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The picture was taken on February 11, 2016 (It is his passport photo according to his own Twitter page)

Prince Rogers Nelson

More info about the Memorial

mipw16_E.pdf

This is my Haitian Bible student, Rodlin, in Dominican Republic. After he reached 2nd division at his soccer club, he decided to quit soccer in order to serve Jehovah at the age of 18. Now he's in chapter 9 in the Bible Teach book. Today was his very first day in field service as an unbaptized publisher. The very first person he talked to was a man who used to study and goes to meetings regularly, but stopped when he was almost done with the Bible Teach book. Rodlin was able to arrange to continue to study with him even though the man is a few chapter ahead of him!

Exhausted and weakened but undeterred, Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova stood trial before the Pirallahi District Court in Baku on January 28, 2016. Locked in a cage as though they were hardened criminals, they listened as Judge Akram Gahramanov pronounced their sentence. He declared them guilty of distributing religious literature without State permission and fined them 7,000 manat each ($4,361 U.S.). Since they had already served 11 months in jail, he canceled the fines and released them. Unjust Detention Azerbaijan’s Ministry of National Security (MNS) alleged that Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova, two of Jehovah’s Witnesses, committed a crime when they offered a free Bible-based brochure to a neighbor in Baku. For ten weeks the MNS investigated the alleged crime and subjected the women to repeated, aggressive interrogations. When the women responded to yet another MNS summons on February 17, 2015, they were stunned to be brought to an arraignment hearing * and placed in pretrial detention. From the start, authorities treated the women like criminals posing “a threat to society.” A member of the defense team stated: “I was amazed to hear the investigator characterize the actions of these two women in such inflated terms. He alleged that they colluded with criminal intent and deliberately broke the law. Actually, Valida returned to speak with a woman who had previously enjoyed Bible discussions and had requested religious literature. The woman invited Valida and Irina into her home for tea and accepted a religious brochure.” Abusive Treatment and a Wider Campaign Throughout their 11-month imprisonment, the MNS kept Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova in isolation, refusing to allow them visitors, phone calls, correspondence, or a Bible. MNS officers subjected them to constant psychological pressure. They became emaciated, sleep deprived, and physically weak. The court refused all appeals and motions to transfer them to house arrest pending trial. The MNS compounded their suffering by requesting the court to extend their imprisonment, at hearings in May, July, and September 2015. When the case finally came to trial in December, Judge Gahramanov postponed hearings three times. Ultimately, Irina and Valida spent nearly a year in jail before the court issued its decision on January 28, 2016. Court proceedings revealed a wider MNS campaign against Jehovah’s Witnesses. The MNS asked the court to detain the women so that the MNS could identify other Witnesses who participated in the allegedly criminal activity. While the women were in jail, officials harassed Jehovah’s Witnesses in Baku, repeatedly interrogating them and raiding dozens of their homes and a house of worship. International Appeals for Relief Jehovah’s Witnesses turned to international human rights bodies, seeking relief for Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova. They filed applications with the European Court of Human Rights and several UN bodies. Jehovah’s Witnesses around the globe sent thousands of letters to Azerbaijan officials. Representatives of Jehovah’s Witnesses approached government officials in their respective countries and sent letters directly to the president of Azerbaijan, requesting humanitarian intervention. On December 2, 2015, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) rendered its opinion that Azerbaijan’s treatment of the women violated their rights and constituted religious discrimination. It urged Azerbaijan officials to release Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova and compensate them for arbitrarily detaining them. The following day, the UN Human Rights Committee asked the government to transfer Ms. Zakharchenko to house arrest because of her deteriorating health. Groundless Criminal Conviction At trial, Judge Gahramanov first heard from the alleged victim that Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova had given her a brochure. However, during the hearing, the alleged victim gave confusing and inconsistent testimony that contradicted her previous statements. She could not explain how she had experienced harm as a “victim.” The judge then gave Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova the opportunity to question her. They respectfully highlighted the inconsistencies in the woman’s testimony and the inaccuracies in her statement. Both women told the “victim” that they forgave her. The judge also heard from two “witnesses” to the alleged crime of distributing religious literature without permission from the State. These witnesses had signed statements alleging that Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova had committed a crime, but they admitted that they had not even read the statements. When questioned, they also admitted that they did not know Irina and Valida and that the women had not given them any religious literature. The statement of a third witness, read aloud by the judge at trial, was likewise inconsistent and contradictory. Despite the evidence in favor of Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova, Judge Gahramanov found them guilty as charged. After the trial, a lawyer working on the women’s defense team observed: “I found the decision absurd. The WGAD saw the wrong done to the women and called for their release and for compensation. Now, just a few weeks later, the judge has found them guilty.” The women are evaluating their right to appeal the unjust convictions. When Will Azerbaijan’s Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses End? The worldwide community of Jehovah’s Witnesses is comforted to know that Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova are free, receiving care from their families and getting necessary medical treatment. The Witnesses are shocked that Azerbaijan would allow the unwarranted and abusive treatment of two peaceable and innocent women—and allow it to be justified by a conviction. Many others join the Witnesses in their concern over Azerbaijan’s flagrant violations of religious freedom. The international community is keenly watching for improvement in the government’s treatment of religious minorities. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to seek opportunity to discuss issues affecting their worship in Azerbaijan and to reach a common understanding with the government.

After the December 2015 murder in Kyrgyzstan of Ahmadi Muslim Yunusjan Abdujalilov, an independent human rights defender has noted this month (February 2016) to Forum 18 News Service that "the authorities turn a blind eye to hate speeches on TV, other mass media, and mosques about Ahmadi Muslims and other vulnerable religious groups". They also noted that, in addition to attacks by Muslim Board imams, the Ahmadis were refused state registration. "All of this created a tense situation and hatred against the Ahmadis." Osh Regional Police spokesperson Jenishbek Ashirbayev told Forum 18: "There are two sides of the issue, one is the murder, and the other is the unregistered freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis". Asked why the authorities are seeking to punish the Ahmadis instead of investigating the murder, Ashirbayev reiterated that both the murder and the Ahmadi Community's activity are being investigated. Asked what the freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis has to do with the murder, he referred Forum 18 to the NSC secret police. After the murder of Ahmadi Muslim Yunusjan Abdujalilov, police in Kyrgyzstan have arrested nine suspects, Forum 18 News Service has been told. An independent human rights defender has told Forum 18 that they think that there was "an indirect link" between a state ban on Ahmadis being registered, hatred promoted by state-backed Muslim Board imams and the murder. An Osh Regional Police spokesperson told Forum 18: "There are two sides of the issue, one is the murder, and the other is the unregistered freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis". Also, the government is still failing to enable people to peacefully bury their dead, with the religious ceremonies and in the cemeteries they would wish. The latest known such problem involves a Jehovah's Witness who died of natural causes (see below). Central government officials have refused to state whether the government intends to implement its international obligations to protect peoples' right to exercise freedom of religion or belief, or to take steps to prevent further murders (see below). Murder, severe attack On 22 December 2015 Ahmadi Muslim Yunusjan Abdujalilov was murdered in front of his home in the village of Kashkar Kyshtak in Jalalabad Region. Salamat Kyshtobayev, an Ahmadi who knew the victim, described him to Forum 18 on 10 February 2016 as "an exemplary man who did no harm to anyone". Police arrested nine suspects on 25 December 2015 and claimed they are members of terrorist groups linked to Daesh who had been ordered to carry out attacks. Police have this month told Ahmadis that the investigation is continuing. Ahmadis stated that police said one of the murder suspects was arrested because he boasted about his involvement in the murder of "an infidel". They also pointed out that a Kyrgyz Daesh terrorist in Syria, Sirojiddin Mukhtarov known as Abu Saloh, is from the same village as murder victim Abdujalilov and has called for Ahmadis to be murdered. They noted that Mukhtarov in the past had preached sermons under the Muslim Board. The state has repeatedly failed to take any action to stop state officials and imams of the state-backed Muslim Board encouraging or condoning violence and other coercion against people peacefully exercising their human rights. An example has been the government's long-standing failure to ensure that people may exercise their right to bury their dead with the religious ceremonies and in the cemeteries they would wish (see eg. F18News 6 June 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1966). One of the murder suspects allegedly confessed that he killed Abdujalilov. He also confessed that on 18 September 2015, with other accomplices, he attacked another Ahmadi in the same village, Ulugbek Turdakhunov. "He survived but was severely beaten with iron rods and stabbed with a knife several times," Ahmadis stated. His legs were broken. Link between murder, Ahmadi ban and hate speech? The state has repeatedly stopped Ahmadis and members of some other vulnerable communities from exercising their freedom of religion or belief and other human rights. On 10 July 2014 the Supreme Court rejected an appeal against two lower courts' support of the State Commission for Religious Affairs' (SCRA) refusal to give state registration to the Ahmadi community. Asel Bayastanova, the Ahmadis' defence lawyer, told Forum 18 that "it means that Ahmadi Muslims cannot act like Ahmadi Muslims and organise meetings for worship or any other activity together" (see F18News 17 July 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1977). Some communities think that contributory factors to violence against them and their followers are the blocking of registration applications by the SCRA, the National Security Committee (NSC) secret police, and local authorities, the banning of the unregistered exercise of freedom of religion or belief by communities, and the impossibility for those with fewer than 200 founders of gaining legal status. This lack of registration deprives communities of possible social status and so, they think, makes them vulnerable to attack (see Forum 18's Kyrgyzstan religious freedom survey http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2013). "The authorities turn a blind eye to hate speeches on TV and other media, and in mosques about Ahmadi Muslims and other vulnerable religious groups," an independent human rights defender, who wished to remain unnamed for fear of state reprisals, told Forum 18 on 11 February. "The NSC secret police is using former Chief Mufti Chubak azhy Zhalilov [who resigned in July 2012 amid corruption allegations] and other well-known Kyrgyz Islamic figures, who openly speak to young people's meetings against vulnerable religious groups." One Ahmadi complained to Forum 18 on 15 February that former Chief Mufti Zhalilov has recently publicly told people to: "totally boycott Ahmadis and isolate them from society by: not marrying them; not allowing them to be buried in cemeteries; and not employing them". The independent human rights defender thought there was "an indirect link" between the ban on Ahmadis and the murder of Abdujalilov. They noted that, in addition to attacks by Muslim Board imams, the Ahmadis were refused registration as the NSC secret police stated they were "dangerous movement and against traditional Islam" (see F18News 21 December 2011 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1650). The human rights defender stated that "all of this created a tense situation and hatred against the Ahmadis among the population". Taalaybek Osmonov, a senior Ahmadi, told Forum 18 on 15 February that he "did not think there is a direct link, as the authorities are doing their best to investigate the murder." He noted though that the SCRA's refusal of registration to Ahmadis and Muslim Board attacks "could have made the murderers think their actions will go unpunished". Freedom of religion or belief without state permission = murder? Osh Regional Police have passed the investigation into the murder to the NSC secret police, Regional Police spokesperson Jenishbek Ashirbayev told Forum 18 on 9 February. He could not say how long the investigation will continue or when a criminal trial may be held. Ashirbayev then commented: "There are two sides of the issue, one is the murder, and the other is the unregistered freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis." He said that the Ahmadi Community "may also be punished for unregistered freedom of religion or belief". When Forum 18 asked why the authorities are seeking to punish the Ahmadis instead of investigating the murder, Ashirbayev reiterated that both the murder and the Ahmadi Community's activity are being investigated. "We have the Religion Law, which demands that all religious organisations register and the Ahmadis were refused registration," he commented. Asked what the freedom of religion or belief of the Ahmadis has to do with the murder, he referred Forum 18 to the NSC secret police. Asked what steps the authorities are taking to provide proper protection for vulnerable religious groups, and whether those who are not registered are entitled to protection by the state, Ashirbayev refused to answer. The NSC secret police duty officer at its headquarters in the capital Bishkek asked Forum 18 on 9 February to send questions in writing. As of the middle of the working day in Bishkek on 18 February, no answer has been received as to why the NSC is investigating the Ahmadis. Chinarbek Maylibekov, Chief of the Interior Ministry's Osh Regional Investigations Department, claimed on 12 February that Osh Police are investigating the murder. He also stated that the NSC secret police are working on unspecified "different issues relating to the same case". He refused to say what they are. "It looks like the authorities are more interested in developing the theme of murder on the grounds of religious hatred between Ahmadis and others, rather than just investigating the murder," The independent human rights defender commented to Forum 18. The SCRA has from 21 January refused to answer any questions relating to the case. For example, on 21 January SCRA Head Orozbek Moldaliyev's secretary claimed he was not available. His Deputy Baktybek Osmonov, when told by his secretary that Forum 18 wanted to discuss the case with him, stated that that he "did not wish to talk". No answer was received to Forum 18's written questions by the middle of the working day in Bishkek on 18 February. "We are afraid for our and our family members' safety" Kyshtobayev of the Ahmadis told Forum 18 that he and his co-believers are thankful to the Interior Ministry that the suspects were caught. But, he added, "we are afraid for our and our family members' safety because of these attacks". He noted that "in the past we warned the authorities that imams in Mosques in Jalalabad and elsewhere preached sermons against us that Ahmadis are not Muslims and are infidels who deserve to be put to death. But these warnings were not heeded." For example, he noted that in Kara-Suu District there are 1,000 Ahmadis but because of the condemnation of Muslim Board imams "there are local people who dislike and hate us". He expressed concern that "these people may attack us, just like the recent cases." A Baptist from the central Naryn Region, who wished to remain unnamed for fear of state reprisals, commented on 10 February that: "at the moment we are enjoying peace and there has been no interference from the authorities or attacks by local people". However, the Baptist noted that the authorities have taken no action against a mob led by local imam Kylych Abashakirov who violently attacked five Protestants in June 2012 (see F18News 15 June 2012 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1712). "Some of our churches are not registered," the Baptist added. "This makes them more vulnerable to attacks as it shows society that the authorities do not recognise them." Catholic Bishop Nikolaus Messmer told Forum 18 on 10 February 2016 that "we do not feel our security is threatened, and have not had problems with burials". He said that the Church is "able to work without problems". However, he added, "I was not aware of the murder case, and I cannot comment on what is being done in that regard". Other belief communities declined to comment to Forum 18 on the murder for fear of state reprisals. "More and more inaction by state organs" The independent human rights defender told Forum 18 that "we are noticing more and more inaction by state organs in situations where unlawful actions are committed against members of vulnerable religious groups". They said that the authorities "consider the very fact of existence of some peaceful and law-abiding vulnerable religious groups as a threat, just because their activity is not welcome to those who consider themselves as members of 'traditional' religions". "The problem of non-discrimination and equal treatment is acute problem. Vulnerable religious groups often experience pressure from the authorities, who instead of ending violations of their human rights investigate whether they exercise freedom of religion or belief without state permission." Lower courts, the human rights defender commented, often do not uphold rights even if the law is on vulnerable groups' side. They quoted the example of a court in Kemin in the northern Chuy Region, which upheld the local council's suspension of a Protestant Church's activity despite the council having no legal authority to do this (see forthcoming F18News article). The Supreme Court on 15 February heard an appeal by Jehovah's Witnesses against the SCRA's refusal to register four of its communities (see forthcoming F18News article). This is despite a 4 September 2014 ruling by the Constitutional Chamber (see F18News 22 May 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2064). Muslim Board hostility After the murder of Abdujalilov, Daniyar Muradilov, who is in charge of the state-backed Muslim Board's work with young people, told national Russian-language newspaper "Delo Nomer" on 8 February: "we are not saying kill the Ahmadis because killing an innocent person is equal to killing all of humanity (..) but we are against the Ahmadi movement as they are not Muslims". He stated that only the state can impose the death penalty for apostasy, which he defined as "active planting in society of negative ideas", and denied that individuals can decide to kill someone on their own authority. Muradilov added that "just as the Jehovah's Witnesses are considered a sect by the [Russian] Orthodox Church, they [Ahmadis] are a sect and far from the truth". He also stated that Ahmadis "are divisive and corrupt society from within". Asked by Forum 18 on 15 February whether public open animosity by Muslim Board imams and others against Ahmadis, Jehovah's Witnesses and others creates an atmosphere of intolerance and religious hatred and can encourage attacks on Ahmadis, Muradilov replied: "I stated in the interview that killing an innocent person is equal to killing all of humanity." Asked why he did not in the interview strongly condemn attacks on the two Ahmadis, and whether he considers murder victim Abdujalilov to be innocent, Muradilov said: "I do not have time to discuss this with you, I have a meeting." He then put the phone down. Latest Jehovah's Witness burial problem Local news agencies reported that on 4 January, a Jehovah's Witness who died of natural causes in Tura-suu in the eastern Issyk-kul Region was not permitted to be buried in his family's and fellow-believers' choice of cemetery. The local imam and about 60 villagers did not allow the burial as the dead man was not a Muslim. Turdakun Kasymov, Head of Administration of the Tura-suu village, told Jehovah's Witnesses that the burial should be in a part of the cemetery in Kazhi-Sai in the same Ton District, which had been allocated for non-Muslims. Jehovah's Witnesses confirmed this to Forum 18. Taalaibek Akunov, the Chief Imam of Ton District, told Turmush news agency on 6 January that "most of the villagers are Muslims and a Muslim cannot be buried with members of other religions". Mufti Almazbek Sagydykov, the Muslim Board's Chief Imam for Issyk-Kul region, refused to discuss the issue with Forum 18 on 12 February. In the Soviet era atheists were buried in the cemetery. Kamchibek Ashimbayev, Chief Specialist on religious issues of Issyk-Kul Regional Administration's Legal Department, on 15 February told Forum 18 that "members of other religions cannot be buried in the same cemetery as Muslims." When Forum 18 asked why the family could not bury their relatives with his other relatives, as they wished to, he replied that "there was an oral agreement among the local people that deceased Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants will be buried in one of the two cemeteries in the District for members of vulnerable religious groups". Ashimbayev commented that "the law does not categorise cemeteries based on religious identity, but this needs to be addressed. Times have changed, and people want their religious beliefs to be respected". He added that it is "not only Muslims who want a separate cemetery, but Christians and others in some cases objected to being buried as Muslims or in the same cemetery as Muslims." The state has repeatedly failed for many years to stop violence and coercion to change beliefs against people who want to peacefully bury their dead, with the religious ceremonies and in the cemeteries they would wish (see eg. F18News 6 June 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1966). What should government do? Asked what steps the authorities can take to prevent further murders, Osmonov from the Ahmadi community told Forum 18 that "first, we need official registration." He then added: "We also asked the authorities to liquidate the Muslim Board and have instead a public forum of religions under the President, which could regulate inter-religious issues and create an atmosphere of religious tolerance". He thought this should include "majority Muslims, Ahmadi Muslims, Protestants, other Christian confessions, and other religious communities". An independent observer from Bishkek, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of state reprisals, told Forum 18 on 15 February that "the authorities should start by recognising the right of Ahmadi Muslims to exist, and register them on their request." The observer insisted that the authorities should enforce the rule of law and "make those who speak against Ahmadis or Protestants in mosques or on TV responsible before the law". They should if found guilty "be punished for inciting religious hatred among the people". The observer also noted that the authorities give time on state TV to former Chief Mufti Zhalilov speaking against the Ahmadis and others. Instead, "vulnerable religious groups should be given air time to speak and express themselves, which could create an atmosphere of respect for various religious and world views." "There are many more steps to be taken, but if the authorities start with these steps it would be a great improvement." Will government do anything? Kunduz Bayaliyeva, Executive Officer of the Cabinet of Ministers Division for Education, Culture and Sports, when asked on 15 February what the government is doing to implement its obligation to protect everyone's freedom of religion or belief and related freedoms – and to prevent further murders - referred Forum 18 to Kuanichbek Kultayev. He is Executive Officer of the Cabinet's Defence, Public Order and Emergency Division. Bayaliyeva refused to say whether Kyrgyzstan would implement the March 2014 United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council recommendation to "remove all restrictions incompatible with article 18 of the Covenant [on Civil and Political Rights]" (see Forum 18's Kyrgyzstan religious freedom survey http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2013). Asked whether the authorities will register the Ahmadis, Bayaliyeva suggested that Forum 18 should contact the SCRA. Kultayev of the of the Cabinet's Defence, Public Order and Emergency Division on 15 February refused to answer when asked whether the government intends to stop further murders of people exercising freedom of religion or belief. "I will not answer you because you are not a state organ, you are just a public organisation," he stated. (END) http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2150

Rapper Killer Mike sparked a major controversy after quoting Jane Elliott, an anti-racism activist and feminist who said, “A uterus doesn’t qualify you to be president of the United States. You have to have policy that’s reflective of social justice.” Mike made the polarizing comments during a Bernie Sanders rally at Morehouse College in Georgia and shortly after, the sound bite began to circulate on social media and the firestorm began. Many believe the rapper’s comments were taken out of context, while others are calling him sexist

Tweety Says His Dad "Suspected" FDR ALLOWED Japs To Bomb Pearl Harbor To Suck Us Into War! Ironically my father used to say the same thing. Anyone have any evidence on this?

Student loan debt is a major issue in the USA.

If you back up your photos on optical disks or storage drives, there’s a good chance your data won’t last as long as you do due to things known as “disc rot” and “data rot“. But what if you want to ensure that your precious photos live longer than you? Good news: a new “eternal” storage technology may be on the horizon. Scientists have created nanostructured glass discs that can storage digital data for billions of years. Researchers at the University of Southampton announced this week that they’ve figured out how to store huge amounts of data on small glass discs using laser writing. They call it five dimensional (5D) digital data because in addition to the position of the data, the size and orientation plays a role too. The glass storage discs can hold a whopping 360 terabytes each, are stable at temperatures up to 1,000°C (1,832°F), and are expected to keep the data intact for 13.8 billion years at room temperature (anything up to 190°C, or 374°F). It’s a discovery that “opens a new era of eternal data archiving” because the discs have “virtually unlimited lifetime,” the university says, and museums, national archives, and libraries could benefit from having this eternal storage. So far, scientists have preserved important documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Magna Carta, and Kings James Bible on individual discs that will likely survive the human race. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recorded on a 5D glass disc. The researchers are now looking for companies to help bring this data storage technology to market. No word on when it might appear or whether it will be available and affordable to ordinary photographers, but perhaps one day we’ll be able to store our entire lifetime body of photos on a single disc that is guaranteed to survive us (and all our descendants). Image credits: Photographs by the University of Southampton http://petapixel.com/2016/02/16/glass-disc-can-store-360-tb-photos-13-8-billion-years/

kids notebook_imitate their faith.pdf

It is called "facecheck". First at the gate the brothers will only allow in those who are known to the witness from the congregation. No strangers are allowed entry to the meeting. No bible studies can come to the meeting by themselves. They must be with the person they are studying with. Valera verified my wife is a witness from Australia and then at the door there is another facecheck before she is allowed inside the KH. In another congregation someone ' planted' a book under the tablecloth on the podium. They did a search and of course they 'found ' the book and closed the meeting place.

Подбрасывают запрещенную литературу и тут же приходят с обыском Нечистые на руку должностные лица не находят ничего лучшего чем подбрасывать верующим запрещенные предметы. Инциденты уже имели место в Еврейской АО, в Краснодарском и Приморском краях, в Архангельской, Новосибирской, Орловской, Самарской, Саратовской, Ярославской областях, республиках Дагестан, Карачаево-Черкесия, Калмыкия и Крым.

A Twitter employee and other reliable sources have confirmed that the social media giant is quietly censoring accounts using what's called Shadow Banning, (also called Ghost Banning, Stealth Banning, or Hell Banning) which is a method to prevent users' posts from showing up on others' timelines, all the while the person being censored usually doesn't notice. It's the Memory Hole from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is why many are tweeting the hashtag

1st time I've heard of a congregation sponsoring an immigrant such as this man: -------------- Alijovski was sponsored, he told Justice O’Brien, by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belleville and found work there as a hotel dishwasher, enrolling as well in English and a second language classes. Later, after moving to Kingston, Alijovski said, he worked for a metal salvage company, continued his English classes and sent money home to his family in Macedonia. http://www.thewhig.com/2016/02/17/kingston-man-admits-to-using-false-identity-in-refugee-application

Little Madison Mason was born with Down syndrome and a heart condition that required open heart surgery. "I was devastated. It was overwhelming," her mother Tiffanie Mason told CBS News. The surgery typically requires a blood transfusion, but that was against the family's religious beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses. "We want the best treatment possible for her, just without blood. So then we had to look at other avenues," Mason said. Madison's doctors at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey agreed to perform the operation without a blood transfusion -- something they had never done in someone so young. Instead, they gave her natural hormones and iron infusions to boost her own red blood cells. Mason Family "We were really able to bring her blood count up so that she was strong enough to sustain some blood loss during the procedure without need a transfusion," said Dr. Elizabeth Carlin, Chief of Pediatrics at Englewood Hospital. Though bloodless surgery was originally developed to accommodate patients with religious concerns -- like Madison -- the medical community is now exploring whether the procedure could benefit other patients as well. Blood transfusions come with risks, including the potential for allergic reactions and blood-borne infections, so more doctors are considering bloodless medicine for all kinds of procedures. "There are all of these things we can do to make patients healthier, again to reduce the amount of blood they lost, to make surgery safer. And these patients actually did better," said Dr. Sherri Ozawa, Clinical Director of the Institute for Patient Blood Management and Bloodless Surgery and Medicine at Englewood Hospital. Some research supports the use of bloodless surgery, too. A 2012 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood transfusions after cardiac surgery are at no greater risk than people who had transfusions. The research also found that Witnesses who underwent bloodless surgeries spent less time in the intensive care unit and less time in the hospital when compared to patients who had transfusions. They also had a higher survival rate at 95 percent, compared to the other group at 89 percent. According to the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery, blood-management programs also help hospitals reduce unnecessary blood draws and the costs associated with acquiring and storing blood. Experts at Englewood Hospital say bloodless surgery should be considered for any type of operation that has been traditionally associated with transfusions, including hysterectomies, breast surgeries, joint replacements, spinal surgery brain surgery and heart surgery. As for Madison, she made a full recovery and was back home in four days. "She came out of surgery and when she saw me her face lit up and she was trying to get up," her mom said. The family believes because they stayed true to their convictions, Madison received the best care and outcome possible. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/doctors-explore-potential-benefits-of-bloodless-surgery/