipsed that of his mentor Elijah Muhammad. Racial tensions ran increasingly high during the early 1960s. In addition to the media, Malcolm's vivid personality had captured the government's attention. As membership in the NOI continued to grow, FBI agents infiltrated the organization (one even acted as Malcolm's bodyguard) and secretly placed bugs, wiretaps, cameras and other surveillance equipment to monitor the group's activities.Malcolm's faith was dealt a crushing blow at the height of the civil rights movement in 1963. He learned that his mentor and leader, Elijah Muhammad, was secretly having relations with as many as six women within the Nation of Islam organization. As if that were not enough, Malcolm found out that some of these relationships had resulted in childrenSince joining the NOI, Malcolm had strictly adhered to the teachings of Muhammad - which included remaining celibate until his marriage to Betty Shabazz in 1958. Malcolm refused Muhammad's request to help cover up the affairs and subsequent children. He was deeply hurt by the deception of Muhammad, whom he had considered a living prophet. Malcolm also felt guilty about the masses he had led to join the NOI, which he now felt was a fraudulent organization built on too many lies to ignore. Shortly after his shocking discovery, Malcolm received criticism for a comment he made regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "[Kennedy] never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon," said Malcolm. After the statement, Elijah Muhammad "silenced" Malcolm for 90 days. Malcolm, however, suspected he was silenced for another reason. In March 1964 Malcolm terminated his relationship with the NOI. Unable to look past Muhammad's deception, Malcolm decided to found his own religious organization, the Muslim Mosque, Inc. That same year, Malcolm went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The trip proved life altering. For the first time, Malcolm shared his thoughts and beliefs with different cultures, and found the response to be overwhelmingly positive. When he returned, Malcolm said he had met "blonde-haired, blued-eyed men I could call my brothers." He returned to the United States with a new outlook on integration and a new hope for the future. This time when Malcolm spoke, instead of just preaching to African-Americans, he had a message for all races.After Malcolm resigned his position in the Nation of Islam and renounced Elijah Muhammad, relations between the two had become increasingly volatile. FBI informants working undercover in the NOI warned officials that Malcolm had been marked for assassination. (One undercover officer had even been ordered to help plant a bomb in Malcolm's car). After repeated attempts on his life, Malcolm rarely traveled anywhere without bodyguards. On February 14, 1965 the home where Malcolm, Betty and their four daughters lived in East Elmhurst, New York was firebombed. Luckily, the family escaped physical injury.One week later, however, Malcolm's enemies were successful in their ruthless attempt. At a speaking engagement in the Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965 three gunmen rushed Malcolm onstage. They shot him 15 times at close range. The 39-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Fifteen hundred people attended Malcolm's funeral in Harlem on February 27, 1965 at the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ (now Child's Memorial Temple Church of God in Christ). After the ceremony, friends took the shovels away from the waiting gravediggers and buried Malcolm themselves. Later that year, Betty gave birth to their twin daughters. Malcolm's assassins, Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson were convicted of first-degree murder in March 1966. The three men were all members of the Nation of Islam. The legacy of Malcolm X has moved through generations as the subject of numerous documentaries, books and movies. A tremendous resurgence of interest occurred in 1992 when director Spike Lee released the acclaimed movie, Malcolm X. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Denzel Washington) and Best Costume Design. Malcolm X is buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

{OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X}-www.malcolmx.com

 






 













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Rev. Billy Graham Hospitalized With Pneumonia

Evangelist Billy Graham was resting comfortably in a North Carolina hospital Wednesday night where doctors were treating him for pneumonia that hampered his breathing.







Spokesman Larry Ross said Graham's medical team doesn't believe his condition is life threatening.





Two of his children - Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz - had no plans Wednesday to return early from mission trips overseas, Ross said.





The 92-year-old high-profile preacher, who has met or ministered to every US president since 1950, was rushed to Mission Hospital in Asheville near his home early Wednesday after suffering what Ross called "a pulmonary challenge" overnight.





He "had episodes of sweating and coughing," Ross said. "He had a slight fever and experienced difficulty breathing. But he was never in any distress or in an acute situation."





Initial testing suggested pneumonia but diagnostic studies showed Graham's heart was normal.





"We anticipate his pneumonia to clear with treatment and hope he will be able to soon return home," possibly in a couple of days, said Ross.





Meanwhile, Graham "is resting comfortably and is fully alert," said his primary doctor Lucian Rice.





Ross said that Graham has been in good overall health, though age-related conditions including macular degeneration and hearing loss have limited his appearances in recent years.





Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950 and harnessed the media to spread his message of evangelism around the world.





The group now spreads its message of Christianity through its website, films, television specials, a magazine and an internationally syndicated newspaper column.





President Obama drove to Graham's mountainside log cabin in Montreat to visit the aged preacher in April 2010.





The Graham dynasty is being carried on by son Franklin.

Congressional Black Caucus To Meet With President Obama

Just because he's African-American, is President Barack Obama obligated to make a targeted effort to help the nation’s Black communities that have been most affected by the recession and are experiencing an unemployment rate that is double the national rate? That's the trillion dollar question for many Congressional Black Caucus members who don’t want to send a message that they’re dissatisfied with the nation’s first Black president.







They’ve waited patiently for some sign that the administration does in fact have plans to ease their constituents’ economic pain, but they’re starting to feel some frustration and are hoping that during their Thursday afternoon meeting with the president, they’ll finally hear the answers they’ve been waiting for.





"We’re going to talk about the number one issue we’re hearing about—jobs. We asked people on our Website what issues they’d like us to raise with the president and the answer was jobs,” said CBC Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri). “And some of them were very candid. People are understandably frustrated that they haven’t gotten any jobs and aren’t hearing about the creation of jobs or that we’re working on creating jobs.”





Cleaver said that during the meeting, members will make a presentation outlining the myriad challenges their constituents face. He believes that once Obama is made aware of “how dire the situation is” he’ll need to address it.





“We don’t want a situation where after eight years we see African-Americans slip backwards,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland). “I realize that he came in under some very dire and unfortunate circumstances that had been created by President Bush and the Republicans, but I think it’s important that we not allow African-Americans to continue to suffer so disproportionately with regard to foreclosures, loss of jobs, loss of healthcare, loss of savings.”









The attention that Obama has paid to Latino issues during several meetings in recent weeks with congressional and community leaders, and most recently, when he delivered a speech on immigration reform earlier this week in El Paso, Texas, has not gone unnoticed. Cleaver said he’s been questioned about it by just about every Capitol Hill reporter, but is not interested in engaging in a conversation about competing minority needs.





Cummings, however, was more frank.





“I think that the example of him going to the border and talking about Hispanics should be brought up,” he said. “That we respect it, but why can’t similar actions be made on behalf of African-Americans?”

Tributes Pour In For Legendary Daily News Cartoonist Bill Gallo

A day after the death of the most renowned newspaper cartoonist this city has known, a vast canvas of tributes began pouring in, and did not stop.

That seemed entirely fitting because Bill Gallo never stopped.

He started at the Daily News as an 18-year-old copyboy, and departed as an 88-year-old legend, ink-stained and proud of it. The depth of the loss may have been best captured by Gallo's fellow icon and Hall of Famer.

"His cartoons were like an institution all these years. It's hard to imagine the Daily News without him," Yogi Berra said.

Former Gov. Mario Cuomo echoed the sentiment.





"He is probably best known for his artistry, which was masterful, but he was much more than that," Cuomo said. "He was just a marvelous human being. He was ... strong when he had to be. He was as sweet as they come and as straight as they come."

Bill Gallo penned some 15,000 cartoons in his Daily News career. The last of them, published April 19, depicted his big-bottomed leading lady, Basement Bertha - patron saint of underdogs everywhere - shopping for an outfit for the Royal Wedding.

Hall of Fame Mets pitcher Tom Seaver called Gallo a unique voice in sports journalism.

"He always had a kind of different take on sports," Seaver said. "You had to know sports to get his cartoons. He provided comic relief on the sports page - enjoy every moment, every day, and then move on."

Gallo began his career in an era when Americans got their news from newspapers, and ended it amid 24-hour news cycles and blogs and tweets.

Whether he was drawing George (General Von Steingrabber) Steinbrenner, Muhammad Ali or fallen cops and firefighters after 9/11, Gallo found true perspective, humor and pathos in a few deft strokes of his pen.





"Bill Gallo was a timeless presence," Mayor Bloomberg said. "He brought smiles to our faces in both victory and defeat."

Gallo weighed in on every sport, but his favorites were boxing and baseball. There are 28 Gallo works on exhibit in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, among them the classic 1979 cartoon commemorating Willie Mays' induction into the Hall.







"Sorry kids, Willie, can't play stickball today," Gallo's staple kid character, Yuchie, said. "He's headed to Cooperstown."

Flags flew at half-staff in honor of Gallo Wednesday at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in upstate Canastota.

"He loved boxers and reviled the charlatans who bled them dry," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, a close pal. "Boxers were like Bill - all heart and skilled with their hands."





Gallo, like so many members of the so-called Greatest Generation, served in World War II, fighting at Iwo Jima and other horrifically bloody battles.

"He just left his job at the Daily News to join the Marines, and then came back when the war ended," Kelly said. "No fuss, no muss. He traded his carbine for pen and ink, and took no prisoners from then on."

Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, said: "Bill Gallo was a genius and a nice human being. ... That ain't chopped liver."

Iconic Jets quarterback Joe Namath still recalls Gallo's rendering of him on a day he was upset about something. "He had me in the locker room, sitting there, and bugs or gnats flying around my head," Namath said, laughing. "I was so down in the dumps, but when I saw that, I had to take the humor to heart. ... He picked me up without him knowing about it."

Thirty-two years after Thurman Munson perished in a plane crash in Ohio, his wife, Diana Munson talked about how sad she was to hear Gallo had died, and how she'll never forget his cartoon after the Yankee captain died.

Gallo drew an image of a mustachioed Munson looking down on home plate with a bat laying beside it, and two kids, in silhouette, walking forlornly away.

"Naw, Yuchie - I just don't feel like playin' ball today," it read.

"In one drawing and one sentence he was able to capture what everyone was feeling that day," she said. "It was overpowering."