All posts tagged: United

Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

Published by skeptic

A religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence on Sunday stemmed from a schism in the worldwide United Methodist Church over its decision to repeal LGBTQ bans — and the ensuing formation of the new Global Methodist Church by breakaway conservative churches. According to the news service, a United Methodist church member was shot and killed in a confrontation between both factions in Taraba, a state in northeast Nigeria. Homes were set ablaze, claiming the lives of two children, ages 2 and 4, of the overseer of a United Methodist school and nursery, the news service said. Another 10 church members were reported injured. The worldwide Global Methodist Church held its inaugural general conference earlier this year. It was created by churches breaking away from the United Methodist Church — an international denomination with a strong U.S. presence. While the UMC, at its general conference in May, lifted …

10 Oldest National Parks in the United States

10 Oldest National Parks in the United States

Published by skeptic

  In 1916, the United States National Park Service was established to protect America’s unique natural and cultural resources. Yet many of the country’s most celebrated national parks had already been safeguarding stunning landscapes and historic sites decades before this agency came into existence. In fact, some of these parks are older than certain states themselves. Below, we’ve selected 10 of the oldest national parks, each showcasing a different facet of America’s heritage, whether through unparalleled natural beauty, feats of early preservation, or sites rich in Native American, geological, and military history.   1. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho (1872) Aerial Shot of a Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park. Source: Pexels   President Ulysses S. Grant designated Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872. This marked the beginning of the national park system not only in America but also around the world. Yellowstone National Park spans across parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It houses a stunning variety of geothermal features, including the world’s largest collection of geysers. Among these is the …

United Learning to launch charity to run community hubs

United Learning to launch charity to run community hubs

Published by skeptic

But country’s largest trust stresses the initiative won’t ‘take resource from teaching and learning’ But country’s largest trust stresses the initiative won’t ‘take resource from teaching and learning’ More from this theme Recent articles United Learning, the country’s largest multi-academy trust, is setting up a charity to manage its new community hubs, but stressed it won’t “take resource from teaching and learning”. The 90-academy United Learning is setting up “United Communities” as a subsidiary to run the 26 hubs it plans to have up and running by the end of the 2025-26 academic year. The community hubs provide things like community meals, youth provision, early years groups, walking groups, skill-sharing sessions, cooking and family activities. United Learning said they also provided adult learning, community allotments, community action initiatives, and “parent-led” SEND support. For instance, Hill View community hub in Banbury hosts a weekly group run by parents, for parents, of children with additional support needs and disabilities. This is an opportunity for parents in the area to connect and and offer advice and support, the trust …

F1 livestream: Watch the 2024 United States Grand Prix for free

F1 livestream: Watch the 2024 United States Grand Prix for free

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: Watch the 2024 United States Grand Prix for free on ORF, ServusTV, or RTBF. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. Can Max Verstappen turn things around and stretch his lead at the top of the F1 standings, or will Lando Norris continue to close the gap? There are so many questions waiting to be answered at the Circuit of The Americas this weekend, and you can find out the answers without spending anything. If you’re interested in watching the 2024 United States Grand Prix for free from anywhere in the world, we’ve got all the information you need. When is the 2024 United States Grand Prix? The 2024 United States Grand Prix takes place over 56 laps of the 5,513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin. The full schedule can be found here: Practice 1 — 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 18 Sprint Qualifying — 5:30 to 6:14 p.m. ET on Oct. 18 Sprint — 2 to 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 19 Qualifying — 6 …

Today’s dictators are united — but not by ideology

Today’s dictators are united — but not by ideology

Published by skeptic

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. The germ of the idea that would eventually turn into Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian Anne Applebaum’s new book, Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, came to her on a 2020 trip to Venezuela, a country long plagued by dictatorship, economic collapse, and mass migration. “Venezuela was once the wealthiest country in South America,” Applebaum tells Big Think. “Now it’s the poorest, and you can see the destruction of the last 20 years everywhere you look. Given the degree to which the government operates against the interests of the nation, you have to ask, where is all power coming from?” The answer, though unclear to most foreign observers, is common knowledge among Venezuelans: not from President Nicolás Maduro himself, but a global network of autocratic states offering military and financial support. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the current Venezuelan government is closely tied to …

Is Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United almost up?

Is Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United almost up?

Published by Sam

Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday, leaving the Red Devils in the bottom half of the Premier League after six matches of the new campaign. Here we take an in-depth look at Erik ten Hag’s future at the Theatre of Dreams and what has gone wrong for United so far this term. Writing on the wall? Cast your mind back to the end of the previous top-flight season and rumours were rife that Erik ten Hag was set to be sacked. The FA Cup final victory over bitter local rivals Manchester City seemed to have saved the Dutchman. Now questions about him are being raised again after three defeats in six Premier League games. Two of the losses have come at Old Trafford – both crushing 3-0 blows by top-four aspirants Liverpool and Spurs. Not much has seemingly changed for United, even with their new signings, and Sunday’s woeful defeat cruelly exposed their problems, with the Red Devils wide open defensively. Ten Hag now has a big …

Behold the First American Board Game, Travellers’ Tour Through the United States (1822)

Behold the First American Board Game, Travellers’ Tour Through the United States (1822)

Published by José

Asked to name a clas­sic Amer­i­can board game, most of us would first think of Monop­oly, whose imagery and ver­biage — Park Place, Rich Uncle Pen­ny­bags, “Do not pass go” — has worked its way deep into the cul­ture since Park­er Broth­ers brought it to mar­ket in 1935. Despite that, it isn’t the old­est Amer­i­can board game: that hon­or goes to Trav­ellers’ Tour Through the Unit­ed States, which came out more than a cen­tu­ry ear­li­er, in 1822. Where­as Monop­oly teach­es its play­ers about real-estate val­ues in Depres­sion-era Atlantic City (as well as a thing or two about cap­i­tal­ism), the old­er game took a larg­er sub­ject for its edu­ca­tion­al ambi­tions: the whole of the Unit­ed States of Amer­i­ca. Of course, that whole was a lot small­er back in 1822, the year after Mis­souri became the 24th state. Trav­ellers’ Tour Through the Unit­ed States presents its two-to-four play­ers with the task of tra­vers­ing the young coun­try, begin­ning in Wash­ing­ton and end­ing in New Orleans. This is done by spin­ning some­thing called a “tee­to­tum,” a kind of hybrid …

Are revival winds stirring in the United Kingdom? – OpentheWord.org

Are revival winds stirring in the United Kingdom? – OpentheWord.org

Published by skeptic

London, EnglandCredit: Lucas Davies, unsplash.com Over this past year, there have been several reports indicating that a spiritual revival may be stirring in the United Kingdom. While there has been a noticeable turn towards secularism in the UK in recent years, three reports suggest a spiritual shift is taking place in the island nation. From ‘The Spectator’ in April 2024 Back in April, podcaster Justin Brierley, author of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief, stated in a column for The Spectator that he believes a revival is stirring in the UK. He cited multiple instances of high-profile UK figures publicly announcing they have become Christians, including Russell Brand, author and poet Paul Kingsnorth, former atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and tech pioneer Jordan Hall. Brierley also discussed a conversation he had with historian Tom Holland, about his recent move towards the Christian faith after he was divinely healed of cancer. This led Brierley to attend a midnight service with Holland at the very church where he was healed after praying at a midnight mass. Brierley was surprised …