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California announces $ 50 gift card and prizes for vaccine recipients
California is giving away the country’s largest pot of vaccine prize money — $116.5 million — in an attempt to get millions more inoculated before the most populous U.S. state fully reopens next month.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the prizes, which also include the nation’s highest single vaccine prize: $1.5 million. People who have already been vaccinated will be eligible.
“We’re putting aside more resources than any other state in America and we’re making available the largest prizes of any state in America for those that seek to get vaccinated,” Newsom said from a vaccination site in Los Angeles.
The state estimates about 12 million Californians 12 and older have not been vaccinated. About 63% of the 34 million eligible have gotten shots, though the pace has slowed markedly in recent weeks as infection rates have plummeted to record lows.
California’s reopening is pegged for June 15, and on that day a drawing will be held to award 10 vaccinated people the top prize. Newsom said he hopes the prizes will help the state ensure more than 70% of eligible people are vaccinated by the time the state reopens.
“This is all in an effort to incentivize and build momentum,” Newsom said.
Another 30 people will win $50,000 each, with those drawings starting June 4. Anyone 12 and older who has received at least one shot will be eligible. And the next 2 million people who get vaccinated will get $50 gift cards. Newsom said he hopes to give out all of those gift cards by June 15.
Ohio this week announced the first $1 million winner of its “Vax-a-Million” contest, as well as the first child to win a full college scholarship. Colorado and Oregon also offered $1 million prizes.
New York is raffling 50 full scholarships to children 12 to 17 to public universities and colleges in the state, selecting 10 winners each of the next five Wednesdays.
That California is turning to cash prizes to encourage vaccinations marks a major turnaround from earlier this year, when Californians clamored for shots, with some driving or waiting in line for hours to get one.
“Some Californians weren’t ready to get their Covid-19 vaccine on Day One, and that’s OK. This program is designed to encourage those who need extra support to get vaccinated and help keep California safe,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the state’s department of public health, said in a statement.
Newsom’s office said the program would be aimed at reaching people in communities hardest hit by the pandemic — mainly low-income, Black and Latino people — though it wasn’t immediately clear how the money would be tailored to fit that goal.
California uses a “vaccine equity metric” to track vaccination progress that splits zip codes into four groups from least to most advantaged. Nearly half of people in the least advantaged neighborhoods still haven’t been vaccinated, according to the state.
By contrast, less than a quarter of people in the most advantaged areas haven’t been vaccinated.
Among all Latinos, 57% are not yet vaccinated. That’s the highest percentage of any racial or ethnic group. State figures show 40% of white Californians are not vaccinated.
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മ്യാന്മറിൽ സമാധാനമുണ്ടാകാൻ ആഗോളപ്രാർത്ഥനാദിനമൊരുക്കി ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് സംഘടന
മ്യാന്മറിൽ നിലവിലുള്ള അവസ്ഥ ഏറെ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടേറിയതാണെന്നും, ഇതവസാനിപ്പിക്കാനും, സമാധാനം സ്ഥാപിക്കപ്പെടാനും വേണ്ടി പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കേണ്ടത് ആവശ്യമാണെന്നും ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് അന്താരാഷ്ട്രകത്തോലിക്കാസംഘടന. ഇത്തരമൊരു സാഹചര്യത്തിന്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ, മ്യാന്മറിനുവേണ്ടി 24 മണിക്കൂർ പ്രാർത്ഥനായജ്ഞം നടത്താൻ, ജനുവരി 30-ന് പുറത്തുവിട്ട ഒരു പത്രക്കുറിപ്പിലൂടെ, സംഘടനയുടെ എസ്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് പ്രെസിഡന്റ് റെജീന ലിഞ്ച് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു.
മ്യാന്മറിൽ ഏറെ നാളുകളായി തുടരുന്ന സംഘർഷങ്ങളിൽ ഇരകളായ ഏവർക്കും, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് മരണമടഞ്ഞവർക്ക് വേണ്ടി പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കാനും, അവരുടെ കുടുംബാംഗങ്ങൾക്ക് ആശ്വാസം ലഭിക്കുന്നതിനും വേണ്ടിയാണ് പ്രാർത്ഥനയുടെ ഈ ദിനം തങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാക്കുന്നതെന്ന് യൂണിസെഫ് പ്രതിനിധി അറിയിച്ചു. രാജ്യത്ത് തങ്ങളുടെ സഹോദരീസഹോദരങ്ങൾ വിവിധ ആക്രമണങ്ങളാണ് നേരിടുന്നതെന്നും, പട്ടിണിയും, വിദ്യുശ്ചക്തി ലഭ്യതക്കുറവും മൂലം അവർ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും അറിയിച്ച റെജീന ലിഞ്ച്, അപകടം പിടിച്ച വഴികളിലൂടെ ദിവസങ്ങൾ യാത്രചെയ്താണ് രാജ്യത്തെ വൈദികരും സന്ന്യസ്തരും, അകലങ്ങളിലുള്ള ഇടവകകളിലേക്ക് എത്തുന്നതെന്ന് വിശദീകരിച്ചു.
തങ്ങളുടെ ഭവനങ്ങൾ വിട്ടിറങ്ങാൻ നിർബന്ധിതരായ മനുഷ്യർക്കുവേണ്ടിയും ഒളിച്ചുകഴിയാൻ നിർബന്ധിതരാകുന്നവർക്കുവേണ്ടിയും തങ്ങളുടെ ഭാവി അനിശ്ചിതത്വത്തിലായ യുവജനങ്ങൾക്കുവേണ്ടിയും, ആധ്യാത്മികസേവനത്തിന് വേണ്ടി തങ്ങളുടെ ജീവൻ പണയപ്പെടുത്തേണ്ടിവരുന്ന സമർപ്പിതർക്കുവേണ്ടിയും പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കാൻ കൂടിയാണ് ഈ ദിനം തങ്ങൾ ഒരുക്കുന്നതെന്ന് ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് എഴുതി.
ലോകത്ത് 140 രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽ, ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടനുഭവിക്കുന്ന ക്രൈസ്തവസമൂഹങ്ങൾക്ക് സഹായമെത്തിക്കുന്ന അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര കത്തോലിക്കാസംഘടനയാണ് ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ്. സമാധാനത്തിന്റെ സന്ദേശം ഏവരിലേക്കുമെത്തിക്കാൻ സംഘടന ഏവരോടും അഭ്യർത്ഥിച്ചു.
പ്രാർത്ഥനാദിനത്തിൽ ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് സംഘടനയുടെ മുഖ്യ ഓഫീസും, 23 ദേശീയ ഓഫീസുകളും വിവിധ സമയങ്ങളിലായി പങ്കെടുക്കും. പ്രാർത്ഥനകളിൽ പങ്കെടുക്കാൻ സംഘടന ഏവരോടും അഭ്യർത്ഥിച്ചു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
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Street preacher to appeal court ruling upholding arrest over ‘hate Islam, Jesus is love’ sign
A Christian street preacher who was arrested for protesting Islam after the London Bridge terrorist attack in 2017 has had his appeal rejected by the High Court.
Ian Sleeper was arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 for purportedly causing “harassment, alarm and distress” after displaying a sign that said “Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus is love and hope.”
He was held for 13 hours before being released without charge. He later sued the police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment but lost and appealed.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the High Court said his arrest was justified due to the risk of public disorder because of tensions following the 2017 attacks. The Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which supported Sleeper in his legal action, said there was no evidence of such a risk.
The CLC called Tuesday’s ruling “a concerning setback to the right of free speech” and alleged “two-tier policing” toward Sleeper after officers failed to take action against pro-Palestine protesters calling for jihad against Israel during recent protests.
Sleeper said the way he was treated was “completely wrong,” adding that he plans to appeal.
“The police have never apologized and continue to believe that what they did was right,” he said.
“Recent events in London following the conflict in the Middle East has [sic] exposed that anyone protesting Israel and calling for violence would not be treated as I was by the police.
“There is no consistency in policing over these matters and what has happened to me and on our streets in the past month should be of grave concern to many.
“I will continue to pursue justice on this matter for as long as it takes and am pleased to have the opportunity to appeal the previous ruling.”
CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams said police action against Sleeper was “disproportionate.”
“What happened to Mr. Sleeper in 2017 has been prophetic for what we now see on London’s streets during pro-Hamas protests,” she said.
“The police have upheld the right for Islamic protesters to call for genocide without interference, and anyone who counter-protests and disagrees faces the full force of the law.
“Ian explicitly said love Muslims. He meant it — everything about his character and experience says as much. He is a dedicated and effective evangelist who understands that Islam gets in the way of people finding God and experiencing eternal life.
“How can you be free to criticise Islam in public if the words you mean and explicitly say are ignored in the courts?”
Sources:Christian Post
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Ancient Aramaic inscription finally deciphered reveals Jewish name in the heartland of Judea
An inscribed piece of pottery found in an ancient Jewish stronghold in the Jordan Valley has finally been deciphered.
The 2,000-year-old shard was first discovered by archaeologists in the 1980s but has only now been analyzed by experts from Bar Ilan University, thanks to new imaging technology developed by Jerusalem’s Azrieli College of Engineering, according to YNet News.
The advanced imaging method combines hyperspectral photography, artificial intelligence, and image fusion to recover faded texts previously invisible to the naked eye. Using this technology, the Aramaic lettering on the ostracon was found to spell out a Jewish name, “Eleazar Bar Ger” and says that he was “from Beit Akiman.”
The name Eleazar means “My God has helped” and “Bar Ger,” presuming that is the complete text, indicates that he was the son of a convert to Judaism. The letters could also represent the beginning of a family name such as “Gerim” or “Geris” which are names found in ancient texts from the same era.
The second part of the text is presumably the name of a place, Beit Akiman, but its actual location remains a mystery.
The ostracon was found at the Alexandrium Fortress on Mount Sartaba. The fortress is located in the Jordan Valley, which lies about 50 km (30 miles) north of Jericho and close to the border with Jordan.
A large columned structure dating from the Hasmonean and Herodian periods was discovered at the location with an advanced water supply system and Roman siege works.
The site was originally excavated by late Hebrew University archaeologists, professor Yoram Tsafrir and Yitzhak Magen, who found the shard, along with several other ostraca inscribed in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. These fragments are now being studied by professor Esther Eshel from Bar-Ilan University and professor Haggai Misgav from the Hebrew University.
“Ostraca with Jewish names and parallels to rebel-linked texts at Masada support the possibility of insurgent activity here during the Great Jewish Revolt,” said Dvir Raviv, who is now heading up excavations at the site.
He said the inscriptions “shed light on the site’s history as a royal fortress for the Hasmoneans and Herod.”
The Sartaba stronghold is mentioned in Jewish literature from the Second Temple period and was named Alexandrium after Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus. It was a burial place for Hasmonean royalty.
Itay Granak, Heritage Ministry director-general, is reported in YNet as saying, “This finding reaffirms the Jewish people’s unbroken bond with Israel.” He added, “Eleazar’s name, etched on a shard at a key Hasmonean site, joins a chain of evidence attesting to continuous Jewish presence across the land — from the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem.”
Benny Har-Even, head of the Archaeology Staff Officer Corps, said, “Resuming work at Sartaba-Alexandrium after 40 years is a historic moment. This inscription’s decipherment highlights the site’s immense potential. We anticipate further discoveries illuminating the Hasmonean-Herodian fortress and ancient Jewish settlement in the region.”
Sources:Christian Post
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