“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
(Revelation 22:17)
Him That Is Athirst

***

PRESSTV

Saudi crown prince says Palestinians should accept peace deal or 'shut up'

April 30, 2018

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that Palestinians should either accept peace proposals or "shut up," Israeli media reported.

According to Israel's Channel 10 news on Sunday, Salman made the remarks while on a trip to New York last month where he met with several Jewish leaders.

“For the past 40 years, the Palestinian leadership has missed opportunities again and again, and rejected all the offers it was given,” the Crown Prince said. “It’s about time that the Palestinians accept the offers, and agree to come to the negotiating table — or they should shut up and stop complaining."

He also said that the subject of Palestinian is not currently on top of the government in Riyadh's agenda.

“There are much more urgent and more important issues to deal with — such as Iran,” he added.

In an interview with the TIME magazine published on April 5, the first in line to the Saudi throne spoke of the prospect of Riyadh-Tel Aviv relations, describing the regime’s conflict with the Palestinians as the only obstacle to the normalization of ties with Israel.

The remarks come days after bin Salman, in an interview with the Atlantic, attempted to put Israeli and Palestinian land claims on an equal footing in a dramatic shift in Riyadh’s long-held position on Palestine, saying Israelis, like Palestinians, have the “right” to have “their own homeland.”

Saudi Arabia has been the main sponsor of the Arab Peace Initiative, which envisions a so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However, prior to bin Salman, no senior Saudi official had publicly accepted that Israel has a right to any land.

In recent months, the kingdom has been gradually softening its public posture toward Israel in what analysts describe as an attempt by Riyadh to prepare public opinion at home and elsewhere for potential normal relations with Israel.

Recent reports also suggest that Saudi Arabia has taken up an active role in US attempts to scramble a “peace” deal between the Israelis and Palestinians to get rid of the decades-long conflict, which Riyadh views as a stumbling block to overt relations with Tel Aviv.

***

GELLER REPORT

Czech Republic: New play depicts Jesus raping a Muslim woman — and it’s sold-out

By Pamela Geller

April 26, 2018

Migrants are overrunning Europe. And a million more are expected. Coming with the Islamic trend in the West: in Norway, all rapes in the past 5 years were committed by Muslims — one 12-year-old rape victim was told by her Muslim rapist, “he had the right to do exactly as he wanted to a woman.” “Why?” “Because that is how it was in his religion. Women did not have rights or opinions, he was in charge.”

The hijrah is catapulting Europe back centuries. But in the Czech Republic, the hot new play depicts a total inversion of reality: a Muslim woman raped not just by a Christian, but by Christianity’s central and most revered figure, Jesus himself. This is what the Czechs want to see: Muslims as victims in a fantasy in which they, as the inhabitants of a nation with a Christian heritage, bear all the guilt.

Reality is going to crash in on them soon enough. When it does, some of them might wish they had produced a play that more faithfully depicted present-day realities. But to have done that would have been “islamophobic.”

Brno, April 19 (CTK) – Czech bishops have distanced themselves from the performance “Our Violence and Your Violence,” in which Jesus rapes a Muslim woman, in the programme of the May theatre festival in Brno, in a letter they sent to Brno Mayor Petr Vokral (ANO) and released on their website on Thursday….

The controversial performance, directed by Croat Oliver Frljic, is staged jointly by the Croat National Theatre in Rijeka and the Slovenian Mladinsko Theatre in Ljubljana.

Cardinal Dominik Duka, primate of the Czech Catholic Church, called the play “the sale of Christianity and its ideals.” He also said this concept offended not only Christians, but also Muslims and all Czechs.

The bishops of the Roman Catholic dioceses and the Apostolic Exarch representing the Greek Catholic Church dealt with the theatre performance at the plenary session of the Czech Bishops’ Conference in Nitra, west Slovakia.

In the past days, the festival organiser, the National Theatre in Brno, rejected the effort to withdraw the performance from the programme, which the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and Communists (KSCM) demanded in the municipal assembly.

Festival director Martin Glaser stressed that the topic of this year’s festival was freedom. Though Frljic’s performance is an extreme art expression, this is a legitimate part of theatre, he said….

The performance offers a view of Europe taken unawares by the migrant crisis. It asks unpleasant questions about religion, Europe’s stance on the situation in the Middle East and different approaches to terrorist attacks in Europe, Baghdad and Kabul in a provocative way, the festival programme managers say.

The performance for 200 viewers scheduled for May 26 is sold out….

On Wednesday, Orthodox priest Libor Halik, who often protests against abortion, was standing with a big wooden cross outside the Husa na Provazku theatre where the controversial play would be shown.

On the other hand, colleagues from other theatres have supported the Brno festival organisers.

***

THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL

Episcopal Church Removes Terms Husband, Wife and Procreation from Marriage to Make it More LGBT Compliant

William Nye expressed his distress with the US wing, and stated that "Whilst I have made some overall observations in response to your specific question, the way in which TEC resolves these questions of implementation will have implications in terms of relationship as churches."

By Nate Brown

Published: May 1, 2018 Updated: May 1, 2018 at 11:14 am EST

The Episcopal Church (TEC) is removing the terms husband, wife, and procreation from its marriage service in favor of creating a more modern, LGBT compliant service. The terms will be replaced with gender-neutral pronouns such as two people or spouse.

The task force proposed several resolutions regarding same-sex marriage and requested commentary from other Church leaders about the matter. The question posed to other churches; “From your perspective and specific setting, what has been the impact of the Episcopal Church’s authorization and use of liturgical rites for same-sex marriage and the blessing of the same-sex unions on “the-Church?”

Dating as far back as 1976, the Episcopal Church has engulfed itself in controversy surrounding its goal of becoming a radically inclusive church, regardless of Biblical doctrine. “In 2003, the first openly gay bishop was consecrated; in 2009, General Convention resolved that God’s call is open to all; in 2012, a provisional rite of blessing for same-gender relationships was authorized, and discrimination against transgender persons in the ordination process was officially prohibited; and in 2015, the canons of the church were changed to make the rite of marriage available to all people, regardless of gender.”

In response to the aforementioned question, William Nye, the Church of England’s Secretary General, criticized the US branch of the Episcopal Church for its resolutions regarding the matter.

William Nye expressed his distress with the US wing, and stated that “Whilst I have made some overall observations in response to your specific question, the way in which TEC resolves these questions of implementation will have implications in terms of relationship as churches.”

In addition, Mr. Nye stated that; “Despite the careful wording of the preface to the Celebration and Blessing of a marriage 2, in which the “gift of children” is cited as one of God’s purposes for the union of two people “when it is God’s will”, it remains that the purposes of a marriage as understood through the ages have been substantially altered in this new rite.”

The removal of such terms like ‘procreation’ has set Mr. Nye at odds with the US branch, he continues; “in the new rite, the procreative function of sexual intercourse, and the role of procreation as a central purpose of marriage, has been erased.”

The US branch of the TEC has sparked outrage from churchgoers and other churches in an attempt to incorporate radically inclusive practices into their ranks. While God ultimately creates all children, the Bible is clear;

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

While Jesus did teach that every single human being is welcome to the congregation, Jesus also taught the rebuking of sin, and as per the scripture referenced, men who are effeminate, (of a man) having or showing characteristics regarded as typical of a woman, must be changed in Spirit through the redemption solely available by belief in Jesus Christ and repentance.

The TEC also contradicts scripture in regards to marriage, as marriage is used both symbolically and literally throughout scripture, according to the Bible;

Matthew 19:1-12
3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The scripture mentioned above also clearly defines what God created on Earth; a male and a female. The TEC’s attempts to alter scripture at this level, as per Mr. Nye, the move would ‘irrevocably redefine marriage,’ suggesting that the new liturgy ‘constitute a clear divergence from the understanding of marriage held throughout the history of the Christian Church.’

***

PNW

Canadian Christian School Shut Down For Teaching Bible Verses
By Jonathon Van Moren/The Bridgehead

May 3, 2018

If you had asked any Canadian conservative five years ago if Alberta would be the main battleground in the war over the rights of Christians to pass their values and their beliefs on to their children, they would have laughed. And yet, here we are.

The Alberta NDP wants to transform the Albertan school system before their time in power runs out, and Education Minister David Eggen bears an enormous animus towards Christians schools, which he will exercise to the full extent of his power until he gets the boot. And now this, from the National Post:

An Alberta Christian school that clashed with its school division over teaching certain Bible verses may be forced to shut down. The Battle River School Division voted last week to close Cornerstone Christian Academy in Kingman, Alta., southeast of Edmonton at the end of the school year.

The relationship started to fray about a year ago when the school division asked the school to stop teaching certain Bible verses that discussed sexuality. School division trustees said that they believed the verses could contravene Alberta's human rights code.

Just to be clear here: A school board believes, and stated openly, that passages of the Bible could be in violation of Alberta's human rights code. Their response to this, of course, was to ask that those passages no longer be mentioned, rather than considering the fact that there could be some overreach on the part of those drafting or interpreting that human rights code.

Christians have been warning that this could happen for some time, and those warnings were always scoffed off as paranoia.

Now that we're here, of course, those same scoffers will instead be full of righteous indignation at the idea that anyone would even consider taking such a homophobic book seriously in the first place--or suggest that, like former broadcaster Michael Coren, Christians consider eliminating or reinterpreting those passages of Scripture that certain groups might find offensive.

The board, of course, claims that all fault lies with the Christian school:

School board chairman Kendall Severson said that was eventually dealt with, but the bigger issue was a lack of co-operation. The school argues the division's attempts at censoring biblical references in the curriculum are illegal and wants the courts to stop the closure.

"I guess it was the unwillingness to work together for a communications protocol on how we communicate with each other and dealing with issues that arise," Severson said, pointing to an ongoing legal challenge brought against the division by the Cornerstone Christian Academy Society.

"We can't work together with an organization that's got legal action against us, and not willing to come together and work on an agreement." Deanna Margel, the society board's chairwoman, said there is a "great misunderstanding" of what faith means in today's culture.

"What is happening at the school is a good opportunity for people to discuss their different ideas and talk about how we deal with those things," she said. "Anybody familiar with the Christian Bible will recognize that there are many, many, many passages of Scripture that are offensive to even those of us who follow Christ."

Whenever cases like this appear in the public square, there are always post-Christian Christians who are scurrying to remind everyone that they don't actually believe all that stuff--they're just here for the forgiveness parts (not that there's much that needs forgiveness, once all of the "offensive" passages have been carefully excised from Scripture.)

The reason for this, as I cover in my 2016 book The Culture War, is so that they can present themselves as the "real" Christians, the "compassionate" Christians, while tsk-tsking at those who still believe that the Bible is actually the Word of God.

And while they assure the public that the rights of Christians are not being violated because they are Christians and they do not feel as if any of their rights have been violated, parents are stuck trying to figure out how to get a traditional Christian education for their children:

Parents are already considering their options if the legal fight fails.

"Many different parents are doing many different things: some going to home schooling, some having to drive their kids 40 minutes to 45 minutes away," said Gabe Vorhees, who sends his four children to Cornerstone. "None of us really want to be part of this school division."

He said his family was happy with the division before it decided to close the school, but doesn't trust it anymore. Vorhees said he believes there's a lot of internal animosity. "We are people of faith and we're a community of faith and we choose to forgive, but we also have rights."

If things don't go their way in court, the school society's backup plan is to reopen as a private school in the fall. Margel acknowledged that would make for a busy summer for the school society, because that would involve a lot of paperwork under tight timelines.

Cornerstone teachers also have a choice to make. They are employees of the school division, so staying on at a revamped Cornerstone would mean giving up their jobs with the public school board.

These schools, it bears pointing out, were often built with the blood, sweat, and tears of immigrant families who could not afford the money but pinched their pennies anyways in order to ensure that their children could receive a Christian education.

My grandparents worked tirelessly to send their children to Christian schools that were often built in large part by volunteers--even though they were immigrants just starting out with no money to spare, Christian education was a priority for them.

We may have to sacrifice to get our children a Christian education, too--and this time around, it won't just be a financial sacrifice.

Originally published at TheBridgehead

***

RT

Twitter meltdown after Boy Scouts announces ‘gender neutral’ name change

May 3, 2018

© Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Boy Scouts of America has announced it will soon be dropping ‘Boy’ from the organization's name, sending Twitter into outrage and disbelief. Critics of the name change say America’s young men are being intentionally emasculated.

With girls soon to be allowed to join the organization, the Boy Scouts will officially become known as Scouts BSA in 2019 to reflect the “inclusive” nature of the century-old club. The group’s board of directors unanimously voted to accept all children, regardless of gender, in October – a decision that may have been spurred, at least in part, by dropping enrollment in the club. There are currently around 2.3 million scouts in the United States – down nearly 30 percent since 2000.

“As we enter a new era for our organization, it is important that all youth can see themselves in Scouting in every way possible,” Boy Scouts of America chief executive Michael Surbaugh said in a statement. “That is why it is important that the name for our Scouting program for older youth remain consistent with the single name approach used for the Cub Scouts.” The Cub Scouts are for younger children aged 7-10.

But the name change may have been a gender-inclusive bridge too far, with some conservatives now tweeting eulogies to US manhood.

“R.I.P. Boy Scouts, 1910-2018. Yet another institution has come under siege by Political Correctness. Liberalism is slowly decaying everything that was once good in our society,” Lucian B. Wintrich, the DC Bureau Chief for the conservative Gateway Pundit, tweeted.

[

“This is the culture war we face. The goal of the left is to convert men into weak, feckless, cupcakes,” Allen West, a political commentator and former US congressman, wrote.

Another former congressman, Joe Walsh, shared a similar sentiment: “We’re doing our best to raise a generation of boys who will not be able to defend themselves, their families, or their country,” Walsh wrote.

Many in the Twitterati blamed the name change on “political correctness” and “feminists,” with some suggesting the club rename itself “Soy Scouts.”

Critics also described the name change as hypocritical, with one Twitter user writing: “Everywhere we look, exclusively male spaces are being invaded and neutralized. At the same time, exclusively female spaces thrive and grow. This hypocrisy is unsustainable.”

MailOnline

'Enemy rockets' hit Syrian bases causing blasts so huge they register as a 2.6-magnitude earthquake

• Syrian army said rockets struck several military bases in Hama and Aleppo area

• In a news flash, state television said the missile attacks took place at 10.30pm

• European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre recorded 2.60-magnitude quake

By REUTERS and IAIN BURNS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 01:19, 30 April 2018 | UPDATED: 01:32, 30 April 2018

Article

JOL

Report: Iran expected to attack Israel following Lebanon’s May 6 election

Following the alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria last night, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that his country is more committed than ever to eradicating terrorists from his country. Meanwhile, an official in an alliance that includes Syria and its regional allies told the New York Times that Iran will likely attack Israel after the Lebanese parliamentary election in May.

Becca Noy

April 30, 2018

On Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed that the latest airstrikes in Syria constitute an escalation in hostility toward Syria. In the airstrikes, several sites in the Hama and Aleppo areas were destroyed. Pro-Assad media outlets and Hezbollah have accused Israel of carrying out the airstrikes.

“The entire region is in a stage where the political maps are being redrawn,” Assad said during a meeting with an Iranian lawmaker, according to Hadashot news. “The incorporation of other countries in the phase of direct aggression [against Syria] after their plans failed only increases the determination of the Syrians to eradicate all forms of terrorism.”

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that more than 200 missiles were destroyed in last night’s attack, quoting an unnamed official from a regional alliance that includes Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. In addition, the official said that 11 Iranians were among the 16 people who were killed.

The official added that Tehran will likely retaliate against Israel. However, he said that the counterattack would not take place before the May 6 election in Lebanon.

***

FOX NEWS

Netanyahu says Iran 'brazenly lying' after signing nuclear deal, moved documents to a secret location

By Travis Fedschun

May 1, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed new "dramatic" intelligence Monday which he claimed shows Iran is "brazenly lying" about its nuclear weapons program and shows the country is not complying with the vaunted nuclear deal it signed in 2015.

The information was obtained within the past 10 days, Israeli officials told Fox News. Netanyahu said the "half a ton" of files were moved to a "highly secret" location in Tehran after the deal was signed, and contained materials spread over 55,000 pages and 55,000 files on 183 CD's.

"These files conclusively prove that Iran is brazenly lying when it says it never had a nuclear weapons program," he said.

Speaking during a nationally televised address, Israel's prime minister said the material is filled with incriminating evidence showing the Iranian program, called "Project Amad," was to develop a weapon.

Netanyahu briefed President Trump about the intelligence on Saturday and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday. European counterparts were made aware Monday prior to the speech, officials said.

***

Zero Hedge

Pat Buchanan Blasts Bibi: He's "Been Crying Wolf For Decades" About Iran

By Tyler Durden

May 1, 2018

Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's powerpoint presentation Monday evening - allegedly demonstrating captured evidence, documents, and computer disks, showing a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program much more advanced and ambitious than the Iranian government publicly admits existed- Pat Buchanan joined Sean Hannity on his show to discuss the reality behind Bibi's warning.

As RealClearPolitics' Tim Hains reports, Buchanan pulled no punches in his criticism, exclaiming that the Israeli PM has been "crying wolf for decades" about Iran and that "Bibi Netanyahu, with due respect, wants the United States to fight a war with Iran on Israel's behalf."

"I don't want my country getting into another war," Buchanan said about Netanyahu's revelation.

"The reason Iran doesn't have a bomb is because they don't want it. They could have built a bomb."

"Tell the IAEA to go in and either confirm or deny what Netanyahu said.

"Don't rely on him. Rely on our CIA coming out and saying, 'We were wrong, Netanyahu is right, they have a secret atomic bomb program and they're working on it right now and they have been and we were lied to.'"

"If the CIA and DIA do that, I would say first to fire the guys in charge who didn't cover it. And second, maybe we should act, but certainly not act on second-hand documents and a press conference from Bibi Netanyahu."

"What are we going to do, rely on a press conference from Bibi Netanyahu to go to war?"

And Buchanan is not alone in his disdain for Bibi's historic warmongering and lies.

Liberty Blitzkrieg's Mike Krieger notes that, of course, this isn’t the first time Netanyahu aggressively pitched the U.S. on war in the Middle East. He did the exact same thing, using the exact same playbook, in the run up to the Iraq war.

Fortunately, we have video evidence of his 2002 testimony to Congress, during which he hyperventilated and exaggerated about Iraq’s grave threat to the world as a result of its non-existsent WMDs. The guy was so incredibly wrong on Iraq, to such a disastrous degree, it’s amazing anyone listens to him at all anymore.

What follows (is a) must watch video clips from Netanyahu’s 2002 testimony. One of the more memorable — and spectacularly wrong — claims he made back then was when he proclaimed:

“If you take out Saddam, I guarantee, it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region”

Instead, we got a failed state and the creation of ISIS. But hey, everyone makes mistakes that lead to the pointless murder of hundreds of thousands.

But that’s just a taste. In the clip below he all but guarantees (wrongly) that Saddam was putting all his energy into creating a nuclear bomb, and he talks repeatedly about “washing machine” sized centrifuges being surreptitiously moved around Iraq to evade the watchful eye of weapons inspectors.

In reality, Iraq simply didn’t have WMD.

Fast forward to today and Netanyahu is doing the exact same thing he did back in 2002, except he’s dropping a “Q” and replacing it with an “N” and asking the U.S. to hold hands with Israel and they instigate another calamitous conflict in a desperate attempt to solidify regional dominance.

None of this surprises me, and I’ve been warning about it in detail since early last year.I continue to believe another major military mistake in the Middle East will be the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. empire. When exactly this final mistake happens is hard to know, but I expect it to occur over the next several years. The ducks are all being put in a row.

***

RT

‘Infamous liar’: Iran blasts Netanyahu for claims Tehran had nuclear weapons program

May 1, 2018

© Amir Cohen / Reuters

Calling the Israeli premier “an infamous liar” and head of a “child-killing Zionist regime,” Iran has furiously denounced an elaborate presentation by Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons.

In a statement Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry blasted Monday’s claims by a “broke and infamous liar who has had nothing to offer except lies and deceits.” It accused Israel of “using battered charlatanism” and viewing others as a threat to justify the existence of their “illegal regime.”

“Netanyahu and the notorious, child-killing Zionist regime must have reached the basic understanding that the people of the world have enough awareness and cognizance,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Qassemi.

In a series of tweets, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also ridiculed Netanyahu’s accusations, noting the “coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12.” On that day President Donald Trump is expected to decide whether the US should stay in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal inked by five world powers as well as Iran.

Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu presented a massive bookcase filled with folders, claiming they contained top-secret files on Iran's nuclear program he dubbed Project Amad.

The Israeli premier went through his presentation on big screens, showing PowerPoint slides of what he said was incriminating evidence of Tehran violating the terms of the nuclear deal.

The US, which has been quick to backup Bibi’s claims, said it proved that Iran had a “clandestine” nuclear program. And given the recent “bromance” between French leader Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump it appears less surprising that France has also said it proved what the EU “revealed” in 2002.

Netanyahu’s allegations, however, were met with a skeptical response from Berlin. Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for the German government, said that while “the international community had doubts” about Iran’s compliance, it was crucial that they implement “an unprecedented, thorough and robust surveillance system.”

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, noted that the deal was put in place “exactly because there was no trust between the parties, otherwise we would not have required a nuclear deal to be put in place.” She also stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying Iran’s compliance with the deal.

The IAEA, meanwhile, refused to comment on Netanyahu’s accusations. “It is not the practice of the IAEA to publicly discuss issues related to any such information,” a spokesman for the UN-run nuclear watchdog said, according to Reuters.

Analysts told RT that Israel has no right to comment on Iran’s nuclear activities as the Jewish state is not party to a non-proliferation agreement. Netanyahu and Israel “are in no position to accuse Iran of anything, they’re not part of the nuclear deal, they’re not even a member of the [Nuclear Proliferation Treaty],” Hamed Mousavi, Professor of political science at the University of Tehran, told RT.

“And we have to remember that Israel is the only regime in the region that actually has nuclear weapons,” he concluded.

***

SPUTNIK

‘Either a Liar or an Idiot’: Netanyahu’s Iran Claims Insult Integrity of IAEA

May 1, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that his country has a trove of secret documents detailing Iran’s continued expansion of the range of its nuclear-capable missiles - a display insulting to the international inspectors who have consistently found no evidence of such work, guests told Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear.

Israeli intelligence agencies have accrued 55,000 pages of documents and other materials detailing an alleged military nuclear program called "Project Amad," according to Netanyahu, who noted that Israel had shared its intelligence with Washington.

The announcement comes ahead of the May 12 deadline for US President Donald Trump to extend his country's deal with Iran concerning the latter's nuclear program, which he is expected not to do. It also comes hot of the heels of former CIA Director Mike Pompeo's first foreign visit since becoming secretary of state over the weekend. Pompeo visited both Israel and Saudi Arabia — key regional foes of the Islamic Republic.

Political analyst Marwa Osman Osman balked at the Israeli government's attempt to shape the narrative around the nuclear agreement ahead of Trump's decision deadline. "One of my students in freshman year could do better than that," she told Loud & Clear hosts John Kiriakou and Brian Becker.

If Netanyahu's presentation is true, Iran would be in violation of its nuclear agreement with the United States and a number of other nations, known formally as the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and colloquially as the Iran nuclear deal.

"We all had our laughs, we all made fun, but to be honest with you — this was the most insulting 15 to 20 minutes for the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] that I've ever heard," Osman said. "Benjamin Netanyahu was basically saying that every inspector, investigative team that went into Iran to try to mediate the nuclear deal… is either a liar or an idiot. That's what he said."

The UN agency's Director General, Yukiya Amano, told the IAEA's 35-member Board of Governors on March 5, 2018, that "Iran is implementing its nuclear-related commitments."

"Does he really think that with such a presentation he'll be able to wage war against Iran or against Iranian presence in Syria," Osman wondered. "Netanyahu — Israel — has been attacking Syria nonstop for the past six years, if not for the past seven years. But let's say, with documented evidence, six years, and lately, last night at 10 p.m., with new weaponry," Osman said.

Specifically, she says that the weapons used in the attack on the 47th Brigade of the Syrian Arab Army, a unit made up of Iranian forces and forces from Hezbollah, were similar to either depleted uranium or an "enhanced nuclear weapon."

The attack, on an military base between the Syrian cities of Hama and Homs, killed a number of Iranian forces Sunday night. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack; however, Israel has been blamed by many, Sputnik News reported.

"They have been going wild for the past two weeks," Osman said, "to provoke an Iranian response."

"Unfortunately we're seeing a repeat of disastrous history where the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia are all trying to present, as facts, what is really justifications for a war they already want to do," author and activist Medea Benjamin told Loud & Clear.

"We have seen that [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo and [National Security Adviser] John Bolton have, years ago, talked about bombing Iran. John Bolton did it in a New York Times op-ed, saying that to get rid of Iran's bombs you have to bomb Iran," Benjamin said.

"They are also thinking that because the economy in Iran is weak — which is their doing, the US's doing — that this is the time to really hit them hard. And I think they're under the illusions, just as they were under the illusion back in 2002, that they could easily overthrow [Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein and put a new government in place," Benjamin said about the lead-up to the Iraq War. "I think they think they can overthrow, or the ‘people of Iran' will get rid of this government and then somehow, miraculously, a US-Western-friendly government would be put in place without massive chaos."

"This is déjà vu all over again, and it is very dangerous," Benjamin warned.

***

***

RT

Iran drops the dollar. Others tried and were bombed. 'It's all about the banking,' says Lee Camp

April 30, 2018

© Raheb Homavandi / Reuters

Iran recently announced it is dropping the US dollar in foreign trade. Just as Iraq did shortly before it was invaded by the US, or Libya planned to before it was bombed by NATO-led allies. Lee Camp is starting to see a pattern.

The US is gearing up to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, which has all but killed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, because it's not restrictive enough. With Iran already saying it won't accept more demands or more sanctions, it's anyone's guess what kind of chain reaction might ensue.

Comedian Lee Camp's guess is pretty grim. He notices how Iran recently ditched the dollar in favor of the euro – something Iraq also did 18 years ago, a couple years before the US invaded it under the phony pretext of weapons of mass destruction. Libya wanted to do the same, although its leader Muammar Gaddafi wanted to establish its own currency, the gold dinar – but in 2011, NATO warplanes bombed his country to support an uprising against him. Almost immediately, the rebels formed their own central bank and were given leave by the US and the UN to legally sell oil from the land they controlled.

On his show Redacted Tonight, Lee deconstructs these parallels and more, because "It's all about the banking!"

(The first twelve minutes of this video have the main message. We need to warn you that the language is quite foul and some may find it offensive. Nevertheless his message is correct. Ed)

***

Zero Hedge

Chinese Factories Employ "Brain Scanners" To Stop Workers' Mistakes Before They Happen

By Tyler Durden

April 30, 2018

China's "SkyNet" facial recognition tools can compare up to 3 billion faces per second to help the government enforce its new "social credit score" - the Communist Party's latest and most widespread tool of political repression.

And now, private companies are being encouraged to go beyond surface recognition and peer into their workers' brains as they deploy new brain scanners that monitor abnormalities in emotions and thought patterns.

When data scientists monitoring brain waves on the other end detect spikes in anger, anxiety or depression. When one is detected, the worker being monitored is asked by management to take the day off, or to move to a less-important role, according to the South China Morning Post.

Jin Jia, associate professor of brain science and cognitive psychology at Ningbo University’s business school, said a highly emotional employee in a key post could affect an entire production line, jeopardising his or her own safety as well as that of others.

"When the system issues a warning, the manager asks the worker to take a day off or move to a less critical post. Some jobs require high concentration. There is no room for a mistake," she said.

The SCMP trumpeted the technology's profit-boosting powers, quoting managers at several firms who claimed the technology had saved them hundreds of million - if not billions - of yuan by helping workers avoid mistakes.

The technology is also in use at in Hangzhou at State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power, where it has boosted company profits by about 2 billion yuan (US$315 million) since it was rolled out in 2014, according to Cheng Jingzhou, an official overseeing the company’s emotional surveillance programme.

"There is no doubt about its effect," Cheng said.

The company and its roughly 40,000 employees manage the power supply and distribution network to homes and businesses across the province, a task that Cheng said they were able to do to higher standards thanks to the surveillance technology.

But he refused to offer more details about the programme.

Zhao Binjian, a manger of Ningbo Shenyang Logistics, said the company was using the devices mainly to train new employees. The brain sensors were integrated in virtual reality headsets to simulate different scenarios in the work environment.

"It has significantly reduced the number of mistakes made by our workers," Zhao said, because of "improved understanding" between the employees and company.

One researcher said that while employees were initially suspicious of the brainwave-reading helmets, they've managed to adjust to the new technology.

"They thought we could read their mind. This caused some discomfort and resistance in the beginning," she said.

"After a while they got used to the device. It looked and felt just like a safety helmet. They wore it all day at work."

Even conductors on China's high-speed rail lines use the technology. If the driver dozes off, the cap will set off an alarm to jerk them awake.

Deayea, a technology company in Shanghai, said its brain monitoring devices were worn regularly by train drivers working on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line, one of the busiest of its kind in the world.

The sensors, built in the brim of the driver’s hat, could measure various types of brain activities, including fatigue and attention loss with an accuracy of more than 90 per cent, according to the company’s website.

If the driver dozed off, for instance, the cap would trigger an alarm in the cabin to wake him up.

And a Chinese airline is weighing introducing it in pilot's cockpits.

Zheng Xingwu, a professor of management at the Civil Aviation University of China, said China could be the first country in the world to introduce the brain surveillance device into cockpits.

Most airline accidents were caused by human factors and a pilot in a disturbed emotional state could put an entire plane at risk, he said.

Putting the cap on before take-off would give airlines more information to determine whether a pilot was fit to fly, Zheng said.

"The influence of the government on airlines and pilots in China is probably larger than in many other countries. If the authorities make up their mind to bring the device into the cockpit, I don’t think they can be stopped," he said.

"That means the pilots may need to sacrifice some of their privacy for the sake of public safety."

Qiao Zhian, professor of management psychology at Beijing Normal University, said that while the devices could make businesses more competitive the technology could also be abused by companies to control minds and infringe privacy, raising the spectre of "thought police."

Brainwave-reading technology is available in the West and in much of the developing world, the SCMP said. But nowhere has it been put to greater use than in China, where it has become a staple in the workplace. In the West, the technology is typically used as a training tool for competitive athletes.

At some point in the near future, the helmet-like brain scanners could enable the wearer to give commands to machinery or other devices by accessing a "mental keyboard" - effectively allowing workers to control a computer or mobile phone or perhaps another piece of equipment with their thoughts.

The technology has also been used by China's military, but in a way that is apparently deeply classified.

In addition to the helmet that measures brainwaves, some employers also use cameras to scan workers faces for signs of emotional stress.

Brain scanners are also being used in medicine in China, particularly in psychiatry, where it's being used to monitor for signs of a coming emotional outburst.

But while the technology has reportedly led to many benefits involving productivity, one source quoted in the SCMP pointed out the ease with which it could be abused to create a kind of Orwellian "thought police." And given China's famously weak worker protections (a tremendous irony considering its communist roots) employees have little recourse to hold employers accountable.

"The selling of Facebook data is bad enough. Brain surveillance can take privacy abuse to a whole new level."

Lawmakers should act now to limit the use of emotion surveillance and give workers more bargaining power to protect their interests, Qiao said.

"The human mind should not be exploited for profit," he said.

Unfortunately for the Chinese worker, it looks like the chance to stop the technology's spread has already passed them by. Soon, workers in all manner of professions will be forced to submit to brain scans as a routine part of their every day routine. But by then, they'll have bigger privacy concerns to worry about.

AMMC

NEWS UPDATES SOUTH AFRICA

“We are going to take that land, whether they like it or not” – Ramaphosa

Newly elected ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again emphasised that he will follow through with land expropriation without compensation.

By Nic Andersen

May 1, 2018

On Monday, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa was joined by the ANC top six and his former rival Nkosazana Dlaimini-Zuma. The party leadership are spending the week paying tribute to former ANC presidents. After visiting graves in KZN, Ramaphosa addressed members of the media about a few of the ANC’s plans and goals.

With the ANC now turning 106, celebrations and party events will continue to flow across the country. On Sunday, Ramaphosa met Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, the king was gifted multiple cattle as a gift from the new president.

Ramaphosa reflected on the visit and once again discussed land expropriation without compensation. Mentioning and addressing the two has been described by some analysts as a good move for Ramaphosa.

While Ramaphosa recently said taking back the land will turn South Africa into the garden of Eden, he has also been adamant that it can be done in a way that does not hurt the economy or food security.

On Monday, Ramaphosa again echoed those calls, together with the insistence that land will be expropriated, regardless of whether “they” like it or not.

“20 years later, indeed we are saying we are taking back the land and giving it back to our people. The commitment made at last year’s conference is a promise that we are going to keep.”

Ramaphosa also again vowed to root out corruption from within the ranks of the ANC. The newly elected ANC president said corruption undermines “the interest of our people as a whole”

Hungary’s ruling party plans to amend constitution to ban settlement of migrants

May 3, 2018

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party wants to amend the constitution to ensure that the EU cannot force the country to resettle migrants, Reuters reported. The amendment was submitted to parliament by Prime Minister Viktor Orban in 2016, but it failed to muster the required two-thirds majority after opposition party Jobbik blocked its passage. In the April 8 election, Orban’s party won a third straight term with more than two thirds of the seats, giving it the power to pass constitutional amendments. Fidesz lawmaker Mate Kocsis was quoted by MTI on Thursday, stating that the party also wants parliament to discuss a “Stop Soros” bill, which would tighten rules on non-governmental organisations, including those of Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros.

Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show

Texas Ranger Warns of MS-13 and ISIS Beheadings, Murdering Entire Police Departments, Widespread Terrorism

Texas Rangers preparing for ISIS and MS-13 assassinations and terrorism following their incursions. The major worry of my four -year source from inside the agency relates to the takeover of small and mid-size town/city police and/or sheriff departments where the entire force will be executed or blown up by suicide bombers. I have been told that both direct attacks and suicide attacks are planned from what they have learned from their intelligence. Four years ago, Judicial Watch published a document that revealeded that ISIS was cohabitating 8 miles from El Paso, Texas and they had discovered a series of soft targets inside of the United States from seized documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, including but not limited to New Mexico State Universiity. While the world watches the border jumpers near San Diego, hard core terrorists have been apprehended coming across the Texas and the New Mexico border in this latest slight of hand trick. In Phoenix, police departments have been told to coverup beheadings as they hide these events from the media, and there have been some and many more are expected. This speaks to the ISIS influence that is flooding across our border. Here is the story of the intel I am getting from a high-ranking Texas Ranger.

In a previous letter, this same Texas Ranger, who has maintained sporadic communication with me over the past 4 years, indicates his growing concerns of an imminent attack. Here is a brief excerpt of what he is concerned about in the present time:

We expecting an attack on more than one Texas city or town by MS-13 and ISIS and/or any of their partners. I believe the information to be accurate.

I asked this source if this threat was widely known. He responded that the MS-13 threat against police officer lives has gone viral in the mainstream media. He also said that some of the planning for this eventuality was held closely to the vest and was disguised as drug interdiction to keep Texas agencies, or DHS sleeper agents inside of the Texas Rangers from penetrating their inner circle. He laughed and said that Trump was not the only one that faced unknown Deep State threats. He went on to tell me that, going back 4 years, that Obama’s DHS was facilitating the implantation of MS-13 into the United States. I have learned the same from two Border Patrol agents and have published these accounts on The Common Sense Show. I am uncertain as to the status of DHS with regard to this scenario under the Trump administration. How much does the Deep State still control in this agency? I am not certain and I don’t think that President Trump knows the answer to that question either.

The End Game

I have maintained that total chaos is coming and this could trigger UN intervention under the Kigali Principles signed by Obama and the UN before Obama left office. This allows the UN, under their authority to enter the country without permission to “restore order”. In my opinion, it is a thinly veiled excuse for the UN to takeover the United States. It could also be the catalyst for civil war because much of the American military will not go along with the plan.

***

The Washington Post

‘It was a nightmare’: Killer dust storm blasts India, leaving at least 125 dead

By Lindsey Bever

May 3, 2018

FILE PHOTO. © K. K. Arora / Reuters

Severe winds and rapid-fire lightning strikes from a violent dust storm demolished homes and displaced trees across India on Wednesday, killing at least 125 people and injuring more than 200 others — with more potentially deadly weather still to come, officials said.

At least 111 people were killed in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, with many of them in Agra, the city that houses the Taj Mahal, according to BBC News and Agence France-Presse.

Another 14 people were killed in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, “which was hammered by more than 41,000 lightning strikes on Wednesday,” AFP reported.

Homes and businesses now lay in rubble littered with downed trees and electrical lines.

Livestock are dead. Schools are closed.

And residents are bracing for another storm that’s predicted to strike in a few days: The Indian Express reported early Thursday that Indian Meteorological Department scientist Himanshu Sharma warned of another round of dangerous weather likely to strike the area.

“There is a high probability that winds will intensify in the next 48 hours in Rajasthan, which may lead to another dust storm,” he told the Press Trust of India. “It will affect areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan border, especially Karauli and Dholpur.”

The majority of the deaths were in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, in the north.

The death toll in Rajasthan soared past three dozen, and the number may continue to climb, according to the Indian Express. The worst damage was in the Bharatpur district, according to the newspaper. “Most of the deaths occurred after walls and roofs of houses collapsed in the middle of the night,” T. Ravikanth, the district divisional commissioner in the state capital, Jaipur, told CNN.

Dust storms have hit India in the past, but officials said what made this storm so deadly was the fallen debris.

“Many houses collapsed due to high intensity winds, or the trees fell over onto the houses,” Sanjay Kumar, Uttar Pradesh’s state relief commissioner for the National Disaster Management Authority in India, told CNN, explaining how residents had become trapped and died.

India’s National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert earlier in the week, warning residents about “severe thunderstorm activity” with hail and strong wind gusts in Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha, as well as other areas in eastern and northeastern India — but not specifically Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

“I’ve been in office for 20 years, and this is the worst I’ve seen,” Hemant Gera, secretary for disaster management and relief in Rajasthan, told BBC News about the storm.

“We had a high intensity dust storm on 11 April — 19 people died then — but this time it struck during the night, so many people sleeping and couldn’t get out of their houses when mud walls collapsed.”

Shivam Lohia, who owns a resort hotel in Rajasthan, told AFP that his car was almost blown away in the storm. He abandoned the vehicle on a road, he said, and ran for his life.

“Everyone was scared and running for cover as trees and homes were getting blown away,” Lohia said. “It was a nightmare.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement Thursday that he was “saddened by the loss of lives” and that he has asked state governments to provide assistance to those who need it.

***

RT

Lava outbreak triggers evacuations in Hawaii amid fears of imminent eruption

May 4, 2018

© volcanoes.usgs.gov

People in the vicinity of the Big Island’s Kilauea crater are being evacuated as lava threatens residential areas, after the most active volcano in Hawaii was disturbed by hundreds of small quakes and started shooting out ash.

The lava outbreak has reached the Leilani Estates on the Hawaii island, forcing the County Civil Defense to issue evacuation orders to some 10,000 residents of Puna community into emergency shelter set up by the American Red Cross.

Residents from Luana Street to the end of Leilani Estates are being asked to vacate their homes, Civil Defense confirmed, according to Khon Channel 2. In addition, areas bordering the East Rift Zone, from Puu Oo crater down to Kapoho, also face a high risk, and are urged to prepare an emergency plan.

Steam and lava emissions are being reported from a crack in Leilani Subdivision in the area of Mohala Street, according to the Department of Public Works. “Residents in Leilani Estates Subdivision on Luana, Makamae, Ho’okupu, Kaupili, Mohala, and lower Leilani Streets down to Highway 132 are required to evacuate the area,” authorities advised.

“So there is fountains of lava, tons of lava coming out. Sounds like a jet engine,” Pohoa resident Ikaika Marzo said during a Facebook live broadcast, urging everyone in the area to help their community evacuate safely.

Those leaving their homes are asked to take any available emergency provisions with them, including medicine and food. Authorities closed the roads in the affected areas to assist with the evacuation. Hawaii County Civil Defense, Police, Fire Departments are assisting the evacuations.

Earlier, at 10:31am on Thursday, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck the south flank of Kilauea Volcano, according to US Geological Survey. While the jolt was not strong enough to produce a tsunami, people did note a big plume of ash rising in the air after the quake.

Updated article here.

***

ODDITYCENTRAL

Schools in the UK Are Removing Analog Clocks Because Students Can’t Tell Time

By Spooky on April 26th, 2018

A head-teachers’ union in the UK recently reported that youths have become so accustomed to using digital devices that they are having trouble correctly reading time on analog clocks, forcing schools to replace them.

According to Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders, children and young teens aren’t as good at reading an old-fashioned clock as previous ones. Because phones, tablets and computers play such a huge role in their lives, they are constantly exposed to time in digital format, so seeing the time displayed in analog format in examination halls can be a cause of unnecessary stress for children. For this reason, some schools are removing analog clocks and replacing them with digital ones.

“The current generation aren’t as good at reading the traditional clock face as older generations,” Mr Trobe, a former headmaster, told The Telegraph. “They are used to seeing a digital representation of time on their phone, on their computer. Nearly everything they’ve got is digital so youngsters are just exposed to time being given digitally everywhere.”

Until now, it was assumed that by the time students reach secondary school, they are able to read analog clocks, but Mr. Trobe claims that this is often not the case anymore. His experienced is shared by other teachers, who recently took to social media to complain about this issue.

For example, Stephanie Keenan, head of English at Ruislip High School in north-west London, said that her school decided to replace analog clock in exam halls with digital ones, after it became clear that some year nine, ten and eleven students had difficulties reading an analog clock face.

Cheryl Quine, a head of department at Cockermouth School and chair of the West Cumbria Network, said that some children at her school couldn’t read analog clocks in exam rooms either.

“It may be a little sad if youngsters coming through aren’t able to tell the time on clock faces,” Malcolm Trobe said. One hopes that we will be teaching youngsters to read clocks, however we can see the benefit of digital clocks in exam rooms.”

To make matters worse, earlier this year, a senior pediatric doctor warned that young children are finding it increasingly difficult to use analog writing tools like pencils and pens, due to being exposed to phones and tablets all the time.

“To be able to grip a pencil and move it, you need strong control of the fine muscles in your fingers. Children need lots of opportunity to develop those skills,” head pediatric occupational therapist Sally Payne said. “It’s easier to give a child an iPad than encouraging them to do muscle-building play such as building blocks, cutting and sticking, or pulling toys and ropes. Because of this, they’re not developing the underlying foundation skills they need to grip and hold a pencil.”

All we can do is hope that modern technology never fails, otherwise we’re in big trouble.

cnsnews.com

65% of Public School 8th Graders Not Proficient in Reading; 67% Not Proficient in Math

By Terence P. Jeffrey | May 1, 2018 | 11:29 AM EDT

(CNSNews.com) - Sixty-five percent of the eighth graders in American public schools in 2017 were not proficient in reading and 67 percent were not proficient in mathematics, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress test results released by the U.S. Department of Education.

The results are far worse for students enrolled in some urban districts.

Among the 27 large urban districts for which the Department of Education published 2017 NAEP test scores, the Detroit public schools had the lowest percentage of students who scored proficient or better in math and the lowest percentage who scored proficient or better in reading.

Only 5 percent of Detroit public-school eighth graders were proficient or better in math. Only 7 percent were proficient or better in reading.

In the Cleveland public schools, only 11 percent of eight graders were proficient or better in math and only 10 percent were proficient or better in reading.

In the Baltimore public schools, only 11 percent were proficient or better in math and only 13 percent were proficient or better in reading.

In the Fresno public schools, only 11 percent were proficient or better in math and only 14 percent were proficient or better in reading.

Among the states, Louisiana public elementary schools did the worst in teaching students math and New Mexico public elementary schools did the worst job teaching reading.

In the Louisiana public schools, only 19 percent of the eighth graders were proficient or better in math and only 25 percent were proficient or better in reading.

In the New Mexico public schools, only 24 percent were proficient or better in reading and only 20 percent were proficient or better in math.

The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics describes what it means to be “proficient” in math and reading.

“Eighth-graders performing at the Proficient level should…understand the connections between fractions, percents, decimals, and other mathematical topics such as algebra and functions,” says NCES. “Students at this level are expected to have a thorough understanding of Basic level arithmetic operations—an understanding sufficient for problem solving in practical situations.”

When it comes to reading, eighth-grade “students performing at the Proficient level should be able to provide relevant information and summarize main ideas and themes,” says NCES. “They should be able to make and support inferences about a text, connect parts of a text, and analyze text features. Students performing at this level should also be able to fully substantiate judgments about content and presentation of content.”

The NAEP math and reading tests are scored on a scale of 0-500.

The average reading score for an eighth-grade public school student on the 2017 NAEP test was 265. That was slightly above the average score of 264 that public school eight graders achieved in 2015, but slightly below the average score of 266 public school eighth graders achieved in 2013.

The average math score for an eighth-grade public school student on the 2017 NAEP test was 282. That was slightly above the average score of 281 in 2015, but slightly less than the average score of 284 in 2013.

MailOnline

Gibson guitar files for bankruptcy: Iconic music manufactures that gave B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Pete Townshend their instruments has struggled with debt for years and owes more than $500million

• Gibson Brands, Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection after longtime debt struggle

• A pre-negotiated reorganization plan filed Tuesday will allow Gibson to continue operations with $135 million in financing from lenders

• Founded in 1894 and based in Nashville, it has the top market share in premium electric guitars

• The brand sells more than 170,000 guitars in a year in more than 80 countries

• The company has sold off some noncore brands, acquisitions that contributed to its burdensome debt load

• Expert on guitars of all kinds said the company's bankruptcy was predictable

By Associated Press

PUBLISHED: 15:04, 1 May 2018 | UPDATED: 00:51, 2 May 2018

The maker of the Gibson guitar, omnipresent for decades on the American music stage, is filing for bankruptcy protection after wrestling for years with debt, which has mounted to nearly $500million.

A pre-negotiated reorganization plan filed Tuesday will allow Gibson Brands Inc. to continue operations with $135 million in financing from lenders.

Gibson guitars have been esteemed by generations of guitar legends. After Chuck Berry died, his beloved cherry-red Gibson guitar was bolted to the inside of his coffin lid.

David Bowie favored the 1989 Gibson L4 when he fronted Tin Machine. Slash swears by them.

'It is one of the most widely recognized brand names on planet Earth,' said George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars, a world-famous vintage instrument store.

Founded in 1894 and based in Nashville, Tennessee, Gibson has the top market share in premium electric guitars.

It sells more than 170,000 guitars a year in more than 80 countries, including more than 40 percent of all electric guitars that cost more than $2,000, according to a bankruptcy filing.

The company has already sold off some noncore brands, acquisitions that contributed to its burdensome debt load.

Gibson has begun the liquidation process for its debt-plagued, struggling international Gibson Innovations division, which sells headphones, speakers, accessories and other electronics.

'The decision to re-focus on our core business, musical instruments, combined with the significant support from our noteholders, we believe will assure the company's long-term stability and financial health,' Henry Juszkiewicz, Gibson chairman and CEO, said in a news release.

Gruhn, an expert on guitars of all kinds, said the company's bankruptcy was predictable after it expanded into the home electronics business. But that doesn't mean the Gibson brand will simply go away, Gruhn added.

'The brand name and company's reputation for making guitars is tarnished, but not dead by any means, and it's very much capable of being resuscitated,' Gruhn said.

In the hands of musicians from B.B. King to Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman and Slash, Gibson's electric guitars have been a foundational element of blues and rock. King's signature guitar, 'Lucille,' was a Gibson.

Legendary jazz guitar player Charlie Christian made history playing a Gibson ES-150 - one of the first ever electric guitars - through an amplifier with the Benny Goodman orchestra.

The later big-bodied Gibson jazz guitars have been in the arsenal of many great players since then, such as Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass.

One of the only known photographs of iconic Delta blues pioneer Robert Johnson shows him with a Gibson L-1 guitar.

And the folk-revival of the 1950s and 1960s wouldn't have sounded quite so mellow without battalions of steel-string Gibson acoustic guitars among the Martins and Guilds.

In 1952, the company enlisted the services of popular recording artist Les Paul to introduce his namesake signature guitar. Les Paul remains one of the most familiar names in guitar models today.

Elvis Presley didn't start out with a Gibson but owned and played many of them, according to the website for Graceland, his Memphis home.

Eric Clapton played the solo on the Beatles' 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' on a Gibson guitar he borrowed from George Harrison, according to GuitarWorld.com.

And Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist for blues rockers Led Zeppelin, was and remains a longtime Gibson loyalist.

'It's hard to name any guitar players who play electric or steel-string acoustics who don't own a Gibson,' said Gruhn, the Nashville guitar expert.

***

NEONNETTLE

Goldman Sachs: Curing Cancer is NOT a 'Sustainable Business Model'
Global bank says curing patients is not profitable enough, unlike treating them
By Jay Greenberg

April 19, 2018

Goldman Sachs says it's more profitable to treat sick people than cure them
Global banking giant Goldman Sachs has declared that curing patients of terminal illnesses, such as cancer, is not a "sustainable business model."

The investment firm also urged investors to resist backing pioneering "gene therapy" treatments as cures are bad for business in the long term.In an April 10 report entitled "The Genome Revolution," the worlds 5th largest bank asks: "Is curing patients a sustainable business model?"Analyst Salveen Richter wrote in the note to clients Tuesday says that long-term treatments garner far more revenue than "one-shot cures," saying:"The potential to deliver 'one-shot cures' is one of the most attractive aspects of gene therapy, genetically-engineered cell therapy, and gene editing. "However, such treatments offer a very different outlook with regard to recurring revenue versus chronic therapies. "While this proposition carries tremendous value for patients and society, it could represent a challenge for genome medicine developers looking for sustained cash flow."

According to CNBC, Richter cited Gilead Sciences' treatments for hepatitis C, which achieved cure rates of more than 90 percent.The company's U.S. sales for these hepatitis C treatments peaked at $12.5 billion in 2015, but have been falling ever since.Goldman estimates the U.S. sales for these treatments will be less than $4 billion this year, according to a table in the report."GILD is a case in point, where the success of its hepatitis C franchise has gradually exhausted the available pool of treatable patients," the analyst wrote."In the case of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, curing existing patients also decreases the number of carriers able to transmit the virus to new patients, thus the incident pool also declines…"Where an incident pool remains stable (eg, in cancer) the potential for a cure poses less risk to the sustainability of a franchise."The analyst didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

It's far more profitable to treat patients in 'the long term' rather than cure them

The report suggested three potential solutions for biotech firms:"Solution 1: Address large markets: Hemophilia is a $9-10bn WW market (hemophilia A, B), growing at ~6-7% annually.""Solution 2: Address disorders with high incidence: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) affects the cells (neurons) in the spinal cord, impacting the ability to walk, eat, or breathe.""Solution 3: Constant innovation and portfolio expansion: There are hundreds of inherited retinal diseases (genetics forms of blindness)…"Pace of innovation will also play a role as future programs can offset the declining revenue trajectory of prior assets."

(Goldmen Sachs is the fifth largest bank in the world. Ed)

***

Until next week...keep on believing.
Almondtree Productions

“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of that plague.”
(Mark 5:25-29)