| Agriculture Commissioner to visit Ireland
The senior Danish politician will attend the Irish Farmers' Association AGM and hold talks with the Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan. In May 2006 Ms Fischer-Boel became the first EU Commissioner to take part in a national parliamentary debate in a member state when she attended a special joint Dail-Seanad session. On Tuesday, Ms Fischer Boel will deliver a major speech explaining changes for farmers arising out of the "Health Check" of the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap). A Commission spokeswoman said: "The Health Check of the Cap, introduced in November, aims to build on the 2003 reforms designed to streamline and simplify EU agricultural policy and help farmers meet new challenges. "The Commission is calling for a wide-ranging consultation on its ideas before it finalises its legislative proposals in May." Ms Fischer Boel will also give a briefing on the ongoing global trade negotiations and her recent decision to restrict imports of Brazilian beef.
Enviro Groups Develop Opt-out System for Catalogs
Busy consumers, tired of sifting through overflowing mailboxes can take heart: a new free online service gives users the power to choose the catalogs they no longer want to receive in the mail. Developed by a group of leading environmental organizations, Catalog Choice aims to improve the efficiency of catalog distribution by reducing the number of repeat and unsolicited mailings and promoting the best environmental practices in the catalog industry. "Every day, millions of unwanted catalogs clog consumers' mailboxes and are immediately tossed in the trash. More than just an annoyance, they are overflowing municipal waste systems, devouring precious natural resources, and contributing to pollution and global warming," says Laura Hickey, senior director for Global Warming Education at the National Wildlife Federation, which joined the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Ecology Center to launch the new service.
The Case for the Real Jesus
In case you haven't noticed, the recent "evangelistic" fervor against Christianity didn't begin with Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. They have just built on what the Jesus Seminar proselytizing debunkers started.
Strobel says that six major challenges are leaving many Christians scratching their heads and confusing seekers looking for the truth about Christ. He began his research on these challenges conceding to himself that if any were true, they "could change everything" about his beliefs. But, "for the sake of my own intellectual integrity, I needed answers." He then proceeded to investigate, by studying the evidence and interviewing the premiere scholars on each of these issues:
1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the Four Gospels, 2.
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