Monday, August 20, 2012
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano erupts
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 178 km (110 miles) south of Quito August 19, 2012. The authorities are encouraging residents living near the volcano to evacuate due to increased activity of the volcano, according to local media. The Tungurahua volcano has been in an active state since October 1999. REUTERS/Carlos Campana
20 years after Ruby Ridge, there's forgiveness
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KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — When Sara Weaver saw her father Randy struck in the shoulder by a government sniper's bullet in the Idaho wilderness in August 1992, she began to sprint back to the family's cabin on a mountaintop called Ruby Ridge.
As the 16-year-old closed in, her mother, Vicki, opened the cabin door and stood behind it, holding Sara Weaver's 10-month-old sister in her arms. Just then, a sniper's bullet struck her mother in the head, killing her.
For the next nine days, the surviving Weavers holed up in the cabin while hundreds of federal agents laid siege in a standoff that helped spark an anti-government patriot movement that grew to include the Oklahoma City bombing.
Today, 20 years later, Sara Weaver has left the anger behind, finding religion — and forgiveness.
"I went 10 years without understanding how to heal" until becoming a born-again Christian, she said. "All bitterness and anger had to go," she said. "I forgave those that pulled the trigger."
These days, the Weavers live near Kalispell, Mont., a city in the northwestern part of the state that is the gateway to Glacier National Park and more than 100 miles east of Ruby Ridge.
Patriarch Randy Weaver, 63, is a doting grandfather, his daughter said. Her two sisters, including the one who was in Vicki Weaver's arms, are working.
For a time, it seemed doubtful that any family members would survive the siege.
Randy Weaver moved his family to northern Idaho in the 1980s to escape what he saw as a corrupt world. Over time, federal agents began investigating the Army veteran for possible ties to white supremacist and anti-government groups. Weaver was eventually suspected of selling a government informant two illegal sawed-off shotguns.
To avoid arrest, Weaver holed up on his land.
On Aug. 21, 1992, a team of U.S. marshals scouting the forest to find suitable places to ambush and arrest Weaver came across his friend, Kevin Harris, and Weaver's 14-year-old son Samuel in the woods. A gunfight broke out. Samuel Weaver and Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan were killed.
The next day, an FBI sniper shot and wounded Randy Weaver. As Weaver, Harris and Sara ran back toward the house, the sniper fired a second bullet, which passed through Vicki Weaver's head and wounded Harris in the chest.
During the siege, Sara Weaver crawled around her mother's blanket-covered body to get food and water for the survivors, including the infant, until the family surrendered on Aug. 31, 1992.
Harris and Randy Weaver were arrested, and Weaver's daughters went to live with their mother's family in Iowa. Randy Weaver was acquitted of the most serious charges and Harris was acquitted of all charges.
The surviving members of the Weaver family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The federal government awarded Randy Weaver a $100,000 settlement and his three daughters $1 million each in 1995.
"Ruby Ridge was the opening shot of a new era of anti-government hatred not seen since the Civil War," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which keeps tabs on hate groups.
After Ruby Ridge, federal agents laid siege to the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. It ended violently after 51 days on April 19, 1993, when a fire destroyed the compound after an assault was launched, killing 76 people.
Timothy McVeigh cited both Ruby Ridge and Waco as motivators when he bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Ruby Ridge has been cited often by militia and patriot groups since.
"What Ruby Ridge did was energize the radical right in a way it had not been in years," Potok said.
Sara Weaver said she is devastated each time someone commits a violent act in the name of Ruby Ridge. "It killed me inside," she said of the Oklahoma City bombing. "I knew what it was like to lose a family member in violence. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
In the years after Ruby Ridge, Sara Weaver, now 36, struggled with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as what she called a "toxic bondage" of bitterness and anger at the government.
"After losing mom and Sam, I almost felt guilty even thinking about being happy after they were gone," she said. "But that's a lie. Your family members don't want you to grieve them. They want you to move on."
After graduating from high school in Iowa, Sara Weaver moved to the Kalispell area in 1996. Her sisters and father followed shortly after. In 2003, a meeting with a childhood friend from Ruby Ridge helped her turn things around.
The friend mentioned her positive relationship with Jesus Christ, and something clicked for Sara Weaver. "I was shocked at that," she said. "I had a fear-based relationship with God."
"I decided I was broken and needed to be fixed," she said.
Weaver began reading the Bible, where she learned that "Jesus commands us to forgive," and embarked on a journey that, by 2011, found her speaking to religious groups across the nation. Her journey is described in her recently released book, "From Ruby Ridge to Freedom."
Weaver has not spoken to any of the agents involved in the siege, and doesn't plan to unless they want to meet her.
Not everything has been smooth sailing.
Weaver endured a painful divorce a few years ago, and is now married for a second time. She and her husband, Marc, operate a quarter horse breeding ranch just outside of Kalispell. She has an 11-year-old son from her first marriage.
Sara Weaver said Randy Weaver does not do interviews and would not release a statement on the anniversary.
She has been back to Ruby Ridge, to the land her family still owns. All that remains of the family's modest home is the foundation, she said. She recalled with affection her unconventional childhood there, and her mother. "It's hard to live without her to turn to," she said. "I want to turn to my mother for advice."
"We miss her terribly. It never goes away," she said.
SAHEL FOOD APPEAL INCREASED
CHRISTIAN Aid is escalating its appeal for funds to tackle the food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa amid reports that the situation is deteriorating fast.
The World Food Programme has warned that without new funding, food aid for nearly 250,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and other neighbouring states will run out in weeks.
A Christian Aid appeal running since March this year which has raised some £475,000 for the region has helped more than 175,000 people. Now supporters and major donors are being asked to give more.
NEW RESOURCES FOR PRAYER DAY
NATIONAL mission movement HOPE and Global Day Of Prayer London are working together to call the UK church to pray.
HOPE is working with Church leaders of all denominations, calling the whole Church to be part of a national weekend of prayer and fasting – All Praying Together from September 7–9.
Global Day of Prayer London is bringing Christians together for the National Day of Prayer and Worship at Wembley Stadium on Saturday September 29.
HOPE is working with Church leaders of all denominations, calling the whole Church to be part of a national weekend of prayer and fasting – All Praying Together from September 7–9.
Global Day of Prayer London is bringing Christians together for the National Day of Prayer and Worship at Wembley Stadium on Saturday September 29.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
London 2012 Olympics: the best moments of a golden Games
Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Beth Tweddle, Nicola Adams and Chad le Clos. Photographs: PA/Reuters/Rex/Action Images
1 The Brownlee brothers take gold and bronze
In the weeks before these Games, the West Yorkshire brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee dreamed of crossing the line together in thetriathlon, though they knew the Olympic rules prevented such a finish. As it turned out they both found a way to triumph. When Jonny, the younger brother, was hit with a 15-second penalty on a technicality in his changeover between the swimming and cycling it seemed his chance of a medal was gone. His brother had other ideas. Leading from the front Alistair set out at a brutal pace on the first two laps of the 10k run around the Serpentine, stretching the field and carrying only his brother and the world champion Javier Gómez with him. The tactic, which the brothers had discussed during the cycle ride, established for the breakaway trio a 30sec lead over the rest of the field, and allowed Jonny to take his penalty and still win bronze, while Alistair strode out magnificently for gold. Watching on, it seemed the closest sport has ever got to a "two little boys had two little toys" moment. Tear-jerking brilliance. Tim Adams
2 Wojdan Shaherkani takes to the mat
My personal highlight was probably, in pure sporting terms, the least worthy moment of London 2012. Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Shaherkani has achieved only a blue belt in judo and it was probably thanks solely to sportsmanlike politesse that she was allowed to stay on her feet for 82 seconds before being floored by her opponent in the women's 78kg contest. As she left the mat, she did not even know which way to bow. But if it was negligible as a contest, as an act of courage it was heart-stirringly impressive – a 16-year-old girl who has never before been permitted to compete internationally, defying the hateful abuse she has received and daring to become the first woman from her country to take part in the Games. Her appearance in London was never going to win her anything but who knows, it may just inspire others to do something so shockingly transgressive as to participate in sport. Esther Addley
3 Ruta Meilutyte shocks the world
It was day three in the Aquatics Centre and the big fish of US swimming,Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte had been circling each other. The pool had yet to come to life but on to the deck strode a little-known 15-year-old from Lithuania in a green swim cap. Ruta Meilutyte hit the front in the 100m backstroke and her last 25m brimmed with the confidence of a youngster never having tried and failed. She pushed to go faster and surged to gold. Grinning wildly, Meilutyte perched on the lane rope and lifted her arms wide to the 17,000 roaring fans in the steeply raked wings of seating. It was a gesture that crackled with realisation of what she had achieved despite or perhaps because of her youth and in that electrifying moment the champion and the crowd connected. Robert Booth
4 Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps go head to head
The single best race I saw was David Rudisha's record-breaking run in the 800m final, with Mo Farah's victory in the 5,000m just behind. But I'm going to pick the first Thursday night in the pool, when Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps fought for the title of the greatest all-round swimmer at the Games. Both swam twice on the night, and each had about 30 minutes to recover between races. Lochte finished third in the 200m backstroke and then got blitzed by Phelps in the 200m individual medley. Phelps staggered on to the podium, so tired he had to lean against the wall to stop himself falling down, then got back in the pool and destroyed the field in his 100m butterfly semi-final, finishing in the fifth-fastest time in history – he was a lot slower when he won the final the next night. He swam with a touch of the old anger that always used to fuel him, as if to say "you think I'm washed up? Watch this". He has no peers. Everyone else was swimming for second. A furious Phelps is one the finest sights in sport and this was the last great evening for the greatest Olympian.Andy Bull
5 Team GB baffle the cycling world
Cycling offered many favourite moments: Bradley Wiggins speeding past Luis León Sánchez in the time trial, the women's pursuit team closing on the Americans in the final, Laura Trott's utter mastery of the elimination, the tears of Chris Hoy. But Olympic winning is the norm for GB cyclists. What was unique was when the silver medallist Grégory Baugé took over the post-race press conference to quiz the newly crowned sprint champion Jason Kenny about how he did it. The Frenchman's conclusion: "You will play possum until Rio, then … bam." As a summary of the opposition's complete lack of answers in the velodrome, it could not be bettered. William Fotheringham
6 Mo Farah's 10,000m triumph
The first time I entered the Park to be greeted by witty, smiling volunteers and professional, charming soldiers was a big moment – you realised this was going to work after all. But amid a ludicrously crowded field, the first half of Mo Farah's historic double edges it as a standout sporting memory. You can ladle all the meaning on to it you like – and the sight and sound of middle England collectively losing its marbles for a Somali-born, west London-raised man of the people was something to behold – but at its core this was simply an imperious sporting feat. No British man had won the event and there had not been a non-African winner since 1984. Farah tore up the rulebook, working with his American training partner, Galen Rupp, to deal with each surge as it came, refusing to panic and striking for home with supreme confidence at 600m as the noise reached wild levels. The wall of sound in that intimate yet imposing bowl contained a note of disbelief, as if a crowd who had only just seenJessica Ennis cross the line and Greg Rutherford jump to an unlikely gold could not believe what they were seeing. By the time Farah crossed the line to cap 47 minutes that will go down in British sporting history, there was barely a dry eye in the Olympic Stadium. Unfinished Sympathy, the Massive Attack song that was playing as Farah charged round his final lap, will never sound the same again. Owen Gibson
7 David Rudisha's 800m world record
Few sporting achievements have left me genuinely gobsmacked but David Rudisha's victory in the 800m was one, even before all those privileged enough to witness it realised he had taken one tenth of a second off his own world record and acknowledged the feat with one of the loudest, most gutteral stadium roars I have ever heard. Such was the Kenyan's self-confidence he thought nothing of gambling the farm on breaking his record, bringing the best out of his beaten opponents in the process. So much so that Andrew Osagie's last-place finish was one of the stellar British performances of the Games. Barry Glendenning
8 Beth Tweddle's brilliant bronze
So many highlights. Mo, double Mo, Jessica, Super Saturday, the terrier-whippet Brownlee brothers, the Caribbean stall in the Olympic Park, the myriad of flowers in the wetlands, anything in the velodrome, the tenacious British handballers and weightlifters who never stood a chance but gave it their all, Michael Phelps's final individual race, the astonishing 15 and 16-year-old gold-winning girl swimmers from China and America, Tom Daley coming good, so many wheelchairs in a city in which the disabled are all too often invisible. But best of all was Beth Tweddle's retirement bronze – ethereal grace, true grit and the hands of a navvy. My mum always loved Beth and now I know why. Simon Hattenstone
9 Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor box to gold
Yes, the Olympic Stadium on successive Saturday nights, amid the fluttering union flags and much of the 80,000 crowd singing the national anthem – think Last Night of the Proms on steroids – was something else. But while no one will forget the Jess, Greg and Mo show, or the sequel a week later, for history on a truly epic scale you had to had to be at the ExceL on Thursday for the women's boxing finals. By some wonderful alchemy the Irish fans had turned a few hundred tickets into several thousand and for two hours they stomped and clapped and olé-d. British supporters caught the mood, especially while the Guardian columnist Nicola Adams was bamboozling the world champion Ren Cancan to become the first women's Olympic boxing champion in history. When Katie Taylor, Ireland's golden girl, joined her about 15 minutes later the volume shot off the scale, especially when the MC announced: "Ladies and gentleman, the winner by a score of 10 points to 8, and Olympic champion – Katie …" The rest was drowned out by exultant hosannas. The best atmosphere of the Games, bar none. Sean Ingle
10 Tumbleweed in the ExCeL
At the ExCeL the seven-sport cocktail blurred into a ceaseless "happening" so there are two, related incidents. The privilege of the job is variety, so doorstepping the Kyrgyzstan wrestler Aisuluu Tynybekova as she moved through the mixed zone after her first-round loss was an experience. After confidently yelling "Aisuluu" she finally stopped and, understandably, waited for the question. With no Kyrgyzstani or Russian personnel present a tumbleweed moment of Pinteresque silence followed, then she walked off. The second moment came the next day when this parish's esteemed rugby correspondent questioned a line in the report of Tynybekova's 63kg bout that stated fermented horse milk is Kyrgyzstan's national drink. "How do you actually milk a horse?" came the quite reasonable query. Jamie Jackson
11 Beth Tweddle's uneven bars routine
It was 12 years since Tweddle had begun her gymnastics career. In that time she had won everything – European, Commonwealth and world titles – but an Olympic medal. Despite being almost a decade past prime gymnast age, and beset by serious injuries, she had kept training and competing because a fourth place at Beijing had left her heartbroken. In qualifying, her belief-defying uneven bars routine made seasoned professionals gasp – and everyone knew that if she could just repeat it in the final, she would fulfil her dream. She did, and for the first time on a podium, the true stoic of her sport shed a quiet tear. Emma John
12 GB women's handball team v Angola
Did they win? No. Was it close? Not even nearly. Did they try? By God, yes. The British women's handball team may not have landed a medal, or much troubled the leviathan nations of their sport, but in their Copper Box match against the world No8 team Angola, the rookie crew showed more heart, ferocity and sheer giddy joy in taking part in the Olympics than many other teams. The narrow 31-25 score line was a testament to their energy and determination, and, hopefully, a sign of greater things to come. As their coach, Jesper Holmris, said: "If we're competitive now with only four or five years of practice, and starting totally from scratch, then of course there's a really good future for handball in Britain." Fingers crossed. Sam Jones
13 Jessica Ennis wins the heptathlon
Looking back, it all began with Jessica Ennis. It was the 2012 poster girl, somehow shaking off the weight of public expectation, who got Britishathletics off to an incredible start that first morning in the Olympic stadium. Roared along by the crowd, the first time we felt the magic of their combined 80,000 strong voices, she gave us a sensational performance in the 100m hurdles: 12.54sec, so good it had Britain's team captain, Dai Greene, doing a double-take of the clock. The time alone put the 26-year-old in the history books – fast enough to have won gold in the individual event at all bar two Olympic Games. The pure anticipation, knowing that Ennis would go on, break more records, was spine tingling. The following evening, under an East London night sky, Britain's golden girl started the gold rush – the whoops and the tears – and then the lingering questions: did this really happen? Or were we all just dreaming? Anna Kessel
14 Jade Jones's taekwondo gold
Picking a solitary highlight risks overlooking the sheer brilliance of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, the inspiring deeds of Team GB's cyclists, rowers, riders and the feelgood buzz of the Games as a whole. Perhaps the best snapshot, though, was Jade "The Headhunter" Jones's helmet-hurling gold in the taekwondo; fearless British female excellence was the Games's constantly recurring storyline. That photo of Wiggo posing next to the "Modfather" Paul Weller (separated at birth?) was great, too.Robert Kitson
15 Chad le Clos steals Michael Phelps's thunder
One of Michael Phelps's greatest triumphs as an Olympian was entwined with a loss in a discipline in which he was meant to be indestructible. In the 200m butterfly final Phelps won his 18th medal – so equaling the Olympic record – but a twist was buried inside a moment that was meant to be swathed in glory. The event that had belonged to him for over a decade ended in defeat and a silver medal when South Africa's Chad le Clos produced a blistering finish that just beat Phelps to the wall. That conclusion defined the exhilaration and pathos of sport. Bert le Clos, Chad's burly dad, then gave us the most entertaining interview of the London Olympics. Donald McRae
16 The opening ceremony
These things are, without exception, awful. Except somehow this one wasn't. At the start of these fearfully anticipated Games it seemed almost enough that London had managed to get though this appalling game of global party charades not just unembarrassed but looking oddly and defiantly happy with itself after Danny Boyle's baroque and unapologetically intelligent left-leaning British history primer. In fact the only hole in Boyle's vision of Albion was perhaps a refusal to acknowledge the plastic rubbish that infests much of modern British life. Where was the cringe-making tat, the gurning mediocrity? On the other hand the creation of a giant looming Voldemort/David Cameron (yes, Boyle: we noticed) menacing the saintly NHS with his scythe more than made up for it. Barney Ronay
17 Murray finally wins at Wimbledon
Got to be Henry's Hug. When the 11-year-old Henry Caplan, eyes welling up, rushed through the seats on Centre Court at Wimbledon to hug Andy Murray after he'd beaten Roger Federer to win the gold medal, sport went from theatre to humanity. Henry told his startled father he "had to go". It was a spontaneous gesture that captured the emotion of the moment and told us something about the changing relationship between Murray and tennis fans who have taken a little while to warm to him. If a small boy from Essex can embrace the Scot, surely the rest of the country can too. Even south of the border. Kevin Mitchell
18 Ben Ainslie's gold medal
Ben Ainslie was simply magnificent. He trailed Jonas Hogh-Christensen throughout the preliminary 10-race series and looked beaten in the medal race. Somehow he clawed back the Dane's lead and in the final race got ahead and stayed ahead to become the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. He was skilful but it was his steely determination to win that was most impressive. He willed his way to that fourth gold. And 70,000 people turned out on the beaches, cliffs and Weymouth's stone pier to roar him home. He wasn't on great form; he shouldn't really have won it. But, somehow, you always knew he would. Steven Morris
19 GB win team showjumping gold
I spent much of the Olympic fortnight among the horsey folk at Greenwich Park, where the arena surely offered the best views in London. I had excursions to the bizarre beach volleyball, the refinedfencing and to Wimbledon, where I saw Roger Federer's epic semi-final win over Juan Martín del Potro and then Andy Murray's demolition of the great man himself. In sporting terms, the latter must win. But in human terms, the best moment came in the team showjumping, where Britain pipped the Netherlands for gold. The Dutch should have won really – the final rider, the individual silver medallist Gerco Schröder, just had to ride a clear round to nail it, something that was well within his compass. But he had a fence down, the contest went to a jump-off and the rest is hysteria. I would have been bereft but immediately after the jump-off I was standing next to the unsaddling arena as the British celebrated. "That was good sport," one of the Dutch riders called across. I thought that was a brilliant response. "A silver won rather than a gold lost," they insisted. And they meant it. Stephen Moss
20 Laura Trott goes wild for Chris Hoy
On Super Tuesday in the velodrome I was among a scrum quizzing the new omnium gold medallist, Laura Trott, as just in front of us, Sir Chris Hoy raced in his keirin final. She politely kept talking till the crowd noise made it obvious the finish was imminent. On seeing Hoy zip across the line first Trott jumped in the air, screamed as loud as she could, danced an improvised jig, hugged a British official and went straight back into answering some anodyne question I'd just put to her. Amazing moment, and a lovely woman. Peter Walker
21 Yohan Blake runs the bend
It was tucked away in a relay race – albeit a final that was run in a world record time – but Yohan Blake's third leg of the men's 4x100m was the best piece of bend running I have ever seen. Taking the baton from Michael Frater, he was matched against Tyson Gay, the second fastest man of all time. His legs working at a phenomenally high cadence, he reached a velocity that seemed to challenge the laws of centrifugal force and clocked a time of 9.0sec. After that, all Usain Bolt had to do was grab the stick and be himself. Richard Williams
22 Bradley Wiggins wows the time trial
The complications of a time trial means that, quite often, at the end, you're watching hundredths of a second flick past on a giant screen instead of the riders: or if you are watching the riders, it's quite hard to work out if they've won – so there's often a split-second of perplexity. That was the moment of the London games, as the information sunk in, that Bradley Wiggins had won an Olympic gold in the same year as winning the Tour de France, and Chris Froome had got a bronze, that the home disadvantage had been overcome, all this dawning under an unexpected burst of sunlight. Zoe
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