Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps. 

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'  Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON. 115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET." 

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. 

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. 

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.  

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

First Solar Farm Begins Operation in S.C.

South Carolina’s first solar farm is complete and producing energy from a site in Colleton County, three months after state utility interests announced their initial foray into larger-scale sun-powered projects.

The plant went on line for commercial use Friday, marking what solar energy proponents say is a milestone for South Carolina.

Utilities in the Palmetto State have been reluctant to embrace solar energy, saying it is a less reliable power source than other energy forms – despite growing interest nationally in solar’s economic and environmental benefits.

“We hope the utilities will continue to diversify their generation mix where solar makes sense,’’ said Grant Reeves, president of the state’s Solar Business Alliance.

TIG Sun Energy I LLC, a company that Reeves is associated with, led a team of S.C. contractors who developed and built the $6 million project near Walterboro for Santee Cooper and the state’s electric cooperatives.

When operating at its peak, the farm is capable of generating 3 megawatts, enough to power about 300 homes annually, according to Santee Cooper, a state-owned utility. The 3-megawatt plant roughly doubles the amount of solar in the entire state.

The project, announced in September, involved installing 10,000 solar panels on about 14 acres of fenced land. The site includes rows of panels tilted toward the sun to absorb solar rays.

Power generated from the Colleton solar farm is sold to Santee Cooper. The company and the state’s electric cooperatives say the solar farm will show them important details on how sun-fired energy systems work.

“This is a large project, so we want to see how this works,’’ Santee Cooper spokeswoman Mollie Gore said.

Full Story Here

Iceland Cancels Highway Project to Protect Elves

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- A group urging Icelandic officials to cancel a highway project cited the plight of hidden elves as a reason not to go forward with the road.

A group dubbed Friends of Lava is asking the Supreme Court of Iceland to stop the Icelandic Road and Coastal Commission from having the highway built from the Alftanes peninsula, where President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has a home, to the Reykjavik suburb of Gardabaer, the British newspaper the Independent reported Monday.

The group cites mainly environmental concerns as reasons not to build the highway, but they also cited the plight of "Huldufolk" or "hidden folk," the elves believed by some to inhabit the area. Activists said an elf church sits on the planned site of the highway.

University of Iceland experts said a 2007 survey indicated as much as 62 percent of Icelanders believed it to be at least possible that the elves exist.

Environmentalist Andri Snaer Magnason said the biggest concern about the highway would be having a lava field cut in two and destroying animal nesting sites. He said he was less concerned about elves, which he said he was not sure existed.

"Some feel that the elf thing is a bit annoying," Magnason said.

Most Americans Don't Understand Obamacare

A new survey has found that more than 60 percent of the population targeted for enrollment in the Affordable Care Act, or President Obama's signature healthcare law, do not understand key insurance concepts, which could be a reason behind the delay on the part of the uninsured.

More than 60 percent of those most likely to use the marketplaces to purchase coverage say they are not too confident or not at all confident in their understanding of at least one concept related to health insurance, such as premium, deductible, co-payments and coinsurance, the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey has found.

The survey, a new initiative, tracks three factors related to the health care law implementation, which are insurance coverage, access to care and healthcare affordability, on a quarterly basis.

Almost 40 percent feel very or somewhat confident that they understand all the insurance terms – premiums, deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance, maximum annual out-of-pocket spending limits, provider networks, covered services, annual limits on services and non-covered or excluded services, showed the survey that was published in the journal Health Affairs.

"Confusion around these concepts would make it difficult for consumers to understand trade-offs between different health insurance plans and to choose the plans that best meet their needs," survey authors said, adding that they suggest that "assisting people as they attempt to enroll in health coverage will require targeted education efforts and staff to support those with low health insurance literacy."

The survey, conducted June-July 2013, found that about 44 percent say they feel confident that they understand all five terms related to costs and 50 percent say they understand all four terms related to access to care and benefits, such as provider network and covered services. 

Only 23.6 percent of uninsured respondents, and less than a third of those ages 18-30, were confident that they understood these concepts.

While the main stated objective of Obamacare is to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance, the uninsured have uniformly lower confidence in their understanding of each insurance term than those currently purchasing individual coverage, the survey indicated.

The survey also found that the primary source of health insurance information was interpersonal, including friends, co-workers, and family members, who perhaps share the target population's confusion about key insurance concepts.

The survey noted that confidence in understanding these concepts was particularly lower among young adults, Spanish speakers, the uninsured, and people who had lower levels of education.

Denver Downs Parade Participants Defy Rain

Despite torrential rains, a small group of participants kept the three-decade old tradition of the Denver Downs Christmas Parade. One of the nation's most unique holiday events, Sunday's was the smallest yet, with less than a dozen taking part in the parade.

Many Christmas Traditions Have Cultural Roots

Every holiday has a past. Christmas is no different. The day now known for manger scenes, Santa Claus, and gift-giving during the peak of winter was not always celebrated in said manner.

Many of the traditions connected to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ have non-Christian origins. Items like the Yule log, the Christmas tree, and the very placement of the observance during the darkest time in the calendar year stem from pre-Christian religious observances.

Bruce Forbes, professor of religious studies at Sioux City, Iowa-based Morningside College explained to The Christian Post in an earlier interview that many current Christmas rituals emerged during the difficult winters pagans often encountered.

Candlelight conquered darkness and evergreens were prized for remaining green in even the brutal winters. Festive activities like drinking and dancing reduced isolation and kept people positive, noted Forbes.

Some in the modern day still adhere to the pagan meanings of the pre-Christian aspects of the Christmas holiday, reported Jefferson Calico of kentucky.com.

"Groups of people who follow contemporary pagan religious traditions will be gathering to celebrate the old/new holiday of Yule: the Festival of Light in contemporary pagan nature religion," wrote Calico.

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"In Pagan spirituality, December is the transition to the new year and is thought of as a time of upheaval as well as new beginnings."

Scholars attribute the usage of pagan celebratory aspects to Christianity's spread throughout Europe and the Roman Empire. Christian missionaries sought to convert non-Christian populations and were willing to adapt certain festive attributes to their own observances.

"Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism," said Philip Shaw, researcher of early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University to LiveScience.

"It's obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it's also something they think is worth remembering. It's what their ancestors did."

Another factor in pagan characteristics entering into the Christian holy day was the sense by most in the early Church that the birth of Jesus was not an important holiday to observe.

Tia Kolbaba, associate professor for the Department of Religion at Rutgers University, told CP in an earlier interview that there was "not a lot of emphasis" on Christmas in the early Church.

"The big question is whether they celebrated it or not," said Kolbaba, who noted that elements like the crèche or manger scene displays do not appear until around the 13th century.

Kolbaba noted that the early Church put a greater focus on Easter and the Lord's Day, with more attention toward the Second Coming.

For both early and modern Church, the pagan origins of certain aspects of the Christmas celebration ultimately mean little.

This was a conclusion emphasized by Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources with the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.

"While Christmas trees may have had some connection to some German and Nordic indigenous religious practices, Christians have more or less adopted the symbol of the evergreen tree and reinterpreted it at a Christian symbol for eternal life," said Burton-Edwards.

"Cultural traditions are set and largely transmitted by the communications organs of a given culture and then may or may not be incorporated in similar ways in local or family practice."

S.C. Posts Safest Year on Roadways Since 1982

Wrapping up the safest year on South Carolina’s roadways since 1982, state highway safety officials are not satisfied.

For the first time in 31 years, the Palmetto State should finish the year with fewer than 800 traffic fatalities. Through Thursday, 717 motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians had died on the state’s roadways, according to preliminary figures from the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

Anderson County posted 32 traffic fatalities through Dec. 15.

That’s down 120 deaths from the same period in 2012 and continues a multi-year downward trend — a feat that safety officials say can be attributed to partnerships with local law enforcement officers and nonprofit groups, education efforts and enforcement.

But safety officials say we can do better. In fact, they say we can do a lot better. The new SCDPS campaign is “Target Zero: A goal we can all live with.”

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Phil Riley, director of the state Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs. “For us to one day, hopefully, reach zero (fatalities), it’s going to take everyone doing their part. The ones we’re trying to get on board right now are the motoring public. … We need their active involvement and participation in making the roads safer.”

While zero traffic fatalities throughout a calendar year is unrealistic, the campaign takes into account that it takes just one death to tear apart a family.

Full Story Here

Cracker Barrel Back Pedals on Duck Dynasty

After removing select 'Duck Dynasty' products from their stores out of concern the products might offend some customers Friday, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store backtracked and returned the products to their stores Sunday after Christians peppered them with protest and threats of a boycott.

"When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that's just what we've done," noted the company in a post on its Facebook page Sunday.

"You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren't shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened," the company continued then announced that Duck Dynasty products will be returned to its stores while apologizing for offending the shows conservative fans.

Phil Robertson, the Duck Commander, speaks in an iamsecond.com video.

"Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores. And, we apologize for offending you. We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different. We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family," ended the post.

Some Christians reacted by applauding the company for admitting the error in their judgement.

"I don't give a rip about Duck Dynasty, but I am definitely impressed by a corporation that can simply admit a mistake. Very refreshing. If only our president could follow your example," wrote Dean Dyer. 

"Thank You Cracker Barrel Glad to see ya listen to your customers & care about their feelings. It's a shame more business don't do this," wrote Delores Storms.

Others like Patti Linker, however, said the company opened up a can of worms that makes it difficult to see the company in the same light.

"Cracker Barrel. Was it the almighty dollar that changed your mind? Because now that you opened this can of worms, most Christians want to know exactly where you stand on the issue of homosexuality," wrote Linker.

"You really should not have done anything to begin with and you wouldn't be in this mess. I truly enjoy shopping and eating in your store, but will probably not be back. I don't really respect corporate fence riders. You either believe something or you don't, and we didn't really feel it was our personal business to know those beliefs until you brought it [to] the forefront. I think you have just made your business a wee bit smaller," she ended.

Publicity Stunt or Not, This is a Wonderful Christmas Tale

Too bad WestJet does not fly close to here!

G News: Canadian Nuclear Waste Headed to S.C.

Sometime next year, a convoy is expected to begin delivering shipments of highly radioactive liquid waste containing weapons-grade uranium from Canada to the Savannah River Site near Aiken.

It’s not so unusual for SRS, once home to the manufacture of nuclear weapons parts, to receive nuclear materials or to process radioactive waste.

What makes these shipments controversial, and according to one environmental activist, unprecedented, is that they are being shipped so far and with such a lethal cargo.

Tom Clements, who has long monitored activities at SRS for various environmental groups and is currently southeastern nuclear campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth, told The Greenville News he is not opposed to the returning of the highly enriched uranium to the United States, since it was made there. But he said he doesn’t understand why the two nations are taking the dangerous step of shipping the waste so far when it could be disposed of in Canada.

Clements said he believes money is at the heart of the decision, with the U.S. Department of Energy being paid to take the waste.

“This is being driven by waste dumping on Canada’s side and DOE wanting to get the money on the U.S. side because of budget pressures increasing,” he said.

Canadian officials disagree with Clements' characterization. DOE officials could not be reached for comment.

Details of the shipments, including the route, amount of the waste shipped, security or when they will begin, cannot be publicly disclosed, Canadian officials say.

Study: Bible Belt Tops List of 7 Deadly Sins Per Capita

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH LINK HTTP://HAZARDGEOGRAPHER.COM/7_SINS.HTML#1

Kansas State University mapped the 'Seven Deadly Sins' across America in 2009. “Pride, the ‘greatest’ and ‘root’ of all sins, was determined to be the aggregation of each sin,” the website explains.

A set of United States maps showing the counties that have the highest concentrations of sin, based on the "Seven Deadly Sins," has caused a stir since Memolition reposted it this month. In each of the maps the southeast, an area often referred to as the "Bible Belt" for its tradition of faith, has the largest amount of sin per capita.

"We compiled those maps from the standpoint of geographic information science," Mitch Stimers, who worked on the study as a graduate student at Kansas State University in 2009, told The Christian Post in an interview on Friday.

Now a director of institutional research and instructor of geography and geosciences at Cloud County Community College, Stimers insisted, "we weren't attempting to interject any moral interpretation into them."

Each of the seven sins – originally codified by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century – was measured by population research data, such as the total number of violent crimes reported to the FBI (wrath). On the maps, red areas have the highest concentration of sin, blue the least, and most sins pervade the Bible Belt.

"Those swaths of red through the South - people automatically interpret that as the Bible Belt being more sinful, but the proxies we used are well known to be correlated to lower income," Stimers explained.

The particular sin of greed has garnered the most attention recently, as it was measured by comparing average incomes with the total number of inhabitants living beneath the poverty live.

This measurement assumes that if incomes are vastly unequal in an area, that inequality must have been caused by greed. "It is commonly assumed that the rich are de facto greedy and that theft and corruption are their means to wealth accumulation. Thus, they view any income inequality as inherently unjust," Anne Bradley, vice president of Economic Initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics (IFWE), commented in a blog post on the Seven Deadly Sins report.

Income inequality, far from an indicator of vice, is a fundamental reality in a world where different people have different talents, Bradley and her fellow Christian scholars told CP earlier this week. "Greed is a heart issue, not an income issue," IFWE's Elise Amyx explained in the same blog post. She argued that these statistics do not reveal the true hearts of Americans, and cannot portray sin accurately.

Rudy Rasmus, founding pastor of St. John's Methodist Church in Houston, agreed that sin – and especially greed – is a matter of the heart, not statistics. In his article about the Seven Deadly Sins maps, Rasmus argued that greed is caused by scarcity.

"The major obstacle in today's world prohibiting the sharing of love is scarcity, inadequacy and insecurity," Rasmus wrote. Instead of worrying if they will have enough, Christians should embrace the presence of God and share His love with others. "Scarcity divides the moment; pure presence lets it be what it is, as it is," Rasmus declared.

The geographers note on the website, "Cardinal vices, cardinal sins, or more commonly, the seven deadly sins, have been discussed and debated since at least the fourth century." It also lists Pope Gregory I's list: luxuria (lust), gula( gluttony), avaritia (greed), acedia (sloth), ira (wrath), invidia (envy), and superbia (pride).

 The researchers used the best data available to them – "sociologic and economic characteristics" – rather than the human heart. "Pride, the 'greatest' and 'root' of all sins, was determined to be the aggregation of each sin," the further website explains.

News also broke Friday that David Mamet, producer of The Unit, will produce a new TV short, "7 Deadly Sins" on Fox.

Full Story and All Maps Here

Museum Offers Polar Express Event Saturday

The Anderson County Museum will host a Polar Express Party Saturday at 1:30 p.m. They ask children to wear pjs and join in for all the fun and magic as they ride the "Polar Express" to the North Pole. The ACM presents a reading and screening of the modern classic, "The Polar Express" followed by hot chocolate, cookies and other snacks. Kids can write a letter to Santa and have fun doing  crafts. Be sure to bring a camera for your "photo op" because we have invited special visitors from the North Pole.  This event is FREE and open to the public.

Council Oks MedShore Contract, Economic Development Proposals

Anderson County Council approved a series of fee-in-lieu-of tax proposals enhancing economic development in the county as part of a specially caused meeting Friday afternoon in the historic courthouse downtown.

The most recent of those approved is for Project East, and agricultural-related firm specializing in organic farming and gardening which will bring 16 jobs with an average salary of $22 per hour and $6.6 million in totla investment. The company has been in business has been on the west coast and is expanding to the east coast.

Council also approved an extension of the contract with MedShore Ambulance Service.