BREAKING NEWS The Rev. Billy Graham has died at 99.

February 21, 2018 By administrator

Billy Graham, 99, Dies

The Rev. Billy Graham, a North Carolina farmer’s son who preached to millions in stadium events he called crusades, becoming a pastor to presidents and the nation’s best-known Christian evangelist for more than 60 years, died on Wednesday at his home in Montreat, N.C. He was 99.

His death was confirmed by Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Mr. Graham had dealt with a number of illnesses in his last years, including prostate cancer, hydrocephalus (a buildup of fluid in the brain) and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Graham spread his influence across the country and around the world through a combination of religious conviction, commanding stage presence and shrewd use of radio, television and advanced communication technologies.

A central achievement was his encouraging evangelical Protestants to regain the social influence they had once wielded, reversing a retreat from public life that had begun when their efforts to challenge evolution theory were defeated in the Scopes trial in 1925.

Costa Rica closes 2015 with 99% renewable energy

December 20, 2015 By administrator

Costa Rica has boasted that almost all of the energy it has produced in 2015 came from renewable sources, making the small Central America country a global leader in green energy.

“We close 2015 with 99 percent of clean energy!” announced the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on Facebook, saying that “the energy produced … in 2015 reaches 98.95 % with renewable sources as of December 17.”

According to the group, the country managed to power 285 days in the period from January 1 through December 17 using only renewable energy.

“We are closing 2015 with renewable electricity milestones that have put us in the global spotlight,” AFP cited ICE electricity division chief Luis Pacheco as saying, predicting even better results for Costa Rica’s energy sector in 2016.

Costa Rica even managed to surpass its energy targets, despite the fact that 2015 “had been extremely dry,” ICE added.

Three quarters of the country’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power stations – Costa Rica has abundant river system and experiences heavy rainfall. Other sources of green energy are geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar.

Armenian Genocide commemoration events planned in Fresno area

April 19, 2014 By administrator

A series of events are planned this week in the Valley to mark the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, The Fresno Bee reports.

• Two showings of the movie, “Music to Madness: The Story of Komitas,” will be held Monday at the Tower Theater, 815 E. Olive Ave. in Fresno. One showing is at 2:30 p.m., the second at 7:30 p.m. The movie portrays an Armenian boy with a perfect singing voice who becomes a great performer as an adult, but who gets caught up in the genocide and ultimately falls into madness.

• On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Ararat Cemetery, 1925 W. Belmont Ave. in Fresno, wreaths and flowers can be laid at the monument of the Remains of the Unknown Martyr of the Armenian Genocide. A requiem service will be officiated by Armenian clergy from throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

• At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, there will be a commemoration and flag raising at Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno St. Among the speakers will be Mayor Ashley Swearengin and Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and David Valadao, R-Hanford. Special attention will be paid to recent attacks by Syrian rebels on the city of Kessab, where many Armenians were living and have been uprooted in the fighting.

• A commemoration of the genocide will start at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, 220 Third St. in Fowler. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Debra Kazanjian will be the featured speaker.

• And for the months of April and May, there is a photo exhibition at the UC Merced Center, 550 E. Shaw Ave. in Fresno, called “The Living Martyrs,” which shows children who survived the genocide.

Armenian Genocide to be commemorated in Glendale, Pasadena, Los Angeles area

April 19, 2014 By administrator

Several local events commemorating the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be held in Glendale over the next several days, according to Glendale News-Press.

The genocide resulted in the murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918.

The main event of the week will be the city-sponsored Armenian Genocide commemorative event at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

The event will feature traditional Armenian dances and musical performances by local students and keynote speaker Maurice Missack Kelechian, who is a Silicon Valley engineer whose scientific research led to the unveiling of an Armenian orphanage in Antoura near Beirut-Lebanon which dated back to the time of the genocide.

Operated by Ahmad Jemal Pasha, the orphanage housed 1,000 Armenian orphans and served as a “Turkification” center.

The commemorative week will kick off with two events.

On Monday, the Armenian clubs from Glendale, Hoover, Crescenta Valley and Clark Magnet high schools will hold their 13th annual Armenian Genocide remembrance assembly at 7 p.m. in Glendale High’s newly named John Wayne Auditorium, located at 1440 Broadway. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Students from each school will contribute to part of the assembly, ranging from instrumental musical compositions, poetry readings and video clips.

Also on Monday, the city of Glendale will host a night of poetry focused on inhumane events of the present and past at 6 p.m. in Parcher Plaza at City Hall, 613 East Broadway.

Unified Young Armenians will host a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the genocide at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the corner of Verdugo Road and Mountain Street.

In Pasadena, the Armenian Community Coalition will host a commemoration event at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

The event will feature several speakers including Very Rev. Father Andon Atamian and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park.

Unified Young Armenians’ annual mass demonstration in Little Armenia will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Hollywood Boulevard and Hobart Street.

The Armenian Youth Federation plans its annual protest in front of the Turkish Consulate, 6300 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday.