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| Chilean miners: Rival churches claim credit for the miracle Evangelical, Adventist and Catholic clerics are vying to stamp their own faith on the expected rescue of the trapped menIt is the race within the race: while rescuers inch towards the trapped miners rival churches tussle over the miracle in the making. Evangelical, Adventist and Catholic clerics are vying to stamp their own particular faith on a surge in religious fervour as the drama nears a climax in Chile's Atacama desert.The three Christian denominations have each claimed credit for what they say is divine intervention in the survival – and expected imminent rescue – of the 33 men who have spent 67 days beneath the earth."God has spoken to me clearly and guided my hand each step of the rescue," said Carlos Parra Diaz, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor at the San Jose mine. "He wanted the miners to be rescued and I am His instrument."Yards from where he spoke Caspar Quintana, the Catholic bishop of Copiapo, prepared an altar to celebrate an outdoor mass for a small congregation of miners' relatives and phalanx of TV cameras. "God has heard our prayers," said the bishop. "I have received comments of encouragement from all over the world. Let us give thanks."A litte bit further up the hill of Camp Hope, the improvised settlement of miners' families, rescuers, government officials and media, an evengelical preacher, Javier Soto , wandered from family to family with a guitar and songs of praise. "He listens to the music," said the pastor, gesturing to the azure sky.Each church has reported a spike in religious faith in Chile and beyond, with candle-lit vigils and online communities following each step of preparations to extract the miners one by one in a capsule dubbed the phoenix.Diaz, an intense 42-year-old dressed in black, claimed to be the first cleric at the mine and said it was no coincidence an exploration probe reached the trapped men - 17 days after the August 5 collapse - while he was praying above."The first probe missed them, they heard it going in the wrong direction, and thought they were doomed, that they'd starve to death. But the second probe went right to them."Diaz mobilised colleagues in the capital Santiago to find miniature, 7cm-wide bibles to fit into the "pigeon" tubes which delivered supplies to the men below. He sent one to each miner, earning a letter of thanks from Jose Ojeda, the master driller.None of the miners are Adventists but six have relatives who belong to the church, which believes in the imminent second coming of Christ.Diaz stole a march over his rivals by obtaining permission to give a 10-minute talk to the assembled 33 families before their nightly briefing by government officials. "I do macro work. I am pastor to all." The other churches, he said, did "micro" work.The pastor claimed his Catholic rival had trekked up to the bleak, muddy site just three or four times. Bishop Quintana, after concluding a mass in which TV cameras outnumbered worshippers, declined to be drawn on the subject of competition but said he had received supportive emails from all over the world. "What matters is that God is acting through human ingenuity to rescue these men."Shrines to the men dotted around the site are adorned with statues of saints and posters of religous figures such as Pope John Paul II.Some members of "los 33" who were not religious before, such as Franklin Lobos, have found faith during their ordeal, said family members. When the mine collapsed dust filled the chamber, blotting out lights, but what appeared to be a "white butterfly" led him to the refuge and safety, said his brother, Manuel Lobos."Imagine, a little white thing flitting through all that, leading him to the others. It was a miracle," said Manuel, 67. "A pastor told us that that this was an angel."ChileReligionRory Carrollguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
In Baghdad, a Former U.S. Soldier Assesses the Iraq War A former U.S. soldier looks back at his nine-day tour of Iraq, this time as a civilian, and assesses what has been done and what is left to do feedproxy.google.com |
Eddie Stobart shares slide on profit warning Haulage firm announces 39% leap in profits but warns that cuts in spending at Network Rail and tax rises will hit earningsShares in Eddie Stobart tumbled by nearly 9% today as the haulier known for its green lorries warned that government spending cuts and tax rises could hit its profits this year and next.Announcing a 39% jump in its first-half pre-tax profits to £15.4m, the parent company of the Eddie Stobart haulage business said it had "slightly reduced" its full-year profit forecast as its railway engineering unit suffers from a dramatic fall in spending by the government-owned Network Rail.The group said it was "cautious that 2011 may see volumes affected by the increase in VAT [from 17.5% to 20% in January] and the government spending review". It added that rising unemployment would put further pressure on its bottom line.The group, which operates a 1,850-strong fleet of lorries that are a feature of Britain's motorway system, is a barometer of domestic trade.Andrew Tinkler, Stobart's chief executive, said: "We transport goods that people buy; if people don't buy, that will hit the business. Network Rail is not spending any money and, since the construction industry has been on its knees, everyone is fighting for any business that does come up."Stobart said it was also being hurt as struggling retailers sought to cut spending by reducing stockpiles. They were increasingly ordering items at the last minute, leaving the group less time to plan deliveries, which increased costs by reducing its "vehicle utilisation" rate. However, Stobart was able to increase revenues by 11.7% to £243m in the first half as it benefited from significant contract wins from Tesco and AG Barr, maker of Irn Brew, together worth about £48m a year.Sales at the group's biggest division, Eddie Stobart, increased by 16% to £219.0m in the first half.Revenues at the Stobart Rail division fell by 12% to £26.3m in the first half as a result of "cutbacks in expenditure by Network Rail and other major clients with cost savings and budget constraints imposed by the Office of the Rail Regulator". Revenue from Stobart Ports, a container handling and distribution unit, rose 11% to £7m and Stobart Air was up 12.5% to £3.6m. Stobart declined to specify the reduced profit expectations for the year.The shares closed down 13.5p at 143p.RecessionTransportRoad transportTransport policyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Keith Richards says Mick Jagger enraged him By 2010-10-24T17:10:06ZLONDON (AP) -- Keith Richards says the Rolling Stones almost imploded because Mick Jagger thought he was "bigger than the Stones."... hosted.ap.org |
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