As travel returns, hotels use coronavirus excuse to cut costs

Hotels are opening just as tourism restarts, but many hotels are cutting costs under the guise of coronavirus. | Dennis Lennox

Americans are resuming travel just as summer officially begins.

But while airports are seeing their busiest passenger numbers in months, occupancy at some hotels is still low. Meanwhile, other hotels remain closed and may not reopen at all this summer.

Of the hotels open, the post-coronavirus guest experience varies greatly.

Almost all of the big chains tout new protocols to purportedly enhance guest safety. Some of the measures are undoubtedly good. Hotels want guests to believe rooms are cleaner than ever. However, this can amount to nothing more than slick talking points since most chain hotels are franchises.

Over the past several weeks I have stayed at several hotels across the spectrum from upscale resorts to roadside motels. Some were affiliated with chains; others independent.

What I found is a great deal of inconsistency, even at hotels flagged under the same brand. It’s also obvious that some hotel owners and operators are using coronavirus to cut costs.

Long before the pandemic collapsed the travel and hospitality industries the major hotel chains announced they were moving to eliminate single-use toiletries — the little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and so forth — from guest rooms. The switch to wall-mounted dispensers was applauded by virtue signaling…

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Ivanka Trump Volunteers at Faith-Based Organization Distributing Food to Those in Need

Ivanka Trump Volunteers at Faith-Based Organization Distributing Food to Those in Need


Ivanka Trump said she had a “great day” volunteering at the faith-based DC Dream Center, helping to pass out food to communities and families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Great day volunteering at the local DC Dream Center and distributing Farmers to Families Food Boxes to the last mile of need,” Ivanka tweeted. “This program is creating a link between hungry families and struggling farmers affected by COVID-19.”

CBN News reported that the First Daughter helped load milk, produce and meat into some 500 boxes.

“This administration is proud of the collaborative efforts of farmers, distributors, food banks, non-profits and faith-based communities and their workforces in dispersing fresh produce, protein and dairy to those most in need across the United States,” Ivanka said in a press release in June about the program.

Pastor Paula White, who has served as one of Trump’s spiritual advisors, also joined the president’s daughter at the DC Dream Center.

“The Families have never received this quality of food and if you could see the…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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TD Jakes implores people to take COVID-19 seriously: ‘easier to wear a mask than wear a ventilator’

Bishop TD Jakes of The Potter’s House of Dallas, Texas, giving a brief public service message to West Virginians in a Facebook video posted Friday, July 17, 2020. | Facebook/Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs

Bishop T.D. Jakes has called on West Virginians to get tested during the pandemic and to wear face masks, declaring that it’s “easier to wear a mask than wear a ventilator.”

A native of South Charleston, Jakes’ brief message was posted to Facebook last Friday by the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs. It included a link to a government website that listed where free COVID-19 testing was available.

“You need to get tested for COVID-19. It’s running rampant. It’s hurting a lot of people. It’s killing them,” said Jakes in the video message.

“Wear a mask. It’s so much easier to wear a mask than to wear a ventilator. Wear a mask. Social distance yourself, even from people you know and love. If they don’t live with you, keep your distance.”

Jakes went on to say that West Virginia was “in my prayers” and “in my thoughts”…

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Chinese Government Orders Low-Income Families to Abandon Their Christian Faith or Lose Financial Aid

In the Chinese government’s continuing persecution of Christians, poor families are now being told to renounce their faith or lose welfare benefits.

Bitter Winter reports that the Chinese economy has been deeply affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, especially low-income households struggling to make ends meet.

Now government officials are ordering Christians who receive welfare payments to replace crosses, religious symbols, and images inside their homes with portraits of China’s communist leaders.

“All impoverished households in the town were told to display Mao Zedong images,” a local pastor told Bitter Winter. “The government is trying to eliminate our belief and wants to become God instead of Jesus.”

A church member in one of the villages recalled how authorities entered his home and destroyed a calendar with an image of Jesus on it, then replaced it was a portrait of Mao instead.

“Impoverished religious households can’t receive money from the state for nothing—they must obey the Communist Party for the money they receive,” he explained.

Enforcing the new regulation started several months ago across China…. read more

Read the rest of the news from our partner – CBN News

Men who drink alcohol moderately risk ‘increased mortality,’ hospitalization: study

Photo: Unsplash/Bence Boros

A recently published study on alcoholic consumption found that even moderate drinkers will experience a higher rate of mortality and hospital stays than those who drink less or abstain.

Researchers headed by Professor Adam Sherk of the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada, recently examined safe drinking guidelines in the North American country.

In a study published Monday, the researchers concluded that drinking both within and above national guidelines posed serious health risks for both men and women.

“Despite the comparatively high level of these guidelines, drinkers adhering to these limits were still exposed to increased hospital stays for both genders and increased mortality in men,” concluded the researchers.

“If national drinking guidelines are based on aligning risks between drinkers and abstainers, our study suggests limits of approximately 12 g per day for men and 17 g per day for women.”

The study explained that many countries have low-risk drinking guidelines (LRDGs) on alcohol consumption, with North American standards generally being higher compared to other regions.

“Adherence to guidelines did not eliminate alcohol-caused harm: those drinking within guidelines nonetheless experienced 140 more deaths and 3,663 more hospital stays than if they had chosen to abstain from alcohol,” stated the researchers.

“A weighted…

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Under New Rules, LA Catholic Schools No Longer Able to Resume In-Person Classes

Under New Rules, LA Catholic Schools No Longer Able to Resume In-Person Classes


LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Catholic schools in Los Angeles county must now resume the fall year using distance learning, delaying previous plans to reopen their doors for in-person classes.

The Department of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles made this announcement on July 18, a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out new statewide rules for resuming in-person teaching.

Under these new requirements, private and public schools alike will not be allowed to reopen their campuses if they are located in counties that remain on the state’s monitoring list.

Currently, more than 30 counties in California remain on the monitoring list as COVID-19 cases have surged across the state.

This includes the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara where 265 Catholic schools are located.

“Though our return to our beloved campuses will be delayed for now, we will return,” said Paul M. Escala, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, in a July 17 letter to families and educators.

“Until then, our schools will open at a distance and our community will once again rise to the occasion,” Escala said.

Schools will not be able to reopen until their county has been off the monitoring list for 14 consecutive days, according to the state guidelines.

“Learning is non-negotiable,” Newsom said in a July 17 statement. “The virus will be with us for a…

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Police identify suspect who stabbed Virginia pastor, injured others during Bible study

Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, Virginia, July 2020 | Screenshot: ABC News

Police in Virginia’s Fairfax County identified the suspect who stabbed two persons, including a church pastor while he was leading a Bible study. The county police chief, who was attending the church event, took down the suspect.

Chance Harrison, 32, of South Riding was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, one count of felony assault on a police officer and one count of misdemeanor assault after stabbing Associate Pastor Sean Clemons and another man who intervened at Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly. Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler was also injured while subduing the suspect.

Before his sermon on Sunday, Senior Pastor Brett Fuller, who also serves as a chaplain to Washington, D.C.’s NFL franchise, called it a “horrific event” and said he was “grateful for the courage exhibited that prevented worse from happening.”

“Two church members came to the pastor’s aid and valiantly risked their own lives to defend him. In the process, one of our…

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‘I saw this baby fight for life’: This ‘big lie’ stunned Abby Johnson

A four dimensional ultrasound is seen at a pregnancy clinic in Arlington, Texas. | (Photo: REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi)

Abby Johnson’s incredible transformation from Planned Parenthood clinic director to one of the most powerful and prolific voices in the pro-life movement has understandably attracted a lot of attention, with her story being told in the book and movie “Unplanned.”

WATCH: SEE PRO-LIFE ‘BEAUTIFUL LIVES’ SERIES ON PURE FLIX WITH A FREE TRIAL

And now Johnson is sharing additional elements of her stunning journey in Pure Flix’s “Beautiful Lives,” a new TV series that features Johnson speaking with other former clinic workers and abortion industry workers who have found true freedom after leaving their careers behind.

In the first episode of the series, Johnson reveals how she first came to join Planned Parenthood as a volunteer and, over the course of subsequent years, rose through the ranks to become a clinic director.

“I was so good at justifying sin at that point in my life that I could justify just about anything,” she said, noting that she was truly lost and adrift during that time in her life.

Watch a preview of Johnson discussing her journey in “Beautiful Lives” (and see the series here):

Among Johnson’s responsibilities at the clinic was handling money the facility made from its abortion procedures — something she now looks back on with clearer vision.

“It was my job to take the money…

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Antonio Sabato to Launch New Production Company with Movies Where ‘God Is the Center of Attention’

Antonio Sabato to Launch New Production Company with Movies Where ‘God Is the Center of Attention’


Antonio Sabato Jr., a conservative Christian actor best known for his role in “General Hospital” in the ‘90s, is launching his own production company aimed to help creative professionals who have been blacklisted by Hollywood for their religious or political beliefs, according to the Christian Post.

“We are putting together a plan to create a conservative movie studio for all patriots to do projects that Hollywood would never do,” Sabato tweeted. “No more blacklisting and no more injustice from the socialist’s elites.”

The first project, called “Trial Blazers,” will feature other conservative actors, including Kevin Sorbo, Stacey Dash, Scott Baio, Kaya Jones, Kristy Swanson, and Dean Cain. Co-written and directed by Sabato, the movie tells the story of “the ultimate battle between good and evil, between darkness and light, between God and Satan himself,” according to the movie’s IMDb page.

In an interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, Sabato explained that the studio would produce moves “that are uplifting and where God is the center of attention.”

Sabato’s passion for the production company came after he lost everything in 2016 for supporting President Donald Trump.

“All my representatives left me, from agents to managers to commercial agents. I literally had to move, find a new job to survive and take care of my…

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Kanye West says COVID-19 vaccine is ‘mark of the beast;’ Hank Hanegraaff responds

Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir performed before 12,400 students gathered in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the Strength to Stand Conference on January 19, 2020. | Strength to Stand

Hank Hanegraaff, also known as the “Bible Answer Man,” weighed in on whether or not a COVID-19 vaccine could be the mark of the beast as referenced in Revelation 13:18 in response to comments made by Kanye West.

In a July 15 episode of his Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hanegraaff shared his thoughts on the issue after West told Forbes Magazine he was “extremely cautious” about the idea of a coronavirus vaccination. 

“It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed. … So when they say the way we’re going to fix COVID is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious,” West said. “That’s the mark of the beast. They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of Heaven. I’m sorry when I say they, the humans that have the devil inside them. And the sad thing is that, the saddest thing is…

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