“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
(John
10:27)
My Voice
Dear Friends,
Greetings! Below you will find a three minute video titled “US government has prepared a “Patriot Act” for the Internet”.
Larry Lessig, a professor at Stanford University, is the speaker in the video. To give you a little background on who Larry Lessig is, here is a short bio from Wikipedia.
“Lawrence "Larry" Lessig (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic and political activist. He is a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive reform of government with a Second Constitutional Convention. In May 2014, he launched a crowd-funded political action committee which he termed Mayday PAC with the purpose of electing candidates to Congress who would pass campaign finance reform.
Lessig is director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and a professor of law at Harvard Law School. Previously, he was a professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of the Center for Internet and Society. Lessig is a founding board member of Creative Commons and the founder of Rootstrikers, and is on the board of MapLight. He is on the advisory boards of the Democracy Café, Sunlight Foundation and Americans Elect. He is a former board member of the Free Software Foundation, Software Freedom Law Center and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.”
Unfortunately the sound quality of the video is not very clear, so we thought we would give you a short recap of the content of the video.
In the video, Larry, says there is going to be an Internet 9/11. A major malicious event which will inspire a government response.
Could what we are seeing right now with the so called North Korean hack of Sony Pictures be a run up to such an event? Will it be a false flag event which many are predicting?
Larry goes on to explain that the Patriot Act, which is a huge tome, was introduced just twenty days after 9/11. He goes on to explain that an official at the Justice Department explained that the Patriot Act had been written twenty years previous and was just waiting for the right event to implement it. The right event in this case being the twin towers, 9/11.
Larry finishes his talk by stating that he has been told that the “Patriot Act” for the Internet has already been written, and like 9/11, is just waiting for the right event to usher in this piece of legislation.
It will undoubtedly be something much more serious than the so called North Korean hack of Sony pictures. It will have to be something that threatens the entire security of the US and possibly its western-aligned allies.
One of the reasons they would do this is because the Internet contains one of the last bastions of alternative news.
So Lord only knows how long we will continue to have free access to the Internet!
As we have said before, we live in an age of deception that is progressively becoming more and more deceptive.
Thank God they can never shut Him up.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Have
a great week ahead.
***
MEGA DATA: WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING IN 2015
By Paul McGuire December 29, 2014 NewsWithViews.com
There are numerous geopolitical, economic, social, and prophetic events that are going to begin to escalate in the year 2015 and you need to know what they are and how you can be ready. What makes the analysis that I have been writing about in terms of future trends different from those of other analysts is that my research is based on what I term a “broad band width of data,” much of which is ignored by analysts in what is called the “main stream media.” For example, the CIA in conjunction with MIT began developing sophisticated algorithms for predicting social unrest caused by rising food prices. That is a project based on just one specific set of data, which is rising food prices. But the reality is that if we collect data from the full spectrum of information available we can gather a much clearer, higher resolution and 3D image of the future.
At the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia legislation was passed allowing banks in America and other nations to no longer recognize your deposits as money. During a bank failure a bank “bail in” can be declared, and in that scenario your money is classified simply as part of the bank’s capital structure. This means that during a bank failure your money is no longer your money; you are just one of many creditors attempting to get their money from a failed bank. Obviously, the priority will be paying off the giant creditors. Essentially, this means that the concept of your money in your bank being insured by the FDIC is no longer a viable reality.
For most people these new rules are simply an incomprehensible abstraction. But when bank “bail ins” were implemented in Greece and Spain and people were denied access to their money, it was no longer an abstraction…there were riots in the streets. Now watch very carefully what is now happening. An article in the Economist, December 20, 2014, “Public Pensions America’s Greece,” talks about states like Illinois being like Greece where the state over promised and under-delivered on pensions. According to the Civic Foundation, a budget watchdog referenced in the article, Illinois has $111 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and another $56 billion in debt for the health benefits for pensioners like Chicago’s firemen and policemen. There are other states across the nation which are also in trouble.
Before Glass-Steagall was repealed in 1999, Wall Street was obligated to be responsible for highly risky and speculative investments in derivatives. Then during the real estate bubble the taxpayer was legally obligated. When the 2008 economic meltdown happened Dodd-Frank was enacted and the taxpayer was temporarily protected. But our elected representatives from both parties did the bidding of the giant Wall Street firms and the ordinary taxpayer is now just a small creditor as Wall Street plays a global Las Vegas with $303 trillion in derivatives.
Many of the biggest banks in America along with the G 20, Congress, and Wall Street have made you the ordinary taxpayer personally liable for that $300 trillion. As we look at what is going to happen in 2015, simply add together all the different financial trends and you get a clearer picture of what may happen. First, the wealth of the American middle class and the middle class in Great Britain, EU, and other nations is rapidly declining. The Middle Class is starting to look like the lower class. In America the outsourcing of high paying jobs continues to escalate and many high paying jobs simply do not exist because there is no one left to buy the goods and services that supported these jobs. You have significant numbers of formerly highly paid professionals starting new careers as the managers of fast food restaurants and other lower income careers, plus you have staggering numbers of younger college graduates who cannot find real employment.
The result of the loss of higher paying or even formerly Middle Class jobs destroys a viable tax base for many states. How can these states pay for the pensions and retirement benefits of their employees with a trickle of the income they used to receive in taxes from those who were employed with better paying jobs? The same scenario is being played out in Great Britain and the EU.
Now we add another major economic trend, the BRICS nations attempting to replace the dollar as the world’s currency with a new world currency composed of a basket of competing currencies. China now has the world’s largest economy and the economy of India is a powerhouse. For over a century, the world’s elite have been actively planning, in the words of Henry Kissinger, “a new international economic order” and in the words of former President Bush, a “new world order.” These orders are to be accompanied by a coming one-world religion. In analyzing the full spectrum of “Mega Data” without bias there are numerous prophecies in the Bible which deal with a one-world government, one world economic system, and one world religion in the last days. In Daniel Chapter 9, Daniel predicts a terrifying one-world government that emerges from the nations of the former Roman Empire and is called the “Fourth Beast.” In Revelation Chapter 13 we read about how the global economic system is cashless and will function with microchips implanted into people.
The geopolitical scenarios involving Russia, Ukraine, EU, U.S., NATO, Great Britain, China, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, and other nations involve the highly strategic Eurasian landmass, oil, trade, and the battle to topple the U.S. dollar. If the dollar is toppled through this geopolitical conflict, this is igniting a global economic collapse, World War III, and the scenarios outlined in Ezekiel 38. In the analysis of future events it is imperative not to rule out essential data due to non-scientific bias and that is why many projections and predictors of future events are flawed, because non-scientific bias precludes certain data from being included in algorithms.
A case in point would be the historical data, cultural, and theological belief systems of over a billion people on planet Earth that are rooted in the Biblical account of history. This does not require an actual belief in the supernatural aspects of the Bible or the Biblical God; it simply requires an acceptance of the reality that the Bible is the most accurate historical document in human history and that its contents have an enormous impact on the thinking and behavior of over a billion people who compose the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The conflicts surrounding modern Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount are in many respects theological struggles.
In order to analyze the “Mega Data” of geopolitical events the Biblical accounts must be incorporated, and to a significant extent they are by the intelligence agencies of Russia, Great Britain, EU, and America. Russia, Iran, NATO, America, and other intelligence think tanks are aware of the Ezekiel 38 scenario in the Old Testament where the prophet Ezekiel predicts an invasion of Israel led by Russia, the Ukraine and a consortium of Islamic nations like Iran, Syria, Turkey, etc. in the last days. Scholars of Ezekiel 38 are aware that specific nations like Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, and others are identified in Ezekiel 38, Psalms 83, and other Biblical passages. They may not accept the supernatural explanations or the supernatural outcomes, such as when the God of Israel supernaturally defends Israel from the invaders, but this geopolitical account is highly relevant to geopolitical planning at the very least because significant numbers of military and political leaders are influenced to varying degrees by these accounts. For example, former President Ronald Reagan represented an interesting dichotomy in that he believed and to a large extent planned militarily for Armageddon and was also influenced by astrology. The elite power structure controlled by the Illuminati is also affected by documents of supernatural origin such as the prophecies of Freemason leader Albert Pike, who predicted three World Wars, with World War III breaking out between Israel and the Islamic world. Albert Pike’s predictions must be analyzed because so many of the world’s most powerful political, financial, and scientific elites embrace them.
Here in the United States 2015 is going to bring a massive increase in race riots and possibly even a race war. There are numerous reasons for this escalation, existing on multiple levels. First, there is a spiritual law of “sowing and reaping,” which is mentioned in the Bible and even in Eastern religions, where it is known as karma. The root issue of slavery has never fully been reconciled in America. Secondly, there are forces on all sides of the political spectrum that seek to capitalize on race wars. Finally, we have the prophecies of Jesus Christ where he talks about an increase in “race wars” in the last days. The word Christ used is ethnos, which means racial or ethnic group.
When we measure the aggregate of these combined national and geopolitical trends we see an inevitable rapid rise in domestic and world food prices, which according to MIT algorithms, leads to social unrest. Unless serious pro-growth reforms are made to the domestic economy we are on the fast track to the World Socialist Government dreamed of by HG. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and the economist John Maynard Keynes, who developed the economic policy that urges everyone to “spend your way to prosperity.” But, seeing through the smoke and mirrors of debt-based economics, we see that debt, both personal and national, is an economic strategy for establishing power and control of others. It is at this critical point that we see how bias against very specific economic information can be used deliberately for the purpose of control. To many people’s surprise, the Bible deals with economics more than any other subject. There is a Biblical principle that “The borrower is slave to the lender.” This principle has been well understood by kings and emperors throughout history.
When we examine the geopolitical trends that will come into reality in 2015 we must incorporate perhaps the most significant but strategically ignored data and that is the reality of and purpose of all debt-based economic mechanisms both on a national and an international level. None of the economic, social, or geopolitical storms that are coming are random or accidental. They are strategic mechanisms for the greatest transfer of wealth and power in the history of the Human Race. It is impossible to fully grasp the reason for this strategy while maintaining a bias against essential information.
For some of you what I am about to propose will initially provoke intense skepticism and even ridicule. I understand that because for much of my life I held to the same bias against certain sources of information. The source of information that I am going to cite is Biblical. The Bible speaks of the most powerful fallen angel, who is named Lucifer or Satan. When you read the biographical accounts of Lucifer in the Old Testament you see a very clear depiction of this very powerful being as a master economist, trader, industrialist, and international financier. These are not metaphors; they are a description of a being that thrives on two principles: first,a total lust for power and a desire to become God, and second, the use of highly sophisticated economic strategies to accomplish that goal. Again, I realize this is a big pill to swallow. However, I am not asking you to swallow the pill or drink the kool aid; consider it for a moment as a teaching metaphor, although my research has convinced me that it is far more than that.
For those of you who have had any exposure to the New Testament, remember when Satan tempts Jesus Christ and offers to give Christ all the kingdoms of the world, if Christ will just worship him. It was understood that, at least in a temporal sense, Satan owns and is the ruler of the world’s assets. In the Old Testament, we read the accounts of Lucifer trading and dealing with the kings and businessmen of the Earth. In the Book of Revelation, we read about how Lucifer, who is head of the Babylonian commercial and religious system, controls the total world GDP. Revelation goes into great deal about the specific nature of this global financial system, known as Babylon.
If you understand the global economic system simply in terms of assets, money, trade, etc., you don’t really comprehend the global economic system. However, there are people in very high places that truly do understand the global economic system.
On the back of the U.S. dollar they have even given you an in your face message of how it really works. The Illuminati symbol on the U.S. dollar features the “Eye of Lucifer” towards the top of a pyramid. This elite group understands that ultimately the economic system is connected to a Luciferian spiritual system. If your socially engineered economic education from an Ivy League school prevents you from seeing that, then you don’t really get it and they do.
The Luciferian economic system is built on trade and on deception, such as printing money from nothing, and debt-based mechanisms. The purpose of all debt-based mechanisms is to create slaves such as the slaves who built Pharaoh’s pyramids. But there is an additional component. Satan is the father of lies; therefore his economic system is based on lies, deception, and illusion. Satan is also the master thief. Satan inhabiting the body of an erect serpent in the Garden of Eden tempted Adam and Eve through lies to disobey God’s Word. This was a satanic business transaction; it was about trading. Adam and Eve were the king and queen of Planet Earth; they owned all of the Earth’s assets. But Satan with his lies literally stole their legal right to own the Earth and transferred all of the assets of Earth into his kingdom. In addition, Satan acquired Adam and Eve, along with the entire Human Race as his assets or slaves. There is a core economic principle that is still at work here. When you understand the truth of this economic principle it is possible for you to become free from the debt-based system of captivity. When you understand that, you will no longer be afraid of what happens in 2015, 2016 or any other year.
***
The Shinar Directive -- Part 5 Size & Scope Of The Coming World Kingdom
Published: January 1, 2015
by Dr. Michael Lake
Does the Word of God in Daniel give us a hint that the Antichrist will be able to reproduce the dark magic and scale of Nimrod's empire?
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. (Daniel 11:37)
Some have speculated that this refers to the Antichrist being a homosexual. Although it is true that most within the occult are bisexual (for use in ritual magic), I believe this is a prophetic clue linking the coming man of sin with Nimrod. This powerful working of dark magic and esoteric wisdom will be reproduced one more time in human history. The coming transmogrification of a man will invite Lucifer himself to come and coinhabit this enhanced man-god. He will become the reincarnation of Nimrod—the Antichrist!
Babylonian and Egyptian mysticism are still the leading spiritual forces within the winding currents of the mystery religions today. Egyptian Sex Magic, a product of Egyptian mysticism, is prominent in the teachings of Aleister Crowley, as well as the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Golden Dawn. It is also interwoven in the esoteric teachings of Freemasonry. In his internationally acclaimed book, Zenith 2016, Dr. Tom Horn reveals the Lost Symbol of Freemasonry:
Unrecognized by the vast majority of peoples around the world is the greatest conspiracy of all time, sitting right out in the open in Washington DC and at the Vatican. It is an ancient, magical, talismanic diagram—the Lost Symbol—which waits its final use by the hidden, occult hand guiding the Secret Destiny of America.[i]
It would seem that the Lost Symbol was designed utilizing ancient Watcher knowledge, handed down through the line of Ham, and was embedded in the occult religious practices of Egypt. Could the Lost Symbol be a Watcher-inspired spiritual/technological device designed to replicate the transformation of Nimrod? Will it one day produce a new man-god: Gibborim/Nephilim (Osiris made flesh)? The truth is that the physical occult symbols/devices have been in place for centuries, and practitioners of the occult have been going through the prescribed rituals with absolute devotion. Yet, through all of the centuries of faithful rehearsals, the equal to Nimrod has yet to be reproduced. Perhaps the realization of the next Nimrod will require intervention by the Watchers through a stargate (or dimensional portal) into our reality. On the other hand, maybe the last piece of the god-maker puzzle is still just waiting to be discovered in one of the world’s pyramids or ziggurats.
The Elite of the world are working behind the scenes with secret government agencies around the globe and the Transhumanist Movement community to unlock the secrets of Nimrod.
Dr. Horn continues detailing the mystic meaning of these ancient symbols of Babylon’s mystery religion:
Undoubtedly the vast majority of people, when looking at Washington, DC, and at the Vatican, never comprehend how these cities constitute one of the greatest open conspiracies of all time. There, reproduced in all their glory and right before the world’s eyes, is an ancient talismanic diagram based on the history and cult of Isis, Osiris, and Horus, including the magical utilities meant to generate the deity’s return. The primeval concept—especially that of sacred Domes facing Obelisks—was designed in antiquity for the express purpose of regeneration, resurrection, and apotheosis, for deity incarnation from the underworld to earth’s surface through union of the respective figures—the Dome (ancient structural representation of the womb of Isis) and the Obelisk (ancient representation of the erect male phallus of Osiris). This layout, as modeled in antiquity, exists today on the grandest scale at the heart of the capital of the most powerful government on earth—the United States—as well as in the heart of the most politically influential church on earth—the Vatican. Given this fact and the pattern provided by the apostle Paul and the Apocalypse of John (the book of Revelation) that the end times would culminate in a marriage between political (Antichrist) and religious (False Prophet) authorities at the return of Osiris/Apollo, it behooves open-minded researchers to carefully consider this prophecy in stone, as it defines the spiritual energy that is knowingly or unknowingly being invoked at both locations with potential ramifications for Petrus Romanus, the year 2012, and beyond. The US Capital has been called the “Mirror Vatican” due to the strikingly similar layout and design of its primary buildings and streets. This is no accident. In fact, America’s forefathers first named the capital city “Rome.” But the parallelism between Washington and the Vatican is most clearly illustrated by the Capitol building and Dome facing the Obelisk known as the Washington Monument, and at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican by a similar Dome facing a familiar Obelisk—both of which were, according to their own official records, fashioned after the Roman Pantheon, the circular Domed Rotunda “dedicated to all pagan gods.” This layout—a Domed temple facing an Obelisk—is an ancient, alchemical blueprint that holds significant esoteric meaning.[ii]
(Author’s note: For more information on this and related topics, I encourage you to read Dr. Horn’s updated version of his book entitled Zenith 2016: The Revised and Expanded Edition of Apollyon Rising 2012. This book is a must for any serious student of Bible prophecy.)
Nimrod also possessed the strength, cunning, and cruelty of the children of the Watchers before the Flood. This change within him supercharged his despotic desires. What were some of those tyrannical desires? Finis Dake provides some of the answers.
Nimrod comes from the Hebrew marad (HSN-
The term “mighty hunter” (Gen. 10:9) could refer to a hunter of animals or of men to enslave them. Nimrod was a hunter of both human beings and animals. The Hebrew gibbowr (HSN-
Nimrod possessed both a demonic intelligence and a supernatural strength that enabled him to enslave people through tyranny and force. He demanded that everyone ascribe their happiness to him and him alone. He became the first ruler of the known world (the first New World Order) and established the first one-world religion. Nimrod is the perfect type and shadow in the Old Testament of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be unstoppable as a warrior, his cruelty will know no bounds, he will enslave the world as the new leader of the New World Order, and he will establish a one-world religion to draw all men away from the True God and Creator of mankind. No other figure in history or the Bible, not even the pharaohs of Egypt, comes close to personifying the Antichrist the way that Nimrod did.
A. W. Pink agrees with this analysis of Nimrod and Babylon. In his classic work on the Antichrist, he writes:
In the first place, as Nimrod—the founder of Babel, that is, the Tower of Babylon—a savage tyrant and cruel oppressor of men, was the first person who declared open war against God; so it is meet that there should arise from the selfsame Babylon, the last and most atrocious persecutor of the saints—the Antichrist. Moreover, seeing that Nebuchadnezzar and Antiochus Epiphanes—two monsters who bore down upon the people of God with an overwhelming power of destruction, and who were the antichrists of the old Testament and remarkable types of the Antichrist which is to come; seeing, I say, that these monarchs reigned in Babylon, it is fitting that the true Antichrist of the New Testament should arise from the same Babylon.
Besides, no place can be pointed out more meet for the nativity of Antichrist than Babylon, for it is the City of the Devil—always diametrically opposed to Jerusalem, which is deemed the City of God; the former city, that is, Babylon, being the mother and disseminator of every kind of confusion, idolatry, impiety—a vast sink of every foul pollution, crime, and iniquity—the first city in the world which cut itself off from the worship of the true God—which reared the city of universal vice,—which perpetually (according to the record of Holy Writ) carries on the mystery of iniquity, and bears imprinted on her brow the inscription of blasphemy against the name of God. The consummation, therefore, of impiety, which is to have its recapitulation in Antichrist, could not break forth from a more fitting place than Babylon.[iv]
Needless to say, Nimrod set the standard for ruthlessness. In fact, his exploits were greater than all other despots in history combined. Even the practice of crucifixion did not originate in Rome; it all began in Babylon!
Understanding the Two Faces of Nimrod
Although his ruthlessness is well documented in most biblical resources, I do think they overlook the other side of Nimrod. He was able to inspire men to come under his leadership. He was genius in military tactics; he was a consummate politician; he developed cities, honed an entire civilization, and birthed a religion that is still spreading like a cancer in the world today. Nimrod’s spiritual influence was so great that families would willingly offer their children on the fiery altars of Molech.
Nimrod would be the perfect world leader for today. He would wear a Giorgio Armani suit, have a disarming smile, possess the personality perfect for TV, have a physique like that of the Greek gods, and have a wisdom drawn from the deepest well of the ascended masters of the New Age throughout time. His words would drop like honey from his perfect, genetically altered lips, and his transhuman-enhanced blue eyes would seem to look straight into your soul. He would be able to mesmerize the masses into following him without question, and he would engineer a society that reflects his true personality: the perfect blending of sophistication and savagery. High culture and blood would run through all the streets of the cities and nations that he would build and rule. Safety, security, health, pleasure, and prosperity would be extended to those who gave unquestioned loyalty. This is also a perfect description of the Antichrist—truly, the reincarnation of Nimrod.
Nimrod’s Aspirations
As I began to research the Babylon that Nimrod labored to build, something began to dawn upon my soul: Nimrod was the first to attempt to rebuild Atlantis. He possessed a portion of the knowledge of the ancient Watchers; he was able to transmogrify himself into a gibborim; and he began to build cities that rivaled many of our own today! Here are some facts I discovered in my research of the Babylon of Nimrod.
The Size of Babel
Of the magnificence of Babel, the capital of the empire of Nimrod, “the mighty hunter,” it is difficult to convey an adequate conception, without entering into details foreign to our purpose. But some idea of it may be formed from its extent, which according to the lowest computation, covered no less than one hundred square miles, or about five times the size of London; while the highest computation would make it cover two hundred square miles, or ten times the extent of London! Such was the world-city, the first “beginning” of which at least Nimrod had founded. No wonder that the worldly pride of that age should have wished to make such a place the world-capital of a world-empire, whose tower “may reach unto heaven! (Emphasis added)
—Alfred Edersheim[v]
The Walls to Keep Wild Animals and Perhaps Flood Waters Out
Babylonia and Assyria, once the granaries of Asia, the garden spots of that continent, enjoying a great civilization, are now in desolation and mostly unproductive deserts. The predictions of Isaiah and Jeremiah have been fulfilled. The judgments predicted to come upon Babylon were also fulfilled long ago. [“How utterly improbable it must have sounded to the contemporaries of Isaiah and Jeremiah, that the great Babylon, this oldest metropolis Of the world, founded by Nimrod, planned to be a city on the Euphrates much larger than Paris of today, surrounded by walls four hundred feet high, on the top of which four chariots, each drawn by four horses, could be driven side by side; in the center a large, magnificent park an hour’s walk in circumference, watered by machinery; in it the king's twelve palaces, surrounding the great temple of the sun-god with its six hundred-foot tower and its gigantic golden statue—should be converted into a heap of ruins in the midst of a desert! Who today would have any faith in a similar prophecy against Berlin or London or Paris or New York?” (Prof. Bettex.)]
—Arno C. Gaebelein[vi]
The Size of the Tower
And they built it: forty and three years [1645–1688 A.M.] were they building it; its breath was 203 bricks, and the height (of a brick) was the third of one; its height amounted to 5,433 cubit and 2 palms, and (the extent of one wall was) thirteen stades (and of the other thirty stades). [Note: 5,433 cubits is 8,150 feet.]
—Book of Jubilees 10:21[vii]
It is almost impossible to wrap our minds around what Nimrod was building in Babel—the capital of Babylon. Alfred Edersheim states that the size of the city was one hundred to two hundred square miles. Arno C. Gaebelein describes twelve palaces, watering systems, a six hundred-foot-tall temple of the sun god that was surrounded by a four hundred-foot-tall wall that was so large the Babylonians could have chariot races on it. Was Nimrod attempting to recapture the splendor of the lost Watcher/Nephilim city? I believe he was. He was building the first New Atlantis that would reestablish the secrets of the Watchers embedded within a mystery religious system to turn men away from the Living God. And just in case God loosed judgment by a flood against his endeavors, he surrounded the entire one hundred- to two hundred-square-mile city (either ten miles times ten miles or twenty miles times twenty miles) with a wall large enough to hold back significant flood waters. Just in case the walls did not hold, the people could escape into the Tower of Babel that was 8,150 feet high.
All of these heights regarding Babel are significant. The only structure to survive the Flood of Noah was the Great Pyramid of Giza. Its construction predates the Flood by 235 years. The height of the Great Pyramid is 455 feet. The walls around Babel were just 55 feet short of its height. But the Tower, whether you go by the height of 600 feet as stated by Gaebelein or the 8,150 feet as recorded in the Book of Jubilees, it would have provided an additional refuge if the walls failed to hold back the only judgment of God mankind had ever seen.
This concept of taking refuge in the tower was also confirmed by the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus:
[Nimrod] also gradually changed the government into tyranny,—seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers![viii]
Nimrod’s Religion
He was mighty in hunting (or in prey) and in sin before God, for he was a hunter of the children of men in their languages; and he said unto them, Depart from the religion of Shem, and cleave to the institutes of Nimrod.
—Jerusalem Targum on Genesis 10:9
Not less than two-thirds of the population of the earth at this hour are Pagan idolators, drivilling under the same old intoxication which came forth from Nimrod and Babylon; …Infidel, or adherents of some tainted and anti-christian faith and worship. Nor is there a kingdom or government on the face of the whole earth at this hour which does not embody and exhibit more of the spirit of Nimrod than of the spirit, commandments, and inculcations of God. All the kings of the earth, and all the governments under heaven, have more or less joined in the uncleanness of that same old Babylonian Harlot who had defiled every spot and nook of the whole inhabited world, notwithstanding that God from the beginning set His seal of wrath upon it.
—E. W. Bullinger[ix]
It would take an entire book to cover extensively all of the aspects of the cradle of all pagan religions. As Dake shared regarding Nimrod, his task was to draw men away from God. The concepts within the religion and practices (institutions) Nimrod developed are still bringing darkness into the world today. In the next entry I would like to highlight some of the practices that plague our world that were part of Nimrod’s mystery religion... and will be again.
[i] http://www.apollyonrising2012.com/.
[ii] Thomas Horn, Zenith 2016: Did Something Begin in the Year 2012 That Will Reach Its Apex in 2016? Kindle Edition (Crane, MO: Defender, 2013), Kindle Locations 5056–5075.
[iii] Dake, Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, “Chapter 10.”
[iv] Arthur W. Pink, The Antichrist (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1923) WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 96–99.
[v] Alfred Edersheim, Bible History Old Testament (London: Religious Tract Society, 1890) WORDsearch CROSS e-book, “Chapter 8.”
[vi] Arno C. Gaebelein, “Fulfilled Prophecy a Potent Argument for the Bible,” The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth, ed. R. A. Torrey and A. C. Dixon (Los Angeles: Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 1917) WORDsearch CROSS e-book, “Chapter 6. Fulfilled Prophecy a Potent Argument for the Bible.”
[vii] “The Apocrypha,” The Researchers Library of Ancient Texts, Vol. 1 (Crane, MO: Defender) 295.
[viii] Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987).
[ix] E. W. Bullinger (1837–1913), Commentary on Revelation (Chicago: F. H. Revell, 1909; repr., Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2003) WORDsearch CROSS e-book, “The Sixth Vision on Earth.”
***
***
CE
Is Russia Anti-illuminati?
December 30, 2014 by Matt James.
“It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” That memorable phrase came from the mouth of Winston Churchill, during a speech he gave to the British Parliament in1939, when trying to describe Russian action.
Today, the characterization zof Russia holds no cloud of mystery and its motives are clear. Prince Charles and Hilary Clinton have compared Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, to Adolf Hitler. President Obama has declared Russia one of the three major threats that face the world today, along with the terrorist group ISIS and the Ebola disease. And one only has to look to NATO’s twitter page to find their animosity towards Russia. But is this hostility warranted? An obvious “yes” would be said by anyone who accepts Western media as honest, unbiased journalism when they report on Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its involvement in that crisis.
But if one were to look beyond the Western propaganda, and straight to the facts, one could reasonably conclude that Russia, in a very sticky situation, has acted prudently and sensibly. If this is the case, then why the hostility? Why the propaganda? If one believes the illuminati is real — that this cult has a long-term plan for the world, and has considerable influence over Western governments, media and military organizations for which to advance that agenda — then it’s likely that the true motive behind the condemnation of Russia is because of Russia’s independence from this group and their unwillingness to cooperate.
Ukraine Crisis
Like the majority of revolts and revolutions throughout history, the crisis in Ukraine came about due to poor economic conditions. All hell broke loose when the President at the time, Viktor Yanukovych, in a last minute decision, decided against signing a trade deal with the EU. This decision angered many of the citizens in the capital of Kiev and they took to the streets to protest. The protest quickly escalated, as protestors begin clashing with police. This uprising fed momentum to the opposition party, a right-wing nationalist party who’s minions, a neo-fascist militant group called ‘Right Sector’, were the main instigators in clashing with the police. (1)
As the uprising worsened, Yanukovych conceded to the demands of the opposition party and agreed to sign the trade agreement with the European Union. But this wasn’t enough to satisfy the Right Sector group, as they stormed the parliament building and overthrew the government, with Yanukovych fleeing to Russia. (2) There has always been tension between the Ukraine nationalists and ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. The country used to be part of Russia, under the old Soviet Union, so there are still many ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. Seeing the government toppled by extreme nationalists, the southernmost territory of the country, Crimea, began their paperwork to legally separate from Ukraine and join Russia. The large majority of people living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, who speak Russian and identify themselves as Russian. So when the government of Crimea held a referendum on whether to succeed to Russia or stay with Ukraine, the citizens of Crimea overwhelmingly voted to join Russia, with over 96% voting to do so. (3) This vote and result enraged much of the Western world, as their leaders united in opposition against Russia, accusing it of violating international law and threatening the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The issue whether Crimea should be allowed to succeed from Ukraine comes down to property rights. Who owns property and land? Is it the government or the people? Those who believe in liberty, human rights and the right to property would argue that the citizens of Crimea have the right to self-determination, and that the referendum that the Crimean government held was absolutely legal under law. The fact that there were Russian troops in Crimea was not a breach of international law, considering that years before, Ukraine and Russia had signed a treaty allowing Russian troops to be stationed in Crimea in exchange for discounted gas. (4) Also, Yanukovych, the legitimate leader of Ukraine, asked Russia for military support in protecting the citizens after the coup. (5) And with violent, neo-fascists — fashioning Nazi-like symbols on their uniforms, and having ultranationalist, anti-Russian views — now in control of the capital, how could Russia refuse to protect their brothers and sisters in Crimea?
After witnessing the success of Crimea’s referendum, territories in east Ukraine, such as Donesk and Luhansk, started discussing plans to join Russia as well. (6) But this was too much for the Ukrainian government to stomach, and so with support from the West, they launched a war against the pro-Russian separatists. Since day one, America has come out in support of the coup that occurred in Ukraine and hailed it a success for freedom. Since the beginning of the civil war with the Russian rebels, the U.S has supplied Ukraine’s military and supported its newly found government in taking decisive action against the rebels. And when the new president, Poroshenko, immediately allowed foreigners to hold positions of office, an American, Georgian and Lithuanian received positions in the Ukraine government. (7) American Natalie Jaresko, former employee of the U.S State Department and head of the Horizon Capital Investment Fund, is now the new finance minister of Ukraine. (8)
The Attack On Russia
The hypocrisy America is showing by condemning the actions of Russia has to be eroding what little credibility America has left in the world. Here is a country that has over 1000 military bases, in 130 countries and is directly involved in the internal conflicts of 74 nations. (9) America’s imperialistic foreign policy is incredibly ruthless and destructive all around the world, but as soon as Russia gets involved with a conflict occurring in its neighbouring country, America objects, and denounces Russia for violating international law. Russia hasn’t violated international law, but in a world where America is the loudest voice, it acts as both accuser and judge.
Currently, the more prominent countries that have placed sanctions on Russia are: the U.S, Canada, the Europe Union, Japan, Australia and Switzerland. These sanctions on capital and trade have hurt the Russian economy. By putting embargoes on Russia, it has blocked Russians from exporting their goods to some of their closest trading partners in Europe and the sanctions on their banks have prevented them from accessing the credit markets of the West. Due to the sanctions, the Russian rouble has steadily declined in value against the dollar, raising the cost of imports, and thus raising consumer prices.
But what turned the situation into a full blown crises has been the recent, dramatic drop in the price of oil. Russia’s major export is oil and gas, but with a barrel of oil dropping below $60, this has cut into Russia’s revenue and because of that, has hurt Russia’s economic viability. Due to the drop in oil prices, speculation in the currency markets has the Russian rouble tanking, losing 20% against the dollar in one day — its biggest single day drop since Russia’s currency crisis of 1998 — and losing 60% on the year. (10) This devaluation has led the Central Bank of Russia to raise its interest rates to 17%, hoping to prevent more money from leaving Russia. The substantial drop in the price of the most important economic commodity doesn’t make much sense in a world where the majority of governments are printing money. Some have suggested that the U.S and Saudi Arabia are working together to drive down the price of oil to hurt their respective adversaries, Russia and Iran. (11) Saudi Arabia has come out and said that they are prepared for $20, $30 or $40 prices. (12) And thanks to investigative journalist, Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone, we know that any market can be subject to manipulation, by the colluding of the major banks. (13) It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that this recent drop is not the result of natural market forces but of market manipulation, with the purpose of hurting Russia more severely than the sanctions.
Recently, Russia’s foreign minister has come out and said that the West’s goal, with regards to Russia, is regime change. (14) The recent sanctions bill signed by President Obama has in it the authorization to spend $20 million in each of the next three years to promote democracy, independent news media, uncensored internet access and anti-corruption efforts in Russia. (15) This provision has all the makings of a strategy to change Russia from within, which has been a strategy America has employed in other countries. (16) With the current economic crisis in Russia, the time is ripe for America to meddle in Russia’s domestic affairs and stir up protests with its people to try and oust the current regime. But most threatening to Russia is NATO and their military buildup on the boarders of Russia. With anti-ballistic missile systems, troops on the ground and warships in the water, in the eastern European countries that surround Russia, NATO is just waiting for an excuse to attack Russia. (17) Each NATO country, such as Norway, Poland and Latvia, is in essence, NATO itself.
Russia’s Geopolitical Positions
Russia, on different occasions, has been directly opposed to many of the West’s military action around the world. Back in March of 2003, Russia declared it would use its veto power, given to all member nations of the UN security council, to block a U.S sponsored resolution that gave Saddam Hussein a March 17th deadline to disarm before they took action. (18) Then a couple weeks later, after the fighting began, President Putin warned the West that they were making a grave mistake by “shaking the foundations of global stability and international law.” (19) But in Libya, Russia took a different approach and refrained from voting on the resolution to create a no-fly zone in Libya. By not vetoing the UN Security Council’s resolution, it was allowed to pass. A public dispute over this decision broke out in Russia between, then President Dmitri Medvedev and then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, when Putin called the resolution “deficient and flawed” and compared it to a medieval crusade. (20) But since the President of Russia is the Commander-In-Chief, Medvedev, at the time, was able to override Putin. But Putin’s anger came to a boiling point after Gaddafi was killed. In a official visit to Denmark, when asked about the situation in Libya he said:
“The coalition said destroying Gaddafi was not their goal. Then why bomb his palaces? Now some officials have claim that eliminating him, was in fact, their goal. Who gave them that right? Did he have a fair trial? Returning to the no-fly zone, the bombings are destroying the country’s entire infrastructure. When the so called ‘civilized world’ uses all its military power against a small country, destroying what’s been created by generations, I don’t know if that’s good.” (21)
Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, and a year later, when the U.S and Britain were calling for airstrikes against Syria, he made sure Russia didn’t make the same mistake twice, and the country strongly came out against the airstrikes, and this time, together with China, vetoed the resolution. Putin even wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, taking his case directly to the American people as for why the airstrikes were a bad idea. (22)
Russia Today
Russia Today is the state sponsored news network that has gained a loyal following based on the networks ability to broadcast the real news to English, Spanish and Arabic audiences around the globe. The stories that are covered are the critical events happening in our world, but also other important subjects that aren’t covered by the mainstream media. Covering stories relating to scandal, corruption and conspiracy, revealing true motives of the people or institutions involved, has led the network to gain its credibility. Subjects on financial corruption, power abuses, corporate misconduct, environmental concerns, and many others that are seen as too sensitive to the special interests that own traditional networks, to be broadcast on Western media.
Edward Snowden
The famous NSA contractor turned whistleblower, Edward Snowden, would face the full wrath of the U.S government, if given the chance, for his role in revealing to the world the U.S government’s capacity for spying and exactly who they are spying on. What’s preventing this from happening is that Snowden is currently being protected by Russia, where he has been given a 3-year residency after his initial temporary asylum had expired after his first year staying in Russia. The Russians are refusing to give him up to the U.S government after being asked to do so multiple times. Snowden never planned on staying in Russia. His original plan was to stay in Hong Kong until they gave him up, and then he decided he would go to Latin America. But after the U.S government revoked his passport, while he was in Russia, and seeing how the plane of the Bolivian President was forced to land due to the U.S government’s suspicion that Snowden was on it, he decided staying in Russia was his best option. (23)
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic games that were held in Sochi this year were very important to Russia. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and since then Russia has had to rebuild its country from the ground up. In the early years, it was very bleak for Russians, as living standards dropped for many and inflation rose substantially, and corruption and lawlessness spread throughout the country. But in 2000, when Putin became President, he was able to bring order and stability to Russia, and their economy grew 9 straight years, which raised living standards for Russians. (24) Today, Russia has regained its role on the world stage, and these Olympics were a chance to show the world a new Russia, in hopes of promoting a more positive image, and encourage the business class to invest there. But leading up the games, there was much paranoia and propaganda with regards to terrorism. Many Western countries told their athletes not to bring their families to Russia. As a result, the world was scared off and the turnout of spectators and foreign visitors to Russia was greatly diminished.
Putin Quotes
Vladimir Putin is currently enjoying an approval rating that is unparalleled compared to leaders in the West. He is beloved in Russia but also has support from all over the world. The reason is simple: He’s straight forward and speaks honestly, with no reservation for calling it like it is. Below are just a few of the many refreshing quotes Putin has said:
“In Syria, as in the past, the United States and its allies started directly financing and arming rebels and allowing them to fill their ranks with mercenaries from various countries. Let me ask where do these rebels get their money, arms and military specialists? Where does all this come from? How did the notorious ISIS manage to become such a powerful group, essentially a real armed force? As for financing sources, today, the money is coming not just from drugs, production of which has increased not just by a few percentage points but many-fold, since the international coalition forces have been present in Afghanistan. You are aware of this. The terrorists are getting money from selling oil too. Oil is produced in territory controlled by the terrorists, who sell it at dumping prices, produce it and transport it. But someone buys this oil, resells it, and makes a profit from it, not thinking about the fact that they are thus financing terrorists who could come sooner or later to their own soil and sow destruction in their own countries.” (25)
“Let’s ask ourselves, how comfortable are we with this, how safe are we, how happy living in this world, and how fair and rational has it become? Maybe, we have no real reasons to worry, argue and ask awkward questions? Maybe the United States’ exceptional position and the way they are carrying out their leadership really is a blessing for us all, and their meddling in events all around the world is bringing peace, prosperity, progress, growth and democracy, and we should maybe just relax and enjoy it all? Let me say that this is absolutely not the case.” (25)
“They say we are violating norms of international law. Firstly, it’s a good thing that they at least remember that there exists such a thing as international law – better late than never.”(26)
“Our western partners, led by the United States of America, prefer not to be guided by international law in their practical policies, but by the rule of the gun. They have come to believe in their exclusivity and exceptionalism, that they can decide the destinies of the world, that only they can ever be right. They act as they please: here and there, they use force against sovereign states, building coalitions based on the principle “If you are not with us, you are against us.” To make this aggression look legitimate, they force the necessary resolutions from international organisations, and if for some reason this does not work, they simply ignore the UN Security Council and the UN overall.” (26)
A World Of Unknowns
In the eyes of the awakened and aware observer of the world, the U.S government is at the head of global tyranny. Yet its difficult to find criticism of America’s actions from other major powers of the world, especially in the West. The reason being, these puppet governments are controlled by the same influence that uses America as its leading force. But Russia, a massive country that can’t be easily conquered, has been a voice of criticism and because of that, has had to face the consequences of being that opposing force. Now whether the Georgian War of 2008, the downing of Malaysian flight MH17, or that mysterious flash of light that lit up the Russian sky, are the covert, indirect actions taken by this group against Russia, we don’t know. Or whether both opposing sides, the U.S and Russia, are just being used for a greater agenda, we don’t know. All we can do is look at the evidence we are privy to and base our own conclusions accordingly.
Sources
1 – http://www.channel4.com/news/kiev-svoboda-far-right-protests-right-sector-riot-police
2 – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2591624/Fears-neo-fascist-uprising-Ukraine-far-right-group-storms-Kiev-parliament-ex-president-calls-independence-vote.html
3 – http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/crimeas-parliament-votes-to-join-russia/2014/03/17/5c3b96ca-adba-11e3-9627-c65021d6d572_story.html
4 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkiv_Pact#Effects
5- http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/03/04/Ousted-Ukrainian-president-asks-Putin-to-send-Russian-forces-to-Ukraine/1661393915423/
6 – http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/12/ukraine-crisis-donetsk-region-asks-join-russia
7 – http://rt.com/news/210883-ukraine-foreigners-government-poroshenko/
8 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Jaresko
9 – http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/u-s-currently-fighting-74-different-wars-that-it-publicly-admits.html
10 – https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ruble-loses-20-crashes-100-132519440.html#Ed4veBM
11 – http://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Did-The-Saudis-And-The-US-Collude-In-Dropping-Oil-Prices.html
12- http://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Saudi-Arabia-Ready-For-20-30-40-Oil.html
13 – http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/everything-is-rigged-the-biggest-financial-scandal-yet-20130425
14 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/22/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSKCN0J609G20141122
15 – http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/world/europe/obama-signing-russia-ukraine-sanctions-bill.html?_r=0
16 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_change_actions
17 – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26866989
18 – http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/10/sprj.irq.russia.vote/index.html
19 – http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/28/sprj.irq.putin/index.html
20 – http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/21/russia.leaders.libya/index.html
21 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw5Ij_RFJ1Q
22 – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?pagewanted=all
23 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden
24 – http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20120507/111359.shtml
25 – http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/10/paul-craig-roberts/why-is-putin-hated/
26- http://eng.kremlin.ru/transcripts/6889
***
cnsnews.com
Alice Cooper, Christian: ‘The World Belongs to Satan’
December 31, 2014 - 11:58 AM
By Michael W. Chapman
Alice Cooper, the shock-rock megastar who makes Marilyn Manson look like a choir boy, stopped his hard-partying ways and returned to his Bible Christian roots in the late 1980s and today, still hugely popular and touring, says he isn’t shy about discussing his faith, says his early songs always warned against choosing evil, and contends that the world we live in “doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to Satan.”
“The world doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to Satan,” said Alice Cooper. “We’re living with that. We’re bombarded with that every day.”
“[A]lmost everything I wrote was good and evil,” he said. “Don’t pick evil. Even when I wasn’t Christian, I was saying that. God and the Devil. Don’t pick the Devil. It’s a bad idea.”
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) shot to mega-stardom in the 1970s and early 1980s with hits such as “I’m 18,” ‘Schools’ Out” and the 1973 album, Billion Dollar Babies. He also was notorious for his demonic makeup and costumes and macabre theatrics on stage, which included simulated suicide and the decapitation of baby-dolls, among other dark antics.
Alice Cooper was nominated for two Grammy Awards and he and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He has played roles in several movies, including Wayne’s World with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and, perhaps most ironically given his shock-rock music career, Cooper is an avid and skilled golfer.
Cooper scored a two-over par 74 on The Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a world-class course; he played in the All Star Cup in Newport, South Wales; he has appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment; and he is the author of Alice Cooper, Golf Monster.
In an interview posted on YouTube about his Christian roots, his Prodigal-son waywardness in the 1970s and early 1980s, and his reversion to Bible-based Christianity and his life today, Cooper explained that despite all the wealth and fame he attained early on, there was a huge emptiness in his life.
“I grew up in a Christian house,” said Cooper. “My dad was a pastor, he was an evangelist for 25 years, and I used to go up and do missionary work with him with the Apaches in Arizona. My grandfather was a pastor for 75 years. I grew up in a Christian home. And my wife’s father is a Baptist pastor. So, I was like, we were PK’s – preacher’s kids – so we married each other.”
“So I always refer to myself as the real Prodigal Son, because I went out and the Lord let me do everything,” said Cooper. “Maybe didn’t let me but allowed it, and then just started reeling me back in. You know, you’ve seen enough. Let’s bring you back to where you belong.”
Alice Cooper in performance. (Photo: alicecooper.com)
“When you get out there and realize you’ve had every car, every house, and all that, you realize that that’s not the answer,” he said. “There’s a big nothing out there at the end of that. So, materialism doesn’t mean anything. A lot of people say that there’s a big God-sized hole in your heart. And when that’s filled, you’re really satisfied, and that’s where I am right now.”
Cooper then explained that his return to Christianity occurred when he tried and eventually quit drinking alcohol in the mid-1980s. (He also had a dangerous addiction to cocaine, which he discussed in the 2014 movie, Super Duper Alice Cooper.)
“I stopped drinking and I started going back to church,” he said. “I was throwing up blood every morning; I was really a bad alcoholic. I wasn’t a cruel or mean alcoholic but I was certainly self-destructive.”
He continued, “And when I stopped drinking, I started going back to church with my wife, and there was this pastor in Phoenix who was just Hell-fire. I mean, there were 6,000 people there and he was talking to me every Sunday. Of course, he wasn’t, but he was – just nailing me. Every weekend I’d get out exhausted. I’d come out of there and be, ‘I don’t want to go back.’ It was like torture and I always came back.”
“I finally realized, I had to go one side or the other,” said Cooper. “I had to make a decision for one side or the other, because I was so convicted. The Lord really convicted me, saying, look, it’s time to make a decision here. I said okay, and I joined a church called Camelback Bible over there, and that’s where I go now. It’s a really good teaching church, good strong Bible-teaching church.”
The Alice Cooper band in the 1970s. (Photo: alicecooper.com)
As for how his life has changed for the better, Cooper said, “Well, before you are always self—you’re always self-centered. Everything is for you. Your self is God. And we make lousy gods. Humans make lousy gods, I think. We need to let God be God and us be what we are. I think that’s what changes: the focus on who you’re serving. You’re not serving you. You’re serving Christ.”
“God’s chipping away at your life all the time to try to make you more like Him,” said Cooper. “That’s what a Christian is, a person that’s being molded and shaped all their life …. I think the Lord expects you to do your best in His name. I had to struggle a long time about rock and roll. I realized it’s not really the music. It’s what’s being said with the music. So I think you have to be careful of what you’re writing, what you’re representing.”
For those people who may have been big Alice Cooper fans back in 1970s and 1980s but who are still following the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll lifestyle and not following Christ, Cooper said, “Well, they’re going to eventually know Christ, and I hope it’s not too late. If you’re at the wrong end at the wrong time, I think that’s going to be tragic.”
As for the temptations of this world, Cooper said, “Sure, what is the world made up of? It’s made up of that. The world doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to Satan. We’re living in that world. We’re bombarded with that every day.”
“So how do we react to that?” he said. “If you don’t have Christ in your life, then you’re a victim to it. So I think what we have to be very careful about is how we react to the world. If we have Christ in our life now, we have to react humbly. React in a teaching way and at the same time be humble about it.”
***
***
CNN
Security Council rejects Palestinian statehood resolution
By Lorenzo Ferrigno, CNN
updated 11:56 PM EST, Tue December 30, 2014
New York (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council, in a close 8-2 vote with five abstentions, on Tuesday voted down a Palestinian statehood resolution that set a deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories by 2017.
Eight nations voted for the draft resolution -- one vote short of the necessary nine to be adopted -- including Jordan, which sponsored the resolution, and three permanent Security Council members: China, Russia and France.
The United States voted against the resolution on the table and had been expected to exercise its permanent council member authority and veto the measure, had it passed.
The Security Council consists of 15 members, five permanent and 10 rotating members. The permanent five, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States, have veto power to block any resolution.
The resolution called for an end of Israeli troops in Palestinian territories -- including the West Bank -- by 2017 and set a 12-month deadline for a peace solution, with two separate states. It also identified East Jerusalem as the capital of what would be called Palestine.
Palestine currently is not recognized as a state. In November 2012, the General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinians to "non-member observer state."
Jordanian envoy: World ready for move
Dina Kawar, Jordan's ambassador to the United Nations and the sponsor of the draft, said she hoped the Security Council would have adopted the resolution because the council "bears both the legal and the moral responsibilities to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is the crux of the conflict in the Middle East."
Elements in the draft resolution, including the right for Palestinian people for self-determination, a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and an end to what it calls Israeli occupation were "acceptable not only to members of the Security Council but to the international community as a whole," Kawar said.
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said no other country in the world has invested more than the United States in pursuing peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but said the resolution "would undermine efforts to get back to an atmosphere that makes it possible to achieve two states for two people."
Power said that the current resolution was "deeply unbalanced" and instead of giving a voice to both sides, only considered the concerns of one.
"Today's vote should not be interpreted as a victory for an unsustainable status quo, instead it should serve as a wake-up call to catalyze all interested parties to take constructive, responsible steps to achieve a two-state solution," Power said.
Australia also voted against the measure.
The Palestinian representative at the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, told the diplomats that it is "most regrettable that the Security Council remains paralyzed."
"The repeated requests for us to 'wait,' and 'wait,' and 'wait' while our people are suffering, while our people are besieged, while our land is being colonized, and while the two-state solution is being destroyed and the prospects for peace are evaporating, must understand that such requests are not viable under these circumstances and are unsustainable," he said.
Israeli: "Political games' continue
"The Palestinians have found every possible opportunity to avoid direct negotiations with Israel," said Israel Nitzan, a counselor representing Israel at the meeting, and called the most recent "unilateral" draft the latest endeavor in a "never-ending string of political games."
"I have news for the Palestinians: you cannot agitate and provoke your way to a state," Nitzan said.
Five countries abstained from the vote, including permanent member United Kingdom.
UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told the Security Council, "We consider President (Mahmoud) Abbas a man of peace and understand the pressure that the Palestinian leadership has been under to act and their frustration at the lack of progress. But we are disappointed that the normal, and necessary, negotiation did not take place on this occasion. "
After the meeting, Jordan's Kawar told reporters that although she would have liked more consultations and negotiations to "come up with a product that would be acceptable to the 15" [member states,] the importance of this resolution was "to put some momentum and dynamics in the Security Council."
***
Event Horizon Chronicle
The Great Unraveling of 2015
The coming year, 2015, will be a real humdinger.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Dr. Samizdat
Get Ready For Financial Turbulence
For the record, a major, global, financial collapse is now underway. It's not impending; it's here. Forget about the "happy talk" propaganda from the USSA government and the lame stream news media in the Western countries. When you understand that at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day the dire living conditions of the great mass of humanity come into sharp focus. The situation is already very bad for most human beings on this planet. The crisis is highly likely to enter an even more acute phase this year, fraught with peril for many millions of people, after which the global economy will either begin to improve for the great mass of humanity, or the present so-called "global civilization" will be rocked to its very core, and may even outright collapse. We should know which way the trend will tend by this time next year.
At present, there are two major power blocs in the world.
1) The Western-aligned bloc that follows the lead of the USSA, comprising the NATO and European Union countries, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, several of the Arab countries and a sprinkling of other countries, here and there around the world.
2) The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), along with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with Observer States of India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Dialogue Partners of Turkey, Belarus and Sri Lanka.
There is also the so-called Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of 120 member states, and 17 observers. As it happens, most of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's member states, observer states and dialogue partners are member or observer states of the Non-Aligned Movement. Similarly, four out of five of the BRICS states are member or observer states of the Non-Aligned Movement, with Russia being the odd man out.
Canada, the USSA, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Israel belong neither to the NAM, nor the SCO, nor are any of them among the BRICS nations. So in reality, the NAM, while ostensibly being a non-aligned international bloc, has a natural affinity with the BRICS/SCO bloc.
Within NAM there are various, regional organizations such as the Organization of African States, the Arab League, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), etc. CELAC has 33 member states, which are also members of the NAM. CELAC is, thus, more closely allied with the BFRICS/SCO global, power bloc.
This political reality is reflected in the fact that the next CELAC meeting, in just ten days from now, will be in China. Please note:
Upon mutual agreement, the 1st Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum will be held in Beijing from January 8 to 9, 2015. Foreign ministers and representatives of China and CELAC members will attend the meeting. Leading officials of regional organizations and institutions in Latin America will also sit in on the meeting.
The theme of the meeting will be mutually beneficial cooperation and relations between China and nations of the Latin American-Caribbean region, in the context of a multipolar world. The two days before the meeting begins the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, will be in Beijing for a bi-lateral summit meeting with the Chinese leadership.
Let The Games Begin
That is no accident. Ecuador will hold the rotating presidency of CELAC in 2015. As Ecuadorean head of state, Correa will therefore occupy a crucial position of international leadership in 2015. It will not have been lost on the Chinese that Rafael Correa is a PhD economist, whose doctoral work at the University of Illinois had to do with "game theory." Game theory is concerned with the mathematical modeling of strategic decision-making, including international decision-making. It is widely used and studied in economics, policy making and political science.
Translation: the Chinese and Latin Americans are going to take the USSA to school. It looks like 2015 will be a Chinese chess match, with the theme being inter-regional, global cooperation, on a win-win basis, by the Chinese, Russians, and scores of other nations in CELAC and the NAM.
Contrast this with the hyper-violent, zero-sum, vulture economics, winner-take-all approach of the USSA and its NATO bloc.
This is a classic showdown, that undoubtedly has been well modeled, and much discussed by the Chinese and Russians, and by Rafael Correa and other leaders in the developing world.
Everything is riding on the outcome of this game, perhaps the destiny of humanity itself, owing to the insanity of the power mad maniacs who infest Washington, DC, the City of London, Wall Street, Tel Aviv, and similar loathsome precincts.
In terms of the popular, real-estate-based, board game, Monopoly, we are looking at the last few rolls of the dice. The game will soon be decided, perhaps within the next year. The danger is that the malevolent, power mad lunatics in the Western bloc will unleash nuclear hell, if they perceive that they have lost, or are about to lose, their desperate, irrational gambit that aims to impose a global, totalitarian tyranny on this planet.
Likely Outcome
In all likelihood, CELAC, the BRICS, the SCO and NAM, will prevail in their international gamesmanship, and we will see a severe decline in the global power and meddling of the USSA, the European Union, NATO, Israel, Japan and Australia. Rafael Correa is an economist, and so he will certainly be huddling with the Chinese about how best to take down the USSA's Federal Reserve Note as the international reserve currency, without, however, unleashing a catastrophic, global, financial apocalypse; not least because Ecuador itself uses the USSA dollar as official legal tender.
But that there will be periods of great, financial instability in 2015, there is little doubt. The battle lines are being drawn right now; the strategy is being finalized by China, CELAC, the BRICS and the SCO. This is epic stuff that is poised to unfold over the next year or so.
Caveat: if the USSA resorts to nukes, for instance, in a preemptive strike against Russia and/or China, the Russians and Chinese will certainly strike back and hard, with nuclear fire. Both countries are nuclear powers, with missiles that can strike the USSA mainland. If their national integrity and security are directly threatened, they will act decisively. On that day, the USSA would cease to exist and many of you who are reading these words would surely perish.
The upcoming time is just that serious. The USSA should never have led the world down the nuclear garden path, but it has, and so we have arrived at a point where terrible things may possibly occur.
Those who refused to concern themselves with nuclear policy in past years and decades, because they had more "important" or "fun" things to do, may find that the very thing they did their best to avoid will come looking for them personally, and if it does, it will be viciously merciless and pitiless.
Studied indifference has its price. Those who call the tune, will surely pay the piper.
***
Bloomberg
China Steps In as World's New Bank
DEC 25, 2014 6:00 PM EST
By William Pesek
Thanks to China, Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund, Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank and Takehiko Nakao of the Asian Development Bank may no longer have much meaningful work to do.
Beijing's move to bail out Russia, on top of its recent aid for Venezuela and Argentina, signals the death of the post-war Bretton Woods world. It’s also marks the beginning of the end for America's linchpin role in the global economy and Japan's influence in Asia.
What is China's new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank if not an ADB killer? If Japan, ADB's main benefactor, won't share the presidency with Asian peers, Beijing will just use its deep pockets to overpower it. Lagarde's and Kim’s shops also are looking at a future in which crisis-wracked governments call Beijing before Washington.
China stepping up its role as lender of last resort upends an economic development game that's been decades in the making. The IMF, World Bank and ADB are bloated, change-adverse institutions. When Ukraine received a $17 billion IMF-led bailout this year it was about shoring up a geopolitically important economy, not geopolitical blackmail.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's government doesn't care about upgrading economies, the health of tax regimes or central bank reserves. It cares about loyalty. The quid pro quo: For our generous assistance we expect your full support on everything from Taiwan to territorial disputes to deadening the West’s pesky focus on human rights.
This may sound hyperbolic; Russia, Argentina and Venezuela are already at odds with the U.S. and its allies. But what about Europe? In 2011 and 2012, it looked to Beijing to save euro bond markets through massive purchases. Expect more of this dynamic in 2015 should fresh turmoil hit the euro zone, at which time Beijing will expect European leaders to pull their diplomatic punches. What happens if the Federal Reserve’s tapering slams economies from India to Indonesia and governments look to China for help? Why would Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam bother with the IMF’s conditions when China writes big checks with few strings attached?
Beijing’s $24 billion currency swap program to help Russia is a sign of things to come. Russia, it's often said, is too nuclear to fail. As Moscow weathers the worst crisis since the 1998 default, it’s tempting to view China as a good global citizen. But Beijing is just enabling President Vladimir Putin, who’s now under zero pressure to diversify his economy away from oil. The same goes for China’s $2.3 billion currency swap with Argentina and its $4 billion loan to Venezuela. In the Chinese century, bad behavior has its rewards.
If ever there were a time for President Barack Obama to accelerate his "pivot" to Asia it's now. There's plenty to worry about as China tosses money at rogue governments like Sudan and Zimbabwe. But there’s also lots at stake for Asia's budding democracies. The so-called Washington consensus on economic policies isn't perfect, but is Beijing's model of autocratic state capitalism with scant press freedom really a better option? With China becoming Asia's sugar daddy, the temptation in, say, Myanmar might be to avoid the difficult process of creating credible institutions to oversee the economy.
There could be a silver lining to China lavishing its nearly $4 trillion of currency reserves on crisis-plagued nations: It might force the IMF, World Bank and ADB to raise their games. Competition, as Lagarde, Kim and Nakao would agree, is a good thing. But more likely, China's largess will encourage bad policy habits and impede development in ways that leave the global economy worse off.
***
Natural News
Russian companies halt food shipments as economic collapse accelerates
Friday, January 02, 2015 by: J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) As ugly as the current collapsing economy in Russia is already, it might be about to get a whole lot uglier -- and much more dangerous, both for average Russians and the world.
Up to this point, most of the world's and media's focus has been on the economics of the Russian currency collapse, which has been fed largely by a rapid decline in oil prices (fully half of Russia's GDP is dependent upon energy sales) and Western-led sanctions for Moscow's military aggression in Crimea and Ukraine. Also, many geopolitical analysts have been keeping an eye on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and have tried to predict what he might do.
But, as Zero Hedge -- a financial news website -- has noted, most of the economic fallout has impacted the country's wealthy and elite, as there is virtually no middle class there.
But that may be about ready to change:
[A]s Russia's Vedomosti reports, citing vegetable producer Belaya Dacha, juice maker Sady Pridoniya and others, Russian suppliers are suspending food shipments to stores because of unpredictable FX movements.
The Vedomosti website further notes that food retailers are at the mercy of suppliers because of the dramatic volatility of the country's currency, the ruble, whose worth is tumbling as devaluation continues daily. As such, suppliers simply cannot "plan their activities in the current environment," according to a Google Translate version of the story.
Halting food shipments is liable to worsen an already volatile situation
Vedomosti further reported (according to Google Translate):
The largest domestic producer of juices "Gardens of the Don" has suspended shipment of products at the old prices a number of trading companies due to the sharp depreciation of the ruble, the company said. At the cost of its products for more than 70% of foreign exchange component manufacturer said.
The supplier went on to say that the delivery of foodstuffs and other goods will go "first of all to all network companies who understand the situation and [will accept] the new prices." From December 16 to 21, the company suspended all shipments to those who did not provide a definitive answer regarding the absorption of higher prices for goods, the juice producers such as "Gardens of the Don," "Golden Russia," "My," and "Juicy World" explained.
In addition, some alcohol shipments were halted by a major distributor and importer, Simple. One employee confirmed that the Simple warehouse was to be shuttered for a "two-day pause."
"We, as a company that depends on the value of currencies, can do nothing in this situation. We are putting prices in rubles, prices in Uslovniye Yedintsy (UY) or 'conditional units' are not acceptable under the current laws," said a representative for Simple CEO Maxim Kashirin. "Buying the currency now or taking out a bank loan, is impossible: banks will not finance receivables."
By Christmas Day, Russian officials said the ruble had stabilized, while Putin told finance ministry officials to work through the holidays to continue to manage the crisis.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Russian Finance minister on Dec. 25 declared the currency crisis over as the country's currency rose to a three-week high, following a major push by the government and the Russian Central Bank (RCB) to stabilize markets. The efforts seem to be paying off, at least in the short-term, as the crisis appears less spiraling.
Is the currency crisis abating?
But the efforts to stem the ruble's bloodletting have led others to question how stable the currency will be and for how long. One of the RCB's tactics was to dramatically increase interest rates around the country, but that led to less borrowing and fewer rubles in circulation.
The steep rate increase, "along with widening problems in the banking sector, has darkened the outlook for Russia's economy dramatically," the paper reported.
WSJ further reported:
Just weeks after dismissing forecasts of a mild recession next year as "too gloomy," the finance ministry revised its outlook to envision a drop of as much as 4% in gross domestic product next year if oil prices stay around current levels of $60 a barrel, sapping Russia's economy along with Western sanctions.
On Christmas Day, according to oil-price-tracking website Oil-Price.Net, West Texas Intermediate crude prices had slipped to $55.84, or down $1.28 from the previous day.
Sources:
http://www.zerohedge.com
http://www.vedomosti.ru
http://www.oil-price.net
http://www.wsj.com
***
RUSSIA INSIDER
US-Hungary Rift Is Much Bigger than You Think
Hungary has completely given up on overtures to the United States
Eva S. Balogh (Hungarian Spectrum)
Thu, Jan 1
Orban, McCain - those days are gone
The article below is a rundown of an interview Hungary parliament speaker recently gave to Magyar Hirlap (Hungarian Gazette) and we republished a few days ago.
The text is from the the Hungarian-American Eva Balogh who, as said, is pro-Washington and doesn't give Hungary government the time of day.
Nonetheless it is very useful to read to understand just how big the rift between US and official Budapest has grown.
This is an excerpt from an article that originally appeared at Hungarian Spectrum
László Kövér, president of the Hungarian parliament and the third most important dignitary of the country after the president and the prime minister, decided to share his grievances and accusations.
His message was intended for the Fidesz faithful, but soon it will reach Hungary’s allies from Washington to Brussels. I don’t think they will be pleased.
I guess the Fidesz leadership wants to make sure that everybody understands the Hungarian position, and therefore they must repeat their shrill message at least three times: first János Lázár, then Viktor Orbán, and now László Kövér. Although the underlying message remains the same, each repetition reflects the personality of the speaker.
Kövér is perhaps our best source on the thinking of Viktor Orbán and the members of his closest circle. And what we find there is frightening–a completely distorted view of the world and Hungary’s place in it.
The basic outline is old hat by now: the United States wants to rule the European Union and is currently trying to teach Putin’s Russia a thing or two.
Hungary is only a pawn in this game, but the United States is still trying to influence political developments in the country.
Therefore, the most urgent task of the Orbán government is to retain the sovereignty of the Hungarian state. Also they “must assure the nation’s survival.” Their paranoia, they would argue, is grounded in reality.
The charge of American interference is based on a speech by Sarah Sewell, U.S. undersecretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, in which she stated that “addressing corruption is tough, but we are using a range of tools – and often working with other states and international institutions – to encourage and assist anti-corruption activity.
At the State Department, our Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement works on corruption along with our bureaus that handle economics, energy, and human rights, and together State collaborates with USAID, Treasury, the Department of Justice, Interior, and Commerce – each of which brings specialized tools to the table.”
For the Fidesz leaders this means direct interference in the internal affairs of East European countries. Kövér even suspects that the Americans had a hand in the recent election of Klaus Johannis as Romania’s president.
As far as U.S.-Hungarian relations are concerned, Hungary shouldn’t even try “to make the Americans love [them].”
They must find other allies in the countries of Central Europe. The Slovaks and the Romanians shouldn’t put “the Hungarian question,” which for Kövér means “their phobia,” at the top of their agenda. They should think about their common fate.
“Our goal should be emancipation within the framework of the European Union.”
Kövér admits in this interview that “we, Hungarians, have never been any good when it came to diplomacy,” but now the Hungarian leadership thinks that their foreign policy strategy will be successful.
They should make no overtures to the United States, in fact, they should turn sharply against Washington and instead rely on Germany.
After all, Kövér is convinced that U.S.-German relations are very bad as a result of American spying on German politicians, including Angela Merkel.
If Hungary keeps courting the Germans, perhaps Berlin will take Hungary’s side on the Russian question.
Some friends think that Viktor Orbán may just be successful in pitting Germany against the United States. I, on the other hand, doubt such an outcome despite the fact that at the moment the European Union is very restrained in its criticism of Hungary.
***
theguardian
Greece plunged into crisis as failure to elect president sets up snap election
Stavros Dimas fails to win required number of votes, meaning parliament must now be dissolved and poll held within 30 days
Alexis Tsipras, leader of the leftist Syriza party, leaves parliament after the vote. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters
Helena Smith and Jill Treanor
Monday 29 December 2014 09.12 EST
Fears were growing on Monday night of a fresh crisis in the eurozone after Greece failed to elect a head of state, triggering a snap election that is tipped to bring radical, anti-austerity leftists to power.
The Athens stock exchange slumped by more than 10% at one point as concerns mounted over the political turmoil likely to hit the twice bailed-out country. The effective interest rate on the nation’s three-year debt soared to more than 12% – signalling investor fears that Greece will not be able to repay its loans in the short term.
Elections were called for 25 January after the government failed to find enough votes to elect its preferred candidate for president, the former European commissioner Stavros Dimas. With the vehemently anti-cuts Syriza opposition ahead in the polls, the campaign will now revive the debate about austerity policies across the eurozone and raise questions over the harsh terms attached to Greece’s €240bn (£188bn) bailouts.
The leftists have declared that renegotiation of the accords Athens has signed with the EU, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund – the lenders that have kept the country afloat – will be among its top priorities.
Syriza would also seek to write off the country’s monumental €320bn debt – an aim that has revived fears of Greece clashing with creditors and being ejected from the eurozone.
The new threat comes six years after the country’s near economic collapse first sent panic through global markets and two years after prime minister Antonio Samaras came to power with his conservative-dominated two-party alliance.
Following the vote, Syriza’s leader, Alexis Tsipras, said the country had experienced “a historic day”, adding: “In a few days the Samaras government, which pillaged the country, will belong to the past, as will the memoranda of austerity.”
Athens’s 300-seat house voted by 168-132 in favour of Dimas, the sole candidate for the post of president – falling short of the 180 votes required for his installation.
Market analysts said there could be wider repercussions, including for the ECB, which is due to meet just days before the election to discuss monetary policy and debate the prospect of embarking on injecting billions into the eurozone’s economies through quantitative easing (QE) – or electronic money-printing.
The ECB has so far held off from QE despite speculation earlier this month that it was ready to act to bolster economic growth in the face of inflation which has fallen to 0.3%, dangerously close to outright deflation.
Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG UK, said: “Although this is a specific issue for Greece, it will raise fresh fears over the fate of the eurozone and the timelines for the possible implementation of a European version of QE. 2015 could see an escalation in the debate over austerity, with the same old north-south divide on what is proportional still raging”.
The IMF played down fears of any immediate funding crisis for Greece and will embark on its delayed review of the terms attached to the bailout programme once the new government is in place.
“Discussions with the Greek authorities on the completion of the sixth review of the programme … will resume once a new government is in place, in consultation with the European commission and the ECB. Greece faces no immediate financing needs,” the IMF said.
The EU’s commissioner for economic and finance affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said the Greeks needed “a strong commitment to Europe” and support “for the necessary growth-friendly reform process will be essential for Greece to thrive again within the euro area”.
After failing to find enough support, Dimas said: “The number of 168 votes is a clear parliamentary majority but as the constitution foresees it does not allow my election … what is important, now, is the interests of the country and the Greek people … what unites us is Greece.”
Greek law says parliament must be dissolved within 10 days and a poll held within 30. Samaras said: “Tomorrow I will go to the president of the republic to request snap polls as early as possible on 25 January. It is the hour of democracy, which means truth and responsibility, not populism.”
Christos Pappas, the jailed second-in-command of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, was the first to announce he would not be voting for the government’s candidate. Independent MPs, whom Samaras had hoped to sway in this, the final round of a three-stage vote, followed suit.
Stony-faced lawmakers looked on as Golden Dawn MPs, accentuating the deep political divisions now plaguing Greece, screamed at Samaras: “We’ll see you in prison” at Samaras.”
Samaras immediately called a cabinet meeting for 2pm local time on Monday to decide on government strategy in the coming days.
Emerging from parliament, he said: “We did whatever we could for a president to be elected by today’s parliament and to avert early elections which hold serious dangers and which the majority of Greeks don’t want … unfortunately a minority of 132 parliamentarians are dragging the country to snap polls.”
***
PRESSTV
Eurozone no longer has to rescue Greece: Merkel ally
German lawmaker Michael Fuchs
Thu Jan 1, 2015 5:15AM GMT
A senior German lawmaker has warned that Europe is no longer obliged to rescue Greece in the face of economic problems as the country has lost its "systemic relevance" to the eurozone.
Michael Fuchs, the deputy parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, accused Greek politicians of "blackmailing" their partners in the currency bloc.
"If Alexis Tsipras of the Greek left party Syriza thinks he can cut back the reform efforts and austerity measures, then the troika will have to cut back the credits for Greece," he told Rheinische Post newspaper on Wednesday.
"The situation is entirely different than three years ago," Fuchs said, adding, "The times where we had to rescue Greece are over. There is no potential for political blackmail anymore. Greece is no longer of systemic importance for the euro."
The comments came after the parliament in Greece was dissolved on Wednesday after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras requested the dissolution of the legislature following its failure to choose a new president after three successive rounds of voting.
Samaras warned that cash-strapped Greece may be forced out of the eurozone if the anti-austerity Syriza, currently the front-runner in polls, wins the elections next month.
Syriza has pledged to unwind many of the reforms, including cutting taxes and increasing state aid and public services, imposed by the so-called "troika" of the International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bank.
Greece has been relying on international rescue loans since 2010. It has received 240 billion euros (USD 330 billion) in international loans. In exchange, Athens has implemented harsh austerity measures.
Greeks have lost about a third of their disposable income since the debt crisis erupted in 2009. The unemployment rate has also soared, leaving about one in four without a job.
***
21st Century Wire
Desmond Tutu: ‘Put Tony Blair in the dock for war crimes’
DECEMBER 29, 2014
(The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Isaiah 3:9)
Another blow to the legacy of Britain’s international man of mystery…
Groomed by the intelligence services from his early college days, he didn’t bat an eyelid while lying to his electorate – and to the world about fictional WMD’s in Iraq, and he dazzled George W. Bush with his alluring pillow talk, used his cozy globalist-appointed positions and high-flying (albeit meaningless) titles to broker deals for JP Morgan investment elite, while he creates wonderous business opportunities on the backs of the world’s poor – he is the world’s most hated man, and he doesn’t drink Dos Equis (but he does drinks Cristal).
Certainly, it’s a charmed life for the man with the fake smile. Recently, 21WIRE reported how he caused a PR meltdown at the international children’s charity, Save the Children, after someone tried to him a “Global Legacy Award” (spooky). The charity are now deeply regretting that move, calling the whole affair ‘a painful experience’.
To add insult to injury, a former Nobel Peace Prize winner and international icon is now gunning for Britain’s most famous war criminal.
Welcome to Tony’s World…
STILL COINING IT IN: The Establishment are still protecting Blair with titles and jobs, while the people grow tired of his international charade.
Guardian
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before the international criminal court in The Hague and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war.
Tutu, a Nobel peace prize winner and hero of the anti-apartheid movement, accuses the former British and US leaders of lying about weapons of mass destruction and says the invasion left the world more destabilised and divided “than any other conflict in history”.
Writing in the Observer, Tutu also suggests the controversial US and UK-led action to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003 created the backdrop for the civil war in Syria and a possible wider Middle East conflict involving Iran.
“The then leaders of the United States and Great Britain,” Tutu argues, “fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand – with the spectre of Syria and Iran before us.”
But it is Tutu’s call for Blair and Bush to face justice in The Hague that is most startling. Claiming that different standards appear to be set for prosecuting African leaders and western ones, he says the death toll during and after the Iraq conflict is sufficient on its own for Blair and Bush to be tried at the ICC.
“On these grounds, alone, in a consistent world, those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in The Hague,” he says.
The court hears cases on genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. To date, 16 cases have been brought before the court but only one, that of Thomas Lubanga, a rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been completed. He was sentenced earlier this year to 14 years’ imprisonment for his part in war crimes in his home country.
Tutu’s broadside is evidence of the shadow still cast by Iraq over Blair’s post-prime ministerial career, as he attempts to rehabilitate himself in British public life. A longtime critic of the Iraq war, the archbishop pulled out of a South African conference on leadership last week because Blair, who was paid 2m rand (£150,000) for his time, was attending. It is understood that Tutu had agreed to speak without a fee.
In his article, the archbishop argues that as well as the death toll, there has been a heavy moral cost to civilisation, with no gain. “Even greater costs have been exacted beyond the killing fields, in the hardened hearts and minds of members of the human family across the world.
“Has the potential for terrorist attacks decreased? To what extent have we succeeded in bringing the so-called Muslim and Judeo-Christian worlds closer together, in sowing the seeds of understanding and hope?” Blair and Bush, he says, set an appalling example. “If leaders may lie, then who should tell the truth?” he asks.
“If it is acceptable for leaders to take drastic action on the basis of a lie, without an acknowledgement or an apology when they are found out, what should we teach our children?”
In a statement, Blair strongly contested Tutu’s views and said Iraq was now a more prosperous country than it had been under Saddam Hussein. “I have a great respect for Archbishop Tutu’s fight against apartheid – where we were on the same side of the argument – but to repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence is completely wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown…
***
Daily Mail
Stricken AirAsia plane soared 'as fast as a fighter jet' and then dropped almost vertically into Java Sea as if being thrust down by a giant hand, crash experts revealed today
Plane behaved in ways 'bordering on edge of logic' before disappearing
Craft soared up at 'unprecedented' rate before falling almost vertically
Weather was so extreme pilots could not have saved 162 people on board
First body to be pulled from ocean identified and handed back to family
More bodies found by search teams today bringing total recovered to nine
But workers warn it could be a week before plane's black box is found
By RICHARD SHEARS IN SYDNEY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 06:27 EST, 1 January 2015 | UPDATED: 15:48 EST, 1 January 2015
The AirAsia jet which plunged into the Java Sea rose up as fast as a fighter jet and then dropped almost vertically into the water as if being thrust down by a giant hand, crash experts agreed today.
Their conclusion is that the Airbus 320-200 was in the grip of weather so freakishly extreme that there was nothing the pilots could have done to save the jet and all 162 people on board.
The plane behaved in ways ‘bordering on the edge of logic,’ Indonesian aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said after examining figures leaked from the official air crash investigation team.
The news came as the first victim of the crash was identified and handed back to her family, and rescuers pulled two more bodies from the ocean, bringing the total recovered to nine.
Experts examining flight data leaked from the AirAsia crash investigation said the plane behaved in ways 'bordering on the edge of logic' after rising thousands of feet into the air before falling almost vertically
The body of Hayati Lutfiah Hamid was identified by medical workers from surgical scars, a necklace bearing her initials, her fingerprints, and a red name badge pinned to her clothes.
Officials have yet to speculate on what caused AirAsia flight A320-200 to plunge into the sea 40 minutes into a flight from Surabaya to Singapore.
Efforts by dive teams to recover the plane's black box, which will contain vital data on how the tragedy unfolded, have been hampered by poor weather as search teams warn it could be a week before the device is located and brought to the surface.
But today Mr Soejatman said the jet climbed at a speed that would have been impossible for the pilot to have achieved - and then plunged straight down ‘like a piece of metal being thrown down.'
‘It’s really hard to comprehend…the way it goes down is bordering on the edge of logic.’
Australian aviation expert, Peter Marosszeky, from the University of NSW, told the Sydney Morning Herald that, in contrast, he was baffled by the extremely low speed of the descent - as low as 61 knots - which would suggest the plane was heading almost straight down, explaining why it has been found in water just 10km from its last point of radar contact.
Both experts are in agreement that the jet went down almost vertically - and also concluded that a freak weather pattern that placed the aircraft under extraordinary forces was to blame for its plight.
Earlier in the week, AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes - who vowed today to fly home with the body of 22-year-old stewardess Khairunnisada Haidar once she has been formally identified - suggested the jet had encountered ‘very unique weather.’
Mr Soejatman meanwhile remains convinced that the reason for the crash, while officially a mystery, is possibly because the aircraft was caught in a severe updraft, followed by an equally severe ground draft.
He said that leaked figures showed the plane climbed at a virtually unprecedented rate of 6000ft to 9000ft per minute and ‘you can’t do that at altitude in an Airbus 320 with pilot action.’
The most that could normally be expected, he said, would be 1000ft to 1500ft on a sustained basis, gaining 3000ft in a burst.
But then the aircraft fell at an even more incredible rate of 11,000ft a minute, with extraordinary bursts of up to 24,000ft a minute - figures higher than the Air France A330 Airbus that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, killing 228 passengers after attaining baffling ascent and descent rates.
Mr Marosszeky agreed that a climb rate of at least 6000ft a minute would indicate a ‘severe weather event,’ because that rate of climb was a ‘domain for jet fighters.’
Howwever, Dudi Sudibyo, a senior editor of aviation magazine Angkasa, disagreed with that analysis, claiming that the pilot managed to land on the sea before the craft was overwhelmed.
Mr Sudibyo said that emergency locator transmitters on board the aircraft would be set to go off after automatically after a heavy impact. Because these is no evidence these devices triggered, he claims, the pane must have landed safely.
However due to the stormy conditions on the day, the craft was swamped before disappearing below the waves, The Mirror reported.
In a fascinating, yet worrying, comment earlier in the week, Mr Fernandes suggested that climate change was making weather worse and flying riskier, particularly in the tropics.
Meanwhile today Mr Fernandes promised that he would fly with the family of flight QZ8501 and the body of stewardess Ms Khairunnisa to her home town in Palembang, Indonesia, once her body has been positively identified.
The body of one of the two stewardesses, still in her red AirAsia uniform, has been recovered.
In a Tweet today, Mr Fernandes said that ‘if our beautiful and wonderful crew (member) is identified, we will go from Surabaya to Palembang with her parents. Heartbreaking soul (destroyed).’Ms Khairunnisa’s father, Mr Haidar Fauzie, told The Star newspaper of Malaysia that he hoped the body found in a flight attendant’s uniform was that of his daughter so that he could lay her to rest.
***
Daily Mail
Mysterious Chinese blogger sparks online frenzy after 'predicting' that 'black hand' was going to bring down AirAsia jet THIRTEEN days before one vanished
Blogger warned on Dec 15 that 'AirAsia would be targeted by black hand'
Refers to a shadowy group he claims also sabotaged MH17 and MH370
Peppered internet with 39 posts which have been viewed by 650k users
Some speculate that he could be Chinese intelligence official or a hacker
Sceptics say posts were likely edited after AirAsia 8051 went missing
By SIMON TOMLINSON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:37 EST, 29 December 2014 | UPDATED: 12:06 EST, 30 December 2014
A mysterious Chinese blogger has provoked a storm of speculation online over claims he predicted the disappearance of an AirAsia flight thirteen days before one vanished.
In a series of posts which have gone viral, the man appears to warn that the airline would be targeted by a shadowy group he calls the 'Black Hand' which he claims brought down Malaysian Airlines flights MH17 and MH370 earlier this year.
An AirAsia flight went missing yesterday with 162 people on board after losing contact en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore in the third crisis for a Malaysian carrier this year.
Since its disappearance, social media users have reacted with astonishment at the apparent prediction, while others claim the posts were probably just edited afterwards to make it look authentic.
A Chinese blogger has provoked a storm of speculation online over claims he predicted the disappearance of an AirAsia flight two weeks before one of its Airbus A320s (like the one above) vanished yesterday
The apparent predictions have gone viral on social media and discussion forums such as Reddit (above), with some users expressing astonishment at the forewarning and others claiming it could be a hoax
In one comment on December 15, which has been loosely translated by a Reddit member, the blogger apparently warns: 'Black hand has hijacked and shot down MH370 and MH17.
'This has pretty much killed the sixth largest airline: Malaysian airline.
'Now the black hand are targeting AirAsia to ruin this airline cause (sic) it too belong to Malaysia.
'Given how powerful the black hand are I suggest that all Chinese thinking about travelling to avoid AirAisa, so that you don't disappear like those on MH370.'
Black Hand is a term believed to be a metaphor for a covert organisation or a number of underground groups.
One Reddit user suggests the translation should read 'International big black hand' which they say is more of a reference to a 'despicable international bully'.
No Chinese nationals were on Flight 8501 when it disappeared.
The blogger reportedly peppered social media with a total of 39 posts on the subject which have been viewed by more than 650,000 people.
Mystery: The flight went missing from radar at 6.18am local time - six minutes after last communication with air traffic control - while travelling from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board. Search planes spotted objects and two oily patches in the search area on Monday afternoon
When asked how he could make such a prediction - with one user calling him a 'conspiracy nut' - he reportedly replied: 'All you civilians get away (from the airline).
'You can still hide, all those that see the post can still save themselves.'
Other reports suggested the blogger repeated his warning on December 16 and 17, adding: 'This is a major event in human life, we have to pay attention.'
Despite facing continued accusations of being 'crazy', he relays a further message to 'be suspicious of the US,' writes one Reddit user who says he got a friend to translate the posts.
The blogger later claims to have persuaded some people to follow his warning.
But after December 17, there was no more activity on his account.
Since the disappearance of Flight 8051, many have reacted with astonishment at the apparent prediction, with speculation rife that he was a Chinese intelligence official or a hacker who had obtained information from the group allegedly responsible.
Reddit user lolrus_bukkit wrote: There is an ongoing conspiracy in Chinese forums that this guy is in Chinese intelligence or a hacker that got sensitive information trying to save as many people he could without making a big scene (guess he failed the second part).'
Aviation mysteries like this often spark conspiracy theories as happened when MH370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March last year, with explanations ranging from the airliner being shot down to being abducted by aliens.
Sceptics also argue that the original posts may have been edited with information about the AirAsia flight after it vanished to make it appear like a prediction.The Chinese version of the Epoch Times suggested the blogger called himself the 'Landlord' although some forum users claim this was a mistranslation.
***
Natural Blaze
Visiting a park could save your life, scientists say
Monday, December 29, 2014
City dwellers should visit parks more often and take advantage of this free and easy way to boost their physical and mental health, environmental scientists have urged.
New research from the National Environmental Research Program's Environmental Decisions Hub (NERP's EDH) shows that despite the abundance of parks in Australian cities, only 60 per cent of the urban population are using these facilities in any week.
This means that 40 per cent of us are missing out on the vast array of health benefits that parks offer, including a lower risk of developing heart disease, stress, anxiety and depression, says Dr Danielle Shanahan of NERP EDH and the University of Queensland (UQ).
"In spite of increasing urbanisation, Australian cities are filled with parks," says Dr Shanahan. "Governments spend hundreds of millions each year creating and maintaining them, and houses built near them have a higher selling price. Australia clearly values its green spaces."
Dr Richard Fuller of NERP EDH and UQ says that research worldwide continues to discover the health benefits of being in nature. "For example, spending ten minutes in a park every day – even when we're not exercising in it – has been shown to lower our blood pressure."
Another study based in China found that a person's stress was significantly reduced after they exercise in a forest, compared with indoors. Related research in Switzerland also showed that exercising in parks reduces stress-induced headaches – the effect was the same if the person exercised in a forest.
People who visit local parks also feel more connected to their community, Dr Shanahan says.
"With all these health benefits, parks have enormous potential to reduce Australia's healthcare costs," she says. "Depression alone costs Australia more than $12.6 billion each year as well as the massive human cost – if visiting parks can help reduce depression even by one percent, that's a huge gain for Australians.
"This is why we're urging more people to spend more time outdoors – having 40 per cent of the urban population missing out is significant, especially when parks are widely available in our cities."
The Brisbane-based study reveals that frequent park visitors make longer visits, spend much more time in their yards, and often travel further to green spaces than less frequent park users. They are also slightly younger and have a higher level of formal education.
"Research in other countries has shown that people who live in disadvantaged areas often have less access to parks, and this could be one of the reasons some people visit them less. But that's not the case in Australia," says Dr Shanahan. "We actually found that the affinity of Australians towards nature, instead of just the availability of parks, determines how much time we spend with nature."
The next challenge is to understand how and why people have higher or lower levels of nature orientation, as this is clearly linked to the health benefits that we can gain from it, she says.
Dr Fuller says this shows that simply creating more parks in cities won't necessarily encourage people to visit them: "Cities and local councils need to raise people's awareness of the great benefits of getting outdoors.
"We need more support and encouragement of community activities in disadvantaged areas. For example, the Nature Play programs in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia provide heaps of ideas for helping kids enjoy the great outdoors."
"Our children especially benefit from spending more time outdoors. Kids who grow up experiencing natural environments may benefit developmentally and have a heightened environmental awareness as adults than those who don't."
The study "Opportunity or orientation? Who uses urban parks and why" by Brenda B. Lin, Richard A. Fuller, Robert Bush, Kevin J. Gaston and Danielle F. Shanahan is published in PLoS ONE. See:
The study "Socio-economic inequalities in access to nature on public and private lands: a case study from Brisbane, Australia" by D.F. Shanahan, B.B. Lin, K.J. Gaston, R. Bush and R.A. Fuller is published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning. See:
The study "What is the role of trees and remnant vegetation in attracting people to urban parks?" by D.F. Shanahan, B.B. Lin, K.J. Gaston, R. Bush and R.A. Fuller is published in the journal Landscape Ecology.
Source: National Environmental Research Program
photo credit: WanderingtheWorld (www.ChrisFord.com) via photopin cc
***
“The
Lord tends me as a shepherd, and I shall want nothing. In a place of
green grass, there he has made me dwell: he has nourished me by the
water of rest.”
(Psalm 23:1-2)