Forescout Closes an Agreement With Multipoint and Ingecom to Gain Presence in the Mediterranean

The manufacturer closes an agreement in mid-July to market its solutions through MultiPoint Group in Israel and Palestine

/EIN News/ — KEFAR SABA, Israel, Aug. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Forescout, leader in the security of the Enterprise of Things, has signed in July a distribution agreement with The Multipoint Group, a Value Added Distributor (VAD) expert in IT security and Internet technology solutions, to expand the commercialization of its solutions in Israel, as well as in the neighboring country, Palestine. Recall that the manufacturer already had a presence in Israel, since the company was founded in that state in the year 2000 and since then distributes its technology in that geographical area.

The recently reached agreement is only Forescout’s first step to further strengthen its position in the Mediterranean area thanks to the strategic alliance of The Multipoint Group and Ingecom, a VAD specialized in cybersecurity and cyberintelligence solutions, which closed both distributors in January 2021. The manufacturer now sets its sights on the benefits that the joint strength of the two VADs will bring to boost its sales in the whole area they cover.

Ingecom has been marketing Forescout’s solutions since 2010 in Spain and, subsequently, also in Italy and Portugal. Now, thanks to the alliance made between both VADs, the manufacturer will be able to increase its reach, adding synergies that will allow it to develop a unified channel strategy through a single interlocutor in the different countries where these distributors have a presence.

Jorge Hermosillo, Director, Southern Europe-Balkans-Israel at Forescout, states that: “Our philosophy and channel model fits perfectly with the characteristics of The Multipoint Group presence, capillarity and experience in the market, technical competence and proactivity in business generation. This agreement, reinforced with the alliance between Multipoint and Ingecom, adds great flexibility of expansion in line with our business strategy.”

For his part, Ricardo Resnik, CEO of The Multipoint Group, points out that: “Forescout is a benchmark in the technology of VISIBILITY and control of devices in both IT and OT networks. We are very happy to start working with them in Israel and Palestine. In addition, thanks to the strategic alliance reached with Ingecom, we are going to take a step further, providing the manufacturer with a broader coverage in all the countries where we have a presence.”

Due to this agreement signed between Multipoint Group and Ingecom at the beginning of the year, both VADs have expanded their distribution market, covering a total of nine countries, almost all of them bathed by the Mediterranean Sea and members of the European Union – Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Romania – in addition to Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Forescout has not been the only manufacturer to sign up to the benefits offered by this strategic alliance. At the end of January of this year, SealPath joined the agreement, expanding the distribution with Multipoint Group of Israel to the rest of the countries where the VAD has presence, in order to become the reference IRM manufacturer also in these regions. These two companies come to swell the list of manufacturers that have opted for the alliance of The Multipoint Group and Ingecom, consolidating the portfolio of both distributors to unify it. At the moment, the VADs have a common portfolio of eleven solutions consisting of AlienVault (AT&T Security), ExtraHop, Forescout, Garland Technology, Kela, ReSec, SealPath, Thycotic, Vicarius, Yubico and Zimperium.

Simplify risk management

Forescout’s technology focuses on actively defending the Enterprise of Things by identifying, segmenting and enforcing policies on each of the devices that connect to the corporate network. Specifically, Forescout provides an enterprise platform deployed at scale capable of monitoring IT and OT networks from a single dashboard, without the need to install agents and independent of the company’s infrastructure. In addition, it provides intelligence on connected devices, allowing organizations in any industry to accurately classify risk, detect anomalies and quickly remediate cyber threats, without disrupting critical business assets.

In its more than 20 years of experience, Forescout has protected the Enterprise of Things of more than 4.000 companies and government agencies in more than 90 countries, effectively mitigating the risks of devices connected to the network.

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Religious News From Around the Web August 2, 2021

More Religious Rights vs LGBTQ Rights; Force Catholic Hospital to Perform Abortions Says New York Civil Liberties Union; Religious Americans Less Likely to Believe in Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life; Designer Loses Case for Refusing to Make Same-Sex Website; Communist Dictators and Religious Belief; Olympic Athletes of Faith

More Religious Rights vs LGBTQ Rights
Some justices on the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Catholic agency in Fulton vs. City of Philadelphia, are seen as questioning the future of Employment Division v. Smith, a landmark decision known for changing the scope of free exercise doctrine. Similar questions on religious freedom and LGBTQ rights are also at the center of debate over the proposed Equality Act in Congress. The bill aims to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a wide range of areas.

Force Catholic Hospital to Perform Abortions Says New York Civil Liberties Union
The New York Civil Liberties Union said Monday that state regulators should require a Catholic Health System to offer abortions and other procedures banned by the Catholic Church at a planned new hospital in Lockport, NY.

Religious Americans Less Likely to Believe in Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life
Religious and secular thinkers alike have long discussed what the implications for religion would be if humans discovered intelligent life on other planets. In the United States, highly religious adults are much more skeptical about the possibility of extraterrestrial life compared with those who are less religious, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Designer Loses Case for Refusing to Make Same-Sex Website
A U.S. appeals court has ruled against a web designer who didn’t want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples and sued to challenge Colorado’s anti-discrimination law, another twist in a series of court rulings nationwide about whether businesses denying services to LGBTQ people amounts to bias or freedom of speech. “The government should never force creative professionals to promote a message or cause with which they disagree,” said the Alliance Defending Freedom that represented the designer. “That is quintessential free speech and artistic freedom.” The group said it would appeal

Communist Dictators and Religious Belief

driver Photographer is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Communist regimes begin by crushing and stripping away the religious liberty of its citizens. And once a dictatorial ruling elite succeeds at destroying religious freedom and subjugating houses of worship, it’s only a matter of time before other fundamental freedoms — economic, political and social — are ripped away as well.
Athletes of Faith Compete in Olympics
The controversy and context surrounding the 2020 Olympics pose an opportunity to think about the Games through a lens of faith. From a Muslim track and field athlete to Israel’s first surfer, here is a guide to the Games for the religiously-minded. These are the Olympians to watch in Tokyo who have publicly spoken about their faith and its impact on their athletic careers.

COVID-19 cases top 60 million in European Region, says WHO/Europe

How data can support policies to protect, promote and support breastfeeding: Swedish experience

During World Breastfeeding Week, WHO/Europe highlights Sweden’s experience in gathering data to understand the reasons behind its declining breastfeeding rates. 2 online surveys conducted in 2020 in the region of Skåne showed that the local population is unaware of the health benefits breastfeeding gives for both the child and mother, and that infant feeding services need more coordination. This helped Swedish authorities to update local practices and reimplement WHO-recommended tools.

The best option for infant feeding

Sweden’s breastfeeding initiation and duration are relatively high in the WHO European Region, with a recorded initiation of 94% in 2018. However, in the same year only 11% of mothers met WHO’s standard recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the child’s first 6 months. Overall, there has been a recent decline of the breastfeeding levels since the 1990s and early 2000s.

In response, the Regional Council of the Swedish region of Skåne commissioned the Center of Excellence Women’s health and Child Health Services to develop a strategic plan to explore and address the negative trend in efforts to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

“Breastfeeding is the best option for infant feeding,” said Clare Farrand, Technical Officer for Nutrition at the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office). “It delivers emotional, nutritional and health benefits, such as protection against noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer to both children and mothers. It also forms part of a sustainable food system.”

Reasons behind numbers

In order to better understand the situation in Sweden, 2 surveys were administered; one aimed to evaluate the current status of breastfeeding in health facilities and the second survey aimed to explore breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge among the local population and to gain a deeper understanding about the underlying factors that influence whether and how Scanian women choose to breastfeed.

The surveys found the following.

• Widespread uncertainty remains about the health benefits for both the child and mother. 99% of the respondents agree that breastfeeding is natural, but only 3 out of 10 are aware that it reduces the risk of breast cancer.
• Currently, there is no regional coordinating body to support breastfeeding in Skåne. Health workers who completed the survey reported that they feel that written breastfeeding and infant feeding policies they can refer to are insufficient. In addition, counselling on breastfeeding is categorized as low priority in newborn care.
• Violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes are common in healthcare facilities. 91% of nurses working in child health care services reported being contacted by representatives from the baby food industry during the last year. 80% of them were given free formula samples to distribute to families.
• There is a need to assess and strengthen staff competency. Since pre-service education, only 32% of respondents completed further training in breastfeeding counselling, and the majority considered themselves in need of further training on how to counsel women to breastfeed.

WHO tools and best practice solutions

The presence of baby food companies in Swedish health care facilities has urged the Regional Council to implement best practice and put into place a rigorous monitoring and evaluation process. To protect breastfeeding, the regional pay-provider contract was revised from 1 January 2021 to include a commitment for all facilities providing antenatal care and child health services to fully comply with the International Code.

“We have felt the need for urgent reimplementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), which was implemented in the early 90s but has not been comprehensively evaluated since,” said Anna Kjellbom, General Practitioner from the Center of Excellence Women’s health, Regional Council of Skåne. “To promote breastfeeding, raising awareness about the health benefits of breastfeeding among the population should be a public health priority. Educating both healthcare workers and parents would encourage an overall positive attitude towards breastfeeding and have far-reaching benefits for families and the community.”

The NCD Office supports all countries in the Region in scaling up implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, strengthening the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, as well as improving health literacy and surveillance of breastfeeding practices.

The NCD Office also hosts a regular webinar series ‘Promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in the WHO European Region’, focusing on contemporary public health, clinical and physiological aspects of breastfeeding, human milk and lactation. The series is designed to provide information to Member States to improve their evidence-based advocacy as well as policy design and programme implementation efforts.

12 Cook Island Women Publish A Book About Their Lives In Tokoroa

A new book is being launched in Tokoroa during Cook Island Language Week.

Te Kinakina: E Ngara I te Ngari, Remember who you are and where you come from is the result of a series of creative writing workshops led by poet Vaughan Rapatahana and facilitated by South Waikato Pacific Island Community Services (SWPICS) with support from the Ministry of Education and Read NZ Te Pou Muramura.

The project is part of Read NZ Te Pou Muramura’s Writers in Communities programme, which aims to nurture new readers and writers within a community and help share their stories widely.

The Cooks comprise 15 islands in the Pacific, each represented on the flag with a star. It’s said that Tokoroa is the sixteenth star.

In Te Kinakina: E Ngara I te Ngari, Remember who you are and where you come from, twelve contributors detail why their families initially travelled to Tokoroa and candidly describe their varied life experiences in South Waikato.

The book opens with introductions by Papa Timote Turu and editor Vaughan Rapatahana, and the stories are illustrated with colour photographs.

These elements combine to create an illuminating account of Pasifika life in Aotearoa and confirm the authors’ communal commitment to kōpu tangata, family, home, church and each other.

The anthology’s editor Vaughan Rapatahana says it’s an important book for two reasons.

“For the first time, it sets out in detail the experiences of Cook Islands women living in Tokoroa, and their combined stories express many emotions, portray many events, and display several consistent themes.

“I feel privileged to have edited this collection,” says Rapatahana.

SWPICS CEO Akarere Henry, who is also one of the contributing authors, says the writing project and resulting anthology are very special to the community.

“We see it as a realisation of some of the aspirations and dreams of our community. We’re so grateful and proud to be able to share our stories in this way,” she says.

Te Kinakina: E Ngara I te Ngari, Remember who you are and where you come from will be available, in limited edition, from all good bookshops and libraries.

The book will be launched at 1 pm on Tuesday, August 3 at South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust in Tokoroa.

Details

Te Kinakina: E Ngara I te Ngari, Remember who you are and where you come from
ISBN: 978-0-473-58096-4
RRP: $50.00 (limited edition)

Print copies are now available from Wheelers and Aotearoa Books

The book will be launched at 1 pm on Tuesday, August 3
South Waikato Pacific Islands Community Services Trust, 1 Maraetai Lane, Waikato 3420.

© Scoop Media

Albania repatriates Islamic State women, children despite controversy – Vatican News

By Stefan J. Bos

After a long wait, five Albanian women and 14 children arrived in Albania from Syria’s notorious Al Hol camp.

The women had joined Islamic extremist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. Flying from Lebanon, they were accompanied by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Bledi Cuci.In a statement, Rama called it “a very positive event” and pledged that in his words, “We shall not stop here.”

He made clear that the 19 women and children will be taken to a shelter in the western port city of Durres. There, police and social experts are making medical and psychological examinations. That is to be followed by a quarantine period, after which some may be allowed to rejoin their families.

Rama did not reveal whether the women would be prosecuted for possible war crimes and other atrocities. Sunday’s transportation of the women and children was the third effort to repatriate Albanians from the war-torn territories in Syria. In October last year, five Albanians were repatriated, while a child returned to the country a year earlier.

Authorities believe a few hundred Albanian men joined the Islamic State and other groups fighting in Syria and Iraq in the early 2010s. Many were killed, and their wives and children are stuck in Syrian camps.

Europe watching

The Albanian case is watched by other European nations, such as the Netherlands, which is repatriating some women and children, despite criticism from several legislators.

One of the Dutch women held by Kurdish forces in Syria is Islamic State bride Hafidi. She was in tears when speaking in her tent recently about her hopes for a better future. “Me, if I go to prison, I take the consequences for what I did. But for my children, it is no life here in the camp, almost two years not. I am crying.”

She said what she did “was stupid.” But Haifida declined to condemn Islamic State, citing security concerns. Repatriating her and others remains controversial, with critical European legislators fearing they could undermine security in Europe, where punishments may be more lenient than in the Middle East.

However, several European governments oppose trials in the Middle East as especially former Islamic State group supporters, including
women may face the death penalty there.

After the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011, many Europeans joined Islamic State. As a result, the Islamic State group controlled 88,000 square kilometers (34,000 square miles) of land stretching across Syria and Iraq at its height.

But after they were declared territorially defeated in the region in March 2019, mothers and children were moved to camps and thousands of others displaced. Concerned about security risks and a political backlash, some European governments are reluctant to repatriate all their citizens from the camps despite appeals from rights groups.

Moorhead Library to host in-person book clubs

The Pop Lit Book Club will meet at 3 p.m. August 10 at the library to discuss a gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of a 1970s rock group, their iconic lead singer, and the group’s infamous breakup. “Daisy Jones & The Six“ by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows Daisy, a born beauty with a powerhouse voice who is coming-of-age in the late 1960s, testing limits and exploring the thrills of rock and roll life in Los Angeles. When Daisy’s voice is starting to get serious attention, a producer introduces her to The Six and their leadman Billy Dunne. What comes next is legendary.

The Not Another Teen Book Club will meet at 3 p.m. August 14 at 3 p.m. at the Gooseberry Mound Park, 100 22nd Ave S., Moorhead, to discuss “Serpent & Dove” by Shelby Mahurin, which features a witch and a witch hunter bound in holy matrimony. If they don’t kill each other, they may have to work together against an ever bigger threat.

Both book clubs are offered free-of-charge and are open to all.

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Michael Andrew Trained in an EZ Pool for Ten Years and Started Breaking National Swimming Records from the Beginning

Michael trained in his EZ Pool every morning.

Michael converted a dance club into a swim club.

Michael designed a customer EZ Training Pool

When Michael Andrew was 10 Years Old he needed an easy and affordable lap pool. EZ Pools helped Michael train by giving him access to his own lap pool daily.

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA, USA, July 31, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — On July 28 2021, the world was introduced to a USA Olympic swimmer by the name of Michael Andrew. Although present at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo Japan, it wasn’t until Wednesday night, July 28 2021, that the world saw this remarkably talented swimmer. We at EZ Pools have had the privilege to help Michael become the amazing swimmer he is ultimately destined to be.

In the winter of 2008, EZ Pools received a call from a desperate mother in Aberdeen South Dakota. “There are only two 25 meter indoor pools in this area.” Tina Andrew explained to us over the phone. “One of them is controlled by a competiting team and the other is open to the public, but every time we try to practice, some one jumps in the lane.” She continued to explain that her and her husband, Peter, quickly recognized their oldest son was a very gifted swimmer – but they had no way to support his talent. Tina in her own right, was a very successful athlete and was a fixture on the UK TV show “Gladiators.” Peter, her husband, had been a successful swimmer in the South African Navy. So it was in Michael’s blood.

“How can we help?” We offered. Tina went on to explain that they were looking at an old warehouse that had been used as a dance club. “If we gut the whole building and give you the measurements, can you make a pool to fit?” She asked. The answer is always of course. Every EZ Pool is made to order, which is why we offer so many different options. So they got busy gutting, we got busy making and kept busy building. In the span of two months, in the dead of winter, The Andrew family opened their very own swim club – The Aberdeen Aquaholics. And boy did Michael make it worth the investment.

With an indoor, heated, 25 yard pool at his disposal, Michael got busy. A year later he set 12 national records in the 10-under age group. “He’s a very gifted athlete, ” Peter Andrew said. “Right away when we started, I could see he had talent. He’s a real blessing.” Even other coaches could quickly recognize true atheletic genius in the making. “He’s a very gifted child,” said Trevor Layden a coach for another team who later become one of Michael Adnrew’s coaches. “He’s got a great ethic. I saw him break a couple of national records…he’s gotten just that much better as he’s gone on.” And EZ Pools was there to make it possible.

The Andrew family moved to Lawrence Kansas in mid 2012. The bought a rather large estate that had plenty of room for a new pool. Rather than build a pool to fit, they designed eactly the pool they needed and built the building around it. And once again, they turned to EZ Pools for the perfect training pool.

The most common question we get is about flip turns, “Can an EZ Pool support flip turns by professional athletes?” Yes of course, but the Andrew family discovered a unique advantage. Because an EZ Pool is soft-sided, the wall absorbs some of the kicking energy a swimmer exerts when pushing off. Michael discovered this early on and quickly went to work building up his leg muscles. As a result, he had a greater push off in hard-sided concrete competition pools than his competitors. Did this help him achieve early successes? Hard to say truly other than Michael has always proved to be a very gifted and determined athlete.

Tina and Peter spoke with us in length about the pool they needed. It was different than any other pool we had made at that time. Marked for both 25 yeard and 25 meter, with a little extar room on both ends to allow for rigid bulkheads to be installed. “Why?” We asked Peter. “We need more exact timing and the rigid surface more mimics concrete pools.” Very true and at basically 1/10th the cost of a concrete pool.

Michael earned a scholarship in a University in California, so the family packed up a moved again. But rtaher than waste their investment, we helped broker a deal with a small non-profit swim club in Kansas that bought the pool and equipment from the Andrew Family. “We were on a very tight budget,” said Melvin Nemechek, one the founders of the swim club. “This purchase saved us so much money, we could buy a smaller additional pool from EZ Pools for a smalelr kids to train in.”
May the legacy of Michael’s untiring dedication to the sport inspire their swimmers to excel, as well as others. Learn More About EZ Pools at www.4ezpool.com.

Simon LeCree
EZ Pool Products
+1 714-795-2982
email us here

Aberdeen Aquaholics

Migrants from Africa, Asia and South America boost evangelism in Europe

A new report from European Christian Mission finds that migrant Christians from South America, Asia and Africa are boosting evangelism in Europe.

Europe 2021 – A Missiological Report is authored by Jim Memory, a member of the ECM international leadership team and lecturer in European mission at All Nations Christian College in England, Christian Today reports.

“In many ways, Christianity is what made Europe,” says the report.

“No other continent has been exposed to Christianity for such a prolonged period and in such an extensive way,” it says.

“Yet just as Europe was the first continent to be Christianized, it was also the first to be de-Christianized.”

The 50-page document published in July seeks to address the major trends in Europe shaping the context for Christian mission in the continent.

‘CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY’

Memory writes: “Europe is perhaps the greatest challenge in world mission today. Most Europeans appear to have been inoculated against the Gospel by the vaccine of cultural Christianity.

“However, I believe the weakness of the Church is also God’s opportunity.

“More than ever before, European Christians are collaborating, networking, and planting churches together, and into that mix, God has brought the vitality of Christians from the Majority World.”

The report says Europe may be the greatest challenge in world mission today.

“Most Europeans appear to have been inoculated against the gospel by the vaccine of cultural Christianity,” writes Memory.

“However, I believe the weakness of the Church is also God’s opportunity. More than ever before, European Christians are collaborating, networking, and planting churches together, and into that mix, God has brought the vitality of Christians from the Majority World.”

He notes that Latin-American migrants have planted thousands of churches in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere over the last 30 years.

“It is difficult to find a major European city that does not have a large Spanish speaking and/or Brazilian congregation,” writes Memory.

Chinese churches “can be found almost everywhere,” he explains.

“The Chinese Overseas Christian Mission lists over 120 Chinese-speaking congregations in the UK and a further 150 in the rest of Europe, though that is certainly only a fraction of the actual churches that exist,” says Memory.

AFRICAN-INITIATED PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES IN UK

It is the black African churches that are the “most numerous,” with thousands of African-initiated Pentecostal churches in Britain alone, the report notes.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God has over 750 congregations today and is planting around 25 new churches in Britain every year. More churches belong to the Church of Pentecost, Christ Embassy and Christ Apostolic Tabernacle.

“If you have an African population in your city, there will almost certainly be an African diaspora church, even if you are not aware of it,” notes Memory.

The report outlines the how mission can face challenges due to de-Christianization of Europe over the last half millennium.

It says, “Of course, some parts of Africa and Asia saw Christianity become dominant and then lose that dominance to Islam long before any European country became thoroughly evangelized.

“The difference is, whereas during the first 1,500 years of Christian history, de-Christianization was the result of the loss of ‘Christian lands’ to invaders, the de-Christianization of Europe over the last 500 years has occurred from within.”

Memory writes at the end, “Nevertheless, the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8) points to the importance of the soil (the context) for the reception of the gospel message and the propagation of the Kingdom of God.

“Though Europe’s soil today might appear arid and unyielding, the seed of the Kingdom is being sown and will produce fruit. Our task is to sow. (Galatians 6:9).”

Rev. Frank Hinkelmann, president of the European Evangelical Alliance says “Jim Memory’s missiological report starts by providing an excellent overview of the general and the spiritual context Christians are facing in Europe.”

He says it considers the COVID-19 pandemic, before moving on to trends in European mission and the implications for mission in Europe.

“This paper should be a must-read for all those interested in missions in and to Europe,” says Hinkelmann.

Langham Partnership’s Dr Chris Wright called the report “timely” and “essential reading for all those who, in any part of the world, are concerned about mission in, from and to, the continent of Europe”.

“Thoroughly documented from secular sources and theological expertise, this is the kind of resource that is increasingly needed for intelligent Christian engagement in our alarmingly changed world,” he said.

Rev Israel Oluwole Olofinjana, Director of the Evangelical Alliance’s One People Commission, said: “Reverse missionaries and indigenous missionaries will find this report very helpful for understanding the European scene in order to contextualise their mission.”

Caritas Oceania: united by faith and the ocean – Vatican News

By Linda Bordoni

The highly diverse members of the Caritas Oceania family are from the larger and smaller islands of the Pacific Ocean, united in faith and in their dependence on the ocean – their livelihood and their home. The 2021 annual meeting was inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli tutti” and took place in the name fraternity.

The organization’s new President is Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi from Tonga. Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni, he highlighted two the main issues tackled during the Forum: the effects of climate change on the region and its people, and of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Environmental protection, care for our common home is always a top priority in Oceania,” Cardinal Mafi explained, pointing out that “one of our main treasures is the ocean”, the main source of the people’s livelihoods as well as our home.

Climate change, he said, increasingly causes natural disasters, and in the region that has always been affected by monsoons, tropical cyclones and other extreme weather patterns, has resulted in huge number of people being dramatically affected.

Diversity and unity

Caritas Oceania brings together Caritas Australia, Caritas Papua New Guinea, Caritas Samoa, Caritas Aotearoa-New Zealand, Caritas Pacific Islands (CEPAC) and Caritas Tonga.

“They have much in common,” Cardinal Mafi said, “but they are also very diverse.”

They are diverse, he explained, because they are home to different ethnic groups, especially within the Polynesian and Micronesian areas, “ so we are so rich in that way with our diversity in culture.”

But they also have much in common, he added, “A common shared reality: we are all in this vast ocean, the Pacific, and I think the faith element is a strong element of our communality.”

The Cardinal explained that the vast majority of Oceania’s inhabitants are Christians, about a third of them Catholic.

A collective effort

So, he continued, the annual Forum is “a special time when we come together” – the seven different Caritas offices that make the Caritas Oceania Family – “to show the varieties of experiences and the way we handle or cope with these common issues of environmental disasters – cyclones and storms. So when we come together, we try to search for a collective effort in spite of our differences.”

The Forum, he explained, concluded with the endorsement of our Caritas Oceania regional advocacy strategy with priorities focusing on environmental protection but also on women and youth.

“We are split and scattered by the ocean, but we must find ways to tackle our issues, so the theme this year was “Fraternal cooperation in our Caritas Oceania Family”, a precious occasion, he said, to “come together to build on this spirit of fraternity and to listen.

Cardinal Mafi pointed out that despite the huge geographical distances that separate the members, the “Fratelli tutti” message has been received by everyone.

“It is quite inspiring to hear how the encyclical has reached so many” but one of the challenges, he added, is to translate it into the local vernacular:  we need good translators so that people can properly understand the message.

Covid-19

Cardinal Mafi said the current coronavirus pandemic has affected the region, especially from the tourism and economic perspective. The health emergency, he said, has been mitigated by the collaborative work of Caritas and Catholic Relief Services that have managed to help enormously with putting protective measures into place, and providing equipment and sanitizers throughout the islands, where, he notes, the virus could destroy indigenous peoples and cultures.

“It is amazing to see and learn how that partnership has been helping the most vulnerable and remote communities, supplying them with all that is necessary,” he said.

“We share these bleak and gloomy times in history with Covid-19,” the Cardinal concluded, “but the inspiration from Fratelli tutti gives us a new way of looking at our lives,  showing kindness to one another in a spirit of fraternity: we need to love, to get back to basics, to family units, and build up love from there.”  

Hooked On Books: The Greatest Teacher Of All Time

When August approaches, it often signifies that summer is coming to a close and a new school year is upon us. As we reflect back upon the last year of teaching during a pandemic, it’s clear that teachers play a vital role in shaping the minds of our children. Although there is still much unknown for this school year, we do know that teachers are essential to creating the opportunities for all children to reach their full potential.

Great teachers have the ability to change lives. They can act as a support system, role model, coach, inspiration and counselor. As Christians, we follow Jesus as our savior and also as a teacher. In the New Testament, the title of ‘Teacher’ is applied to Jesus 39 times. His message spoke to the hearts of people and He skillfully used illustrations, parables and questions to teach His followers. If Jesus is considered the Great Teacher, we must acknowledge that teachers are truly a gift from God.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” To all the students, teachers and families in our community, have a prosperous and blessed school year.

Dear God, Welcome Back to School: Encouragement and Revival for Public School Workers
By Vanessa Frazier

You might be working in the public schools, but who are you really working for on your job? Are you allowing the Lord to use you in such a way that He is obviously at work with you in your public school? Yes, God is looking at our public schools and sees the righteous ones in whom He can work to bring about revival and spiritual healing. From bus drivers to teachers to administrators, there is no Christian public school employee who can’t have an influence for our Lord Jesus Christ if we allow Him to fill us and lead us.

Inspire For Teachers: Prayers, Promises, and Proverbs for Those Who Change Lives and Tough Hearts
By Josie Carr

Inspire your favorite teacher with poignant scriptural prayers and wisdom from Proverbs. This faith-based book reminds teachers about the importance of developing their prayer life and communicating with God. A perfect gift for those important influencers, this little book will inspire teachers everywhere for years to come.

Christian Teachers in Public Schools: 13 Essentials for the Classroom
By Dalene Vickery Parker

Christian public school teachers face a myriad of administrative, social and instructive challenges. How do you walk the fine line between being a public educator and a believer? Sharing anecdotes, tips, Scripture verses and legal resources, this book will guide Christian teachers in handling many classroom situations and student dynamics.

Morning Meetings with Jesus: 180 Devotions for Teachers
By Susan O’Carroll Drake

Designed for each school day in the student year, these lighthearted and insightful devotions offer lessons from the Master Teacher and a challenge to apply these lessons in real-life situations that confront educators today. From the student who attacks verbally or physically to the lab experiment that goes wrong, teachers face a variety of challenges; the author shares not only her own experiences, but the biblical principles she has learned over the years.

Panhandle Region fish stocking schedule for August

‘Hate America, Inc.’: Mark Levin’s new book sold ‘eye-popping’ 565,000 copies in 2 weeks

by WorldTribune Staff, July 30, 2021

Having sold more than 565,000 copies in just two weeks, Mark Levin’s “American Marxism” sits atop the New York Times bestseller list and is No. 2 on Amazon.

Levin begins with a wakeup call:

“The counterrevolution to the American Revolution is in full force. And it can no longer be dismissed or ignored, for it is devouring our society and culture, swirling around our everyday lives, and ubiquitous in our politics, schools, media, and entertainment. Once a mostly unrelatable, fringe, and subterranean movement, it is here — and it is everywhere.…

“The counterrevolution or movement of which I speak is Marxism.”

The book has an entire chapter devoted to “Hate America, Inc.”

In it, Levin explains the long history of those who have openly pushed the Marxist agenda in America’s colleges and universities. He writes that the “progressive intellectuals of the late 1800s” were hostile “toward capitalism and the constitutional-republican system that established barriers against tyrannies of various kinds, including that which is born from the mob or centralized autocracy — and, of course, what would become known as progressivism.”

Just prior to the publication of Levin’s book, America had just passed through the traditional July 4 holiday. Levin’s description of the results generated by “Hate America, Inc” was on vivid display. The headline on the July 6 New York Post was nothing if not a confirmation of Levin’s point. It read:

Red, White and Woke

July 4th Weekend Became Liberal Bashfest of USA

The Post wrote: “Liberal politicians and commentators took special joy in celebrating July 4th by denouncing America. The Statue of Liberty was not a symbol of freedom but a symbol of hypocrisy. The flag was polarizing. The national anthem doesn’t speak for everyone (or anyone).”

Levin concludes “American Marxism” by addressing the reader directly:

“In the end, it is up to you to decide how best to help actively save our republic and what role you will choose…. While this is the end of the book, it is the beginning of a new day.”

While the corporate media ignores Levin’s blockbuster book, here’s some perspective:

An author usually has to sell 3,000 to 5,000 books to be a bestseller. Levin’s publisher, Threshold Editions, was so confident that “American Marxism” would be Levin’s seventh straight New York Times bestseller, they printed up over 1 million copies.

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  ‘Hate America, 000 copies in 2 weeks, American Marxism, Inc.’: Mark Levin’s new book sold ‘eye-popping’ 565, WorldTribune.com