Beginning Of Miracles
Dear Friends,
Greetings! An interesting article appeared in the 'Telegraph' newspaper concerning a chemical called 'resveratrol'. Perhaps you have heard of 'resveratrol' before, perhaps not. At the end of the article are some Bible verses and additional comments you may find interesting.
From the Telegraph of London:
Red wine chemical could drive new treatments
A chemical found in red wine could be used in treatments for diabetes, dementia and heart disease after scientists discovered how it keeps us healthy.
Dr Andrew Murray said: 'you can get resveratrol from red wine, you would need to drink about 700 bottles to get a meaningful dose'
By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent
02 Feb 2012
It has long been known that resveratrol, a chemical found naturally in plant products including red wine, can prolong the
lifespan and mimic the effects of a low-calorie diet.
But it was previously unclear exactly how resveratrol causes the boost of energy in our cells that provide this health benefit.
Now a team of researchers has shown it works by tricking the cell into thinking it is deprived of energy, causing it to increase production of energy-producing proteins.
The discovery could lead to new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's, heart disease and diabetes either using resveratrol or stronger agents which work in the same way, US researchers said in a study published in the Cell journal.
Dr Andrew Murray, of Cambridge University, who was not involved in the study, said: "Although you can get resveratrol from red wine, you would need to drink about 700 bottles to get a meaningful dose.
(And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. (John 2:1-11)
(The firkin was a Greek measure of a liquid of 6 7/8 imperial gallons, corresponding to the Hebrew bath.
It would be between approx. 82 and 124 imperial gallons, equal to approx. 103 and 155 U.S. gallons or between approx. 373 and 564 litres, or between approx. 497 and 752 bottles of wine.
A normal marriage feast lasted seven days and would be a time of great joy, also due to most of the festivities taking place in the open air it would usually take place in the spring after the former rains of the fall and before the latter rains of the spring.
*Manners and Customs of the Bible - James M. Freeman.)
Have a happy week ahead.
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Business Insider
ART CASHIN: Beware The Ides Of March--Or Maybe A Few Days Later
Gus Lubin
Feb. 3, 2012
Here's Cashin:
Beware The Ides Of March - Or Maybe A Few Days Later -
As a Greek/Debtor deal has been dangled before markets day after day for over three weeks, rumors of a different deal have begun to circulate. That rumor is of the EU finding a way to engineer a structured default of Greek debt, keep them in the Euro-zone and restructure Greek debt and finances in the post-default environment.
On March 20th, Greece is obliged to redeem 14.5 billon Euros in debt. Even after pulling all the coins out from under the sofa cushions, Greece is a bit short of this amount. How short? About 14.5 billion Euros short.
So, right now with an empty piggy bank and a calendar due date coming up fast, the Greeks are stuck pacing up and down in front of the EU offices with a bag reading "Friends help friends".
But the giving friends, particularly the Germans, are reluctant to pour gold dust into a badly leaking container. The Greek economy is moving in reverse. The IMF says it shrank about 6% in 2011 and nearly the same amount in 2010. If things go really well, the IMF thinks the Greek may only shrink 5% in 2012. And, with the economy shrinking every day, even a static debt load means your debt to GDP keeps rising - the last thing a debt-holder wants to hear.
So, in the opinion of almost everyone, Greece can't be saved - at least not in their current state. That leads to the growing speculation that, behind the scenes, the EU and the IMF are scrambling to find some way to structure a controlled, structured default.
No one is sure how you might structure it. You would not only need to cordon off the current Greek debt, you would probably need to cordon off the Greek banks also to prevent a contagion to the whole European banking system. You might even need a multi-day bank holiday to prevent folks from rushing to withdraw Euros and rush them to safety across borders in Switzerland or elsewhere.
No ready solution jumps off the page. It would potentially be fraught with risk and might threaten the whole financial system. But, if they could pull it off, it would be perfect. Kind of like a financial version of cold fusion. The calendar is ticking and inaction is suicidal. We think the rumors and speculation will continue. Try not to bite your nails.
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CBC News
Iran vows to attack any country used in military strike
Warning issued to territories 'used by enemies' of Islamic state
Feb 5 2012
Hossein Salami, deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, says his country's armed forces will target any location used for hostile operations against Iran. (Reuters)
Iran has vowed to retaliate against any country whose territory is used by "enemies" of the Islamic state to launch a military strike against its soil.
The threat of a possible counter-attack, reported Sunday by the semi-official Fars news agency, comes amid increased tension in the Middle East and fears the impasse between Western nations, Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear enrichment program could lead to war.
Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, spoke to the agency Saturday during military ground exercises.
"Any spot used by the enemy for hostile operations against Iran, will be subjected to retaliatory aggression by our armed forces," he was quoted as saying.
Tehran has stepped up its defensive posturing as international pressure mounts over allegations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge it denies.
On Friday, Iran's supreme leader said any military strikes over the country's nuclear program would damage U.S. interests in the Middle East "10 times over."
In a nationally broadcast speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also pledged to aid any nation or group that challenges Israel, which has publicly backed the efforts by the U.S. and European Union for tougher sanctions that target Iran's crucial oil exports.
Late last month, both the European Union and Iran raised the stakes in the conflict, with the EU banning the purchase of Iranian oil and Iran threatening to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude is transported.
On Jan. 22, American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln entered the Gulf to conduct scheduled maritime security operations.
Late last month, the British Ministry of Defence said British and French warships joined the U.S. carrier group transiting through the Strait of Hormuz "to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law."
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Pakalert Press
The Pakistani High Commissioner to Britain has reiterated his country's support for the Islamic
February 10,2012
Republic of Iran in case of an Israeli regime's attack.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan told the British The Sun newspaper that "Pakistan would be left with no option but to support Iran if Israel attacks it".
"We wouldn't like to be seen as part of Israel's campaign against any country. If Israel attacks Iran, it will have an impact on Pakistan as well", said the Pakistani High Commissioner to Britain.
"We will have to safeguard our own interests. We also have a Shia population in Pakistan who will not take it lying down", he stressed.
The Pakistani official warned Britain to help stop the U.S. "Drone Wars" that are slaughtering hundreds of its innocent civilians.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan said that his country's relations with America are at their lowest ebb.
"Patience is definitely reaching exhaustion levels", he said.
Hasan said Pakistan backs the War on Terror waged by Britain and the US.
But, he urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to condemn US drone attacks on his country dubbing them as "war crimes" and "little more than state executions".
"We know the damage - destroyed schools, communities, hospitals. They are civilians - children, women, families. Our losses are enormous," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
"I think time is running out until the Pakistan government can take a stand. They will have to at some stage take punitive actions to stop them. They have got means to take such actions to defend their own frontier and territories," Hasan further added.
Hasan urged the British Prime Minister to convince the US that the drone attacks were counter-productive, making the American "the most hated people in the minds of the people in Pakistan."
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Natural News
Congress OKs 30,000 flying drones spying on Americans across U.S. cities
By J. D. Heyes
It's the most benign thing in the world. In fact, it's a concept whose time has come and it will only help protect us and keep us safe. Naturally, there's nothing to worry about because there won't be any abuse of the technology. After all, spy drones are already being used around the U.S.; what's the problem with adding tens of thousands more? - - In case you didn't know it -- and you probably didn't -- Congress, with little fanfare, passed an FAA reauthorization bill last week President Obama is expected to sign into law that will make it much easier for the government to put scores of unmanned spy drones into American skies. - - Not only that, the legislation authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration to develop regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015. If the law takes full effect, it is believed as many as 30,000 drones could be hovering over the U.S. by 2020. - - The drones, which are widely used in Afghanistan to spot and target suspected insurgents and Taliban operatives in that country as well as neighboring Pakistan, have been used by American government agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, for a few years, in an observation/surveillance capacity. DHS has also used drones in disaster-relief operations, and advocates say they can be successfully employed to fight fires and locate missing hikers.
Say Good-bye to Privacy
Privacy advocates, however, are sounding the alarm good and loud.
"There are serious policy questions on the horizon about privacy and surveillance, by both government agencies and commercial entities," Steven Aftergood, head of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, told the Washington Times.
Jennifer Lynch, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a watchdog group, added that her organization is particularly "concerned about the implications for surveillance by government agencies."
Her agency is suing the FAA to determine just how many certificates the agency has already issued to police, government agencies and a smattering of private research institutions to allow them to fly drones in U.S. airspace. The agency says it handed out 313 certificates in 2011; by year's end, 295 were still active "but the FAA refuses to disclose which agencies have the certificates and what their purposes are," said the Times.
"We need a list so we can ask [each agency], 'What are your policies on drone use? How do you protect privacy? How do you ensure compliance with the Fourth Amendment?'" Lynch said.
"Currently, the only barrier to the routine use of drones for persistent surveillance are the procedural requirements imposed by the FAA for the issuance of certificates," Amie Stepanovich, national security counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told the paper.
Surveillance Society
The use of drones to keep an eye on American citizens is just the next step in what has become the move towards a so-called "surveillance society" that is growing rampant in the U.S.
Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program, says while the widening use of video cameras in American society may have helped nab some criminals, they often provide a false sense of security.
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Human Events
Military Tells Catholic Chaplains What They Can and Can't Say About Obama Administration's Assault on Religion
by Jim Hoft
02/03/2012
Last week Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan lashed out at the Obama Administration for forcing religious organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. The rule would force Christian organizations to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion drugs to workers even though this violates Catholic Church teaching. The new rules are so strict that most Catholic institutions will not qualify for an exemption.
(The Echo)
Even Pope Benedict warned of the "grave threat" to religious freedom in United States before the Obama Administration approved the new rules.
Now the Obama Administration is forbidding Catholic chaplains from reading a letter from the leader of the US bishops. Business Insider reported:
The emerging conflict between the Catholic Church and the Obama administration may have a new front: in the U.S. military itself. The Catholic Church is fighting mad about an HHS ruling that would have them buy insurance for things they consider sinful - contraception, sterilization and abortion.
All the bishops in the country sent out a letter to be read in their parishes promising that the Church "cannot-and will not-comply with this unjust law." Even Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is in charge of Catholic military chaplains sent out the same letter.
But after he did, the Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains sent out another communication forbidding Catholic priests to read the letter, in part because it seemed to encourage civil disobedience, and could be read as seditious against the Commander-in-Chief.
More than one Catholic chaplain who spoke to us off the record confirmed that many chaplains disobeyed this instruction and read the letter anyway. Others sought further instructions from their Archbishop. Now after much behind-the-scenes bureaucratic wrangling, a new version of the letter will be read, one that was edited of the language about "unjust laws."
A new statement issued this afternoon from Archbishop Broglio's office acknowledged the interference this way:
Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants.
Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop's letter. Additionally, the line: "We cannot-we will not-comply with this unjust law" was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.
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CNN (Edited from longer article.)
Obama announces contraception compromise
By Alan Silverleib
February 10, 2012
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama announced a compromise Friday in the dispute over whether to require full contraception insurance coverage for female employees at religiously affiliated institutions.
Under the new plan, religiously affiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free of charge to any women who work at such institutions.
What's in White House compromise plan
Female employees at churches themselves will have no guarantee of any contraception coverage -- a continuation of current law.
There will be a one-year transition period for religious organizations after the policy formally takes effect on August 1.
"No woman's health should depend on who she is or where she works or how much money she makes." Obama said at the White House. But "the principle of religious liberty" is also at stake. "As a citizen and as a Christian, I cherish this right."
Religious freedom or women's health?
The president briefed New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, on the decision Friday morning. He also discussed the decision with Sister Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Association and Cecile Richards, head of Planned Parenthood.
News of the compromise came after days of escalating partisan and ideological rhetoric over the divisive issue. The White House originally wanted to require hospitals and schools with religious ties to offer full contraception coverage. Many Catholic leaders and other religious groups strongly oppose any requirement for contraception coverage on theological grounds.
The question of whether institutions with religious ties should be required to offer insurance plans covering birth control and the so-called morning after pill, among other things, hits a number of political hot buttons. Liberal groups have pushed for an expansive contraception coverage requirement on grounds of gender equality in health care. Conservatives generally consider it a violation of the First Amendment and an infringement on religious liberty.
Some political analysts believe the controversy could cost Obama votes in politically critical states like Pennsylvania and Ohio in November, while others insisted it will ultimately hurt Republicans with suburban women.
Reaction to Friday's decision fell largely along predictable party lines. Democratic leaders embraced the revised rule, while Republicans called it inadequate.
"The rule announced by President Obama today guarantees that all women will have access to free contraception coverage through their employers, while protecting the religious freedom of faith-based institutions," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
Contraception controversy
"I strongly support the rule announced today because in the year 2012, women should not be denied access to contraception. ... Whether women choose to use contraception should be their decision, not the decision of their employers or politicians in Washington."
Planned Parenthood's Richards also praised the decision, arguing that "in the face of a misleading and outrageous assault on women's health," it "does not compromise a woman's ability to access these critical birth control benefits."
But conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, insisted the revised rule still violates the Constitution.
"This ObamaCare rule still tramples on Americans' First Amendment right to freedom of religion," Jordan said in a written statement. "It's a fig leaf, not a compromise. Whether they are affiliated with a church or not, employers will still be forced to pay an insurance company for coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs."
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, said the revised rule "simply pretends to shift costs away from religious employers, but it doesn't fix the problem and is another call for individuals and institutions to compromise on principle."
Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Friday's decision guarantees congressional action on the matter.
"The Constitution does not compromise; those rights are inalienable and cannot be bartered away for political expediency and convenience," he said. "The administration has simply reaffirmed that congressional action to permanently reverse this mandate is necessary."
Published polls show a slight majority of U.S. Catholics actually favored the administration's original proposed rule. Catholic leaders were divided by Friday's announcement.
"I think (Obama's) punting, just kicking the can down the road," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenkis told CNN. "He's hasn't really addressed our concerns. I think the only thing to do is... to take back the whole thing."
Sister Keehan from the Catholic Health Association said she was "very pleased" with the White House.
Sources familiar with White House thinking on the matter have said the administration is convinced approval from conservative Catholics is out of reach, and is trying to win over more progressive Catholics.
Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the administration was deeply divided over how to handle the issue. Vice President Joe Biden -- who is Catholic -- and former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley warned Obama about the possibility of negative political repercussions in swing states if the White House moved ahead with the initial rule.
Several female members of the administration -- including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- urged the president to move forward with the initial rule, Bloomberg said.
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MailOnline
We are sleep-walking ourselves into state-sanctioned parenting
By Sonia Poulton
8th February 2012
I consider myself an open-minded parent. I have always talked candidly with my, now, 14-year-old daughter about all issues, including sex.
Our relationship is sufficiently strong that she thinks nothing about discussing sex and sexuality with me and she will frequently say stuff like, 'Mum, I have a question...is there such a thing as a G-spot?' Or, 'Mum, are people born gay or do they choose to be?'
When it comes to my daughter's sex education, I believe no subject is too taboo. If Shaye is curious then it is my job to help her to satisfy that questing.
Outrage: Last year 1,700 girls aged 13 and 14 were fitted with implants, while 800 had injections which have the same effect
I am a firm advocate of the mantra that 'knowledge is power' and nowhere more so than when it comes to equipping my child in the arena of sexual relations.
So, I'm no prude. I have even gone so far as to sex educate several of her school friends at the request of their parents who were too embarrassed to do it for themselves.
In fact, among the parents of Shaye's peers, it is accepted wisdom that I am the 'go to mum' who their daughters can come to if they cannot talk with their own mum or dad.
That said, there are some situations when it comes to my maturing daughter that even a freely-expressive mother, such as I, will baulk at. The type of thing that makes me shout long and loud simply because it appears so very wrong, and on numerous levels.
Open-minded: When it comes to sex education, I believe no subject is too taboo, and have always talked candidly to my daughter
Take this as the source of today's consternation. Schools and doctors in the UK are routinely giving 13-year-old girls contraceptive implants.
And, because they are covered by various laws that forbid them revealing that they are doing this - or even seeking permission in the first place - parents of these children are left unaware that this is happening.
Neither are we talking small numbers here. Last year 1,700 girls aged 13 and 14 were fitted with implants, while 800 had contraceptive injections.
Frankly, it's too early in the morning for me to be reading outrageous statistics like this. That is such a preposterous idea that it should have been booted out at the drawing board stage.
So this is what it has come to? The State has now assumed the ultimate control - that of taking over the role of parents, above and beyond the real ones?
Sometimes I just despair and yearn for a return to simpler times when parents were the responsible adults and children knew that. I cannot bear such interference on a mass scale, it is verging on the obscene.
We must ask, surely, what kind of society have we become when it is perfectly legal - desirable, even, according to the Government who initiated this step - that children, and that is what 13 year olds are, are encouraged to take contraception in the first place?
Before anyone shouts me down with 'but we have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe'. I know that. What concerns me, is why do we?
And what are we doing about that in terms of dissuading our young people from becoming parents, rather than tooling them up to premature sexual experimentation in the first place?
Hands up who truly views sneaky contraception - without parental knowledge - as such a solution? I know I don't and neither do any of the parents that I know, and I know a lot.
So let me get this straight, just so I know exactly where our Government is coming from with regard the health and safety of our children.
If I leave my daughter home alone, for several days at a time, I could - rightly in my opinion - be prosecuted for child neglect. So far, so sensible.
However, a school nurse can give my child something that can make her suicidal - 1 in 18 people suffer depression as a result of the implant - and I have no say in that? Not even a knowledge about it.
The state needs to make up its mind. Does it want us to parent our children (given that the Government blames everything from unemployment to riots on 'bad parenting') or does it think it can do the job for us?
Either way I'm not taking their involvement lying down. Time to be pro-active on this issue.
I didn't become a mother to be dictated to by bureaucracy about how I should fulfil that role. If that means fighting, even in a court of law, to be a parent to my child - and to assume all the responsibilities that entails - then so be it.
Let that be a warning to any school nurse or doctor who comes within a hair's-breadth of my child. That's not a threat, but a promise. I am that outraged by this parental takeover and, in my mind, it has been by stealth.
Pressure: As a parent to a teenage daughter I already have numerous issues to concern myself with, such as academic worries and fears about bullying
Truth is, as a parent to a teenage daughter I already have numerous issues to concern myself with and I don't need to be distracted by this nonsense:
Are my daughter's GCSE options the right ones for her?
Is my daughter having a good time at school or is she secretly being bullied?
How is her body image? Is she bulimic and I don't know about it?
And what about her self esteem? How intact is that given she is bombarded with some 200 advertising and media images each day, according to recent research, that will make her question whether she is sufficiently pretty or thin enough to meet with societies exacting standards.
Enough already.
And now the Government want to come in between a parent and their child, in the official capacity of curbing our teenage pregnancy issue, and they expect us to accept that? Forget it!
Some people claim that these implants may be used to help regulate a teenagers menstrual cycle. OK. But if that is the case then why would that need to be kept secret from the parent?
Or is that just another ruse to help bolster the State's control over our children?
Personally, and quite aside from my right as a parent to protect my child, it is morally wrong to keep a parent in the dark because that also means that we cannot help our children with any possible side effects they may experience as a result of the contraception. And there are many issues associated with it.
The implant, inserted under the skin, can 'get lost' by migrating to another part of the body and removal can be difficult and can be extremely painful and cause scarring.
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The Guardian
Gorbachev: Putin has exhausted himself as Russian leader
Former Soviet leader warns of more protests if the Russian prime minister does not 'change the way things are'
Mikhail Gorbachev addresses students about Putin in Moscow. Photograph: Denis Sinyakov/Reuters
The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said Vladimir Putin has exhausted himself as Russia's leader.
Gorbachev, who called on Putin to step down as protests against his rule grew in December, said the powerful prime minister could face a sustained popular uprising against his rule similar to those seen in Arab capitals.
"He has exhausted himself," Gorbachev said during a lecture at a Moscow university on Thursday. "If he does not overcome himself, change the way things are - and I think it will be difficult for him to do that - then everything will end up on city squares."
Gorbachev first called for Putin to resign after tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets in mid-December demanding new elections in the wake of a contested parliamentary vote. As the 4 March presidential election approaches, protesters have turned their attention to preventing Putin's return to the Kremlin.
Speaking to Russia's Dozhd (Rain) TV earlier this week, Gorbachev, 81, said he did not foresee a violent crackdown on Russia's protesters, noting that Putin and his advisers had too much to lose. Gorbachev oversaw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the violent crackdowns on public protests in some of the empire's republics.
Gorbachev reiterated his calls for Putin to step down and said that the system created by the powerful leader during 12 years of rule "must be destroyed". "It's the system that must be changed," Gorbachev said on Dozhd. Putin and many of his closest advisers rose up through the Soviet system and its notorious secret services.
While respected abroad and by much of the liberal intelligentsia, Gorbachev remains one of the most disliked figures inside Russia, seen as ushering in the chaos and poverty that followed the Soviet Union's collapse. A pro-Putin protest that gathered last weekend to counter a mass demonstration against the regime played on that fact, with demonstrators saying they were against a "second perestroika", referring to Gorbachev's policy of political reforms.
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WND
The politicians who quoted Isaiah 9:10 after the 9/11 terror attacks probably meant it as encouragement.
But the new book
"The
Harbingers: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future" explains that the verse actually is a statement of defiance to God -- a nation essentially thumbing its nose at the Almighty.
And people are listening, as the project by author Jonathan Cahn has moved up to No. 7 on the New York Times Best Sellers list for Feb. 12.
The book also is listed at No. 1 among Amazon's Christian fiction, No. 2 at Amazon's mysteries, and No. 18 among books on religion.
Isaiah 9:10 states: "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars." (King James Version)
Read "The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future" for yourself!
The words first were uttered by leaders in ancient Israel in response to a limited strike by Assyria on the lands of Zebulon and Naphtali - an attack the prophet makes clear is part of a limited judgment by God against apostasy. It wasn't meant to destroy the nation but to awaken it, according to most commentaries.
But historically, the northern kingdom of Israel did not repent of its rebellion against God's commandments and eventually was conquered and deported from its land by the ancient Assyrians. Eventually, the southern kingdom of Judah was also overcome by the Babylonians after the Jews refused to repent as well.
In "The Harbinger," Cahn shows uncanny similarities between what's stated in Isaiah 9:10 and the 21st century events of 9/11 and the years afterward, suggesting America is currently under a time of focused judgment by Almighty God.
Cahn claims the prophecy's statement that "the bricks are fallen down" refers to the crumbling of the World Trade Center in New York City. The verse, he said, connotes an attitude of defiance, a desire to rebuild with stronger materials instead of acknowledging the hand of God and moving toward national repentance.
As WND reported, two major American political figures read the Isaiah 9:10 prophecy in public after the 9/11 attacks.
"In the aftermath of the attack, the nation was stunned," said Cahn, "Everyone was trying to make sense of what had happened - this unprecedented attack on America. The very next day, September 12, then Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle presented America's response to the world. And what did he say?"
Daschle said: "America will emerge from this tragedy as we have emerged from all adversity - united and strong. Nothing ... nothing can replace the losses of those who have suffered. I know there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that speaks to all of us at times like this."
He then went on to read Isaiah 9:10:
"Daschle has no idea what he is doing here," says Cahn. "He thinks he's offering comforting words to a grief-stricken people, but he is actually embracing the spiritually defiant and arrogant words of the children of Israel, proclaiming the ancient and ominous vow of the leaders of that nation. He doesn't realize it, but he is actually inviting more judgment on the nation."
It might be of some significance that Daschle, one of the most powerful men in the nation when he spoke those words, later fell into disgrace - to the point where he couldn't even serve in Barack Obama's cabinet.
Then, on the third anniversary of the attack, Sept. 11, 2004, another powerful U.S. senator running for vice president that year, who would famously run for the presidency four years later, gave a speech to the Congressional Black Caucus.
This time, John Edwards' entire speech was built on a foundation of Isaiah 9:10: "Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord's Word to get us through," he said. He then read Isaiah 9:10. He went on to talk about how America was doing just that - rebuilding with hewn stone and planting cedars.
"Like Daschle, Edwards thinks he's invoking inspirational and comforting words from the Bible, but he's actually inviting judgment on America," says Cahn. "He's repeating the vow that provoked God to bring calamity on ancient Israel."
Cahn is known and respected nationally for his profound and deep explorations of biblical truth. He serves as senior pastor and rabbi of the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel in Wayne, N.J., and is president of Hope of the World Ministries.
"The Harbinger" earlier was designated No. 1 among Hot New Releases on Amazon, and the Charisma House/Frontline Books project on Jan. 9 hit the Times best sellers list.
The book also became an immediate first week sell-out with booksellers nationally, forcing the publisher to boost its original print run of 50,000 to a reprint of 250,000 copies to meet immediate retail re-stock demands.
The book is framed in a fictional narrative, but "The Harbinger" is a non-fiction work that contains one of the most controversial, unique and potentially ominous revelations concerning America - its past, present, and future, and how it connects with a 3,000-year-old prophecy from the Bible's Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Cahn's "The Harbinger" reveals precise ties to the foretelling of recent events in modern day America with stunning accuracy down to the exact day of the stock market collapse in 2008.
Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, termed the book "extraordinary" during an appearance last week by the author on CBN's "The 700 Club."
And media executive Joseph Farah of WND.com has expressed his intention of bringing "The Harbinger" to wider audiences through a film documentary that explores Cahn's in-depth connections of ancient prophecy to modern events.
Cahn's project focuses on the appearance of nine prophetic harbingers, or warning signs, from ancient times manifesting to America. He explains the Assyrian invasion, Israel's ruin and ultimate exile are remarkably being mirrored in a sequence of events that started unfolding on 9/11.
Wrote reviewer Dennis, "If you were sitting in a jury box, with America on trial, and listened to the
facts presented by the author, the only verdict possible is guilty - beyond a reasonable doubt. It is
not too late for our nation and its people to self-correct. The warning has been sent. Ignore it at your
own peril."
***
Christian Science Monitor
Ancient Antarctic lake thought to harbor prehistoric life, Hitler clones
In its reporting on the efforts of a Russian drilling team to reach a subglacial lake in Antarctica, Russian state media has revived an old conjecture about a secret Nazi cloning facility on the southern continent.
By Eoin O'Carroll, Staff
February 8, 2012
Russian researchers from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of St. Petersburg pose for a photo Monday at the Vostok station in Antarctica. Russian state media says that the team has successfully drilled through two miles of ice to reach a massive subglacial lake that has been locked beneath the ice for millions of years.
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Press Service/AP
After a decade of effort, Russian researchers in Antarctica have successfully drilled through more than two miles of solid ice to reach a massive lake that has been sealed off from light and air for millions of years.
If Lake Vostok, a freshwater body roughly the size of Lake Ontario that has been locked beneath the ice for between 15 million and 34 million years, is found to harbor living organisms, the discovery would fuel hopes of discovering life on other worlds, such as Jupiter's moon, Europa, or Saturn's moon, Enceladus, both of which are thought to have liquid oceans below their icy crusts.
The first announcement of the team's success was reported Monday in RIA Novosti. The Russian state-owned news agency quoted an unnamed "scientific source," who said, "Yesterday, our scientists stopped drilling at the depth of 3,768 meters and reached the surface of the sub-glacial lake."
A few paragraphs later, the story takes an unexpected turn:
With the current events happening at Lake Vostok, an old theory saying that German Nazis may have built a secret base there as early as the 1930s, has resurfaced.
It is thought that towards the end of the Second World War, the Nazis moved to the South Pole and started constructing a base at Lake Vostok. In 1943, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz was quoted saying "Germany's submarine fleet is proud that it created an unassailable fortress for the Fuehrer on the other end of the world," in Antarctica.
According to German naval archives, months after Germany surrendered to the Allies in April, 1945, the German submarine U-530 arrived at the South Pole from the Port of Kiel. Crewmembers constructed an ice cave and supposedly stored several boxes of relics from the Third Reich, including Hitler's secret files.
It is also rumored that later the submarine U-977 delivered the remains of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun to Antarctica for DNA cloning purposes.
While some might find it odd that the very first official announcement of a major scientific breakthrough contains references to esoteric Nazi conspiracy theories, there is a kernel of truth in there - albeit a tiny one. In December 1938, a German expedition set off for Antarctica with the aim of establishing a whaling station and possibly a naval base. The expedition arrived in early 1939 and set about planting Nazi flags on land that had recently been claimed by Norway. The expedition named this region "Neuschwabenland," and apparently left without building any permanent structures.
That's all we really know about Nazis in Antarctica. The area that the German expedition claimed is on Antarctica's northern coast, hundreds of miles from the landlocked Lake Vostok. That a U-boat reached the South Pole seems doubtful, as the crew would have had to have gotten out and pushed their vessel overland. Of course it could be that the submariners had reached the magnetic South Pole, which is constantly shifting due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. The magnetic South Pole is currently off the coast of Antarctica, south of Australia, but in 1939s it would have been several miles inland.
The rumor that a U-boat secretly ferried Hitler and his wife out of Germany is an old one. A Time Magazine story from Monday, July 23, 1945, relays the story of U-530, which surrendered to authorities in Mar del Plata, Argentina, some two months after Germany's surrender. The story notes that an Argentine reporter cited a police report describing a submarine surfacing off Argentina's coast and dropping off two passengers, "a high-ranking officer and a civilian." The Time reporter speculated that the couple "might have been Adolf Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, in man's dress."
There's no evidence that U-530 ever visited Antarctica, although neither the skipper nor his crew never explained exactly what they had been doing for the previous two months.
Submarine U-977 also surrendered in Mar del Plata on August 17, 1945, after famously spending 66 days submerged as it travelled from the North Atlantic to Argentina. The voyage of U-977 has fueled a several conspiracy theories involving Hitler and Nazi gold, but no real evidence.
In any case, it's highly unlikely that Nazi scientists would have even thought to attempt to preserve the Führer's DNA. The DNA molecule was first discovered in 1869, but it wasn't until 1952 that scientist confirmed that it plays a role in heredity. The first successful clone from an adult mammal didn't come until 1996, when Scottish scientists successfully cloned a sheep.
***
MailOnline
The incredible tsunami of 'wave' clouds that took over Florida coastline
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
8th February 2012
At first glance, it may appear as though tsunami is poised to crash over the Florida coastline.
But much to the relief of Panama City residents, this breath-taking series of photographs shows a natural phenomenon far less destructive - waves of clouds.
Helicopter pilot JR Hott captured these breathtaking images, which show the low-lying haze swooping over high-rise buildings down the coast.
Natural phenomenon: A wave of clouds hover over high-rise buildings in Panama City, Florida on Sunday
KATU reports Mr Hott captured the images hovering over the Gulf of Mexico after one of his pilots came in from a flight on Sunday.
Before his chopper could be engulfed by the heavy fog, Mr Hott flew up to capture the wave-like formations.
'We jumped into helicopter and took off,' he said. But he didn't have long to descend. 'Within a few minutes after we landed, it covered up the helipad,' the seasoned pilot said.
According to Dr Greg Forbes, of Weather.com, the phenomenon occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming 'just right' as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude.
Low-lying haze: Helicopter pilot JR Hott captured the series of images as fog descended within minutes
Bird's eye view: From hundreds of feet up, the fog is seen sweeping over the waterfront properties
Undoctored: The photographs were not Photoshopped, according to Mr Hott
Ominous: Dark clouds roll overhead as the fog makes its way inland
Dr Forbes explained on the website: 'You see the clouds forming off shore, as the winds from south to north push them toward and then up over the high rises as the air rises and reaches its crest.
'And then sinks back down and lowers the relative humidity and the clouds dissipate.'
'The other thing that's happening is with friction, the air slows down as it just begins to move onshore,' Dr Forbes explained.
'That gives it a little extra convergence and an upward forcing of the air to rise. But it must be that relative humidity needing to be just right that... explains why we don't see this kind of a picture every day.'
Mr Hott, posted the images on Facebook, and they've since swept the internet, receiving an overwhelming response.
***
Natural Society
Are Negative Thoughts Cutting Your Lifespan in Half?
Andre Evans - -
February 5, 2012
Are your thoughts generating life-threatening levels of emotional stress? Oftentimes we hold onto negative thoughts and emotions that are actually devastating your health -- mentally and physically. Research has shown that high stress levels can actually increase your overall chance of death by a staggering 50%. Is your mindset propelling you into a strained state of less-than-optimal health?
Some people drag foul moods and thoughts with them like extra baggage. A small decision as to whether or not you want to continue along this path determines how you choose to act and react for the rest of your day - or perhaps much longer. Often the root causes of the negativity is ignored, with the individual focusing only on the side effects of the real problem. Remind you of something? It sounds like the ridiculous method of mainstream pharmaceutical science: treat the symptoms, not the disease!
Breaking the Life-Shortening Stress Pattern
Those who have fallen into this negative lifestyle pattern people are easy to recognize. They've got a chip on their shoulder; they've got something to prove. A haughty spirit and lofty eyes. The whole world is out to get them, and they feel that success is simply an impossibility. This includes the success of overcoming this negative mindset that ultimately turns into a negative lifestyle.
Ever notice how it's easier to let go of a bad mood rather than to hold onto it? During any conflict, there's a contention of pride involved. One person feels 'justifiably' mad, as deemed by their own assessment. Oftentimes when somebody is angry, they will find and make reasons to sustain the anger, even going as far as to further inflate the negative emotions!
This is the same stress-inducing negative lifestyle that could be cutting your lifespan in half! Thankfully, there are methods of combating this serious health threat.
Most people are usually the authors of their own social and emotional dilemmas. While this can lead to the same negative thoughts and feelings that are crushing your vitality, it can also help you overcome them. It is quite simple to let go of these burdens that you really do not have to carry. In fact, it's beyond simple -- your mind has complete control over your emotions!
It has been previously shown in studies that positive thoughts and affirmations can actually boost your overall health. Amazingly, these practices help you to make the right choices and overcome health burdens. The very opposite of stress-inducing negativity.
Ultimately, life is not meant to be wasted holding grudges and contentions of pride against other people. Even if you have legitimate cause for these negative thoughts, fueling it will only hurt you in the long run. Even in the face of adversity or frustration, do not let yourself be overcome with life-hampering negative burdens. The counter action to negative emotion is positive energy. Try injecting that instead.
***
RIA Novosti
Vatican Fears Assassins May Target Pope in 2012
Pope Benedict XVI
Dmitry Astachov
10/02/2012
ROME, February 10 (RIA Novosti)
An assassination attempt against Pope Benedict XVI may be carried out before November 2012, Italian Il Fatto Quotidiano daily reported on Friday, citing a confidential document that was delivered to the Holy See in January by Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos.
The letter, written in German, cites Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the Archbishop of Palermo, who said during his visit to China in November 2011 that "the Pope will die" in the next 12 months, Il Fatto Quotidiano said.
It is not known who stands behind the letter, the daily said.
Father Federico Lombardi, the Director of the Holy See Press Office on Friday denounced the media report, calling it "ramblings that cannot be taken seriously."
The previous Pope, John Paul II, survived a 1981 assassination attempt, although he was shot and gravely wounded by his attacker, Turkish national Mehmet Ali Agca.
In 2006 an Italian parliamentary commission accused former Soviet leaders and the Bulgarian secret service of being behind the assassination plot.
Ali Agca was released in 2010 from jail after almost 30 years in Italian and Turkish prisons.
***
9 News
Man's face seen in clouds before death
Feb 8 2012
Lismore resident Marion Dawson says a photo of clouds that bear a remarkable resemblance to her late brother Gerry Wells gives her "goosebumps".
The photo was taken on January 9 at Ocean Shores, on NSW's far north cost, at the same time as Mr Wells was flying overhead from Brisbane to Sydney to visit family and friends, the Northern Star reports.
Mr Wells, 62, died from a heart attack only a few days later on January 24.
Mr Wells, who lived in Brisbane, never saw the photo, which was taken by a former editor of the Northern Star, Russell Eldridge, and published in the paper on January 11.
It was only after Mr Wells passed away that a friend of his son saw the photo on the internet.
The family used the cloud photo in a leaflet handed out to people at his funeral.
Ms Dawson said they all got goosebumps when they saw the similarity.
She said she did not believe it was a coincidence that Mr Wells was flying to Sydney to catch up with family and friends while the photo was being taken below and that he still managed to get home to say goodbye to his wife one last time.
"I truly believe somebody greater than us knew this was about to happen," she said.
Until next week...
Almondtree Productions
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
(Philippians 4:8)