“He that dwells in the help of the Highest, shall sojourn under the shelter of the God of heaven.”
(Psalm 91:1)

Shall Sojourn

Dear Friends,

Greetings! Rahm Israel Enamuel former White House Chief of Staff in the first Obama administration and present mayor of Chicago is quoted as saying “You don’t ever want a crisis to go to waste; it’s an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid.” – Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel and his associates must be working overtime to make sure the current plethora of crisis are not wasted with the multiple opportunities they present to accomplish a multitude of “important things”.

One “important thing” that was recently accomplished was President Obama signing an Executive Order giving the government the power to take into custody and confine for as long as they deem necessary anyone who has any kind of 'respiratory' problem. Think Ebola. See more on this below.

Makes you wonder what other “important” things will be accomplished with the number of crisis happening currently around the world. The rise of the man of sin “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 It will remain to be seen.

It has been said, and we have quoted it on occasion, that almost the Devils total power is in fear. Fear is the opposite of faith and “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

So, we know that God does not want us to fear because “fear hath torment” and God does not want us to be in torment because He loves us. The Bible tells us God loves us. John 3:16

It is not that we won't be tempted to fear but faith dispels fear. How do we get and grow our faith? Paul was pretty clear about this in Romans 10:17. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

What about the Middle East, what about the Ukraine, what about the coming financial crash and what about Ebola?

The following verses are from Psalm 91. We have previously posted parts of this Psalm before, but this time we are using the Septuagint version.

“He that dwells in the help of the Highest, shall sojourn under the shelter of the God of heaven. He shall say to the Lord, Thou art my helper and my refuge: my God; I will hope in him. For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters, from every troublesome matter. He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders, and thou shalt trust under his wings: his truth shall cover thee with a shield. Thou shalt not be afraid of terror by night; nor of the arrow flying by day; nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness; nor of calamity, and the evil spirit at noon-day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”

Below is a link to a small booklet called The Memory Book. In it are verses under several headings that could prove to be a help now and in the future. You can open it on line or download it to your computer.

In the times we are now living and with the future racing towards us when “men's hearts (will be) failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” some of the verses in this booklet could prove to be a help and comfort in the days ahead.

Have a great week and let's not allow the articles below to cause us fear.

Remember, praise is the voice of faith!

Click to View PDF online
or Right-click to Download PDF.

The Memory Book

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WND

U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY ANNOYED BY BLOOD MOONS, SUPERMOON

'There's a part of me that wishes this would just dry up and blow away'

Published: August 8, 2014

Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory says he’d be just as happy if the terms “supermoon” and “Blood Moon” would go away.

This year’s second supermoon is looming this weekend.

“There’s a part of me that wishes that this ‘Supermoon’ moniker would just dry up and blow away, like the ‘Blood Moon’ that accompanied the most recent lunar eclipse, because it tends to promulgate a lot of misinformation,” Chester said in a Science NASA report. “However, if it gets people out and looking at the night sky and maybe hooks them into astronomy, then it’s a good thing.”

On the other hand, Pastor Mark Biltz, author of “Blood Moons” and the inspiration for a documentary movie of the same name, sees the names as significant.

He wants people to pay attention to the “signs in the sun, moon and stars” promised in the Bible and try to understand what they mean.

“As calamities around the globe mount and things seem to be unsettled on every front, I hope we will remember that it is a God of grace who warns and signals and is calling people to His nail pierced hand that is stretched out still,” he explained in a newsletter.

“The Lord is surely speaking. Are we rejoicing that God warns us in these amazing signs in the heavens? Are we listening and watching and praying and warning and teaching others the things we have been taught? It is time,” he said.

The weekend’s supermoon, on Sunday, derives its name from the fact that it will become full the same hour as perigee, the point at which it’s closest to Earth.

The moon appears to vary in size because of its oval orbit. When in perigee, the moon is some 30,000 miles closer to earth than when it is at its furthest point, its apogee.

On Sunday, the moon will be 863 miles closer than the last supermoon in July. Unlike solar eclipses and other celestial treats, supermoons occur every 13 months and 18 days. The last time a supermoon made headlines was in June last year, when it appeared to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.

Chester said such supermoons create an illusion that the satellite is huge, especially when seen through trees, buildings or other foreground objects.

“I guarantee that some folks will think it’s the biggest moon they’ve ever seen if they catch it rising over a distant horizon, because the media will have told them to pay attention to this particular one,” said Chester.

Denver meteorologist Chris Sperase said the moon will be 221,931 miles above Denver.

Earthsky.org reported another effect is that the tides will be higher than usual.

Sunday’s event is the second of three such supermoons this summer – in July, August and September.

Biltz and his team at El Shaddai Ministries want believers to take these signs in the heavens to heart.

His “Blood Moons,” released by WND Books in March, was accompanied by a documentary. It documents the extraordinary chain of events in the heavens that began this past Passover, April 14.

It’s called a “Blood Moon tetrad,” an astronomical series of lunar eclipses that has occurred previously, according to NASA. But there’s something very different about this series, because the eclipses occur on the biblical holidays of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot.

When tetrads have occurred in the past on these holidays observed by Jews around the world, and an increasing number of Christians as well, they have coincided with momentous events in the history of the Jewish people. The 1967 Six-Day War and the 1948 resurrection of the nation of Israel are two examples.

The eclipses are called “Blood Moons” because of the reddish tint the atmosphere gives it.

Biltz believes that to understand the timing of the Lord, one has to understand the seasons of the Lord, the feasts of the Lord and the calendar of the Lord.

Biltz is a well-known commentator on the feasts of the Lord who has spoken in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and throughout the United States.

“All these signs, coming together at one time, are potentially the culminating signals that God is closing this chapter of human history,” Biltz said. “This could be the final curtain call before the Great Tribulation mentioned in the Bible. God has always wanted to warn His people, and the rest of the world, before He intervenes. What better way to communicate to us than through the universal language of heavenly signs that speak to every tribe, tongue, and nation?”

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:31).

In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light … And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29-30).

In July, the first of this year’s three supermoons was observed.

Biltz, of El Shaddai Ministries in Tacoma, Washington, points out that in Genesis, God said He created the sun and the moon for signals about coming events.

“Are we watching?” he asks.

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WND

CROWD-FUNDING EXCITES PLANS FOR 3RD TEMPLE

$19,000 already committed for 1st step in holy venture

Published: August 5, 2014

BOB UNRUH

Will the Third Temple look like this?

Internet fundraiser Indiegogo regularly is used to fund films, albums and businesses.

“The funding from the campaign allowed us to scale up our business venture and connect with our first 1,200 customers in more than 25 countries around the world,” said a testimonial by Ann Stork of the solar light company Luminaid.

It also is being used by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem to raise $100,000 for drawings and plans for the Third Temple.

As in the end times are here Third Temple. As in the anti-Christ arrives. As in nations coalescing against Israel. Remember all those biblical references?

And it’s working.

As of Tuesday afternoon, almost $19,000 of a goal of $100,000 over two months already has been pledged.

The campaign by the institute, which has been working for decades to rebuild and assemble all the tools and equipment that would be needed for a Temple, is posted under the headline, “Don’t make history. Make the future. Build the Temple.”

“Are you ready for the peace we all long for in the Middle East?” it asks. “The Third Temple in Jerusalem will be the House of Prayer for all nations. Every prophet of Israel, without exception, prophesied that the Temple would be rebuilt, ushering a new era of universal harmony and peace. The ‘movement’ to rebuild the Holy Temple was born almost 2,000 years ago, at the moment of the Second Temple’s Destruction.”

The institute, a research organization located in the Old City, already has re-created about 60 of the sacred Temple vessels that would be used in worship. They include the high priests’ breastplate featuring the 12 precious stones representing the tribes of Israel, a half-ton golden menorah and the musical instrument of the choir.

“Now is time for one of its most ambitious projects yet: completing architectural plans for the actual construction, fusing ancient texts and modern technology. While strictly adhering to the religious requirements set forth in Biblical texts, the Third Temple will also be equipped with every modern amenity: full computerization, underground parking, temperature control, elevators, docks for public transportation, wheelchair access, and much more,” the promotion explains.

“It is not enough to wait and pray for the Third Temple. It is a biblical obligation to build it.”

There are participation levels from $18 to $50,000. At the top end a donor would get an exclusive preview of the architectural plans with Rabbi Chaim Richman, a tour of the Temple Mount and a visit to the institute’s visitor center.

“The Temple Institute has engaged an architect to map out the modern Third Temple’s construction. Your contribution will go towards completing this ambitious project and the continued research and development which will make the Third Temple a reality.”

The promotional is on video:

Israel Today reported the Third Temple is the answer to the “ceasefires, truces and bilateral agreements” that never will “bring the peace most people in the Middle East desire.”

According to TempleMount.org, the First Temple was built about 952 B.C. by Solomon, and it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar after several hundred years.

The Second Temple followed in about 516 B.C., and it lasted through Jesus’ ministry on earth.

“The regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland in our time (as predicted for example in Ezekiel 37) is being accompanied by a rapidly accelerating religious consciousness in Israel, the awakening of ancient longings and aspirations and the rediscovery of many immutable promises God has made to the chosen seed of Abraham. The fact that a Third Temple is to be built can be shown from the Tanach. But three passages in the New Testament also refer to such a building not now in existence as of this writing in 1996 AD. Many Christians have thus speculated in recent years about when the Third Temple would be built. This is considered by many to be an important milestone pointing to the end of the age,” it reports.

The institute also describes how the time is now:

The report continued: “Jesus spoke of the Third Temple building in Jerusalem when discussing with his disciples the chain of events that would bring the close of the present age and his return. He spoke of an event yet future predicted by Daniel the prophet when the temple in Jerusalem would suffer ultimate defilement by a false Messiah who claimed to be God.”

The account is in Matthew 24:15-21: “So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”

There have been many signs that Jews have waited on for their Temple, including one on which WND reported only weeks ago, a red heifer.

The presence of a red heifer is required in the book of Numbers, chapter 19, for the purification that is essential before worship.

The institute recently posted a video showing what appears to be a perfect red heifer that is being raised at an unidentified location in the United States.

“In truth, the fate of the entire world depends on the red heifer,” the institute says.

“For G-d has ordained that its ashes alone are the single missing ingredient for the reinstatement of biblical purity – and thereafter, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.”

The Temple Institute says purification with the red heifer “reminds us that man has the potential to rise above his transitory physical existence, with all its false sense of hopelessness and misery … the impurity of death.”

“This is the role of the Third Temple for all mankind, and this is the Messianic vision of the future: the call to live an eternal life, liberated from the sham and unhappiness which is the sum total of the human condition for so many people. The call for the true joy of living life to the fullest – with the knowledge of G-d,” the institute says.

“The divine ordinance of the heifer, beyond the grasp of man’s frail intellect, with all the details of its preparation and ceremony, calls out to Israel and to all who seek to cling to the living word of the G-d of Israel: ‘purify yourselves! Shake off your despair! Death is an illusion!’ Thus it is written, ‘… but all of you who cling to the Lord your G-d … you are all alive today’ (Deut. 4:4),” the organization explains.

According to institute spokesman Rabbi Chaim Richman, the heifer is being raised according to the laws of the Torah at an undisclosed U.S. location.

The institute, which has worked on Jewish requirements for worship such as a seven-branched Menorah made of gold and a golden incense alter, was founded about 30 years ago.

It is “dedicated to every aspect of the biblical commandment to build the Holy Temple of G-d on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.”

“Our short-term goal is to do all in our limited power to bring about the building of the Holy Temple in our time,” the institute says.

“The major focus of the Institute is its efforts toward the beginning of the actual rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Toward this end, the Institute has begun to restore and construct the sacred vessels for the service of the Holy Temple.”

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BREAKINGISRAELNEWS

We’re Ready to Rebuild the Temple

By Tuly Weisz August 4, 2014 , 8:05 am

Despite the tragic war Israel is currently entangled in, our generation has been blessed with the fulfillment of numerous Biblical promises. We have seen the rebirth of the State of Israel and continue to witness the Ingathering of the Exiles from the four corners of the world. For the first time in centuries Jerusalem is in Jewish hands, yet once a year, on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, Jews fast, cry and mourn for the destruction of our Holy Temple. How can we ignore all these great blessings and why do we mourn for a building that was destroyed 2,000 years ago?

The Bible repeatedly describes the Temple as the spiritual center of the world and the source for peace and prosperity. In Isaiah’s famous vision the prophet describes, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The absence of the Temple is seen in the stories reported on the nightly news and its void adversely affects nations, geo-politics and global peace. Director of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Rabbi Chaim Richman explains that the 9th of Av “is not about bemoaning the Temple. It’s about bemoaning the world without the Temple. A world that has lost its light, its color and its direction.”

Indeed, there is a growing “Temple Movement” in Israel today with thousands of Jews working to rebuild the Temple. According to a poll taken last year in a leading newspaper Ha’aretz, one third of Israelis believe that Israel should erect the Temple on the Temple Mount. Israel’s Housing Minister called publicly for the rebuilding of the Temple, “We’ve built many little, little temples,” MK Uri Ariel said, referring to synagogues, “but we need to build a real Temple on the Temple Mount.”

Schools throughout Israel are diligently studying the intricate laws of the Temple and Jews of all backgrounds visit the Temple Mount each month. The Jerusalem Post quoted Sarit Berko, a non-observant Israeli who came to the Western Wall to observe the 9th of Av from her home in Tel Aviv, an annual pilgrimage she has made since the Six Day War in 1967. “During Passover, most Jews say ‘Next year in Jerusalem’,” explained Berko, “As an Israeli I pray, ‘Next year may the Third Temple be built and last for eternity.’

The Temple is such a central theme in the Bible that one third of all its commandments deal with laws carried out in it. Rabbi Richman explains that far from being an extremist, “our desire to see a rebuilt Temple is an expression of healthy, normative Judaism.”  To further their advocacy, the Temple Institute recently released a short video “The Children are Ready” which dramatically portrays young Jewish kids dragging their fathers from synagogue services in order to join them in the rebuilding of the Temple.

Tisha B’Av: The Children are Ready

While it is true that our generation has much to be grateful for and that our return to Israel is nothing short of miraculous, the golden dome sitting atop the Temple Mount provides a constant reminder that the Torah cannot be fulfilled perfectly and Judaism cannot be expressed fully until the Third Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem.

May God quickly end this ugly war Israel is entangled in and bring a lasting and eternal peace to Zion so that this 9th of Av is the last sorrowful day and we all rejoice together in the streets of Jerusalem with the arrival of the Messiah and the redemption of the world.

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THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Jews DO control the media

MANNY FRIEDMAN

July 1, 2012

Manny Friedman

We Jews are a funny breed. We love to brag about every Jewish actor. Sometimes we even pretend an actor is Jewish just because we like him enough that we think he deserves to be on our team. We brag about Jewish authors, Jewish politicians, Jewish directors. Every time someone mentions any movie or book or piece of art, we inevitably say something like, “Did you know that he was Jewish?” That’s just how we roll.

We’re a driven group, and not just in regards to the art world. We have, for example, AIPAC, which was essentially constructed just to drive agenda in Washington DC. And it succeeds admirably. And we brag about it. Again, it’s just what we do.

But the funny part is when any anti-Semite or anti-Israel person starts to spout stuff like, “The Jews control the media!” and “The Jews control Washington!”

Suddenly we’re up in arms. We create huge campaigns to take these people down. We do what we can to put them out of work. We publish articles. We’ve created entire organizations that exist just to tell everyone that the Jews don’t control nothin’. No, we don’t control the media, we don’t have any more sway in DC than anyone else. No, no, no, we swear: We’re just like everybody else!

Does anyone else (who’s not a bigot) see the irony of this?

Let’s be honest with ourselves, here, fellow Jews. We do control the media. We’ve got so many dudes up in the executive offices in all the big movie production companies it’s almost obscene. Just about every movie or TV show, whether it be “Tropic Thunder” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is rife with actors, directors, and writers who are Jewish. Did you know that all eight major film studios are run by Jews?

Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. (photo credit: CC BY-SA Angela George/Wikimedia Commons)

But that’s not all. We also control the ads that go on those TV shows.

And let’s not forget AIPAC, every anti-Semite’s favorite punching bag. We’re talking an organization that’s practically the equivalent of the Elders of Zion. I’ll never forget when I was involved in Israeli advocacy in college and being at one of the many AIPAC conventions. A man literally stood in front of us and told us that their whole goal was to only work with top-50 school graduate students because they would eventually be the people making changes in the government. Here I am, an idealistic little kid that goes to a bottom 50 school (ASU) who wants to do some grassroots advocacy, and these guys are literally talking about infiltrating the government. Intense.

Now, I know what everyone will say. That everyone tries to lobby. Every minority group and every majority group. That every group has some successful actors and directors. But that’s a far call from saying that we run Hollywood and Madison Avenue. That the Mel Gibsons of the world are right in saying we’re deliberately using our power to take over the world. That we’ve got some crazy conspiracy going down.

Okay. Fine. So some of that is kooky talk.

But let’s look at it a bit deeper.

Maybe it’s true: everyone lobbies. Maybe it’s true there are actors of every ethnicity out there. But come on. We’re the ones who are bragging about this stuff all the time. Can’t we admit that we’re incredibly successful? Can’t we say it to the world?

I’ll give my theory for why Jews don’t want to talk about their control of the media.

First of all, as much as Jews like to admit that so many of them are successful, and that so many of them have accomplished so much, they hate to admit that it has to do with they’re being Jewish. Maybe they’ll admit that it has something to do with the Jewish experience. But how many Jews will admit that there is something inherently a part of every single one of them that helps them to accomplish amazing things?

The ADL chairman, Abe Foxman, was interviewed in a great article about the subject and he said that he “would prefer people say that many executives in the industry ‘happen to be Jewish.’” This just about sums up the party line.

The truth is, the anti-Semites got it right. We Jews have something planted in each one of us that makes us completely different from every group in the world. We’re talking about a group of people that just got put in death camps, endured pogroms, their whole families decimated. And then they came to America, the one place that ever really let them have as much power as they wanted, and suddenly they’re taking over. Please don’t tell me that any other group in the world has ever done that. Only the Jews. And we’ve done it before. That’s why the Jews were enslaved in Egypt. We were too successful. Go look at the Torah — it’s right there. And we did it in Germany too.

This ability to succeed, this inner drive, comes not from the years of education or any other sort of conditional factors, but because of the inner spark within each Jew.

Now, the reason groups like the ADL and AIPAC hate admitting this is because, first of all, they are secular organizations. Their whole agenda is to prove that every Jew is the same as every other person in the world. I cannot imagine a more outlandish agenda. No, we’re different. We’re special.

And clearly, that whole thing about big Jewish noses was totally blown out of proportion. (illustrative photo: Abir Sultan/Flash 90)

Of course, people hate when anyone says this. They assume that if you’re saying that Jews are special, it somehow implies that they’re better.

To be honest, I’m not really sure what the word “better” even means. What I do know is that being special simply means a person has a responsibility to do good.

I think that’s the real reason most Jews are so afraid to admit that there’s something inherently powerful and good about them. Not because they’re afraid of being special. But because they’re afraid of being responsible. It means that they’re suddenly culpable when they create dirty TV shows that sully the spiritual atmosphere of the world. It means that things can’t just be created for the sake of amusement or fun or even “art.”

Suddenly, we can’t screw up the world.

The interesting thing is that Jews have done so much for the world in so many other ways. They’ve moved forward civil rights; they’ve helped save lives in Darfur, Haiti and just about everywhere else.

But that’s not enough. Fixing the world physically is only half the battle.

Our larger battle, the harder battle, is elevating the world spiritually. And this is what the people that fight with every inch of their soul to prove that Jews are just the same as everyone else are afraid of. It means that we can no longer just “express ourselves.” We’ll have to start thinking about the things we create and the way we act. It means we’ll have to start working together. It means we’ll have to hold one other, and ourselves, to a higher standard.

The time has come, though. We no longer have to change our names. We no longer have to blend in like chameleons. We own a whole freaking country.

Instead, we can be proud of who we are, and simultaneously aware of our huge responsibility — and opportunity.

+ + +

This article was written under an assumed name.

The actual author is Elad Nehorai. Elad Nehorai is a writer living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Seven years ago, he became a religious Jew in the Chabad Hassidic community and has since written about his experience extensively. He blogs for the Times of Israel and also writes for the Huffington Post.

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The Independent

Dress the Gaza situation up all you like, but the truth hurts

The world is starting to turn against Israel

ROBERT FISK

Thursday 31 July 2014

There was a time when our politicians and media had one principal fear when covering Middle East wars: that no one should ever call them anti-Semitic.

So corrosive, so vicious was this charge against any honest critic of Israel that merely to bleat the word “disproportionate” – as in any normal wartime exchange rate of Arab-to-Israeli deaths – was to provoke charges of Nazism by Israel’s would-be supporters. Sympathy for Palestinians would earn the sobriquet “pro-Palestinian”, which, of course, means “pro-terrorist”.

Or so it was until the latest bloodbath in Gaza, which is being so graphically covered by journalists that our masters and our media are suffering a new experience: not fear of being called anti-Semitic, but fear of their own television viewers and readers – ordinary folk so outraged by the war crimes committed against the women and children of Gaza that they are demanding to know why, even now, television moguls and politicians are refusing to treat their own people like moral, decent, intelligent human beings.

Yet still – every time another blood-soaked child appears on the screen – the news presenters talk about the “blame game”. BLAME GAME? Do they think this is a bloody football match? Or a bloody tragedy? It goes like this. Civilians are killed. Reporters call it “tank fire”. (Hamas has no tanks.) Israel says it is a misfired Hamas rocket. Hamas says it is Israel’s work. So it’s a “blame game”. No one can actually BE blamed – and thus we can shrug off the responsibility and shake our head at it all.

And we must forget we did the same when US bombs killed civilians in Tripoli in 1986 (a “misfired Libyan anti-aircraft missile”, I recall, was to blame) or when the Nato attack on the Shuala district of Baghdad killed civilians in 2003 (a “misfired Iraqi anti-aircraft missile” was to blame, of course). Several Americans have called me to point this out, adding that the US Senate vote of 100-0 in favour of Israel sounds a bit like the 98 per cent that Arab dictators claim for their presidency – except that the US vote, which does not represent them, really was the true figure!

***

WND

LIBERIA: EBOLA A PLAGUE FROM GOD DUE TO SIN

'Seek forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts such as homosexualism'

Published: August 7, 2014

The Ebola virus under magnification

As health officials worldwide spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bring under control an Ebola outbreak in several West African nations where nearly 1,000 people have died, local religious leaders are turning to God.

A report in the Liberian Observer in Monrovia says leaders in the Liberian capital met to talk about the threat and decided that three days of prayer and fasting should be observed in conjunction with seeking God’s forgiveness for “immoral acts” such as “homosexualism.”

The report said more than 100 ministers, including bishops, pastors and prophets from a wide range of church denominations, discussed the Ebola crisis at a meeting convened by Archbishop Jonathan B.B. Hart, president of the Liberia Council of Churches.

They agreed that:

1. God is angry with Liberia and that Ebola is a plague. “Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness.”

2. Three days of fasting and prayer be observed across the nation, concluding Friday.

3. An interdenominational committee be constituted to present a resolution to government.

The report said represented at the meeting were leaders such as Archbishop of the Catholic Church of Liberia Lewis Zeigler and the first vice president of the LCC, Rt. Rev. Dr. Kortu Brown. Also present were officials from the Pentecostal Fellowship Union of Liberia, Liberia Fellowship of Full Gospel Ministers, Association of Evangelicals of Liberia, Prophetic Call to Ministers, Christian Community in Liberia and Apostolic World Christian Fellowship.

The meeting was held at St. Stephen Episcopal Church.

The leaders urged that the Republic of Liberia be “locked up for three days of fast and prayer.”

“All movement should be restricted during those three days. People should stay at home for three days of silence, fasting and prayer,” the leaders said.

Ziegler previously had asked Catholics to pray for God’s intervention in the Ebola epidemic.

“The church has used faithful and truthful prayers to God for intervention in our lives in times of peace, war or famine. Let us not miss this opportunity to pray together and go to God in the spirit of humility and repentance,” he said, according to the report.

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Global Research (Some may find this article too disturbing to read.)

Wiping Out the Christians of Syria and Iraq to Remap the Middle East: Prerequisite to a Clash of Civilizations?

PART I

By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

Historically, the Levant is the birthplace of Christianity and the oldest Christian communities have lived in it and the entire Fertile Crescent since the start of Christian history. Early Christians called themselves followers or people of «the Way» before they adopted the term Christian; in Arabic their antiquated name would be «Ahl Al-Deen». [1] Traces of this original name are also available in the New Testament of the Bible and can be read in John 14:5-7, Acts 9:1-2, Acts 24:4 and 14. From the Fertile Crescent these Christian communities spread across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Since that time the ancient communities of Christians, many of which still use the Syriac dialects of Aramaic in their churches, have been an integral and important part of the social fabrics of the pluralistic societies of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. Nevertheless, the Christians of the Levant and Iraq are now in the cross-hairs.

Deceit and mischief has been at play. It is no coincidence that Egyptian Christians were attacked at the same time as the South Sudan Referendum, which was supposed to signal a split between the Muslims in Khartoum and the Christians and animists in Juba. Nor is it an accident that Iraq’s Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, began to face a modern exodus, leaving their homes and ancestral homeland in Iraq in 2003. Mysterious groups targeted both them and Palestinian refugees…

Coinciding with the exodus of Iraqi Christians, which occurred under the watchful eyes of US and British military forces, the neighborhoods in Baghdad became sectarian as Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims were forced by violence and death squads to form sectarian enclaves. This is all tied to a US and Israeli project of redrawing the map.

The Christian communities of the Levant and Iraq have long distrusted the US government for its support of Israel, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and fanatical militants with anti-Christian leanings. Lebanon’s Christians have also been weary of US support for Israeli expansion and ideas about resettling Palestinians into Lebanon. There is also a widely held belief that the US and Israel have been involved in a policy to remove or «purge» the Christians from Iraq and the Levant in some type of Zionist-linked resettlement plan. Since the US-supported anti-government fighters started targeting Christian Syrians, there has been renewed talk about a Christian exodus in the Middle East centering on Washington’s war on Syria.

Silencing the Ancient Church Bells of Sham and Shinar

Christian Arabs and both the Assyrian and Armenian ethnic communities, which are overwhelming composed of Christians, inside Lebanon and Syria have been in the crosshairs. From Homs and Maaloula to Kessab, Syria’s Christians have been under siege. Various ecclesiastic councils or synods have expressed concerns as have Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, the Vatican or Holy See, Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow Cyril (Kirill) I, Armenian Apostolic Catholicos Aram I, the Maronite Greek Catholic Patriarchate in Lebanon, Jerusalemite Greek Orthodox Archbishop Theodosios (Attallah) Hanna of Sebastia, the Anglican See of Canterbury, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the Free Patriotic Movement of Lebanon’s Michel Aoun, the World Council of Churches, and various interfaith bodies. Even US celebrities Cherilyn Sarkisian (Cher) and Kimberly Kardashian joined the chorus and voiced their concerns about Syria’s Christians after the Turkish government perfidiously helped Al-Nusra overrun the predominately Armenian town of Kessab in Lattakia Governate on March 24, 2014. [2]

Inside Syria, Maronite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Damascus Samir Nassar, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham, Antiochian Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV, and Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas have all condemned the violence. The leaders of Syria’s other faiths, Druze Sheikh Al-Aql Hamoud Hennawi, Sunni Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin, and Ashari Imam Mohammed Said Ramadan, have joined the Christian leaders in their calls for peace and condemnations of Washington’s war on Syria. These leaders have risked their lives and the lives of their loved ones by taking these positions. Sheikh Ramadan, who was also an ethnic Kurd, was murdered while he was teaching in a mosque for his backing of the Syrian government on March 21, 2013. Patriarch Ignatius IV had his brother kidnapped in Aleppo whereas Grand Mufti Hassoun had his twenty-two year-old son murdered on his way to university in Idlib. Despite the threats, all these figures have spoken against the insurgency as a cancerous threat to coexistence in Syrian society and the broader region. Melkite Patriarch Gregory III Laham has very vocally said that his country is being attacked by bandits and terrorists under the fiction of a revolution that seek to destroy the Christians and all Syria. [3]

The Christian communities of Syria, which constitute at least 10% of the Syrian population, have been systematically targeted; their churches have been attached and desecrated; their priests, monks, and nuns murdered; and generally discriminated against by the anti-government forces that the US, UK, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and their allies support. The objectives of establishing this exodus are reflected by the anti-government chants: «Alawites to the ground and Christians to Lebanon!» What this chant means is that Syria is no longer a place where either Alawis or Christians can live.

America’s Foot Soldiers and the Rape of Christians in Syria and Iraq

Fides News Agency, the official news agency of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church, has reported that the so-called religious leaders of the anti-government fighters declared it lawful for the anti-government fighters to rape «any non-Sunni Syrian woman» that they desired; the declarations of these corrupt pastors have been used to justify the rape, humiliation, torture, and murder of women and girls in towns and territory captured by groups like the so-called Free Syrian Army, Jabhat Al-Nusra, and the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant/Al-Dawlah Al-Islamiyah fi Al-Iraq wa Al-Sham (ISIL/DAISH). [4]

Here is the account given to the Fides News Agency by two priests about what was done to one fifteen year-old Syrian Christian girl in Homs Governate after the anti-government fighters took control of it:

The commander of the battalion «Jabhat al-Nusra» in Qusair took Mariam, married and raped her. Then he repudiated her. The next day the young woman was forced to marry another Islamic militant. He also raped her and then repudiated her. The same trend was repeated for 15 days, and Mariam was raped by 15 different men. This psychologically destabilized her and made her insane. Mariam, became mentally unstable and was eventually killed. These atrocities are not told by any «International Commission» say to Fides two Greek-Catholic priests, Fr. Issam and Fr. Elias who have just returned to town. [5]

These same US-supported multinational insurgent groups have begun to do this to Iraqi Christians too. «On June 12, [2014,] only two day after capturing Mosul and other territories in Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria issued a decree ordering the people to send their unmarried women to ‘jihad by sex’» and made a decree ordering that unmarried women sexually be offered to their fighters for fornication. [6] The following account, which was confirmed by the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights and reported by the Assyrian International News Agency, deals with Mosul after its takeover by the insurrectionary forces entering Iraq from Syria on June 25, 2014:

A Christian father who watched his wife and daughter get brutally raped by members of the militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) because he couldn’t pay them a poll tax in Mosul, Iraq, killed himself under the weight of the trauma this past weekend. [7]

The molestation and rape of Christian women and girls as sex objects has not been limited to Christians alone. Syrian women and girls, regardless of their faiths, that have been captured by the anti-government forces are being raped and molested. Muslims, Christians, and Druze are all equally at risk. These perverted acts are being encouraged by corrupt clerics issuing legal opinions and decrees (fatwas) that support rape and womanizing.

These twisted legal opinions and decrees being issued include calls for foreign women to become concubines to the anti-government fighters in Syria in what is disgracefully called a «sexual holy struggle» (jihad al-nikah). The Tunisian government was even prompted to react in mid-2013 to these calls for sexual offering, because they were exploiting young Tunisian girls. [8] Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs Noureddine Al-Khadimi condemned the corrupt and ignorant clerics and individuals behind the calls, insisting that they had nothing to do with Muslim teachings:

The minister’s statements came after the spread of an anonymous «sexual jihad» fatwa on the Internet calling on young women to support opposition fighters in Syria by providing sexual services. According to media reports and mujahideen who returned to Tunisia after participating in jihad in Syria, 13 Tunisian girls headed to the battlefield in response to the «sexual jihad» fatwa. [9]

«After the sexual liaisons they have [in Syria] in the name of ‘jihad al-nikah’ — (sexual holy war, in Arabic) — [these girls] come home pregnant», Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi bin Jeddou testified to Tunisian legislators months after Al-Khadimi’s condemnations, explaining that the misguided girls could have over a hundred partners. [10]

Targeting Bishops, Priests, Monks, and Nuns: Besieging the People of «The Way»

Since the start of the fighting, Christian spiritual figures have been targeted in one way or another. There are the cases of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Sayedna Paul (Boulos) Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Mar Gregorios John Abraham (Yohanna Ibrahim), which were kidnapped near the Turkish border, on April 22, 2013. Their driver, a Christian priest himself, was killed instantly for protecting the two Christian metropolitans by refusing to let them leave their car. A fourth person in the car, Fouad Eliya, managed to remain free (and explain what happened). [11]

The Turkish government is directly involved in the kidnapping of the two Orthodox Christian bishops. The Turkish newswire Dogan News Agency (Dogan Haber Ajansı) reported on July 23, 2013 that the murders or, using the report’s words, «assassins» of the two Syrian bishops were arrested in Konya. [12] The arrest happened to be of anti-Russian fighters from the North Caucasus, which corresponded to Foud Eliya’s account that Boulos Yazigi and Yohanna Ibrahim were taken by North Caucasian militants dressed like Taliban fighters from Afghanistan. [13]

Grand Mufti Hassoun revealed that Turkish-trained Chechen fighters were dispatched by Ankara to kidnap Sayedna Boulos Yazigi and Mar Gregorios, because of two important reasons. According to Sheikh Hassoun, the first reason is that Metropolitan Gregorios was asked by Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas to head a church committee to begin the process of reclaiming the vast holdings of the Syriac Orthodox Church that the Turkish government had confiscated during its persecution of Syriac Orthodox Christians. [14]

In a meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and Mar Gregorios, the Turkish government asked that the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch establish a eparchy (an ecclesiastical province or administrative division of the church with a metropolitan) in Turkey and to even relocate its patriarchate from Damascus to Hatay (Antioch), but Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim refused and said that the patriarchate of the Syriac Orthodox Church will never change locations, that Syriac Orthodox Christians recognized the Levant as one unified land, and that a bishop would be assigned to Turkey when the Syriac Orthodox Church’s properties were returned by the Turkish government, which angered Turkish officials. [15] The other reason that the Orthodox Christian cleric was targeted was that he was reconciling anti-government fighters peacefully with the Syrian government in Aleppo Governate, which upset Turkey and its allies. [16]

Other cases include those of: Father (Abouna) Fadi Jamal Haddad, a Antiochian Greek Orthodox priest acting as a mediator in Qatana during the fighting, who was tortured and shot in the head after he tried to mediate the release of a doctor that was being ransomed for money; Father (Abouna) Francois Al-Mourad, a Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order, who was shot for preventing fellow Christians and Syrians from being hurt by the anti-government fighters; and Father Frans van der Lugt, a Dutch priest of the Jesuit Order working in Homs. When Abouna Fadi went to pay the insurgents for the doctor they had abducted, they kidnapped him too; they would later kill the Christian priests and leave him on the side of the highway, «horribly tortured and [with] his eyes gouged out», where his body would be found on September 25, 2012. [17]

According to the Franciscan Order’s representatives in Syria, the insurgents «broke into the convent, looted it and destroyed everything. When Fr. Franҫois tried to defend the nuns and other people, the gunmen shot him dead» on June 23, 2013. [18]

The insurgents murdered Father Frans van der Lugt on April 7, 2014.This an account of the circumstances behind his murder:

Wael Salibi, 26, recalled how when the Christian area in Homs was taken over by rebels, 66,000 of the faithful «left their home, and just few of them stayed there. He was the only priest, he stayed in his church.»

«Just months before he died, he said ‘I can’t leave my people, I can’t leave my church, I am director of this church, how can I leave them?’» Salibi told CNA on April 11.

Salibi, who hails from the now-ravished city of Homs, grew up as a close friend and pupil of Fr. Frans, who was brutally killed on April 7. Days before his 76th birthday, an unknown gunman entered his church, beat him and shot him in the head. [19]

In Hasakah (Hasce) many of the Christian Syrians fled, but almost 30,000 stayed as internal refugees. The Syrian Christians who belonged to the Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Catholic Church collectively asked the world for help and to put an end to the fighting, in an appeal that went unheard, in late-2012; they have suffered from persecution, lawlessness, kidnappings, ransoms, and murder. One Christian from the area told Fides News Agency that Al-Nusra was targeting «all young people who were born between 1990 and 1992. They look for them, accuse them of being soldiers for the national service and kill them cold-bloodedly. They want to terrorize young people to prevent them from enlisting.» [20]

Another example of the assault on the Christian community is Al-Nusra’s assault on the town of Maaloula. Maaloula is one of a few villages maintaining an old dialect of Aramaic, known as the language of Jesus of Nazareth. Many Christian structures and historic sites fill the Syrian town, but the Melkite Greek Catholic Saint Sergius (Mar Sarkis) Monastery and Antiochian Greek Orthodox Saint Thecla (Mar Taqla) Monastery standout. The town became the scene of fighting between Al-Nusra and the Syrian Arab Army and switched hands between the insurgents and Syrian government four times between late-2013 and mid-2014.

Many of Maaloula’s residents, both Christian and Muslim alike, became trapped in their homes and local buildings, including forty Greek Orthodox Christian nuns and the orphans they were looking after, which sparked panic in the Christian populations of Syria and Lebanon. Hence the strong backing of Bashar Al-Assad’s government by all of Syria’s minorities and the expression of these type of sentiments were nearly universal among Christian Syrians: «‘They’re coming after us,’ [said] Odette Abu Zakham, a 65-year-old woman in the congregation who lives in the nearby historic Christian district of Bab Touma. ‘All they do is massacre people, all they know is killing.’» [21] Not only were the nuns held hostage by Al-Nusra, but the anti-government fighters desecrated absolutely all of Maaloula’s shrines and Christian buildings, stole its historic artifacts to sell in the black market, and scattered the partially Aramaic-speaking population of the town. Eyewitnesses who escaped Maaloula give this account below:

[The insurgents] tried to change the religious and architectural-historical look of the ancient Christian town entirely: completely destroying some churches, the militants brought down all bells from other ones. The fate of two other world-famous monuments of Ma’loula was no less tragic: extremists blew up the statue of Christ the Savior, which had stood at the entrance of St. Thecla Convent, as well as the statue of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, which had stood close to the Safir hotel, the latter of which served as the main shelter for Takfirists for many months. [22]

Easter, in 2014 was a special time for Maaloula. Around Easter, the Syrian government regained the town. Maaloula was finally secured and residents were returning. «The display of hatred was clear — the houses are totally destroyed, the whole village was destroyed. I can’t describe the amount of damage to the village», a returning resident by the name of Lorain told the press about what the insurgents did. [23] President Al-Assad visited too. Al-Assad himself came to visit it as a sign of the Syrian government’s commitment to its entire population regardless of their faith or ethnicity. Both the Western rite and Eastern rite Christian celebrations of Easter, respectively using the Gregorian and Julian calendars, fell on the same date too: April 20, 2014.

(To be continued)

NOTES

[1] The term Christian is akin to the term Mohammedian, which was once used to describe Muslims. It was a name originally used as a derogatory term by non-Christians to identify the followers of Jesus of Nazareth and «the Way» by them, but would eventually be accepted and adopted by many of the Christians; the Arabic word «deen» means «way» and not religion as it is commonly substituted for.

[2] Pinar Tremblay, «Armenian-Americans blame Turkey for Kassab invasion, Al-Monitor, April 3, 2014.

[3] «Syria has been reduced to banditry and anarchy, says Gregory III Laham», Vatican Insider, May 4, 2012.

[4] «13 Syrian Christian Women Raped and Killed by Islamists» Pravoslavie, April 5, 2013; «Rape and atrocities on a young Christian in Qusair», Fides News Agency, July 2, 2013; Stoyan Zaimov, «Syrian Christian Mother Reveals Stories of Rape, Church Attacks in Streets of Damascus», Christian Post, October 17, 2013; Jamie Dettmer, «Syria’s Christians Flee Kidnappings, Rape, Executions», Daily Beast, November 19, 2013.

[5] «Rape and atrocities», Fides, op. cit.

[6] «ISIS in Mosul Orders Unmarried Women to ‘Jihad By Sex,’» Assyrian International News Agency, June 21, 2014.

[7] Leonardo Blair, «Christian Father Commits Suicide After ISIS Members Rape Wife and Daughter in Front of Him Because He Couldn’t Pay Poll Tax», Christian Post, June 25, 2014.

[8] Mohammed Yassin Al-Jalassi, «Tunisians Raise Alarm on Fatwa Encouraging ‘Sexual Jihad,’» Al-Monitor, March 27, 2013.

[9] Ibid.

[10] «Sex Jihad raging in Syria, claims minister», Agence France-Presse, September 20, 2013.

[11] Dikran Ego, «Turkey’s Role in the Kidnapping of the Syrian Bishops», Assyrian International News Agency, February 1, 2012.

[12] Ismail Akkaya, «Suriyeli metropolitlerin katil zanlıları Konya’da yakalandı» [«Syrian metropolitan’s alleged assassins were caught in Konya»], Dogan Haber Ajansı, July 23, 2013.

[13] Dikran Ego, «Turkey’s Role in Kidnapping», AINA, op. cit.

[14] Grand Mufti Hassoun explains this in a video released by the Stockholm-based Syriac Foundation on May 4, 2014.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] «Fr. Fadi Jamil Haddad: Priest, Trusted By All, Martyred in Syria», Pravmir.com, October 28, 2012:.

[18] «Custos of the Holy Land: Fr Franҫois Mourad killed by Islamist insurgents in al-Ghassaniyah», AsiaNews.it, June 25, 2013:.

[19] Elise Harris, «‘I can’t leave my people’: Priest killed in Syria hailed as martyr», Catholic News Agency, April 15, 2014.

[20] «Appeal from the people of Mesopotamia, left to themselves», Fides News Agency, January 17, 2013.

[21] Lee Keath, «Seizure of nuns stokes Syrian Christian fears», Associated Press, December 8, 2013.

[22] «All Shrines of Ma’loula Either Destroyed or Desecrated», Pravoslavie, January 13, 2014.

[23] Firas Makdesi, «Syria’s Assad pays Easter visit to recaptured Christian town», Reuters, April 20, 2014.

***

WND

FRANCE STEPS UP TO HELP CHRISTIAN REFUGEES

U.S. virtually silent on tens of thousands threatened with death

Published: August 5, 2012

BOB UNRUH

The government of France has responded to a plea by Iraqi Christians for help as militant Muslims sweep across their nation, eliminating any evidence of Christianity in places like Mosul, where believers have lived for two millennia.

Meanwhile, there’s been virtual silence from the United States, where President Obama is focused on the tens of thousands of illegal aliens from Central America who are entering the nation through Mexico.

The silence continues despite multiple calls from members of Congress for action to help the persecuted Christians.

BBC News reported the French government was ready to offer asylum to Iraqi Christians forced to flee Mosul.

The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has attacked Christian churches, destroyed crosses and stripped Christians of their homes, businesses and belongings, ordering them to become Muslim or die.

Iraq now is mostly devoid of Christians in areas where they have lived for 2,000 years.

The BBC reported two top French ministers said, “We are ready, if they so desire, to help facilitate asylum on our territory.”

The joint message was from Laurent Fabius, foreign minister, and Bernard Cazeneuve, interior minister, in France’s Socialist government, BBC said.

In Mosul, where an estimated 60,000 Christians lived prior to 2003, the U.N. estimates just a handful of Christian families remain.

In the U.S., meanwhile, the Obama administration is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars to provide housing, food, education, medical services and even legal services for the tens of thousands of illegal aliens fleeing Central America.

Political opponents say the young illegals are coming because of messaging from the White House that if they rrive in the United States they will be granted numerous benefits.

Some of the illegals who have been fleeing gang-infested neighborhoods in Central America are being relocated to Chicago, one of the most violent and gang-infested cities in North America, officials have confirmed.

While members of Congress, especially Rep. Frank Wolf., R-Va., have repeatedly asked the administration to step up to help the Christians under threat of death in Iraq, there’s been virtually no formal action.

WND columnist Erik Rush noted Wolf’s concern over the “genocide” being carried out against Christians by ISIS.

“In Wolf’s estimation, and that of many Americans of conscience, the Obama administration’s failure to weigh in on this atrocity in any manner whatsoever is an abject disgrace. Although the U.S. Senate proposed on July 30 a resolution condemning the ‘religious cleansing’ in Iraq, such actions have few teeth and certainly aren’t any guarantee of broad policy changes,” Rush wrote.

Political commentator Kirsten Powers in a USA Today column asked whether anyone was listening to the pleas for help from Iraqi Christians.

“Since capturing the country’s second largest city of Mosul in early June, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has ordered Christians to convert to Islam, pay jizya taxes levied on non-Muslims, or die. The extremist Sunni group is also persecuting and murdering Turkmen and Shabaks, both Muslim religious minorities,” she wrote.

“For the first time in 2,000 years, Mosul is devoid of Christians,” she reported, noting that sources said ISIS took down Christian crosses, blew up the tomb of the prophet Jonah, and turned a cathedral into a mosque.

She noted it actually is the Kurds who have helped Christians so far. She quoted Wolf, who said: “President Obama should thank and encourage the Kurds for protecting the Christians. He also needs to provide (humanitarian aid), including funds for water and food.”

At the MercatorNet blog, Sheila Liagminas wrote: “This is an old story with new intensity. The elimination of Christians from their earliest homes is at epic proportions. My files on this go back years. In less than six months, they’ve more than doubled.”

She said there’s “too much to cover in one post on the effort by militants to eradicate Christians from Iraq alone, so look at the past week or so chronologically, when ‘Christian cleansing’ reached a new fierce, brutal, in some places final level.”

“Without much of the world even noticing,” she said.

“As recently as a decade ago, tens of thousands of Christians lived in Mosul, some of them descendents of victims of the genocide the Ottoman Empire perpetrated against Assyrians, as well as Armenians and Greeks, during World War I. After this weekend, virtually none remain. On Saturday, ISIS expelled the fifty-two Christian families still in the city, after first requiring them to leave behind all their valuables. For good measure, ISIS also burned an 1,800-year-old church and the Catholic bishop’s residence, along with its library and manuscript collection.”

“Meanwhile, what’s the U.S. government doing? Specifically, the president the world is watching? Nothing noticeable.”

Even though the strategy apparently was known, she said.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, just days ago told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that he is working with Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., on a bipartisan plan to spark action in Washington.

“This is an effort to light a fire under the State Department to get them to do more to protect these religious minorities, including Christians, and to do so urgently before we lose more lives and have this additional purging,” Portman told Fox.

His resolution will urge Obama to reaffirm America’s dedication to religious freedom by “helping to create safe zones for refugees fleeing persecution,” he said.

There’s been a related move in the U.K. by church officials calling for an asylum there for Iraqi Christians.

Manchester Bishop David Walker told the Observer: “We would be failing to fulfill our obligations were we not to offer sanctuary. Having intervened so recently and extensively in Iraq, we have, even more than other countries, a moral duty in the U.K.”

WND earlier reported Islam analyst Theodore Shoebat, son of former PLO operative Walid Shoebat, said Muslims in Mosul were directly threatening Christians with a deadly choice, forcing them to pay a “jizya” tax, as prescribed by Islamic law, of $250 or more or be slaughtered.

“This type of tyranny is just one of many foreshadowing the impending holocaust of Christians,” Ted Shoebat said.

He noted church bells have been outlawed and “sex jihad” for women is commonly demanded by Muslims.

***

theguardian

40,000 Iraqis stranded on mountain as Isis jihadists threaten death

Members of minority Yazidi sect face slaughter if they go down and dehydration if they stay, while 130,000 fled to Kurdish north

Martin Chulov

6 August 2014

An Iraqi Yazidi family that fled the violence in Sinjar take refuge in Dohuk. Photograph: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of members of one of Iraq's oldest minorities have been stranded on a mountain in the country's north-west, facing slaughter at the hands of jihadists surrounding them below if they flee, or death by dehydration if they stay.

UN groups say at least 40,000 members of the Yazidi sect, many of them women and children, have taken refuge in nine locations on Mount Sinjar, a craggy, mile-high ridge identified in local legend as the final resting place of Noah's ark.

At least 130,000 more people, many from the Yazidi stronghold of Sinjar, have fled to Dohuk, in the Kurdish north, or to Irbil, where regional authorities have been struggling since June to deal with one of the biggest and most rapid refugee movements in decades.

Sinjar itself has been all but emptied of its 300,000 residents since jihadists stormed the city late on Saturday, but an estimated 25,000 people remain. "We are being told to convert or to lose our heads," said Khuldoon Atyas, who has stayed behind to guard his family's crops. "There is no one coming to help."

Another man, who is hiding in the mountains and identified himself as Nafi'ee, said: "Food is low, ammunition is low, and so is water. We have one piece of bread to share between 10 people. We have to walk 2km to get water. There were some air strikes yesterday [against the jihadists], but they have made no difference."

At least 500 Yazidis, including 40 children, have been killed in the past week, local officials say. Many more have received direct threats, either from the advancing militants or members of nearby Sunni communities allied with them. "They were our neighbours and now they are our killers," said Atyas.

"It's not like this is a one-off incident," said the Unicef spokeswoman Juliette Touma. "We are almost back to square zero in terms of the preparedness and the supplies. Enormous numbers of people have been crossing the border since June.

"The stresses are enormous; dehydration, fatigue, people sometimes having to walk for days. The impact on kids is very physical, let alone the psychological impact."

The Kurdish minority Yazidis have long been regarded as devil worshippers by Sunni jihadists who have targeted them since the US invasion. As the extremists' latest and most potent incarnation, the Islamic State (Isis), has steadily conquered Iraq's north, the small, self-contained community has been especially vulnerable.

Isis forces advanced across north-western Iraq almost unchecked since a small band of hardliners stormed Iraq's second city, Mosul, on 10 June, sending the Iraqi army fleeing and shattering the central government's control.

Flush with weapons looted from Iraqi arsenals, Isis sacked Tikrit and advanced on Kirkuk. With new recruits lured or pressganged along the way, it has captured five oilfields and three cities, an 800-mile stretch of border with Syria. It has menaced Baghdad and is now within striking distance of Iraq's two largest dams.

"The situation is slowly tipping in their favour," said Dr Hisham al-Hashimi, Iraq's leading expert on Isis. "They won't take the dam near Mosul, but Haditha [at the centre of Iraq's water and energy supply grid] will be very hard to defend.

"They are very close to Baghdad airport. If they breached the perimeter, even with a symbolic attack, it would be enormous propaganda value for them."

Iraq's beleaguered military has been unable to muster a meaningful push back against the jihadists and is under intense pressure to support the Yazidis with air strikes and food drops. A series of spectacular defeats has seriously eroded its credibility. Baghdad claimed on Wednesday that its military had carried out an air strike on a Mosul prison which killed scores of jihadists and freed an unknown number of prisoners. The area was impossible to access and the numbers of fatalities could not be verified. However, witnesses reported damage to the prison and relatives rushed to the gates in the hope of rescuing detained family members.

Kurdish Peshmurga troops, long regarded as a more formidable fighting force, had been defending Sinjar, but they too were forced to withdraw as Isis advanced. Kurdish officials say their forces were seriously outgunned by the jihadists, who were using heavy weapons looted from Iraqi bases.

The same weapons are being used to consolidate Isis's hold on much of western Iraq. The group has significantly boosted its numbers by tapping into Iraq's estranged Sunni population, which has been marginalised by the Shia majority government since the US overthrow of Saddam Hussein more than 11 years ago.

"I would say there are now between 30,000 and 50,000 of them," Hashimi said. "Of those, I would say 30% are ideologues. The others have joined out of fear or coercion."

The once dominant US military and powerful embassy now play next to no role in Iraq, with Iraqi militias reporting to Iranian generals increasingly taking the lead in the fight against the jihadists.

"Iraq is spiralling out of control," said Ali Khedery, the former longest-serving US official in Baghdad. "The centrifugal forces are spinning so quickly. They are on one timeline and Washington is on another. I am beyond concerned."

Khedery, who reported to five US ambassadors and three US central command generals and is now chairman of the Dubai-based consultancy Dragoman Partners, said: "Everybody is retreating to their corners. And there is no credible international actor that I can see that is trying to bring it together again.

"It definitely is an existential threat to the Iraqi government and I think it represents yet another manifestation of the disintegration of Iraq as we know it.

"Iranian overreach, the genocide in Syria, [Nouri] al-Maliki's consolidation of power in a very sectarian way, have all led to the disillusionment, the disenfranchisement of the Sunni Arabs, who have fatally, but perhaps understandably, chosen to consummate a deal with the devil. Now we are locked in a race to the bottom."

Additional reporting by Saud al-Murrani

***

MailOnline

Mystery of the Nazca Lines deepens: Gales and sandstorms reveal geoglyphs of a 'snake and llama' in the Peruvian desert

• The geoglyphs, known as Nazca Lines, were spotted from the air in 1939

• Some 700 geoglyphs are thought to have been drawn by the ancient Nazca people between the first and sixth centuries

• The new lines were revealed following gales and sandstorms in Peru

• Experts believe one of the geoglyphs shows a 196ft-long (60 metre) snake

• Another appears to show a camelid, zig-zag lines and an unidentified bird

By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON

PUBLISHED: 09:10 EST, 4 August 2014 | UPDATED: 19:51 EST, 4 August 2014

The mysteries of the Nazca Lines carved into the Peruvian desert have intensified after gales and sandstorms revealed previously unseen ancient designs.

A pilot discovered a geoglyph of what appears to be a 196ft-long (60 metre) snake, as well as a type of camelid - such as a llama - above an unidentified bird.

These new lines join existing geoglyphs of a dog, hummingbird, condor and a monkey, thought to have been drawn by the ancient Nazca people between the first and sixth centuries.

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The new lines were revealed following gales and sandstorms in the region and researchers believe this geoglyph shows a camelid (outlined left) above an unidentified bird (outlined right). Some 700 geoglyphs are thought to have been drawn by the ancient Nazca people between the first and sixth centuries

The discovery was made by pilot Eduardo Herrán Gómez de la Torre as he flew over the hills of El Ingenio Valley and Pampas de Jumana, as reported by El Comercio.

Archaeologists are now working to confirm the authenticity of the lines.

The geoglyphs, more commonly known as the Nazca Lines, were first spotted from the air in 1939 when a pilot flew over the Nazca region of the Peruvian coastal highlands.

They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, and the area stretches more than 50 miles (80km) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, 248 miles (400km) south of Lima.

Another previously unseen geoglyph (pictured) appears to reveal a 196ft-long (60 metre) snake. The discovery was made by pilot Eduardo Herrán Gómez de la Torre as he flew over the hills of Pampas de Jumana

The mystery about why they were created has been debated for decades.

One theory is that the geoglyphs are connected in some way to water.

For example, a triangular geoglyph at the bottom of the Cerro Blanco mountain runs along the water veins inside the mountain, while the condor geoglyph is linked to local legend, which states that when the condor flies over the mountain, ‘great rains follow’.

Similarly, the ‘hummingbird’ geoglyph only appears in the summer following heavy rainfall.

All of the drawings were said to have been drawn using a single line, that never crosses itself, and were believed to be an appeal to the gods to bring rain.

Experts believe the Nazca used to dance along the lines of the geoglyphs when they prayed for rain - and many of the same images appear on Nazca pottery.

In December 2012, Professor Clive Ruggles, of the University of Leicester, said one of the shapes - a spiral motif traced in the Peruvian desert - is likely to have been a labyrinth, created as a ‘spiritual path’.

The huge images, which include hundreds of animals and complex mazes in the Nazca desert, can only clearly be seen for the air giving rise to a number of explanations as to who they were intended for.

The Nazca Lines are drawn into lighter coloured strata which contrasts with darker gravels on the plain.

‘They are one of the most impenetrable enigmas of archaeology by virtue of their quantity, nature and size, as well as their continuity,’ said UNESCO.

‘The concentration and juxtaposition of the lines, as well as their cultural continuity, demonstrate that this was an important and long-lasting activity.’

In general terms, the geoglyphs fall into two categories: the first group, of which about 70 have been identified, are said to represent natural objects, such as animals, birds and insects.

Many of the images also appeared on pottery and textiles of the region. Other drawings represent flowers, plants, and trees.

A second is made from lines and more basic shapes such as spirals, triangle and rectangles.

***

WND

SCIENTIST FIRED FOR MAKING DINOSAUR DISCOVERY

Finding undermines belief behemoths roamed earth 60 million years ago

Published: August 2, 2014

BOB UNRUH

A team of attorneys is jumping to the defense of a scientist who made the stunning discovery of soft tissue still attached to a triceratops skeleton, undermining the belief that dinosaurs roamed earth 60 million years ago, and was then fired.

Officials at the Pacific Justice Institute said their case on behalf of Mark Armitage includes an allegation that an official of the university where Mark Armitage worked shouted at him, “We are not going to tolerate your religion in this department!”

The legal action against California State University Northridge was filed recently in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the board of trustees and alleges discrimination.

“Terminating an employee because of their religious views is completely inappropriate and illegal,” said Brad Dacus, PJI president.

“But doing so in an attempt to silence scientific speech at a public university is even more alarming. This should be a wakeup call and warning to the entire world of academia,” he said.

Armitage’s lawyers said he was at a dig in the Hell Creek formation in Montana in 2012 when he came up with “the largest triceratops horn ever unearthed at the site.

Later, while examining the specimen under a high-powered microscope at CSUN, he was fascinated to see the soft tissue that remained.

“The discovery stunned members of the scientific community because it indicates that dinosaurs roamed the earth only thousands of years in the past rather than going extinct 60 million years ago,” the legal team explained.

Armitage, a published scientist of over 30 years, then was dismissed when CSUN abruptly claimed his appointment at the university of 38 months had been temporary, and there was no funding for his position.

The lawyers said that contradicted prior statements and documents from the university.

According to Armitage’s biography, he had been serving as the manager for the Electron and Confocal Microscopy Suite in the school’s biology department.

That’s where he was working when his discovery of the soft tissue was published in Acta Histochemica.

He previously found two new species of trematodes and reported the discovery of new hosts for several trematodes. He also discovered short half-life radiohalos in clear diamonds.

He is a lifetime member of the Creation Research Society where he has served on the board of directors since 2006. He’s also in the Microscopy Society of America, the Southern California Academy of Sciences and the American Society of Parasitologists.

His graduate degrees are from Liberty University. His articles have been published in American Laboratory, Southern California Academy of Sciences Bulletin, Parasitology Research, Microscopy and Microanalysis and Microscopy Today.

Michael Peffer, staff attorney with PJI’s southern California office, said, “It has become apparent that ‘diversity’ and ‘intellectual curiosity,’ so often touted as hallmarks of a university education, do not apply to those with a religious point of view. This suit was filed, in part, to vindicate those ideals.”

According to a CBS report in Los Angeles, CSUN spokeswoman Carmen Ramos Chandler said Armitage was a a temporary hire between 2010-2013.

According to the complaint, Armitage told university officials when he applied for the “permanent, part-time” position that he had published work regarding creationism, but he got the job anyway.

School officials previously had described him as “tops … He has patience, great expertise and practices great care.”

His work gradually took on more and more responsibility, and was expanded beyond his half-time original schedule, the complaint explains.

But his discovery of the soft tissue, which according to most scientific perspectives should have decayed into nothingness millions of years ago, send a shock wave through the department where he worked.

While Armitage was told it wasn’t an issue, only a few months later a “secret” meeting was held by faculty members where they allegedly decided to get rid of him, the complaint notes.

The action alleges discrimination based on religion, wrongful termination, retaliation, violations of academic freedom and free speech, and he subsequently was granted a “right to sue” from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

CBS reported that later other researchers noted that soft tissue also was found on the bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but they explained that by saying iron in the dinosaur’s body preserved the tissue.

***

THE INDEPENDENT

Isis brings its war to Lebanon - and it could be key to a masterplan

Battle for Arsal exposes new front in expansion of self-styled caliphate

ROBERT FISK

Monday 04 August 2014

After all the warnings and all the clichés about a war that would “spill” over Syria’s border, the savage fighters of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Sunni Muslim “caliphate” have at last arrived in Lebanon.

So far, the Lebanese army has lost 13 of its soldiers in a costly battle with rebels to retake the north-eastern Sunni town of Arsal – on the Syrian border and hitherto a resupply base for Islamists trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad – while the conflict has generated the same gruesome events which followed Islamist victories in Iraq and Syria: reports of civilian executions, government soldiers taken hostage, at least 12 civilians confirmed dead, including five children, and the prospect of long and bloody fighting ahead.

The world’s attention, of course, has been concentrated on the slaughter in Gaza. In the Middle East, tragedy must come one day at a time, so the Syrian civil war and the Isis takeover of western Iraq continued in the shadows of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But the Islamists’ arrival in Lebanon and the prospect of a mini-civil war around Arsal – and perhaps as far as Tripoli – could have repercussions far graver than the Gaza war. As Islamists take over Lake Mosul and other districts from the Kurds in northern Iraq and press harder against Syrian government troops, their extension into Lebanon marks their furthest progress yet from the Tigris towards the Mediterranean. In Arsal, the fighters – officially from el-Nusra, whose own members are already joining those of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s caliphate – adopted their usual practice of seizing large buildings in the centre of the town (in this case, the technical college, a hospital and a mosque) and clinging to them in the hope that their opponents would disintegrate. The Lebanese army, which has twice defeated Islamist rebellions inside Lebanon in the past 15 years, claimed to have retaken the college, but the statements from both the Lebanese commander and Prime Minister may be taken as accurate: that the takeover of Arsal had been planned long in advance and is part of a far greater rebel strategy.

The Lebanese army says it has so far killed 50 fighters – a tally that sounds very like the Syrian army’s premature claims of victory on the other side of the border – but government forces in Lebanon are unlikely to fall back. Sunni Muslims make up the larger part of the Lebanese forces whose units are among the best integrated of Middle East armies – and this has never prevented them from attacking and subduing Sunni Muslim rebels in the past, first at Sir el-Diniyeh in the northern mountains in 2000, and then within the Palestinian camp of Nahr el-Bared in 2007, at a cost of almost 500 dead soldiers, fighters and civilians.

For more than a year, the Lebanese army has tried vainly to close the frontier east of Arsal, and a Syrian army victory over rebels in Yabroud on the other side of the border earlier this year suggested that Sunni insurgents might leave Arsal lest they be cut off. But their resurgence shows that the Syrians have nothing like the control they have been claiming in the frontier lands. Indeed, the Nusra men had no difficulty in seizing 15 soldiers and almost as many Internal Security Force personnel when they first struck at Arsal. A battle between those Sunni forces opposing the Assad regime in Damascus – who are also responsible for the bombing of Shia targets in Lebanon – and Lebanese troops was almost inevitable. Less than two weeks ago, Lebanese special forces in Tripoli killed Mounzer el-Hassan, a Sunni “jihadist” logistics officer who was reported to have given suicide belts to bombers who attacked Beirut’s Shia southern surburbs and the Iranian embassy in the capital. Those present at the battle said that el-Hassan was playing taped Islamic music as he finally died, when a hand grenade – possibly in his own possession – blew up in his face.

His death followed shortly after the capture of Houssam Sabbagh, a Salafist militant who led Sunni militia forces in recent battles against Alwite Shias in Tripoli. Sabbagh, who has fought in Afghanistan, Chechenya and in Iraq against US forces, was one of the few Tripoli leaders who refused to participate in a government “security” plan for the city.

The battles in Syria, however, are more complex. While Isis – which still uses its acronym of the Islamic Army of Iraq and the Levant despite its incorporation into what al-Baghdadi calls the “Islamic State” or caliphate – has strengthened its position in Deir el-Zour and neighbouring villages (with its usual ferocious executions and heads-on-stakes), the Syrian military seems intent on blasting rebels out of the Damascus suburbs, especially Douma, a district which lies close to the main road north of the capital. If al-Baghdadi’s men are fighting for control in the east of the country, Assad doesn’t want them taking the place of less spirited rebels around Damascus.

Reports of independent resistance groups who oppose both Assad and Isis – and supposedly call themselves “White Shrouds” – should be taken with the usual Syrian caution. Various militia outfits of both Sunni and mixed persuasions have strode fitfully onto the stage of the civil war over the past two years, only to vanish or merge into larger rebel or government forces.

But just as they must abide by tribal rules in Iraq, Islamists have found it dangerous to take on individual Syrian tribes in the “Jazeera” plateau north of Deir ez-Zour. They may have no love for Assad, but they will not allow fighters from Algeria or Chechenya to rule their tribal lands.

More disturbing, however, is the news that Sunni gunmen from the caliphate may have taken Iraq’s largest dam outside Mosul from Kurdish peshmerga guerrillas.

The Kurds enlarged their territory by perhaps 40 per cent when the Iraqi army fled the northern Iraqi city, but the reputation of their supposedly unconquerable peshmerga army is taking a battering now that they have admitted losing villages close to the dam.

If the Islamists can capture the entire facility, they would technically have the ability to close off the waters from Baghdad – or flood the capital city, whose Shia government has proved itself incapable of governing – or recapturing – Sunni territory in Iraq.

***

ISLAMIC STATE MAY SOON UNLEASH CATASTROPHIC FLOOD ON BAGHDAD

Terror army now controls largest dam in Iraq

Image Credits: Aerial view of Mosul Dam by Ali Haidar Khan

by KURT NIMMO

INFOWARS.COM

AUGUST 3, 2014

On Sunday the Islamic State, formerly ISIS, took control of the Mosul Dam during a battle with Kurdish forces.

The Mosul Dam is situated on the Tigris River in the western governorate of Ninawa, upstream of the city of Mosul. It is the largest dam in the country and the fourth largest in the Middle East holding at full capacity 2.7 cubic miles of water. It provides electricity for nearly 2 million people in Mosul.

The dam is considered the most dangerous in the world. It is estimated that a sudden collapse would submerge Mosul under 65 feet of water and Baghdad under 15 feet. Baghdad has a population of over 7 million. It is estimated 500,000 would perish if the dam failed.

Earlier this year ISIS took control of the Fallujah Barrage, a small dam on the Euphrates near Fallujah in Al Anbar Governorate.

According to the leader of the Sons of Iraq Council, Mohammad Al-Hayis, ISIS had planned to use the dam as a weapon.

“ISIS has two objectives: on the one hand, they want to drown the areas surrounding Fallujah, but the sudden attack by the army foiled that plan; on the other hand, they want to cut off water supply to the central and southern governorates in order to give their war a sectarian dimension,” Al-Hayis told Asharq Al-Awsat in April.

Between January and April ISIS opened and closed the gates of the Fallujah Barrage ten times, causing extensive flooding in Anbar province. The flooding resulted in the displacement of 715 families from Abu Ghraib, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacements.

In June, as ISIS moved in on the Haditha Dam on the Euphrates, the Iraqi army announced it would open the floodgates of the dam to prevent ISIS from using it as a weapon.

“Alarmed army officers told employees to stay inside and to be prepared to open the dam’s floodgates if ordered to do so, one employee said,” The New York Times reported on June 25, 2014.

The Haditha Dam is the second largest in the country.

***

THE AMERICAN DREAM

MORE THAN 100 HEALTH WORKERS FIGHTING EBOLA HAVE CONTRACTED IT THEMSELVES

Image Credits: YouTube

by MICHAEL SNYDER

AUGUST 2, 2014

Something is different this time. This is the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history, and this particular strain appears to be spreading much more easily than others have.

So far, 1,323 people have been infected in the nations of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Of those 1,323 victims, a whopping 729 of them have died. But a number that is even more alarming was buried in the middle of a Reuters report on Friday. According to Reuters, “more than 100 health workers” that have been fighting Ebola in Africa have contracted the virus themselves. Considering the extraordinary measures that these health workers take to keep from getting the disease, that is quite chilling. We are not just talking about one or two “accidents”. We are talking about more than 100 of them getting sick. If Ebola is spreading this easily among medical professionals in biohazard body suits that keep any air from touching the skin, what chance are the rest of us going to have if this virus gets out into the general population?

In case you are tempted to think that this could not be possible and that I am just exaggerating, here is the relevant part of the Reuters article that I was talking about…

More than 100 health workers have been infected by the viral disease, which has no known cure, including two American medics working for charity Samaritan’s Purse. More than half of those have died, among them Sierra Leone’s leading doctor in the fight against Ebola, Sheik Umar Khan, a national hero.

This has the potential to be the greatest health crisis of our lifetimes.

But don’t just take my word for it. The following is what the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, just told the press about the disease…

“If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.”

That certainly doesn’t sound good.

Remember, there is no vaccine for Ebola and there is no cure.

Most of the people that get it end up dying.

And right now even our most extreme containment procedures are failing to keep health workers from contracting the disease.

I put the following quote in an article the other day, but I think that it is worth repeating. The health professionals that are on the front lines of the Ebola fight in Africa are going to extraordinary lengths to keep from getting the virus…

To minimise the risk of infection they have to wear thick rubber boots that come up to their knees, an impermeable body suit, gloves, a face mask, a hood and goggles to ensure no air at all can touch their skin.

Dr Spencer, 27, and her colleagues lose up to five litres of sweat during a shift treating victims and have to spend two hours rehydrating afterwards.

They are only allowed to work for between four and six weeks in the field because the conditions are so gruelling.

At their camp they go through multiple decontaminations which includes spraying chlorine on their shoes.

But those precautions are not working.

More than 100 of them have already gotten sick.

So why is this happening?

Nobody seems to know.

Like I said, something is different this time.

A top Liberian health official has already stated that this outbreak is “above the control of the national government” and that it could easily develop into a “global pandemic”.

It is absolutely imperative that this disease be contained until experts can figure out why it seems to be spreading so much more easily than before.

But instead, health officials are beginning to ship Ebola patients all over the planet.

In fact, two American health workers that have contracted Ebola are being shipped to a hospital in Atlanta…

Two American medical missionaries diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia could be back in the USA next week for treatment at a special medical isolation unit at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital, the U.S. State Department said Friday.

The State Department did not name the two individuals, saying only that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was facilitating their transfer on a non-commercial flight and would “maintain strict isolation upon arrival in the United States.”

One is to arrive Monday in a small jet outfitted with a special, portable tent designed for transporting patients with highly infectious diseases. The second is to arrive a few days later, said doctors at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital, where they will be treated.

Could this potentially spread the virus to our shores?

I am sure that they are taking as many precautions as they can.

However, even if those patients do not spread the disease to this country, the reality of the matter is that it will always be just a plane ride away. All it takes is for one person carrying the virus to get on one plane.

And if Ebola does start spreading in the United States, it could change life in this nation almost overnight.

We could very easily see forced quarantines and draconian restrictions on travel.If more than 100 health workers fighting the virus have already contracted it, that means that it is already completely and totally out of control. If this virus does start spreading globally, it has the potential to kill millions of people. It could potentially be the greatest disaster that any of us have ever seen.

Let us hope and pray that it does not come to that. But these latest developments are more than just a little bit alarming.

***

***

ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

25 CRITICAL FACTS ABOUT THIS EBOLA OUTBREAK THAT EVERY AMERICAN NEEDS TO KNOW

The spread of Ebola is starting to become exponential...

Image Credits: European Commission / Flickr

by MICHAEL SNYDER

AUGUST 4, 2014

What would a global pandemic look like for a disease that has no cure and that kills more than half of the people that it infects? Let’s hope that we don’t get to find out, but what we do know is that more than 100 health workers that were on the front lines of fighting this disease have ended up getting it themselves. The top health officials in the entire world are sounding the alarm and the phrase “out of control” is constantly being thrown around by professionals with decades of experience. So should average Americans be concerned about Ebola? If so, how bad could an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. potentially become? The following are 25 critical facts about this Ebola outbreak that every American needs to know…

#1 As the chart below demonstrates, the spread of Ebola is starting to become exponential…

#2 This is already the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history by far.

#3 The head of the World Health Organization says that this outbreak “is moving faster than our efforts to control it“.

#4 The head of Doctors Without Borders says that this outbreak is “out of control“.

#5 So far, more than 100 health workers that were on the front lines fighting the virus have ended up contracting Ebola themselves. This is happening despite the fact that they go to extraordinary lengths to keep from getting the disease.

#6 There is no cure for Ebola.

#7 The death rate for this current Ebola outbreak is over 50 percent, and experts say that it can kill “up to 90% of those infected“.

#8 The incubation rate for Ebola ranges from two days to 21 days. Therefore, someone can be carrying it around for up to three weeks without even knowing it.

#9 For the first time ever, human Ebola patients are being brought to the United States. And as Paul Craig Roberts so aptly put it the other day, all it would take is “one cough, one sneeze, one drop of saliva, and the virus is loose“.

#10 This has already potentially happened in the United Kingdom. A woman reportedly collapsed and later died on Saturday after she got off of a flight from Sierra Leone at Gatwick Airport.

#11 A study conducted in 2012 proved that Ebola could be transmitted between pigs and monkeys that were in separate cages and that never made physical contact.

#12 This is a new strain of Ebola, so what we know about other strains of Ebola may not necessarily apply to this strain of Ebola.

#13 Barack Obama has just signed an executive order that gives the federal government the power to apprehend and detain Americans that show symptoms of “diseases that are associated with fever and signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness, are capable of being transmitted from person to person, and that either are causing, or have the potential to cause, a pandemic, or, upon infection, are highly likely to cause mortality or serious morbidity if not properly controlled.”

#14 And as I noted the other day, federal law already permits “the apprehension and examination of any individual reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease”.

#15 According to the CDC, there are 20 quarantine centers around the country that are prepared to potentially receive Ebola patients…

#16 The CDC has set up an Ebola “quarantine station” at LAX in order to help prevent the spread of the virus.

#17 The largest health emergency drill in New York City history was conducted on Friday.

#18 The federal government will begin testing an “experimental Ebola vaccine” on humans in September.

#19 We are being told that the reason why we don’t have an Ebola vaccine already is due to the hesitation of the pharmaceutical industry to invest in a disease that has “only affected people in Africa“.

#20 Researchers from Tulane University have been active for several years in the very same areas where this Ebola outbreak began. One of the stated purposes of this research was to study “the future use of fever-viruses as bioweapons“.

#21 According to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone, researchers from Tulane University have been asked “to stop Ebola testing during the current Ebola outbreak“. What in the world does that mean?

#22 The Navy Times says that the U.S. military has been interested in studying Ebola “as a potential biological weapon” since the 1970s…

Filoviruses like Ebola have been of interest to the Pentagon since the late 1970s, mainly because Ebola and its fellow viruses have high mortality rates — in the current outbreak, roughly 60 percent to 72 percent of those who have contracted the disease have died — and its stable nature in aerosol make it attractive as a potential biological weapon.

#23 The CDC actually owns a patent on one particular strain of the Ebola virus…

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control owns a patent on a particular strain of Ebola known as “EboBun.” It’s patent No. CA2741523A1 and it was awarded in 2010. You can view it here.

It is being reported that this is not the same strain that is currently being transmitted in Africa, but it is interesting to note nonetheless. And why would the CDC want “ownership” of a strain of the Ebola virus in the first place?

#24 The CDC has just put up a brand new webpage entitled “Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in U.S. Hospitals“.

#25 The World Health Organization has launched a 100 million dollar response plan to fight this Ebola outbreak. Others don’t seem so alarmed. For example, Barack Obama is getting ready to take a “16 day Martha’s Vineyard vacation“.

Many are attempting to play down the threat from this virus by stating that unless you “exchange bodily fluids” with someone that you don’t have anything to worry about.

If that was truly the case, then how in the world have more than 100 health workers contracted the virus so far?

Health professionals that deal with Ebola take extreme precautions to keep from being exposed to the disease.

But despite those extreme measures, they are catching it too.

So if this virus does start spreading all over the globe, what chance is the general population going to have?

Feel free to disagree with me if you like, but I believe that this could potentially be an absolutely catastrophic health crisis.

Hopefully I am wrong.

***

Zero Hedge

No Fly Zone: Russia Plans Airspace Blockade For European Flyovers In Sanction Retaliation

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/05/2014 08:22 -0400

Russia has been quiet, too quiet, since the EU and US unleashed their latest set of sanctions. However, as military drills and troop build-ups occur on Ukraine's borders, Reuters reports that Russian Prime Minister Medvedev is considering a significant retaliation, "any unfriendly measures by the EU, including those in the area of air transportation, we’ll be studied and won’t remain without a response." Russian business daily Vedomosti quoted unnamed sources as saying the foreign and transport ministries were discussing possible action which might force EU airlines into long and costly detours and put them at a disadvantage to Asian rivals by restricting or banning European airlines from flying over Siberia on busy Asian routes. Costs? Over $1.3bn for every months for Lufthansa, BA, and Air France...

As Reuters reports,

The Russian business daily Vedomosti quoted unnamed sources as saying the foreign and transport ministries were discussing possible action which might force EU airlines into long and costly detours and put them at a disadvantage to Asian rivals.

Russia may restrict or ban European airlines from flying over Siberia on busy Asian routes, a newspaper reported on Tuesday, following Western sanctions which have grounded one Russian carrier and a billionaire's private jet.

This would not be the first time...

At the height of the Cold War, most Western airlines were barred from flying through Russian airspace to Asian cities, and instead had to operate via the Gulf or the U.S. airport of Anchorage, Alaska on the polar route.

Costs could be considerable...

Blocking flights by Western airlines over Siberia would add an average an hour and a half to the travel time, Oleg Panteleev, head of the analytical department of the Aviaport agency told Vedomosti. It will result in higher fuel and labor costs, and more strain on technical equipment.

Vedomosti quoted one source as saying a ban could cost carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over three months. Restrictions would lead to longer flights, higher fuel use and other additional costs.

Lufthansa said it operates about 180 flights a week through Siberian airspace but declined further comment, as did British Airways.

+++Though both ministries refused to officially comment, a person close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “any unfriendly measures by the EU, including those in the area of air transportation, we’ll be studied and won’t remain without a response.”

+++How long before Europe breaks away from Washington? And the land-for-gas deal becomes reality?

***

***

SHTFPLAN.COM

RUSSIA PREPARES LARGE-SCALE INVASION: “BATTLE-READY FORCE OF INFANTRY, ARMOR, ARTILLERY, AND AIR DEFENSE”

A massive buildup on the Ukrainian border in the last 48 hours has seen Russia double its troop levels

Image Credits: online-ukraine.net

by MAC SLAVO

AUGUST 6, 2014

A massive buildup on the Ukrainian border in the last 48 hours has seen Russia double its troop levels with 17 additional battalions and has left Western leaders trying to figure out what President Vladimir Putin is planning to do next.

On Tuesday the Russian President called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to resolve the “humanitarian crisis” in Ukraine that has reportedly left tens of thousands of people displaced because of fighting over the last several months, a move that some in the West see as prelude to a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We are convening an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine,” Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed “readiness” to discuss its plan to deploy a “humanitarian mission” to Ukraine, which some consider to be a pretext for an invasion by Russian forces.

Russia has significantly built up its troop presence along the Ukrainian border in recent weeks, according to U.S. officials, making it ready for a potential large-scale invasion of southeastern Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin so chooses.

According to a report in The New York Times, Russia has nearly doubled its troop presence along the border, adding 17 battalions and 19,000 to 21,000 troops who now compose a “battle-ready force of infantry, armor, artillery, and air defense within a few miles of the border.”

The White House has openly worried about what would be, for all intents and purposes, an invasion under the guise of a “peacekeeping” operation.

“We’ve seen a significant re-buildup of Russian forces along the border, potentially positioning Russia for a so-called humanitarian or peacekeeping intervention in Ukraine,” deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said last week.

“That’s a very real option,” a senior Defense Department official told The Times. “And should Putin decide, he could do that with little or no notice. We just don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Source: Business Insider

It should be clear exactly what Vladimir Putin is thinking.

He’s thinking he can send his troops over the border and no one in Europe or the United States will have the will or fortitude to stop it. And, given the foreign policy failures of the United States over the last five years, he’s probably right.

After heavy sanctions that threaten to seize the asset of Russian politicians and businessmen, and a direct attack on Russia’s economy, Vladimir Putin is about to show the world what a Russian response looks like.

The following map, made available by Zero Hedge and generated within the last week, indicates that Russia now has up to 42,000 troops within a few miles of the border with additional units in reserve.

As Charlie McGrath noted recently, the Russians have the weapons, the technology, the will and the manpower to see this through.

For casual observers, pay attention, because there’s a strong possibility that you are seeing the buildup to the next great war.

***

The Telegraph (Edited from longer article.)

Vladimir Putin signs historic $20bn oil deal with Iran to bypass Western sanctions

Five-year accord will see Russia help Iran organise oil sales, but government denies it has violated international obligations

Despite the sanctions, Iran has been looking to boost oil production in recent months, setting a new output target of 5.7m barrels per day (bpd) of crude by 2018 Photo: AP

By Andrew Trotman

4:40PM BST 06 Aug 2014

Vladimir Putin has agreed a $20bn (£11.8bn) trade deal with Iran that will see Russia sidestep Western sanctions on its energy sector.

Under the terms of a five-year accord, Russia will help Iran organise oil sales as well as “cooperate in the oil-gas industry, construction of power plants, grids, supply of machinery, consumer goods and agriculture products”, according to a statement by the Energy Ministry in Moscow.

The Russian government issued a new statement on Wednesday after mysteriously withdrawing a similar release on Tuesday.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that his government will help Iran bring its oil to market. In return, Iran wants to import power and pump equipment, steel products such as pipes, machinery for its leather and textile industries, wood, wheat, pulses, oilseeds and meat.

Iran "is also interested in the joint construction of power generation and development of coal deposits", Mr Novak added.

Further talks between the two countries will take place next month, he said.

A deal could see Russia buying 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day, the Moscow-based Kommersant newspaper has previously reported. That would be about a fifth of Iran’s output in June and half its exports.

There’s a question over “how substantive this memorandum is”, Richard Mallinson, an analyst at Energy Aspects in London, told Bloomberg. “There would be various practical limitations in terms of Iran’s current production capacity, geography and shipping logistics, as well as US sanctions.”

The move is a win-win for both nations after they were hit with Western sanctions aimed at limiting their energy sectors.

***

PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

WILL PUTIN REALIZE THAT RUSSIA HOLDS THE CARDS?

Europe has acquiesced to Washington’s drive to war with Russia, a war that is likely to be the final war for humanity

AUGUST 7, 2014

More evidence, about which I hope to write at length, is piling up that Europe has acquiesced to Washington’s drive to war with Russia, a war that is likely to be the final war for humanity. By Russia’s low key and unthreatening response to Washington’s aggression, thereby giving the West the mistaken signal that Russia is weak and fearful, the Russian government has encouraged Washington’s drive to war.

It appears that the Russians’ greatest weakness is that capitalism has raised enough Russians to a comfortable living standard that the war that Washington is bringing to them is scary, and they want to avoid it in order to continue living like decadent Western Europeans.

The same thing happened to the once fierce Vandals in North Africa in the 6th century when the Vandals were exterminated by a small force from the Eastern Roman Empire.The Vandals had lost the valor that had given them a rich chunk of the Roman Empire.

Russia needs to save the world from war, but the avoidance of war requires Russia to make the costs clear to Europeans.

Faced with economic sanctions, essentially illegal and warlike actions, applied to various Russian individuals and businesses by Washington and Washington’s EU puppets and by Switzerland, a country taught to be more fearful of Washington than of Moscow, Russian President Putin has asked the Russian government to come up with countermeasures to be implemented in response to the gratuitous sanctions imposed against Russia.

But, Putin says, Russia must hold back: “Obviously we need to do it cautiously in order to support domestic manufacturers, but not hurt consumers.”

In other words, Putin wants to impose sanctions that are not really sanctions, but something that looks like tit for tat.

The amazing thing about Russia finding herself on the defensive about sanctions is that Russia, not Washington or the impotent EU, holds all the cards. Putin can bring down the economies of Europe and throw all of Europe into political and economic chaos simply by turning off the energy supply.

Putin would not have to turn off the energy supply for very long before Europe tells Washington good-bye and comes to terms with Russia. The longer Putin waits, the longer Europe has to prepare against Russia’s best weapon that can be used to peacefully resolve the conflict that Washington has orchestrated.

Washington’s aggressive moves against Russia will not stop until Putin realizes that he, not Washington, holds the cards, and plays them.

The world has had enough of Washington, its constant lies, its constant wars, and its bullying. Putin would do well to spend a few hours with Belisarius, Justinian the Great’s great general.

“When I treat with my enemies,” Belisarius said, “I am more accustomed to give than to receive counsel; but I hold in one hand inevitable ruin, in the other peace and freedom.”

That is precisely the position that Vladimir Putin is in with regard to Europe. In one hand he holds the ruin of Europe. In the other peace and freedom in the relations between Russia and Europe.

He needs to call up the dumbshit European “leaders” and tell them.

If Putin does not put his foot down hard and make clear to the Europeans what the stakes are, Washington will succeed in its determination to drive the world to war, and “exceptional and indispensable” Americans will die along with all the rest.

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. His latest book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is now available.

***

Natural News

Genetic scientists call for government regulation of genome editing before it's too late

Monday, August 04, 2014 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Genetic hackers eager to open the floodgates to genetic engineering 2.0 are being met with resistance by level-headed scientists who recognize that new efforts to push genome editing, or the recreation of entire species at the genetic level, represent an irreversible threat to life on this planet. In a paper appearing in Science, these scientists have issued a call for strict regulation of the new technology, which they say could lead to massive "ecological mayhem."

Think of it as genetic modification on steroids -- tampering with the very blueprints of the genomic structure in order to force certain gene expressions that would not normally occur. It is known officially as "gene drive," and advocates say it has the potential to eliminate infectious diseases like malaria and dengue fever, assuming that the right genes are "driven" into mosquito species to stop their spread.

In theory, it might sound like a simple way to address many of the problems faced by modern humanity. But driving genes artificially in order to achieve a specific end -- in the case of malaria and dengue fever, blocking the genetic processes that allow for their spread -- could have unintended consequences that affect entire ecosystems, resulting in a cascade of changes that may be irreversible.

"Gene drive involves stimulating biased inheritance of particular genes to alter entire populations of organisms," explains a background of the technology published by Science. "It was first proposed more than a decade ago, and researchers have been developing gene drive approaches to alter mosquitoes to slow the spread of malaria and dengue fever."

With GMOs currently failing, chemical companies aim to further modify nature using gene drive technology

Another potential use for gene drive is to further alter GM crops to withstand sprayings of harsh pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals have created an epidemic of highly-resistant pests and weeds that no longer respond to their use, and the chemical industry is desperately seeking new ways to maintain and expand its monopoly over nature.

"The technology has... been contemplated as a way to spread genes that would make weeds more susceptible to herbicides like RoundUp," explains a report by Technology Review. "Ironically, some weeds have become resistant to the chemical because it is sprayed heavily on crops that had themselves been genetically engineered to resist the spray."

Like existing GMOs, gene drive does not and cannot exist in a vacuum. Changes made to one species at the genetic level will naturally affect other species, leading to what Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) political scientist Kenneth Oye says are "environmental and security challenges." He and others have put forth valid concerns about the actual consequences of gene drive technology when applied to nature as opposed to what is assumed about it theoretically.

"The fear is that the gene drives might run amok and affect wild populations of plants, animals, or insects," adds Technology Review.

"The faster an organism reproduces, the quicker a gene could spread. Any gene variants given an artificial boost could eliminate other versions of those genes, whose potential evolutionary importance scientists have no idea of. Also, the technology could be used to create weapons that destroy agricultural crops or create super pests."

So how can we prevent such a scenario from becoming a reality? Scientists privy to advancements within the field, and how quickly they are progressing, suggest immediate intervention by governments on behalf of the public interest. They also urge more public participation in assessments of safety, both environmental and human.

"For emerging technologies that affect the global commons, concepts and applications should be published in advance of construction, testing, and release," wrote the scientists. "This lead time enables public discussion of environmental and security concerns, research into areas of uncertainty, and development and testing of safety features."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.gmwatch.org

http://www.technologyreview.com

http://www.truthdig.com

http://news.sciencemag.org

http://science.naturalnews.com

ENENEWS

Huge increase in dead and sick sea mammals on California coast — Unprecedented numbers, annual record broken in 7 months — Starving, drooling, brain damaged, suffering seizures — Sea lions ‘mysteriously’ vanishing on other side of Pacific — Experts: We don’t know what’s happening

MailOnline

'Find a reason to go to war with Germany': Shocking letter documents how King George V urged his foreign secretary to justify conflict two days before outbreak of First World War

• A letter documents a meeting between King George V and Edward Grey

• The King urged his foreign secretary to find a reason for war with Germany

• King George V, revealed what had taken place to Sir Cecil Graves in 1933

• Sir Edward’s great-great-nephew Adrian Graves uncovered the information

By BELINDA ROBINSON

PUBLISHED: 07:27 EST, 26 July 2014 | UPDATED: 12:00 EST, 26 July 2014

A secret letter which documents a private meeting between King George V urging his Foreign Secretary Edward Grey to go to war with Germany two days before the outbreak of the First World War has been unearthed.

The incredible note, sent during one of the most difficult times in British history has been made public for the first time, by Adrian Graves, Sir Edward’s great-great-nephew and grandson of Sir Cecil Graves.

King George V, who had stayed away from making public declarations about Europe as his hands were tied as a constitutional monarch, said it was ‘absolutely essential’ Britain go to war in order to prevent Germany from achieving ‘complete domination of this country’.

Private meeting: King George V, left, met and urged his Foreign Secretary Edward Grey, right, to go to war with Germany two days before the First World War

However when his Foreign Secretary Sir Edward said that the cabinet hadn’t found a justifiable reason to enter the conflict, the King replied: ‘You have got to find a reason, Grey.’

Adrian Graves inherited Sir Cecil’s papers which he kept in their original Asprey case next to his fishing tackle but had never looked at them.

He told The Telegraph: ‘My grandfather was involved in the First World War – he was one of the first to be captured, at the Battle of Mons, and later awarded the Military Cross. The case contained some of his records and papers relating to the war and his captivity.

‘I decided to look through through them as the centenary of August 4 was coming up, and I came across an envelope. Written on the front were the words, ‘Interview with King’. I had never known it was there,’

But they held a treasure-trove of information.

In a letter written by Sir Cecil, Sir Edward’s nephew, he details a meeting that took place between him and the King, who summoned him to Buckingham Palace a month after his uncle’s death in 1933.

The letter told how King George V offered his condolences then recalled the events of 1914 to Sir Cecil.

Sir Cecil wrote: 'He told me of the interview he had with Uncle Edward two days before the outbreak of war. It lasted for one and a half hours.

‘He told me that Uncle Edward had said that he could not possibly see what justifiable reason we could find for going to war.

HM said in reply, ‘You have got to find a reason, Grey.’

The incredible meeting between the King and his Foreign Secretary is not recorded in any history book.

But it shows the importance placed on defeating Germany's plans.

Sir Cecil also revealed that a private letter from Raymond Poincaré, the French President, encouraging Britain to go to war and a telegram from King Albert about Belgium was also sent from the King to Sir Edward.

On August 3, Sir Edward gave a speech to Parliament over Europe’s instability.

He returned to his room in the Foreign Office and made the now famous remark as he watched the lamps being lit outside: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.'By August 4th, Britain was at war.

WHO WAS SIR EDWARD GREY?

Edward Grey, was a British Liberal statesman.

He was also the first Viscount Grey of Fallodon.

He served as Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, which was the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office. 

He is probably best remembered for his remark at the outbreak of war: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time'.

***

WAKING TIMES

Grounding Is a Key Mechanism by Which Your Body Maintains Health

August 7, 2014
Dr. Mercola
Waking Times

Have you ever noticed how good it feels to walk barefoot on a sandy beach, or in a forest? There is a reason for that—it’s called the grounding effect. The reason for this sense of well-being is due to the fact that you’re receiving a surge of potent healing electrons from the ground.

The earth has a slightly negative charge, so when you stand barefoot on that sand, electrons from the earth flow into your body, giving you a virtual “transfusion” of healing power.

The Ultimate Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory

Grounding or Earthing is defined as placing one’s bare feet on the ground whether it be dirt, grass, sand, or concrete (especially when humid or wet). When you ground to the electron-enriched earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system occurs.

The earth is a natural source of electrons and subtle electrical fields, which are essential for proper functioning of immune systems, circulation, synchronization of biorhythms and other physiological processes and may actually be the most effective, essential, least expensive, and easiest to attain antioxidant.

Modern science has thoroughly documented the connection between inflammation and all of the chronic diseases, including the diseases of aging and the aging process itself. It is important to understand that inflammation is a condition that can be reduced or prevented by grounding your body to the Earth, the way virtually all of your ancestors have done for hundreds if not thousands of generations.

How the Modern Running Shoe May Be Destroying Your Health

Materials such as metals are electrical conductors. They contain free or mobile electrons that can carry electrical energy from place to place.

Your body is somewhat conductive because it contains a large number of charged ions (called electrolytes) dissolved in water. Your blood and other body fluids are therefore good conductors. Free or mobile electrons can also move about within your body

Other materials, called insulators, have very few free or mobile electrons. Plastic and rubber are good insulators and are used to cover electrical wires to keep the conductors from touching each other and from touching your skin, which could otherwise give you a shock.

Traditionally, shoes were made of leather, which actually conducts electrons and therefore maintains a conductive contact between the earth and your feet. However, modern day rubber and plastics are electrical insulators and therefore block the beneficial flow of electrons from the Earth to your body.

Grounding Is a Foundational Aspect for Optimal Health

Free radical stress from exposure to mercury pollution, cigarettes, insecticides, pesticides, trans fats, radiation, and many others, continually deplete your body of electrons.

This is one of the primary reasons why antioxidants are used, which actually donate electrons back into your body, to help ward off free radical damage to your tissues.

You can also get these electrons by going outside, barefoot. Touching the earth helps neutralize the damaging positive charges of free radicals in your body.

According to Clint Ober, this lack of grounding appears to be an underlying thread in most chronic disease—a phenomenon he calls “electron deficiency syndrome.”

For a visual demonstration of this, review my previous article, which features an experiment conducted by Gary Schwartz, PhD, at the University of Arizona. Using sunflowers, he demonstrates the powerful biological effects of grounding.

The Health Effects of Grounding

When your body is exposed to a lot of free radical stress, your blood tends to thicken, and positive charges accumulate in your body. This causes chronic inflammation, which is a hallmark of most chronic and degenerative diseases.

Grounding effectively helps alleviate inflammation in your body. It also helps thin your blood, by providing your red blood cells with a surplus of electrons so they can effectively repel each other and avoid being sticky, which can lead to blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke. Research has demonstrated it takes about 80 minutes for the free electrons from the earth to reach your bloodstream and transform your blood cells.

For example, early (and even some current) birth control pills were notorious for causing heart attacks in women. One of the mechanisms responsible for this increased risk is that synthetic estrogens and progesterones increase blood viscosity. Other biochemical alterations caused by grounding include changes in:

Phosphorus

Calcium metabolism

Fibroid metabolism

White blood cells

Grounding also helps calm your sympathetic nervous system, which supports your heart rate variability, which plays an important role in balancing, in your autonomic nervous system. Pain relief, improved sleep, and a generally enhanced sense of well-being are but a few of the health benefits reported by people who try grounding.

Last but not least, when you are grounded to the earth, the negatively charged electrons you receive increase the structure of the water in your cells—just as water increases in structure when a negative charge is introduced by an electrode.

As explained by Gerald Pollack, PhD, author of The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor, living water is negatively charged water. This water can hold energy, much like a battery, and can deliver energy too. In essence, when you ground, you are charging every single cell in your body with energy your body can use for self-healing.

How to Ground, Both Indoors and Outdoors

Walking barefoot is one of the easiest and best ways to get and stay grounded, but you’ll need to do so on the proper surface. Many walking surfaces in today’s modern world will NOT allow for electron transfer between the earth and your body. This includes asphalt, wood, rubber, plastic, vinyl, tar, and tarmac. Surfaces that will allow your body to ground include:

Sand (beach)

Grass (preferably moist)

Bare soil

Concrete and brick (as long as it’s not painted or sealed)

Ceramic tile

Even indoors, and while flying, there are ways to help you stay grounded. Touching the faucet with one hand while shaving with the other helps you ground. And when flying, you can take off your shoes and place your feet (bare or with socks) on the steel struts of the chair in front of you, as this too will help you stay grounded. There are also grounding pads you can use to sleep or sit on, which can be particularly beneficial if you live in a high-rise building.

Grounding May Be Essential for Life and Health

It’s important to understand that grounding is not a “treatment” or a “cure” for any disease or disorder. Rather, it is one of the key mechanisms by which your body maintains equilibrium and health. The human body evolved in constant contact with the earth, and your body needs this continuous interchange of energy in order to function properly.

Exercising barefoot outdoors is one of the most wonderful, inexpensive and powerful ways of incorporating grounding into your daily life. You can also simply take off your shoes as much as you can when you’re outdoors to take advantage of these natural grounding opportunities.

Bare Footin

***

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

“The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.”
(Genesis 2:7)