“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”
(Luke 10:17)

Subject Unto Us

Dear Friends,

Greetings. The pace of change is definitely accelerating. The opening video with Tom Horn, Chris Putnam, and Sid Roth, we think you will find very interesting indeed. Taking this video into account, along with the articles we have published about CERN Collider on the Swiss – French border, you can definitely see that that man is entering the spirit world. Unfortunately it will result in quite a great deal of negative energy entering our world.

As it says in Ephesians, chapter six: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

That “spiritual wickedness in high places” is soon to become much more manifest in our physical realm. But this is to be expected. Remember what Paul said to Timothy, “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:13-15.

That one very important thing that we have learned, that makes us wise, and shows us how to fight against principalities (princes), and (evil) powers, and the rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness is in the same chapter of our instruction manual Ephesians, chapter six.

It is taking on the whole armour of God. In taking on the whole armour we are able to withstand in the evil day.

On page two of this editorial, we have put up an updated and revised article we first put up in August 2010 titled “The Third Temple.” With new information, we felt it necessary to make some changes.

God bless you and have a great week ahead.

***

***

Agence France-Presse

UN chief hails Pope Francis as a global spiritual leader

April 9, 2013 8:19pm

VATICAN CITY - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday hailed Pope Francis as "a spiritual leader of the world" and emphasized goals of social justice shared between the Vatican and the United Nations.

"It is very important to meet a spiritual leader of the world," Ban said at the start of his meeting with the Argentine pope, who last month became the first non-European leader of the world's Catholics in nearly 1,300 years.

"The Holy See and the UN share common goals and ideas," said Ban—one of the first world leaders to be received at an audience by the new pontiff.

Francis has called for the Roman Catholic Church to be closer to ordinary people and help the needy, as well as to reach out to people of different religions and non-believers.

"We discussed the need to advance social justice and accelerate work to meet the Millenium Development Goals," Ban said after the meeting.

The international community has undertaken to meet goals including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and reducing child mortality by 2015.

"Pope Francis is a man of peace and purpose. He is a voice for the voiceless," he said.

Ban said he also invited the pope to visit the United Nations "at his earliest convenience."

The UN leader also commented on the pope's choice to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, saying this was "a powerful message for the many goals shared by the United Nations."

"It speaks loudly of his commitment to the poor, his acute sense of humility, his passion and compassion to improve the human condition," he said.

Ban gave the pope a large book with the Charter of the United Nations in six languages.

The pope, who only spoke in Italian, gave Ban a mosaic of Rome.

***

BREITBART NEWS

'THE BIBLE' SHATTERS HOME VIDEO SALES RECORDS IN FIRST WEEK

9 Apr 2013 312

The History Channel's just-wrapped miniseries The Bible isn't done changing the pop culture landscape quite yet.

The program's ratings gave the cable channel a massive boost, holding firm against even the season finale of AMC's The Walking Dead.

Now, the miniseries' home video debut has become the biggest selling TV on DVD in the last 5 years and the biggest miniseries of all time on Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD in its first week of release.

According to the Association for Christian Retail, The Bible is the fastest pre-selling faith based title in its 60-year history. It also ranked first across digital stores including iTunes, Amazon, VUDU, Xbox, PlayStation, CinemaNow, and GooglePlay.

"We feel incredibly blessed that we were able to bring this amazing love story to life on the screen. It is our hope that folks everywhere will continue to be touched by the message of the Bible and cherish these stories at home with their families for years to come. This is just the beginning," said co-executive producers, husband and wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett in a joint statement.

***

WND

MILITARY WARNED 'EVANGELICALS' NO. 1 THREAT

Christians targeted ahead of Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, KKK

April 6, 2013

JACK MINOR

Soldiers in the U.S. military have been told in a training briefing that evangelical Christians are the No. 1 extremist threat to America - ahead of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, KKK, Nation of Islam, al-Qaida, Hamas and others.

"Men and women of faith who have served the Army faithfully for centuries shouldn't be likened to those who have regularly threatened the peace and security of the United States," said Col. (Ret.) Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. "It is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization. It also appears that some military entities are using definitions of 'hate' and 'extreme' from the lists of anti-Christian political organizations. That violates the apolitical stance appropriate for the military."

The briefing, which was given to an Army reserve unit in Pennsylvania, came from a U.S. Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief titled "Extremism and Extremist Organizations."

The material mentions neo-Nazis, the KKK and other white supremacist organizations. Pictures are shown on various slides of people in Klan attire and Nazi flags. The significance of gang tattoos, and racist acronyms and the significance of numbers were also discussed.

While the material on gangs and racist organizations is similar to what one might receive from a local police briefing on gang issues, after teaching on neo-Nazis in the military such as Timothy McVeigh, the material makes an amazing link.

A slide titled "Religious Extremism" lists multiple organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, Hamas, the Nation of Islam, the Ku Klux Klan and the Christian Identity movement as examples of extremist groups.

However, the first group on the list is evangelical Christianity. Catholicism and ultra-orthodox Judaism are also on the list of religious extremist organizations.

Following the briefing, one of the soldiers who attended the presentation and describes himself as an evangelical told the trainer he was offended at the material and asked for a copy of the briefing. After receiving a copy, he forwarded the material to Crews.

The material describes religious extremism as those having beliefs, attitudes, feelings or actions that are "far removed from the ordinary." It then elaborates by saying that "every religion has some followers that believe that their beliefs, customs and traditions are the only 'right way' and that all others practicing their faith the 'wrong way.'"

Crews said it is astounding that soldiers were taught that a key foundation of the Christian faith is now considered extreme and compared to those who want to implement Shariah law.

"The idea of salvation being exclusively through Christ is a key doctrine of the Christian faith," Crews said. "It is amazing that the trainer felt they had the authority and right to list evangelical Christian, Catholics and orthodox Jews alongside groups like the Muslim Brotherhood."

When pressed as to how evangelical Christians and Catholics are a danger to those serving in the military, the brief does not provide any examples.

Crews said the major problem with the training brief is that it relies heavily on material provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center which has claimed that groups such as WND, the Family Research Council and other pro-family groups are hate groups and extremists.

"We're concerned the use of the SPLC list is not isolated," Crews said. "The Army should make sure its equal opportunity officers across the military do not fall prey and use this SPLC list that identifies Christian and conservative organizations as hate groups as the basis for their briefing."

He went on to say that placing evangelical Christians first on the list of religious extremists speaks volumes about how the SPLC views Christianity compared to other religious groups.

"This is absolutely abhorrent to all those who identify themselves as evangelical Christians in this country," Crews said. "We know other commands have used the SPLC list in briefing soldiers about hate crimes and hate groups, but this particular briefing is the most egregious in terms of blatantly identifying evangelical Christianity as the number one extremist group in the United States."

The material claims the number of "hate groups, extremists and anti-government organizations" has increased because of the prospect of "4 more years under a black president who many on the far right view as an enemy to their country."

It goes on to state the purpose of the training is the belief that this issue "may be an indication of internal issues all services will have to face." It advised participants that extremist organizations are inconsistent with the Army's goals, beliefs and values regarding equal opportunity.

According to Crews, the Army Chief of Chaplains office told the Chaplain Alliance the training was an isolated incident and would not happen again.

Crews said while he accepts the explanation, the Army needs to go further and publically apologize to all evangelical Christians, Catholics and orthodox Jews.

"We believe the soldiers who attended this briefing should receive another class with the corrected material and the instructor should present a public apology. Evangelical Christians, Catholics and Orthodox Jews should be given an apology for having their faith called into question as extremists similar to the Muslim Brotherhood.

"We don't want this briefing to multiply. If it is truly an isolated incident then it should be stopped right now and the instructors should be warned not to teach this material again."

***

WND

The “It Can’t Happen Here” Syndrome

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” – Matthew 24:37-39

by Patrice Lewis

Here is a short quiz for you. Ready?

What’s the current situation with Lindsay Lohan’s rehab?

Who won the latest “Dancing With the Stars”?

Name five celebrities with “baby bumps.”

Explain how the Cypriot banking crisis could impact the European economy.

If you answered the first three questions but are clueless on the fourth, you’re in good company. Estimates are that up to half the population in America is ignorant about the situation in Cyprus. Oh sure, they hear snippets on the evening news, but since it’s far away and happening to other people, they don’t worry about it.

These people are suffering from a Normalcy Bias.

Just what is a Normalcy Bias? Wikipedia defines it as a mental state that “causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects.” It’s sometimes called the “It can’t happen here” syndrome. The assumption is that since a particular disaster has never occurred before, it never will. Any disturbing indications that something bad may happen are dismissed or trivialized.

Originally, the Normalcy Bias referred solely to natural disasters. The scale of devastation and societal disruption from Hurricane Katrina can be attributed in part to a Normalcy Bias – the refusal of the people of New Orleans to believe their beloved city could ever receive a direct hit from a major hurricane, despite its physical vulnerabilities. I distinctly remember seeing a live news report from New Orleans on the evening of Aug. 28, 2005, that showed people partying in the street with a (then) Category 4 hurricane hours away from landfall. Disaster? Nah. It can’t happen here. Gimme another beer.

But the Normalcy Bias has been extended to include political and social disasters as well. The most extreme example is Jews (and to an extent, some Germans) during the reign of the Nazis. Despite all the warning signs, many people remained in denial. Concentration camps? Genocide? Nah. Too crazy. It can’t happen here.

When we hear the mainstream media assuring us in soothing, condescending tones that we’re in an economic “recovery” – despite all evidence to the contrary – we want desperately to believe them. We don’t want anything to disrupt our ordinary, comfortable lives. We genuinely believe that if we cling to our normal way of life and habitual methods of doing things – despite overwhelming proof that something dangerous is looming – then everything will be OK. It can’t happen here.

But the situation in Cyprus is potentially international in scope. North Korea is doing some serious saber-rattling. America’s debt is so out of control that an economic crash is a statistical certainty. Sweeping anti-gun legislation is being enacted in various states even as we speak. As Ayn Rand so memorably put it, “You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.”

Right now life is still pretty good in America. Grocery stores are well-stocked, restaurants are busy, movie theaters are full. Some people know that perhaps they should think about putting some of their retirement savings into tangibles or buying up some ammo, but what’s the hurry? The government won’t seize our assets or take away the Second Amendment. It can’t happen here.

But underneath our feet there is a low-grade ominous rumbling, something perceptive people detected many years ago. All is NOT right in America and in many other places in the world. Something bad IS heading our way. People need to prepare – physically, financially and spiritually.

Canada Free Press (which is not afraid to print in-your-face stuff about America) published a fascinating article on how the U.S. government has an agenda to kill the dollar. “The ultimate objective is to implement an international currency in tandem with a system of global governance,” writes Doug Hagmann. “The problem is that most people are not thinking large enough, nor do they understand the magnitude of the lie. They are not seeing the larger picture as their focus is diverted elsewhere. For example, they focus on various tentacles of the octopus such as the gun confiscation initiative, the DHS armament acquisitions and economic woes as independent and unrelated events. They are not. … Many will die from what is coming. The level of evil behind this plan is incomprehensible to the normal human mind.”

See? Normalcy Bias. People continue to cling to the notion that our leaders are working for us, not for themselves. So people sit on their butts watching “American Idol” or reading about celebrity baby bumps. Can the U.S. economy crash? Nah. It can’t happen here.

There are many people who just can’t “see” anything wrong with our country. Any restrictions to our constitutional freedoms and liberties are justified as “necessary” to ensure domestic tranquility. When the TSA performs atrocities on children, the elderly, or the disabled, they are excused as simply being overzealous for our security. When the federal government buys billions of rounds of hollow-point ammunition or mandates another offensive policy for kindergartners or places drones in American skies, we close our eyes and pretend it’s all for the common good. And for those who claim deep dark conspiracy theories? Take off your tin foil hats. It could never happen here. Everything’s fine.

And when something big and bad does happen, these people will be surprised. What will they say if savings accounts or pensions are confiscated (Hungary, Argentina, Cyprus)? If door-to-door gun seizures occur (England, Australia)? If dissident camps aren’t rumors after all (Cambodia, China, Russia)? Where did this come from?

“Denial is an integral part of atrocity,” wrote the late Iris Chang, “and it’s a natural part after a society has committed genocide. First you kill, and then the memory of killing is killed.”

The fact is, very little happens that doesn’t give some sort of advanced warning. All it takes is vigilance and a determination not to depend wholly on the mainstream media, which tends to filter world and national events to support their agenda.

So what can be done about all these dire things? Well, the first thing to do is strip away your Normalcy Bias and acknowledge that the smoke on the horizon means a fire is coming. Awareness, as they say, is half the battle.

And then prepare yourself physically, financially and spiritually. Learn how to safeguard your home and family;learn how to safeguard your money; and learn how to safeguard your soul.

But most of you won’t. You’ll have endless excuses why it’s not necessary, at least not yet. You’ll remain in denial. You won’t do anything.

Shrug. I tried.

***

Associated Press

Ancient site unearthed in Iraqi home of Abraham

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN

Thu, Apr 4, 2013

BAGHDAD (AP) -- British archaeologists said Thursday they have unearthed a sprawling complex near the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, home of the biblical Abraham.

The structure, thought to be about 4,000 years old, probably served as an administrative center for Ur, around the time Abraham would have lived there before leaving for Canaan, according to the Bible.

The compound is near the site of the partially reconstructed Ziggurat, or Sumerian temple, said Stuart Campbell of Manchester University's Archaeology Department, who led the dig.

"This is a breathtaking find," Campbell said, because of its unusually large size -- roughly the size of a football pitch, or about 80 meters (260 feet) on each side. The archaeologist said complexes of this size and age were rare.

"It appears that it is some sort of public building. It might be an administrative building, it might have religious connections or controlling goods to the city of Ur," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the U.K.

The complex of rooms around a large courtyard was found 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ur, the last capital of the Sumerian royal dynasties whose civilization flourished 5,000 years ago.

Campbell said one of the artifacts they unearthed was a 9-centimeter (3.5-inch) clay plaque showing a worshipper wearing a long, fringed robe, approaching a sacred site.

Beyond artifacts, the site could reveal the environmental and economic conditions of the region through analysis of plant and animal remains, the archaeological team said in a statement.

The dig began last month when the six-member British team worked with four Iraqi archaeologists to dig in the Tell Khaiber in the southern province of Thi Qar, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Baghdad.

Decades of war and violence have kept international archaeologists away from Iraq, where significant archaeological sites as yet unexplored are located. Still, the dig showed that such collaborative missions could be possible in parts of Iraq that are relatively stable, like its Shiite-dominated south.

Campbell's team was the first British-led archaeological dig in southern Iraq since the 80s. It was also directed by Manchester University's Dr. Jane Moon and independent archaeologist Robert Killick.

"This has been an opportunity to get back to an area very close to our heart for a long time," Campbell said.

Iraq faces a broader problem of protecting its archaeological heritage. Its 12,000 registered archaeological sites are poorly guarded.

***

New York Times

For Friars, Finding Renewal by Sticking to Tradition

By Doreen Carvajal

April 3, 2013 -

CORK, Ireland--The Rev. Gerard Dunne has worked for 12 years essentially as a human-resources recruiter--albeit one in a habit cinched with a dangling wooden rosary--for the ancient order of the Dominican friars. Once, his medieval robes may have deterred some. But today he is convinced that the garment is his greatest selling point for enlisting new priests.

Other religious orders largely stopped wearing their traditional garb in recent years, as they tried to attract new followers in secularizing societies. But the friars deliberately went on wearing the robes and promoting the spiritual benefits of shared prayer and a communal lifestyle--with a little help, too, from a chatty blog.

"We made a conscious decision a few years ago to wear the habit because we had no vocations and we were in a bad way," said Father Dunne, 46, who estimates that he has traveled nearly a half-million miles along Ireland's country lanes and highways in search of recruits. "If we didn't present ourselves in an authentic manner, who would join us? And that meant going back to the fundamentals."

Those fundamentals--which include the signature white tunic and black capuce of the Dominican friars, fashioned almost 800 years ago--have helped lead to an improbable revival of the Dominican order of preachers. Even as other orders close houses and parish priests in Ireland are vanishing at a time of clerical sexual abuse scandals, the Dominican order is growing, and not just in Ireland.

The friars are something of a hybrid between monks and diocesan priests. They live together in a priory, sharing prayers and meals. But unlike monks, they work in the broader community in preaching and teaching roles in churches, universities and secondary schools. It is a way of life that Pope Francis himself has chosen, shunning the papal palace for a guesthouse to "live in community" with bishops and priests at the Vatican.

In the United States, the largest northeastern branch is expecting 18 novices to enter its theology school in Washington, which was expanded three years ago. In the smaller southern region based in New Orleans, the Dominicans are scrambling to finance an influx of novices--six this year--with annual expenses of $30,000 for lodging and theology education over seven years.

"People see the habit in a much more positive light then clerical clothing, the black shirt, white collar and suit," said Martin Ganeri, who is a Dominican vocations promoter for England, where five people entered the order this year.

In tough economic times, the stability of community may also be appealing, and the resurgence for the Dominicans has coincided with Ireland's economic crisis. But Father Dunne and others said most potential candidates were already prospering in existing jobs in professional fields, and came to the order because of a yearning for greater spirituality.

The revival of the order has been particularly striking in a country where diocesan parish priests have been disappearing. Just 12 men started theology studies for all of Ireland's 26 dioceses last fall--a record low.

In contrast, in January a Dominican vocations retreat in Cork was oversubscribed at St. Mary's Priory and two more were added in March and April. The early events drew a total of 20 men to whom the idea of a simple lifestyle and a clear identity appealed at a time of uncertainty in the lives of many.

In the fall, the Dublin-based order enrolled five men, joining 20 other Dominican theology students. They will become part of a community of 175 priests in 18 priories or communal houses across Ireland.

Their rising numbers in Ireland have made the Dominicans the envy of other orders, which have sought to copy their recruitment methods.

"They're the most successful to the degree that they were online and on the Internet at an early age, and had a blog before the other orders were catching up," said Terence Harrington, a vocations director for the Capuchin order in Ireland, which has taken to Facebook and Twitter. The Irish diocese now has an iPad app for people considering the priesthood.

Typically, it takes eight months to two years for prospective candidates to decide whether to join the order while working with a Dominican mentor, like Father Dunne. With that period to reflect, the attrition rate for new entrants has dropped to 15 percent, Father Dunne said.

Maurice Colgan, 41, a former social worker for drug addicts who was ordained as a Dominican priest in 2011, said he was still adopting to his lifestyle.

"My hat goes off to diocesan priests, but I don't know how they do it without community life," he said. "Today, you need the support of your brothers. Now, of course they may annoy you and you annoy them, but that's natural in a community."

At one recent retreat, prospective recruits were invited to imagine themselves as black friars, as the Dominicans are nicknamed, gathering for evening prayer at the 19th-century St. Mary's Church in Cork, where the order first arrived in 1229.

The guests included a university student, a government lawyer and a schoolteacher drawn by the order's Web site, which is stocked with videos, among them one of a friar snowball fight set to the song "Eye of the Tiger." Later, the group crowded at a long wooden table for a traditional Irish fry dinner of potatoes and sausages.

Some of the Irish candidates said they were impressed by the order's rising numbers and openness to newcomers.

Matthew Farrell, 38, a former bartender from County Offaly and a novice, said he had sampled other orders, like the Carmelites. "I've been searching a long time for a vocation," he said. "I wanted to get married or wanted to do something else. I tried to visualize myself as a priest."

But in the end, he said, the Dominicans won out. "The Dominicans have a lot of enthusiasm and energy," he said, "and I liked the fact that they wore habits."

***

WND

MUCH ABOUT HISTORY

'MONUMENTAL' MYSTERY UNDER SEA OF GALILEE

Scientists probe puzzle at site made famous by Jesus, Peter

Published: 04/10/13

by JOE KOVACS

Some 2,000 years ago, the Sea of Galilee in Israel became famous as the Bible says Jesus and His apostle Peter walked on top of the water in a spectacular miracle.

Now, a mysterious find from beneath the surface is bringing new attention to the ancient body of water.

Scientists have discovered a massive, “monumental” structure on the sea’s floor, leaving experts puzzled as to what it actually is and how and when it became located there.

Scientists are probing a giant, cone-shaped pile of boulders on the floor of Israel's Sea of Galilee. The arrow points to a 4-inch fish swimming beside the boulders. (courtesy Shmuel Marco)

The structure is basically a cone-shaped pile of boulders with an estimated weight of 60,000 tons, which is heavier than most of today’s warships.

Its height is nearly 32 feet, with a diameter of approximately 230 feet. In comparison, the outer stone circle at the well-known Stonehenge monument in Britain has a diameter just half of that. Additionally, the tallest stones of Stonehenge don’t reach as high as the Sea of Galilee structure.

The mysterious structure is cone-shaped, about 230 feet (70 meters) in diameter and nearly 32 feet (10 meters) tall. It weighs an estimated 60,000 tons. (courtesy Shmuel Marco)

“Close inspection by scuba diving revealed that the structure is made of basalt boulders up to 1 meter long with no apparent construction pattern,” the researchers explain in the latest edition of the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

“The boulders have natural faces with no signs of cutting or chiseling. Similarly, we did not find any sign of arrangement or walls that delineate this structure. The boulders are bare without any overgrowth. In contrast with the sandy terrain surrounding it, Tilapia fish teem around the structure and between its blocks, probably taking advantage of the hiding places and shelter that it offers.”

A sonar mapping of the sea’s southwestern portion first detected the structure in the summer of 2003, and divers have since investigated the site in person.

“The shape and composition of the submerged structure does not resemble any natural feature. We therefore conclude that it is man-made and might be termed a cairn,” the researchers say.

The circular structure was first detected in a sonar survey in the summer of 2003. (courtesy Shmuel Marco)

They explain there are questions that remain to be answered with certainty, including precisely when it was built, its purpose and use, and if it had been built as an underwater installation or on land during low lake levels and later submerged.

“The purpose and usage of the structure may be connected to how it was built,” the researchers say. “A possible interpretation for the structure is related to the fact that it attracts fish and thus may be interpreted as a part of a marine-based economy. If so, the structure must have been built as an underwater structure. Stone-built installations that are thought to be ancient fish nurseries are well known in the Sea of Galilee. They are found near the shores at regular intervals.”

“An alternative scenario is that the structure was built onshore, when the water level was lower than today. The submergence could have occurred either because of tectonic movement or because of rising water levels.”

The New Testament says both Jesus and Peter walked atop Israel's Sea of Galilee. (courtesy Benjamin McPherson)

Because of the massive size of the structure, the scientists conclude “the effort invested in such an enterprise is indicative of a complex, well-organized society, with planning skills and economic ability.

“The possible relation of the submerged stone structure to the ancient settlements along the shores of the Sea of Galilee is of great importance. Flourishing settlement systems existed along the shores in the Bronze and Iron Ages, between the 4th and the 1st millennia B.C. Urban centers such as Bet Yerah, Tel Hadar and Bethsaida were the prominent settlements in biblical periods.

“The only period in this region for which megalithic structures can be connected to settlement sites is the Early Bronze Age, between the late 4th and the late 3rd millennia B.C. The monumental site of Khirbet Beteiha, located some 30 kilometers north-east of the submerged stone structure, comprises three concentric stone circles, the largest of which is 56 meters in diameter.”

Researcher Yitzhak Paz, of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ben-Gurion University, told LiveScience he hopes soon an underwater expedition will set out to excavate the structure, searching for artifacts to try to determine its date with certainty.

He said the Israel Antiquities Authority has a research branch capable of excavating it.

“We will try to do it in the near future, I hope, but it depends on a lot of factors,” he said.

***

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I sold my soul, ain’t no turning back

I keep on dancing with the Devil

You and I made a deal

I was young and shit got real

Weaving through Heaven and back

Whoaaa

Your love is made of dirty gold

But I’m the one who sold my soul

So go ahead and take my hand

Whoaaa

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I sold my soul, it’s a dead-end road

But there ain’t no turning back
I keep on dancing with the Devil

Hey-heey-hey

I can’t escape my filthy past

I made mistakes, I made ‘em last

I know you love to watch me cry

Whoaaa

So while I’m yours until the end

A holy war, I’ll never win

So I’ll keep dancing ’til I die

Whoaaa

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I keep on dancing with the Devil

I sold my soul, it’s a dead-end road

But there ain’t no turning back

I keep on dancing with the Devil

Hey-heey-hey

He’s got my mind (You got..)

He’s got my soul (..Hell to pay)

My… he won’t let me go!
I keep on dancing with the Devil


I keep on dancing with the Devil

I sold my soul, it’s a dead-end road

But there ain’t no turning back

I keep on dancing with the Devil

Hey-heey-hey

***

The Times of Israel

Israeli firm talks up mankind’s recovery from the Tower of Babel

You speak in your language but the listener hears you in his or hers — by phone, via the Internet, or even face-to-face. It’s a linguistic revolution, say the innovators behind Lexifone

By DAVID SHAMAH April 9, 2013

An official from Changzhou (L) shakes hands with Lexifone CEO Dr. Ike Sagie after the two signed a memorandum of understanding for the opening of an R&D center in the Chinese city (Photo credit: Courtesy)

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech… And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven… And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower… And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

“So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

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(Genesis, Chapter 11, Verses 1-9)

The Bible ascribes the diversity of languages on Earth — some 6,500 tongues in current usage, according to most estimates — to the hubris of post-flood mankind in seeking to build a tower to heaven, and a divine decision to punish that Tower of Babel construction project by “confounding” man’s capacity to communicate in a single tongue.

Now, an Israeli start-up claims to be perfecting the best means of overcoming that biblical curse of global language barriers.

“Our vision is to allow two people anywhere in the world to communicate and understand each other, no matter their language and no matter the medium — phone, Internet, or face-to-face,” said Ike Sagie, the CEO of Lexifone. “We believe that our product is the harbinger of this revolution.”

A step toward conquering the Earth’s linguistic cacophony, Lexifone lets you speak to anyone in English and (so far) seven other languages. The person on the other end (or right next to you, using an Android app) hears what you’ve just said in his or her own language. Right now, speakers of English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Mandarin can call each other and have their conversations automatically translated; on the agenda are Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and Hebrew. More languages, including other Chinese dialects, will follow, eventually covering most global language requirements.

Using Lexifone “is like working with a translator, but a lot cheaper,” said Itay Sagie, son of Ike Sagie and the company’s head of marketing. It’s at least 15 times cheaper, he posits, depending on the nature of the live translation services a client would have used instead of Lexifone.

“Our machine interacts with you, hearing what you say and translating it for the listener. The system is extremely accurate, with the machine engaging in a back and forth with the speaker to ensure that it understood what was being said,” Itay told The Times of Israel. The system can differentiate between dialects, such as American, British and Australian English, and can take into account regional accents, thanks to voice-to-machine software packages produced by Nuance and other companies. The system is based on enhanced voice recognition with a translation mechanism.

A woman at a hotel reception desk in Mexico uses the Lexifone app to speak to clients from abroad, hearing the conversation in Spanish, regardless of the language spoken by the other party. “Mexico is now a Multi-Lingual Zone, thanks to Lexifone,” said Itay Sagie, the company’s director of marketing (Photo credit: Courtesy)

The capacity to “talk” to computers and be understood by them has been around for years. What Lexifone brings to the table is a unique translation system, called computational linguistics, which can take the sentences spoken by users and quickly turn them around into the same sentence translated into another language. Lexifone strives not just for a literal translation, but a cultural one, too. “We have a committee that evaluates phrases and idioms in different languages and decides which ones are the best match in each corresponding language,” said Itay.

Hundreds of companies large and small are already using Lexifone to provide translation services for customers, clients, or employees, he said. “Among our biggest customer segments are expats who are living in countries where they are less familiar with the language. They use our software to make phone calls to government agencies, businesses, and the like.” The system works online, at the Lexifone website, or via an Android app — which, Ike Sagie said, can also be used for live, face-to-face translations via the Android device’s microphone.

“We also have many small and medium-sized businesses using it, getting translation services for a lot less than they could with a live interpreter,” Ike added. “Right now we are working on signing up large corporations and governments that have expressed interest in our services.”

Many of those using Lexifone for translation services also use it as an IP telephony app, similar to Skype, allowing users to make calls via the Lexifone app to more than a hundred countries at low rates, with the translation service built in.

Lexifone’s pride and joy is its accuracy, said Itay. There are other tools on the market, he said, but they “will give you gibberish for the most part. No one has as advanced a translation system as we do.” Several other companies, notably NTT Docomo in Japan, are making forays into the automatic translation market, “but their system is much more limited, translating Japanese to and from only a few languages. No one has taken translation as far as we have or has been as successful and accurate as we have,” the younger Sagie said.

In a demonstration at a recent technology industry event, Lexifone worked as advertised. A conversation with a Mandarin speaker went surprisingly smoothly, from the exchange of pleasantries (“hello, how are you, I am fine”) to a discussion of the weather (“It’s raining here, what’s the weather over there?”) to a relatively complicated sentence (“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”). Most of the translations were nearly instantaneous, with a two-second computer beep differentiating between the original sentence and the translation, which both participants in the conversation heard. (The woodchuck line was a bit slower — about three seconds.)

Lexifone is a relatively young company, established in 2010 at the Hi-Center accelerator in Haifa, but its products are already in use around the world. “We are working in countries where there is a high language barrier, such as Russia, China, and Latin America,” said Itay Sagie. Among the company’s marketing efforts is developing programs for local governments in the US, said Ike Sagie. “Many local and even state governments are doing business with companies, suppliers, and officials in foreign countries, and especially in the US many people do not have a foreign language. With Lexifone they will have a much cheaper and easier way to communicate with non-English speakers.”

Lexifone’s latest project is an R&D facility to be built in China, which will work on expanding and perfecting the system for Mandarin and other Chinese dialects. Under the guidance of an Israeli-owned company called The PTL Group, which helps local firms navigate the Chinese business environment, Lexifone recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Changzhou, a city near Shanghai where numerous Israeli companies have set up shop. “We will be hiring Chinese staff and bringing in workers from Israel, and begin working with Chinese companies that are looking to expand their exports, but are stifled due to language challenges,” said Itay. “Working in China will be a challenge, but no greater than the challenge we successfully met in building our application.”

Growth has been going according to schedule, said Ike, and the company aims ultimately to enable smooth communication for anyone, anywhere. That’s quite a  goal, given those 6,500 languages — even though about 2,000 of them are said to be spoken by fewer than 1,000 people.

But Ike Sagie is undaunted. “The technology behind Lexifone is very sophisticated,” he acknowledged, “but the user interface is as simple as possible — all you have to do is talk.”

***

Steve Quayle.com

THEY ARE GEARING UP FOR SOMETHING BIG--His exact words were, 'They are shipping some serious s*** over there'

Apr 5, 2013

I just spoke with a close associate who has been working for the last three years at Barksdale AFB, on various construction projects. Likely, you will not remember that I wrote you about 6 weeks ago to ask for prayers for people in that area. This man is just a guy...a construction worker...been there all his life...salt of the earth kind of guy. In his words..."I am just a working man...doing the best I can do." - - To let you know, I have cautioned him, and literally begged him to leave that area...but he wants to hang on for as long as he can, so that he can tell people what he is seeing, and hearing...but it may be that he is finally rattled enough to pick up stakes and get out of there now. I am praying that he gets out soon. - - Tonight, he called to let me know that the security and activity at Barksdale has been stepped up in his words, "by 300%". - - I asked as many questions as I felt that I could and took notes so that I could simply use his quotes to accurately report what he has stated. - - "We were working on a scheduled job in the munitions dump area...building new blast walls, when AF personnel came in and told us we had to leave right now. We asked if were being given a "work stoppage order." They replied "Get out now." and escorted us out. "More like they rushed us out." - - On April 1, AF Chief of Staff and a bunch of other DoD dignitaries flew in to Barksdale. Those coming on the base usually have a sidearm and maybe a rifle, but since the 1st, "dignitaries are also wearing flak jackets." - - "They are gearing up for something big." - - "They are bringing in serious junk." - - "Moving in warheads...I was working in an area where cruise missles are brought in, put together, armed, and shipped out." - - His exact words were, "They are shipping some serious s*** over there." - - (Here I tried to ascertain whether these were going on ships or planes.) - - He replied that "they are going everywhere." He also stated that "they dropped a bunch dummy bombs on some islands off the coast of North Korea"..(I just read a confirmation of that from an intelligence newsletter, and confirmed by WND an hour ago.) - - I asked him if Chinese officers were still on base. He replied that he had not been working in the area in which he first saw them, for the last three weeks, but he did say this..."The Chinese and the Russians are here...let me put it this way...everybody in the UN plus a few more are in here. (US)" - - He heard and directly quoted one officer referring to the testing of anti-ballistic missle defense system, "We are going to see a real test, now." He then said that he heard "Intelligence says there will be an attack on American soil." - - He then stated that these defense missile systems were " being shipped to several bases." - - Now he is a construction worker, and has been on the base which has contracted the company he works for, with over 40 different jobs. He said that in those three years, he has never seen it this way. His overwhelming impression is that our forces are mostly scattered, a huge number of foreign military personnel are in the US, many foreign officers have been at Barksdale for about 6 weeks that he knows of, and that "anything can happen," and "it looks like it will happen real quick." - - I'll translate that last statement in case you don't speak "Southern"... - - What he meant by that is that whatever is actually going on, North Korea notwithstanding, something is about to happen, it is about to happen soon, and there is no way we will ever be able to know the truth about it, who did what, when, where and why, but that whatever it is, we are sitting ducks for anything." - - He said, "You know, when I was in school, there was always somebody pushing for a fight, trying to start a fight, or get a fight stirred up. That is what this reminds me of...when I was in school...and somebody always wanted to see a fight." - - He then asked for prayers. So I am asking you to join in prayers for him...for all of them...

***

Could it be that all that (lubricating) oil coming out of the ground helps contribute to all the “earthquakes in divers places”?

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MailOnline

'I acted like a dictator to bring in the euro': Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl admits power-trip forced continent to accept single currency

Newly published 2002 interview reveals candid admission about euro project

Helmut Kohl says: 'Chancellor must be a man of power to achieve'

But also admits that he would have lost a referendum on the single currency

By ALLAN HALL

PUBLISHED: 9 April 2013

Helmut Kohl has admitted that he 'acted like a dictator' to bring the euro into Germany to replace the beloved D-Mark.

Germany's longest-serving postwar chancellor said that he would have lost any popular vote on the euro by 'an overwhelming majority'.

He said in an interview conducted in 2002 - but only just now published - : 'I knew that I could never win a referendum in Germany. We would have lost a referendum on the introduction of the euro. That's quite clear. I would have lost and by seven to three.'

'I had to be forceful': Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, pictured above in front of the Brandenburg Gate during a private walk in Berlin, has revealed he 'acted like a dictator' to bring in the euro

The interview was conducted by Jens Peter Paul in 2002 when the Deutsche Mark was subsituted by the euro.

Kohl said he adopted the euro as an 'emblem' of the European project which he believed prevented war on the continent.

'If a Chancellor is trying to push something through, he must be a man of power. And if he's smart, he knows when the time is ripe. In one case – the euro – I was like a dictator ... The euro is a synonym for Europe. Europe, for the first time, has no more war,' he went on.

What he did NOT address in his interview were the lies he and his ministers told to get the common currency in place across Europe - a decision now seen to have fatal consequences as the continent thrashes around in the sixth year of a financial crisis without end.

Hundreds of pages of German government documents from 1994 to 1998 and released last year stated clearly that Italy - now one of the floundering southern European euro states - should NOT have been allowed to join the euroclub. Later on the files bring up another country that was poised for catastrophe: Greece.

Aides warned Kohl - who, along with the French relentlessly drove the European Project onwards - that Italy's austerity measures taken at the time were merely 'window dressing.'

German media dubbed the information in the files as 'Operation Self Deception.' The German ruling class seemingly knew they were driving the continent into a fiscal cul-de-sac... but went ahead with it anyway.

The files show how on February 3, 1997, the German Finance Ministry noted that in Rome 'important structural cost-saving measures were almost completely omitted, out of consideration for the social consensus.'

'The documents that have now been released suggest that the Kohl administration misled both the public and Germany's Federal Constitutional Court,' said news magazine Der Spiegel when they came out last year.

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Bull Market Thinking

Jim Rogers: "I Suspect They'll Take The Pension Plans Next; I For One Am Worried, And I'm Taking Preparations"

By Tekoa Da Silva

April 5, 2013

I was able to reconnect for an interview with legendary Quantum Fund manager and commodities bull, Jim Rogers. This was an especially groundbreaking interview, as Jim shared thoughts on what governments around the world will be taking next, and what he's doing right now to protect his personal bank accounts following the Cyprus collapse.

Speaking towards the frightening implications of the Cyprus banking collapse, Jim said that, "It's been condoned [now] by the IMF, the European union, and everybody else in sight; that a government in need, can take assets. We all knew they could tax us...but this is the first time that I'm aware of, that they've gone in and taken bank accounts. They took gold from people in the U.S. in the 1930′s...but I've never heard of them taking bank accounts. [Now] they're doing it. So be careful [because], now they can take your bank account under this precedent."

When asked if bank account confiscation will be going worldwide, Jim said, "Well, it's now in their bag of tricks, but yes, they can do anything they want too now. I for one am worried and I'm taking preparations. Who knows if I'm right or not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry as all of those people who had money in Cyprus have learned. They thought they had a normal bank account...but now it's been [taken] with the sanctions of many governments and institutions."

Jim also urged that, "If people have money in any account, anywhere in the world...cut it down to under the guaranteed amount. They might take that too someday when things get desperate, because the precedent has been set, but that's where I would start if I had money in the bank anywhere in the world."

With respect to which assets governments will likely be coming for next, Jim said, "401k plans, IRA's, and pensions plans which the government knows about [may be next]...They're rationale would be, 'Well most people haven't been doing well in their IRAs and pension plans for the past several years, so we're going to help you. We're going to take your pension plan and give you government bonds so that you have a guaranteed return."

Jim further added that, "That's how they'll rationalize taking our money. They know where all the pension plans are because we have to report it, so they're easily accessible by governments. They know where they are, what they are, and they'll be able to snatch them away. Who knows what they'll do, but they'll certainly find some way to take our money when things get worse, they always have."

As a final chilling comment to end the interview, Jim noted that, "Anything they know about--they might easily take." - ------ - This was another powerful interview, conducted with an absolute legend of our time.

***

***

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NaturalNews

USDA caves to food industry pressures, approves three new toxic meat preservatives

by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

April 05, 2013

NaturalNews) After intense lobbying by Kraft Foods Global Inc. and Kemin Food Technologies, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has agreed to reverse existing regulations that prohibit the use of three toxic meat preservatives.

According to Courthouse News Service (CNS), sodium benzoate, sodium propionate, and benzoic acid will now be permissible for use in preserving and treating meat and poultry products, despite having been previously banned. FSIS has long been of the persuasion that major food corporations would attempt to use such additives to "conceal damage or inferiority in meat and poultry," but the agency's view has apparently changed.

After Kraft submitted its own company-funded trials claiming that the three preservative chemicals are allegedly safe, and that they supposedly cannot be used to disguise sub par meat and poultry products, the USDA suddenly changed its mind about them. This is all according to its mouthpiece, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which made the announcement recently about the change.

"Kraft submitted data collected from its in-plant trials and from scientific studies that show that these substances do not conceal damage or inferiority, or make products appear better or of greater value than they are under the proposed conditions of use," says FSIS.

Factory food companies commonly use chemical preservatives, anti-microbials to mask inferior meat

This is a nice story, but according to admissions made by both Kraft and Kemin, use of these additives will indeed be used to disguise inferior meat and poultry products. According to CNS, the two companies admittedly petitioned FSIS to allow use of the chemicals in liquid form to kill pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, which typically only exist in tainted meat derived from factory farms.

Industrial agriculture is a filthy business, especially when animals are involved. Rather than have access to pasture and the outdoors, cows and chickens from factory farms live most, if not all, of their lives in confinement, where they wallow in their own feces, and sometimes even in the rotting carcasses of other dead animals. As a result, such animals become ill, and their systems infected with harmful pathogens that must be eliminated before human consumption.

The reason companies like Kraft and Kemin exist and thrive is because high-profit factory farms exist and thrive. And the only way these food corporations can "safely" sell their factory-farm food products to the public is to kill it, sanitize it, and smother it in antimicrobial agents like sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid.

So to claim that their goal in seeking approval for the three chemicals is not to conceal second-rate meat products is simply a lie. Low-grade meat products from squalid factory farms have to be disguised, otherwise the public would never purchase them.

Beyond this, the chemical substances in question are not even safe. Sodium propionate has been linked to causing gastrointestinal upset and respiratory problems, while sodium benzoate can cause DNA damage and promote the formation of cancer cells. And benzoic acid, which is often added to processed foods, can promote the development of asthma and hyperactivity, particularly in children.

"The continued ingestion of certain chemicals has been linked to cancer, fatigue, memory-impairment, imbalanced motor-function, diabetes, thyroid problems, confusion and far more," says Creative Bioscience about food preservatives and additives. "Such food additives can stunt or stall weight loss and even cause more pounds to add on."

***

MailOnline

Why a whiff of rosemary DOES help you remember: Sniffing the herb can increase memory by 75%

The Tudors believed rosemary had powers to enhance memory

In Hamlet, Ophelia says ‘There’s rosemary that’s for remembrance'

Researchers have found the oil helps alertness and arithmetic

By JENNY HOPE

PUBLISHED: 8 April 2013

Shakespeare was right in saying rosemary can improve your memory.

Researchers have found for the first time that essential oil from the herb when sniffed in advance enables people to remember to do things.

It could help patients take their medication on time, it is claimed, or even help the forgetful to post a birthday card.

In a series of tests rosemary essential oil from the herb increased the chances of remembering to do things in the future, by 60-75 per cent compared with people who had not been exposed to the oil.

Other studies have shown the oil increases alertness and enhances long-term memory.

Rosemary has been long been linked to memory, with the most famous literary reference found in Hamlet when Ophelia declares: ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance: pray, love, remember.’ It is used in modern-day herbal medicine as a mild painkiller and for migraines and digestive problems.

A team of psychologists at Northumbria University, Newcastle, tested the effects of essential oils from rosemary.

Dr Mark Moss, who will present the findings today at the British Psychology Society conference in Harrogate, said the benefit of aromas was becoming clear through scientific investigation.

He said ‘We wanted to build on our previous research that indicated rosemary aroma improved long-term memory and mental arithmetic.

‘In this study we focused on prospective memory, which involves the ability to remember events that will occur in the future and to remember to complete tasks at particular times. This is critical for everyday functioning, for example when someone needs to remember to post a birthday card or to take medication at a particular time.’

Rosemary essential oil was diffused in to a testing room by placing four drops on an aroma stream fan diffuser and switching this on five minutes before people entered the room.

Altogether 66 people took part in the study and were randomly allocated to either the rosemary-scented room or another room with no scent.

In each room participants completed a test designed to assess their prospective memory functions.

This included tasks such as hiding objects and asking participants to find them at the end of the test and instructing them to pass a specified object to the researcher at a particular time.

All the tasks had to be done with no prompting but if the task was not performed then different degrees of prompting were used.

The more prompting that was used the lower the score.

The volunteers, all healthy adults, also completed questionnaires assessing their mood.

Blood was taken from volunteers and analysed to see if performance levels and changes in mood following exposure to the rosemary aroma were related to concentrations of a compound known as 1,8-cineole present in the blood.

The compound is also found in the essential oil of rosemary and has previously been shown to act on the biochemical systems that underpin memory.

The results showed that participants in the rosemary-scented room performed better on the prospective memory tasks than the participants in the room with no scent.

This was the case for remembering events, remembering to complete tasks at particular times, and the speed of recall.

The results from the blood analysis found that significantly greater amounts of 1,8-cineole were present in the plasma of those in the rosemary scented room, suggesting that sniffing the aroma led to higher concentrations.

Previous research suggests volatile molecules from essential oils can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the nose.

The chemicals also stimulate the olfactory nerve in the nose directly, which could have effects on brain functioning.

Researcher Jemma McCready said ‘The difference between the two groups was 60-75 per cent, for example one group would remember to do seven things compared with four tasks completed by those who did not smell the oil, and they were quicker.

‘We deliberately set them a lot of tasks, so it’s possible that people who multi-task could function better after sniffing rosemary oil.’ Miss McCready said ‘There was no link between the participants’ mood and memory. This suggests performance is not influenced as a consequence of changes in alertness or arousal.

‘These findings may have implications for treating individuals with memory impairments.

‘It supports our previous research indicating that the aroma of rosemary essential oil can enhance cognitive functioning in healthy adults, here extending to the ability to remember events and to complete tasks in the future.

‘Remembering when and where to go and for what reasons underpins everything we do, and we all suffer minor failings that can be frustrating and sometimes dangerous. ‘Further research is needed to investigate if this treatment is useful for older adults who have experienced memory decline’ she added.

***

Until next week...keep on believing.

Almondtree Productions

“But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
(Philippians 4:18)

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