</center>

RULERS OF TOMORROW!

WHAT YOU ARE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS IS AN ACTUAL PICTURE OF THE RULERS OF TOMORROW! The central figure on the Throne and His officers will soon be governing not only your city, province, state or country--but the entire World! And all nations and peoples will recognise His authority and right to rule!

FOR THIS MAN IS NO ORDINARY PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER OR PREMIER!--But He is the one and only King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, the all-powerful Son of the Creator of the Universe!--Who has not only risen from the grave, forever conquering death, sin and evil, but will soon appear in the skies of the Earth "with power and great glory" to conquer the cruel and hateful forces that have almost destroyed this World, and to supernaturally rescue all of His children! (Mt.24:29-31)

WHEN HE RETURNS, ALL OF HIS SAVED CHILDREN WILL RECEIVE NEW, SUPERNATURAL, RESURRECTION BODIES! Those who have already died will be resurrected out of their graves, and all of those who are still alive will suddenly be transformed and have new super-bodies also! Then they'll all rise up from off the face of the Earth to join the Lord in the air! (1Thes.4:16,17)

THE KING WILL THEN TAKE THEM ALL TO A WONDERFUL PARTY IN HIS GIGANTIC HEAVENLY SPACE CITY, which will be floating nearby in the sky! (Rev.19:6-9) After the Party, Jesus and all of His resurrected children will return to Earth, charging down from the sky on great Heavenly horses, to fight and win a gigantic war known as the Battle of Armageddon! The armies of the soon-to-arise Antichrist and his One-World Government will be defeated and destroyed in this great battle! (Rev.19:11-21)

GOD'S KINGDOM WILL COME and HIS WILL WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN! For Jesus and all of God's children will then take over this World, to rule and run it the way it should have been run all along! In our new resurrection bodies we will be His supernatural officers and rulers, who will have all kinds of miraculous powers--like the angels of God! We'll know no more pain, hunger or weariness and will be able to fly back and forth to our great Heavenly Headquarters in the sky, which you can see floating above the Earth in the upper right hand corner of this picture! (Rev.21)

THE BIBLE SAYS, "BLESSED ARE THEY THAT TAKE PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION"--when Jesus returns and gathers His children together--"for they shall reign with Him a thousand years!" (Rev.20:6) This period will last for 1,000 years and is therefore known as the Millennium. The Devil and all of his followers will have been removed and the surviving peoples of the Earth will have the blessing of living under the most perfect government the World has ever known!

THERE WILL BE ENTIRE NATIONS OF PEOPLE REMAINING ON EARTH, normal, natural, flesh-and-blood people just like we are today! Although they weren't saved and so were not able to rise to be with the Lord when He returned, they weren't part of the evil Antichrist's forces either, so they survived the Battle of Armageddon and lived on into this wonderful time, when the Earth shall be restored to the beauty of the Garden of Eden!

THE KING OF KINGS IS GOING TO RETURN AND RECLAIM THAT WHICH IS RIGHTFULLY HIS!--And all Heaven will proclaim, "The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord!--And He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev.11:15) Jesus Christ is going to sit on His Throne and the World will know a perfect, fair, just and loving government at last!

TODAY'S LITTLE BANDS OF PERSECUTED TRUE CHRISTIANS and believers in God are going to inherit the entire Earth, and will run and govern it by love and the power of God! For they will not only rule with love, but also with a "rod of iron", which means a lot of power and authority to compel the nations to submit to the laws and ways of God. (Rev.2:26,27)

THERE WILL BE NO MORE CRIME, no more vice, no more drugs, no more riots and no more war!--Just total perfect peace under the powerful rule of the Lord in which His children will be His supermen with superpower!--Absolute Law and Order, with a fair and just sharing of the wealth and lands and goods for all!

THEN AND ONLY THEN, UNDER THE ALL-POWERFUL RULE AND REIGN OF CHRIST AND GOD'S CHILDREN, will all wars finally cease and men will "beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks, and they shall learn war no more!" (Isa.2:4) The cruel and wicked men of war will be stopped and God will "destroy them that destroy the Earth"! (Rev.11:18)

MAN'S CORRUPT AND UNJUST GOVERNMENTS WILL ALL BE SWEPT AWAY and there will be no more oppressed poor. It will truly be one World, ruled in Love by the King of Love, Jesus Christ Himself!--A beautiful, glorious, just and merciful reign of Heaven on Earth!

JESUS PROMISED TO ALL OF HIS FAITHFUL CHILDREN who "overcome" this corrupt World by believing in and loving Him, "To him that overcometh will I give power over the nations, and He shall sit with Me in My Throne!" (Rev.2:26; 3:21; 1Jn.5:4,5) Are you one of His saved children who will sit with Jesus, ruling and reigning on the Earth, like the happy beautiful saints in this picture?

TO BECOME ONE OF HIS SAVED CHILDREN, SIMPLY PRAY THIS LITTLE PRAYER: "Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God and that You died for me. I now ask You to please forgive me for all the wrong I've done and to please come into my heart and fill me with Your Love and give me Your free Gift of Eternal Life! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

THEN, ONCE YOU'VE RECEIVED JESUS, you can do your best for Him by helping others find and know Him too! His Word says that those who are faithful with a few things now will be trusted with many things and great responsibilities then! Will you be faithful to do the "few things" He asks you to do?

(This is just one of many posters that were distributed by the millions in the 1980's. Ed. Below are just a few quotes by David Berg.)

The Lord had to make it natural enough, similar enough to this present world in order that people could relate and learn anything in the next thousand years. That thousand years has a purpose. It's not just for floating around on clouds playing harps, but it's another grade, another step in both ours and the World's experience, a learning and educational process to prepare them for the next step and the Next World! (Here and Now for There and Then! 1981}

What a wonderful picture! to me it's thrilling to think we're not just going to be sitting around on clouds playing harps and doing nothing! But we are still engaged in the marvellous, thrilling, wonderful, soul-satisfying process of the redemption of man, of all men everywhere, the whole world for whom Jesus died! God's word says so, that He died for all men. "That all men might be saved!" (1Ti.2:4.) Even those who don't receive Him now but who will believe and receive Him later. (Space City! 1981)

It's thrilling to realise that we will still have a job to do and won't just be floating around on clouds playing harps and doing nothing, like some lazy churchy cartoonists imagine! There will be a whole World of people who will still be learning about the Lord and His Love and will be receiving healing and teaching from the Heavenly Saints! (Life in the 32nd Century! 1980's)

***

WND

2012 DOOMSDAY: IT'S NOT JUST MAYAN CLAIM

Countless cultures predict end-time scenario this year

Published: 17 hours ago

by JOE KOVACS

Is the pope who follows Benedict XVI the final pontiff when Jesus returns to Earth?

An author investigating ancient prophecies is again sounding the alarm about numerous predictions suggesting 2012 could be the beginning of the "end of the age" spoken of in the Holy Bible.

Last year, WND reported on Tom Horn's efforts to let everyone to know calendars besides the ancient Mayan one predict the demise of human civilization in 2012, and he claims a demonic plot bringing about the end date could be hiding in plain sight inside the U.S. Capitol.

He's now continuing his effort to publicize the matter with speeches across the nation, providing more possible clues into when apocalyptic prophesies of the Bible might be fulfilled with the "Second Coming" of Jesus to administer the kingdom of God on Earth.

In his latest book titled "Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope Is Here," Horn sheds light on ancient non-biblical prophecies from St. Malachy concerning the Catholic Church, and provides evidence the next pope, the one following Benedict XVI, is to be the final pontiff before the return of Jesus.

"As the legend goes," says Horn, "Malachy experienced what is today considered a famous vision commonly called 'The Prophecy of the Popes.' The prophecy is a list of Latin verses predicting each of the Roman Catholic popes from Pope Celestine II to the final pope, 'Peter the Roman,' whose reign would end in the destruction of Rome."

While the prophecy itself does not mention the year 2012, Horn says the Vatican's Jesuit mathematician and codebreaker Rene Thibaut wrote 61 years ago it would be fulfilled in 2012, and he adds current events at the Vatican "certainly point to the soon fulfillment of this prophecy."

When translated from Latin to English, the final segment of the prophecy reads: "In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the City of Seven Hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people."

Horn also points to 19th century collection titled "Lectures on the Revelation" by Rev. William J. Reid, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., which were given over a period of time ending in March 1876.

An excerpt from one of the lectures published in 1878 attempts to determine the official start of the papal system, combining both temporal and spiritual authority, and states: "If it began in the year 752, and if it is to continue for one thousand two hundred and sixty years, then it is to be destroyed in the year 2012."

"Keep in mind this was published in 1878!" exclaimed Horn. "What is it about this period of time we have entered? What is it about this period of time inaugurated in 2012 that has caught the attention of so many divergent traditions?"

The revelations about the final pope come in addition to Horn's exhaustive research into the Mayan and other calendars in his previous book "Apollyon Rising 2012."

He says he never actually had an interest in the Mayan calendar, which comes to a cyclical end on Dec. 21, 2012. But then he became aware of numerous unrelated calendars and prophecies spanning many centuries, all predicting the end of the current human age at this year's winter solstice.

"I started finding that it wasn't just the Maya," Horn told WND, noting prognostications from Jewish mystics, as well as the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Cherokee Indians, and even artwork among famous American symbols that all point to the same time frame.

Despite not having telescopes, the Mayan people of Central America were extremely accurate observers of celestial movements, with the zenith of their civilization occurring between A.D. 250 and 900.

"The Maya understood this procession of the equinox, basically not to end, but to roll over, to start over," in December 2012, Horn explained.

He says their prophets coupled that date "with prophecies of unrest on Earth after which a new form of man appears on Earth, plus the return of their dragon god, a flying serpent who has the power of air."

"The Aztec saw the same thing, a flying serpent, Quetzalcoatl," Horn said, adding, "their calendar ends in 2012."

He says the Kali Yuga calendar of the Hindus forecasts global changes around 2012, and China's "Book of Changes," also known as the "I-Ching," predicts the end for the same year.

A timeline graph created in 1973 based on China's Book of Changes, or I-Ching, shows the line plunging entirely off the graph precisely on Dec. 21, 2012.

Horn says 39 years ago, when scientists Terrence and Dennis McKenna created a stock-market-like linear graph based on the "I-Ching," the timeline abruptly plunged off the graph into infinity on precisely Dec. 21, 2012.

"This finding is all the more astonishing given that McKenna's research was published in 1973 independent of any knowledge of the ending date in the Mayan calendar," Horn noted.

Meanwhile, the Zohar, a collection of books in the mystical Jewish Kabbalah that first debuted in Spain in the 13th century, talks about the coming of the Messiah at the same general time the other calendars forecast the end.

It predicts in late 2012, "All the kings of the world will assemble in the great city of Rome, and the Holy One will shower on them fire and hail and meteoric stones until they are all destroyed, with the exception of those who will not yet have arrived there. These will commence anew to make other wars. From that time the Mashiach (Messiah) will begin to declare himself, and round him there will be gathered many nations and many hosts from the uttermost ends of the Earth."

Horn says, "Given the rejection of Jesus by orthodox Jews as Messiah, this coming could herald the coming of Antichrist in 2012."

What's perhaps most fascinating is Horn's discussion of what could be the mother of all conspiracy theories, dating back to the Bible's Book of Genesis, involving Noah's great grandson Nimrod, who not only built the famous Tower of Babel, but is the "mighty hunter" who scholars believe became worshipped as the sun god, with names such as Osiris in Egypt and Apollo in Greece.

Horn says from deepest antiquity, a plot involving pagan sun-worshippers, America's Founding Fathers have apparently been in the works, culminating in the end time with the return or resurrection of an evil, supernatural being. That character may actually be pictured as the all-seeing eye on top of the uncapped pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States, found on the back of a $1 bill.

Does the image on the back of the $1 bill have anything to do with the Second Coming of Jesus?

Others have speculated the eye on top of the pyramid could be a representation of Jesus Christ, since the Bible notes, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone." (Psalm 118:22 New International Version).

The date at the base of the pyramid is 1776, which is not only the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, but also the beginning of a new Mayan "katun," a time period of 19.7 years. If each of the 13 levels of the pyramid on the Great Seal represents one of these time periods, the top level would mark the year 2012.

The Latin phrase "Novus ordo seclorum" is part of the American seal, and translates to "New order of the ages," which some fear is what many U.S. presidents, including George Herbert Walker Bush, allude to when they use the phrase, "New World Order."

Other strange connections to the United States include the Frieze of American History, a painted panorama at the U.S. Capitol.

Among the artwork is "Cortez and Montezuma at Mexican Temple" by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi.

Montezuma is shown gesturing to the sacred fire with a serpent wrapped around it. According to the Aztec calendar, the fire is predicted to burn out on Dec. 21, 2012.

It depicts Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico, entering the Aztec temple in 1519. He's welcomed by Emperor Montezuma II, who thought Cortez was a god.

"Montezuma's hand is pointing directly down at the sacred fire, which, in point of fact, goes out ... Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the calendar," Horn noted.

Also featured in the frieze is the Aztec calendar stone, and the sun god Tonatiuh, to whom pagan priests had 80,000 people sacrificed in the year of 1487 alone.

"Hiding in plain sight is the god who demands human sacrifice," said Horn.

He says another high-profile piece that may hold end-time clues is the famous painting in the Rotunda of the Capitol, titled "The Apotheosis of George Washington." The word "apotheosis" means to deify or elevate to divine status, and Washington is depicted being resurrected and becoming divine.

The U.S. Capitol Rotunda features "The Apotheosis of George Washington," with America's first president becoming glorified as a god, along with numerous pagan gods.

But Horn notes in "Apollyon Rising 2012:.

Those who believe the United States was founded on Christianity and visit the Capitol for the first time will be surprised by the stark contrast to historic Christian artwork of the ascension of Jesus Christ compared to the "heaven" George Washington rises into from within the energized Capitol Dome/womb of Isis. It is not occupied by angels, but with devils and pagan deities important to Masonic belief. These include Hermes, Neptune, Venus (Isis), Ceres, Minerva, and Vulcan (Satan), of course, the son of Jupiter and Juno to which human sacrifices are made.

Horn says the symbolism in the painting associated with the deeply rooted idea that chosen humans are selected by supernatural forces, and their earthly kingdoms are formed and guided by these pagan gods.

Washington was himself a Mason, and, according to the book "The Age of Washington" by George W. Nordham, the president was dressed in Masonic attire as he laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 18, 1793.

When it comes to biblical references to the end, a central theme is that Jesus Christ will be returning to Earth in what is often referred to as the "Second Coming" to administer the kingdom of God. While Scripture does not provide a specific date for "the day of the Lord" as it's often called, it does suggest everyone be ready at all times, because His return would come suddenly, like "a thief in the night," and Jesus Himself warned to "be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:44 New King James Version)

The 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew features Jesus answering his apostles' questions about signs of His coming and the end of the current age, and Jesus provides a laundry list of events including wars and rumors of wars, false Christs, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and great tribulation, with many believers being slain.

Jesus noted, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14 King James Version)

He also said: "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about - the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place." (Reader, pay attention!) "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills." (Matthew 24:15-16 New Living Translation)

This reference to the "Holy Place" has many believing that a new temple of God will have to be constructed in Jerusalem before Jesus' return.

Some Christians, such as Noel Hornor of the Good News Magazine, think the 2012 prognostications are the result of misplaced fears and reliance on pagan systems rather than the Bible itself.

Hornor writes: "Yes, Dec. 21, 2012, will come and go, Dec. 22 will arrive, and the Earth will go on. And so will new theories regarding new exact dates for the end of the world. The cry has been shouted by strident voices for millennia, and you can be sure it will continue."

As for Tom Horn, he says he never places any pagan prophecy ahead of the Bible, but just wonders why so many different and unrelated civilizations talk about the end of days in December 2012.

"I would not say that I'm yet convinced that 2012 will be anything more than the next Y2K," he said, referring to the misplaced hysteria about the world coming to an end when 1999 turned into 2000.

"It's very easy to take extraordinary circumstances to interpret in Bible prophecy, and then it doesn't develop. There were lots of reasons to believe Hitler was the Antichrist. He wasn't. He was an antichrist, but not the Antichrist."

The Telegraph

Debt crisis: Greece to run out of money by August 20

Greece may run out of money and go bankrupt by Aug 20, a British government analysis of the ongoing eurozone crisis has warned.

A protester raises a Greek flag in front of the parliament building in Athens during an anti-austerity rally Photo: REUTERS

By Robert Winnett, Political Editor

24 Jul 2012

The beleaguered country will have to refinance billions of euros worth of government bonds in less than a month and requires international assistance -- which may not be forthcoming -- to repay the money.

International inspectors arrived back in Greece on Tuesday to assess the country's austerity programme with European officials warning that it was "hugely off track".

David Cameron is now receiving daily written updates on the deteriorating situation and was warned earlier this week that a Greek bankruptcy in the next month is now a serious possibility.

Official economic figures to be published today are expected to show that Britain suffered from a third successive quarter of negative economic growth -- suggesting that the country is still in recession. If the figures are negative, it will be the longest double-dip recession for more than 50 years.

Ministers are expected to blame the continuing economic turmoil in Europe for this country's failure to recover from the last slump.

One senior source said: "Europe is now paralysing almost every economic initiative.

"The daily analysis of the situation is filled with doom and gloom. Spain is in turmoil and Greece may run out of money by Aug 20."

The crisis has dropped down the political agenda in this country, but behind the scenes it is still the major issue facing Whitehall officials and the Prime Minister as problems once again come to a head.

International Monetary Fund experts arrived back in Greece this week but may be reluctant to authorise the release of further funds to the new government without seeing evidence that the country's austerity programme is progressing.

There are also growing fears that Spain will soon need a full-scale bail-out after its government borrowing costs rose above seven per cent this week. Reports in Spain on Tuesday said the country had not ruled out leaving the euro.

The cost of Italian borrowing has also risen to the highest level since Mario Monti took over from Silvio Berlusconi as the country's prime minister last autumn.

On Tuesday, credit ratings agency Moody's warned that it may cut the creditworthiness of Germany amid renewed concerns it will have to bail out southern European countries.

The eurozone crisis is entering a dangerous new phase as most European leaders are preparing for lengthy summer breaks. Mr Cameron is expected to be on holiday on Aug 20 and now faces the prospect of a second successive interrupted summer break.

On Tuesday, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader on a visit to Paris to meet François Hollande, the new French President, suggested that an emergency European summit may be necessary.

Mr Miliband said: "I think it is very, very important for countries to work together not just at each summit but between summits. It is a grave and urgent situation we are seeing in Europe and it can't simply wait until the next summit in October."

Spain is now widely expected by City experts to require a full-scale international bail-out, following the recent assistance offered to its banks. "It's a desperate situation they're in and markets are slowly closing to them so I don't think there's much doubt they'll need an international package at some point soon," said Robin Marshall, a director of Smith & Williamson Investment Management.

European officials said yesterday that a visit to Greece by international inspectors was likely to conclude that the country was unable to repay its debts, despite a previous restructuring programme. The IMF and EU are likely to face trying to renegotiate the deal with Greece, a move likely to be resisted by some countries.

"Greece is hugely off track," said one European official. "The debt-sustainability analysis will be pretty terrible."

"Nothing has been done in Greece for the past three or four months ... the situation just goes from bad to worse, and with it the debt ratio."

***

The Wall Street Journal

Breaking- Former CEO & Chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Arrested in Ireland

25 July 2012 08:10

'The Irish proved today they are serious about investigating and prosecuting banking crime perpetrated in the lead up to the financial crisis of 2008.

The former Chief Executive and Chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Seán FitzPatrick was arrested at 5:30am local time this morning in Ireland as he departed his flight from the US.

FitzPatrick appeared in court in Dublin later Tuesday, charged in connection with financial irregularities at the bank. FitzPatrick was charged with 16 offenses under Section 60 of the Companies Act.'

MailOnline

Call me a prophet of doom if you want, but Europe's meltdown isn't a recession - it's a coming depression

By MITCH FEIERSTEIN

PUBLISHED: 25 July 2012

Those financial forecasters, like myself, who take a generally dark view of world affairs are known by a number of monikers: prophets of doom, killjoys, pessimists, Cassandras. And that last one is interesting.

Cassandra, in ancient Greek myth, was the daughter of King Priam of Troy. After Helen, she was considered the most beautiful woman on earth. Curly red hair, blue eyes, fair skin. (I know: she sounds more Irish than Turkish, but work with me.) Because of her beauty, the god Apollo fell in love with her and gave her the gift of prophecy. When she did not return his love – always a dangerous game when dating a god – he cursed her, ensuring no one would ever believe her prophecies.

But Cassandra saw it all coming: the Trojan war, the Trojan horse, the fall of the city and the slaughter of its citizens. She explained clearly and repeatedly what was happening. And no one believed her. Even after her early forecasts had proved to be bang on the money, still no one believed her. Even as the Trojan horse, bursting at the joins with Greek soldiers, trundled up to the gates of Troy, no one believed her.

Greece: We can't see the 10-year depression just yet - but that doesn't mean it's not coming

So Cassandra feels like a good term to apply to people like me. (I’ve never been wooed by a goddess and cruel observers might suggest I’m very slightly past my physical peak, but I’m trying to focus on the prophesy side of things here. Work with me, folks.)

I’ve said for ages that the euro will fail, that the countries of the Mediterranean are bankrupt, that Germany doesn’t have the resources to fill the void, and that the Western world is entering not a recession, but a depression: a huge, 10-year, economic slump.

And here we are. If you look outside the city gates right now, I think you’ll find a giant wooden horse with a trapdoor in its belly. Because I’m a Cassandra, you won’t believe me of course, but I’ll give it a try anyway. That’s what I’m fated to do.

So number one, the interest rates on Spanish government debt are now heading up towards 8%. If you want to borrow money from the bank, you can likely do it cheaper than that. You personally may have a better credit rating than the Spanish government right now. In any case, a government can’t pay those punitive rates when its debt is gaping, its deficit out of control, and its economy in recession.

There’s muttering about a €300 billion bailout, which would keep Spain away from the financial markets for three years, but so what? For reasons I’m about to come to, I don’t think such a bailout could possibly happen, but even if it did, so what? Spain’s problem is too much debt piled onto a creaky economy. That €300 billion ‘bailout’ wouldn’t be a gift, it would be a loan. The solution to too much debt is not more debt. (And, for that matter, Mr King, the solution to weak money is not to print an endless supply of the stuff.) Naturally a giant bailout would kick the problem down the road, but bankruptcy is bankruptcy no matter when you meet it.

That’s point one. Point two is that Germany (and creditworthy northern Europe in general) is coming to the end of its borrowing capacity. There’s no reason at all why the German government should fail to meet its obligations, but it can’t be the Atlas that shoulders all the burdens of its southern neighbours too.

The ratings agencies have noticed this. Germany is now on credit watch for possible downgrade. If Germany commits to a monster bailout of Spain (not directly, of course, but via some Euro acronym), that downgrade would happen faster than Helmut Kohl could guzzle a schnitzel. Because Germany knows this, and because its citizens know it, those German purse strings are going to be drawn ever tighter as eurozone discussions progress. And quite right too. Germans have worked hard to restrain wage costs, export goods, innovate new products, and boost productivity. There’s no reason on earth why the fruit of those efforts should be handed out to economies which have steered a very different course.

Germany is now on credit watch for a possible downgrade. No wonder Angela Merkel is showing the strain

Point three: the terrible data, released today, about the British recession. I said we were in recession back in autumn last year. (No one believed me but, hey, I’m used to it.) And now we find that we’ve actually had three successive quarters of recession, with the last quarter the worse of the lot. Even if things turn up – and, pardon me for asking, but do you see any grounds for optimism right now? – we’ve still experienced the worst recession in British economic history. Not a bit worse than the Great Depression but, by now, very significantly worse.

Like I say, I’ve been saying all this for a while. Me and Cassandra both. The Greeks are coming. There’s going to be war. It’ll last for ten years. That wooden horse looks mighty iffy to me. 

And no one listens. Maybe it’s nothing to do with being cursed by a God. Maybe it’s just the way with people who tell the truths that people don’t want to hear. But we Cassandras just go on prophesying anyway. There’s a big storm coming and it’s about to strike.

Mitch Feierstein is CEO of Glacier Environmental Fund and author of Planet Ponzi: How bankers and politicians stole your future

***

CNN

Moody's puts Germany on notice

By James O'Toole @CNNMoneyInvest

July 24, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Moody's cut the outlook on Germany's prized Aaa credit rating from "stable" to "negative" Monday. The move could precede a full-blown downgrade, which would mark a grim turn for a country long thought of as a bulwark of financial stability in Europe.

The rating agency also revised the outlooks on the Aaa ratings of the Netherlands and Luxembourg from "stable" to negative." Finland maintained its Aaa rating and stable outlook.

Moody's said the revisions for the three countries were prompted by "the rising uncertainty regarding the outcome of the euro area debt crisis" and the "increasing likelihood that greater collective support for other euro area sovereigns, most notably Spain and Italy, will be required."

The possibility of a Greek exit from the euro, Moody's said, could threaten banks throughout the eurozone. German banks also have significant exposure to other struggling countries on the continent, particularly Italy and Spain, the agency added.

Even if the monetary union remains intact, Moody's said Germany, as the eurozone's largest economy, will likely bear an increased financial burden as further bailout funds are required.

"We reiterate our strong commitment to ensure the stability of the euro area as a whole," said Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker, following Moody's actions.

Stocks fell globally on Monday amid fears that Spain may need an expanded bailout package. The yield on 10-year Spanish bonds shot up Monday to a euro-era record of 7.565%, a level widely considered unsustainable.

Fellow ratings agency Standard & Poor's has Germany rated AAA with a stable outlook.

***

Capital

Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" Monday evening, the latest stop in his post-Aurora gun-control tour.

BY DANA RUBINSTEIN

Jul. 23, 20121

"I don't understand why the police officers across this country don't stand up collectively and say, 'We're gonna go on strike," said the mayor. "'We're not gonna protect you, unless you, the public, through your legislature, do what's required to keep us safe.'"

The mayor is not generally a great advocate of collective organizing, or of labor actions by first responders, but he was attempting to make a point forcefully.

Bloomberg has made tighter gun control one of his chief policy objectives at the national level to the extent that he's now perceived by some as the very face of gun control. And he has been the single loudest proponent of new gun restrictions since the latest Colorado massacre, much as he made himself available to the national media after the Trayvon Martin shooting.

Activist Post

The New York Times Admits That Virtually Every Major News Organization Allows The News To Be Censored By Government Officials

Michael Snyder, Contributor

In one of the most shocking articles that the New York Times has ever put out, a New York Times reporter has openly admitted that virtually every major mainstream news organization allows government bureaucrats and campaign officials to censor their stories.  For example, almost every major news organization in the country has agreed to submit virtually all quotes from anyone involved in the Obama campaign or the Romney campaign to gatekeepers for "quote approval" before they will be published.  If the gatekeeper in the Obama campaign does not want a certain quote to get out, the American people will not see it, and the same thing applies to the Romney campaign.  The goal is to keep the campaigns as "on message" as possible and to avoid gaffes at all cost.  But this kind of thing is not just happening with political campaigns.  According to the New York Times, "quote approval" has become "commonplace throughout Washington".  In other words, if you see a quote in the newspaper from someone in the federal government then it is safe to say that a gatekeeper has almost certainly reviewed that quote and has approved it.  This is another sign that "the free and independent media" in this country is a joke.  What we get from the mainstream media is a very highly filtered form of propaganda, and that is one reason why Americans are turning away from the mainstream media in droves.  People want the truth, and more Americans than ever realize that they are not getting it from the mainstream media.

The following quote comes from the recent article in the New York Times mentioned above and it is absolutely jaw dropping....

The quotations come back redacted, stripped of colorful metaphors, colloquial language and anything even mildly provocative.

They are sent by e-mail from the Obama headquarters in Chicago to reporters who have interviewed campaign officials under one major condition: the press office has veto power over what statements can be quoted and attributed by name.

Most reporters, desperate to pick the brains of the president's top strategists, grudgingly agree. After the interviews, they review their notes, check their tape recorders and send in the juiciest sound bites for review.

The verdict from the campaign -- an operation that prides itself on staying consistently on script -- is often no, Barack Obama does not approve this message.

This is an article that everyone needs to read. 

What all of this means is that both the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign essentially have "veto power" over any quotes from those campaigns that we see in the newspapers.

According to the New York Times, virtually every major news organization has agreed to submit their quotes for "quote approval"....

It was difficult to find a news outlet that had not agreed to quote approval, albeit reluctantly. Organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Reuters and The New York Times have all consented to interviews under such terms.

This is absolutely disgusting, and it goes against everything that our media is supposed to stand for.

The following is what Joseph Farah had to say when he learned about this story....

All I can say about these people I once considered "colleagues" is that I am so ashamed of them. I am mortified. They are humiliating themselves and a vital institution for any free society.

It seems the biggest threat to the American tradition of a free and independent press is not government coercion. It's the willing submission of the press to being handled and managed by government and politicians.

Keep in mind that Joseph Farah has been working in the world of journalism for decades.  He is deeply saddened to see what is happening to a profession that he deeply loves.

But he is not the only one.

Just check out what Dan Rather had to say during a speech back in 2009....

"At my age and stage I've finally reached the point where I don't have to kiss up to anybody," he said. "What a wonderful feeling it is."

Even so, his talk emphasized what he believes is the erosion of quality journalism, because of the corporatization, politicization, and "trivialization" of news. Those three factors, Rather argued, have fueled the "dumbing down and sleezing up of news" and the decline of "great American journalism."

Likening media consolidation to that of the banking industry, Rather claimed that "roughly 80 percent" of the media is controlled by no more than six, and possibly as few as four, corporations.

And Dan Rather is right.  The control over the media in the United States is more tightly concentrated than ever before.

Back in the early 1980s, approximately 50 corporations essentially had nearly total control of the media in the United States.

Today, just six monolithic media corporations dominate virtually everything you watch, hear and read.

These six gigantic corporations own television networks, publishing houses, movie studios, newspapers, radio stations, music labels and video game companies.  Most Americans are absolutely addicted to information and entertainment, and those six massive corporations supply the vast majority of the information and entertainment that Americans take in.

The amount of control that those six corporate giants have is absolutely incredible.  For example, the average American watches 153 hours of television a month.  If you can beam 153 hours of "programming" into someone's head each month, that gives you an awesome amount of influence over that person.

The six monolithic corporations mentioned above are Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., CBS Corporation and NBC Universal.

There are some areas of the media that are not completely dominated by those corporations, but even control over those areas is becoming more highly concentrated than ever.

For example, Clear Channel now owns over 1000 radio stations across the United States.  The power that Clear Channel has over the radio industry in America is absolutely staggering.

Even control over the Internet is becoming much more concentrated.  Giant corporations such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are increasingly controlling what we see and hear online.

But it really is the "big six" that dominate most of what we see, hear and read on a daily basis.

***

MailOnline

What's in there? Scientists fascinated after Nasa orbiter photographs open crater leading into underground cavern on Mars

Hole was discovered by chance on images of dusty slopes of Pavonis Mons volcano

Image taken by HiRISE instrument aboard robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

19 July 2012

Nasa scientists are baffled as to what - or maybe even who? - created this unusual hole on the surface of Mars.

The hole was discovered by chance on images of the dusty slopes of the Red Planet's Pavonis Mons volcano.

It appears to be an opening to an underground cavern, partly illuminated to the right of the opening.

A hole in Mars: The opening was discovered by chance on images of the dusty slopes of the Red Planet's Pavonis Mons volcano

Analysis of this and follow-up images revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across.

The interior shadow angle indicates that the underlying cavern is roughly 20 meters deep.

Why there is a circular crater surrounding this hole remains a topic of speculation, as is the full extent of the underlying cavern.

Holes such as this are of particular interest because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life.

These pits are therefore prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers. 

The images were taken by the HiRISE instrument aboard the robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars.

CNN

Grand Canyon-sized valley found beneath Antarctica

British researchers say they've discovered a massive rift valley beneath the Antarctic ice sheet that rivals the Grand Canyon in depth and is contributing to ice loss on the continent.

“If you stripped away all of the ice here today, you’d see a feature every bit as dramatic as the huge rift valleys you see in Africa and in size as significant as the Grand Canyon," the lead researcher, Robert Bingham, a glaciologist at the University of Aberdeen, said in a press release.

Fausto Ferraccioli, Bingham's co-author and geophysicist from British Antarctic Survey, said the valley allows warmer ocean waters to contact glacial ice, contributing to the melting seen on the continent.

“What this study shows is that this ancient rift basin, and the others discovered under the ice that connect to the warming ocean, can influence contemporary ice flow and may exacerbate ice losses by steering coastal changes further inland,” Ferraccioli said.

The work of the researchers was reported this week in the journal Nature.

The valley is in West Antarctica, which is losing ice faster than other parts of the continent, the researchers say.

“Thinning ice in West Antarctica is currently contributing nearly 10% of global sea level rise. It’s important to understand this hot spot of change so we can make more accurate predictions for future sea level rise,” David Vaughan, of the British Antarctic Survey's Ice2sea program, said.

The researchers came across the valley, which lies below the Ferrigno Ice Stream, in 2010 during three months of fieldwork on Antarctic ice loss. The area had not been explored in five decades.

“For some of the glaciers, including Ferrigno Ice Stream, the losses are especially pronounced, and, to understand why, we needed to acquire data about conditions beneath the ice surface,” Bingham said in the University of Aberdeen release.

The team used ice-penetrating radar over a 1,500-mile flat stretch of ice sheet, an effort that revealed the massive valley.

“What we found is that lying beneath the ice there is a large valley, parts of which are approximately a mile deeper than the surrounding landscape," Bingham said.

In comparison, the Grand Canyon falls off 7,000 feet, or 2,100 meters, at its south rim in Arizona, according to the National Park Service.

***

NaturalSociety

Turmeric a 'Superfood Secret' for Healthy Fat Loss

Anthony Gucciardi - -

July 19, 2012

A super spice known for its numerous anti-cancer properties and an impressive ability to positively influence over 586 diseases according to peer-reviewed research from leading universities, turmeric may also be one of the most powerful substances when it comes to healthy fat loss. Over 1,543 scientific journal entries are now centered around turmeric's beneficial properties, but a bounty of new research is now hitting the limelight that demonstrates how this powerful spice can actually serve to combat unwanted fat by conquering insulin resistance and blood glucose levels alike.

The fat-vanquishing nature of turmeric and curcumin (a compound within turmeric that is believed to be responsible for many of its benefits) has even generated significant interest within the mainstream medical establishment. Looking to capitalize on the fact that turmeric is increasingly being known as a whole body solution to a number of issues, researchers are now seeking harder than ever to essentially 'pharma-tize' turmeric into a pharmaceutical-type drug in which major drug titans can patent as sell off at a premium price to suffering patients.

Peer-Reviewed Research Highlights the Role of Turmeric in Healthy Fat Loss

Thankfully, you don't need to purchase expensive patented pharmaceutical drugs to enjoy the benefits of turmeric spice. Research is continually finding that both inexpensive high quality liquid extracts of turmeric as well as the actual food product itself are both readily available and powerful obesity fighters. In one such study from the Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, it was found that turmeric can even 'counter' the negative effects of a 'junk food' diet.

Amazingly, the study found that curcumin (once again, a compound within turmeric found in extracts and the food itself) consumption directly decreased levels of insulin resistance and leptin resistance -- two factors heavily linked to fat gain. In the conclusion of the research, study authors state:

"By diminishing the sediment of fat, relaxing the lymphatic return, and refraining the apoptosis of beta cells, the curcumin might significantly decrease the level of insulin resistance and leptin resistance caused by the high fat diet."

More than 13 other peer-reviewed studies have also reached similar conclusions, finding that turmeric intake is directly associated with increased healthy fat loss and decreased insulin issues. What's more, the spice does not come with the harsh side effects that come along with the use of historically-dangerous diet drugs. Instead of resorting to such drugs, try adding turmeric into your daily lifestyle.

***

Sitting Now

Ken Eakins

I heard about this release ages ago, but then it seemed to vanish of the map completely. Happily then, Aleister Crowley: Wandering The Waste, will finally see a release next year. On his Paroneiria blog, Martin Hayes writes:

It makes me immensely happy to report that my old pal and cohort Roy Huteson Stewart has recommenced work on our graphic novel Aleister Crowley: Wandering the Waste. Contracts have been signed with Markosia and it's all systems go. All we need to do now is finish the bloody thing.

The road has not been easy but at last it looks as though we'll see this book on shelves before we're all dead and rotting in the ground. It's nearly two years since Crowley was supposed to be completed and published. It seems longer that that, since the original publisher collapsed in a wholly avoidable and bile-filled fashion, since my first trip to a lawyer's office, since the long and tedious exchange of emails with a worm masquerading as a man. But that's all in the past. And we're back on track. And we will finish this awful cloying bastard of a book.

If all goes to plan Crowley will launch at 2013's Kapow! comic convention in London.

The book will be '100 pages of actual comic', and will include relevant quotes from Crowley and his peers, as well as a 17,000 word appendix to the chapters.

***

WPTV.com

Colorado theater shooting victims vigil angel? Woman says photo shows angel over vigil

Crystal Fuller says this photo she took after the vigil for the shooting rampage victims in Aurora, Colo., shows an angel in the clouds above the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday, July 22, 2012. - Photographer: YouReporter: Crystal -

Posted: 07/23/2012 -

By: Mike Waterhouse, newsnet5.com

AURORA, Colo. - A woman snapped a photo that shows what she said is an angel in the clouds above the vigil site for the Colorado theater rampage victims. - - Crystal Fuller took the photo after the vigil was finished Sunday night, but said she didn't notice the image of the angel right away. - - "I noticed it afterwards. I had it posted and said crazy cloud.... one of my friends, Barbara Masias, said it's an angel and I saw it!" said Fuller.. - - The shape of the angel in the clouds appears directly above the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, she said.

The vigil was held to remember the 12 killed in the shooting that happened at the theater Friday morning. - - YouReporter Crystal Fuller took the angel photo for our Scripps' sister station.

***

Until next week...keep on believing.

Almondtree Productions

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
(Psalms 91:11)