The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
(Proverbs 22:7)

The Rich Ruleth

Dear Friends,

Greetings. No presidential election is going to change the truth in the above verse. The rich just do not vote to give all their wealth away. The uber rich will continue to carry out their plan for world domination irregardless of who is in power.

A verse we have quoted before is; “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”

James 4:1-2

Wars are created and planned much like an armed thief or thieves would lie in wait to attack a victim and rob and steal his goods, but only on a much grander scale.

Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” Luke 10:30

One thing, though, about wars, is that they are actually much more hypocritical.

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry.” Proverbs 6:30

The rich of today especially, must use subterfuge, deceit, lies, etc. to convince the middle and lower classes to fight their wars for them.

Patriotism, “our country”, of course, always plays a major role in convincing the young to die for the rich.

Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14

Now, the problem always arises when you have like-minded people with the same ambitions and the same goals in mind, and who want to fight to retain them. You can see how you can end up with something like Armageddon.

But, who decides who is going to get what in terms of conquering nations and the world.

The devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it.” Luke 4:5-6


And what is the point of all of this? Satan has a plan to try to deceive man into destroying God's creation, including man himself.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

2 Timothy 3:13.

And Jesus said; “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24:22.

An election is not going to change the fact that; “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.” Ephesians 6:12.

Have a great week ahead and let us all keep the Higher Power in our minds and hearts this week.

Christianpost.com

Franklin Graham: US on 'Path of Destruction'

Nov. 07, 2012

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham, has stated that he believes that America is on a "path of destruction" due to yesterday's election results.

In an interview with CNN last night, Graham explained that the path he was referring to involved, among other things, the legalization of same-sex marriage.

"If we are allowed to go down this road in the path that this president wants us to go down, I think it will be to our peril and to the destruction of this nation," Graham said.

Yesterday, after years of successes at the ballot box, supporters of marriage as defined between one man and one woman were handed four defeats in four states. The people of Maryland and Washington states voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, reaffirming legislation passed earlier in each state.

Voters in Minnesota stopped a constitutional amendment from being added to the state's constitution; same-sex marriage does, however, remain illegal in the North Star State. And voters in Maine approved a referendum legalizing same-sex marriage, several years after a similar measure failed.

During the 2012 election campaign season, the Grahams were heavily involved in socially conservative causes and the presidential race. The Rev. Billy Graham had endorsed Republican challenger Mitt Romney after meeting with the former Massachusetts Governor. Graham also endorsed Minnesota's marriage amendment.

"As a former resident with strong personal and ministry ties to the North Star State, I pray that the good people of Minnesota will show their support for God's definition of marriage, between a man and a woman," said Billy Graham.

This is not the first time that Franklin Graham has gained headlines for his critical remarks surrounding President Barack Obama. In May, Graham released a statement in response to the president's announcement in favor of same-sex marriage, declaring that Obama had "shaken his fist at the same God who had created and defined marriage."

"It grieves me that our president would now affirm same-sex marriage, though I believe it grieves God even more," said Graham in May.

 In October, Graham said in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN that Obama's support for gay marriage was a "big problem."

"God instituted marriage. And for the president to now back something that is against God's position and - is a big problem for him with not only Evangelical churches, but African-American churches across this country who are very conservative," said Franklin Graham.

The ad campaigns by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association caught the ire of many, including the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Signed by the state chapter's president, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, and several clergy, the letter took issue with the support the Grahams were giving to conservative politics.

"We believe you have gone astray, seduced by the sirens of money and power. Again, in Christian love, we renew our challenge to you," wrote Barber.

WND

GOVERNMENT REGULATES CHURCH COMMUNION

Says faith community cannot limit observance to members

11/08/12

A government agency that oversees charities in the United Kingdom has decided that a local Christian congregation cannot be registered because it does not open its communion services to just any outsider.

The decision by the U.K.'s Charity Commission is being reported by The Christian Institute, which has been working on the case of the Plymouth Brethren assembly in Devon for seven years.

Without registration, the group would be subject to a number of government restrictions that do not apply to charity organizations.

The decision "would have a huge impact on the group's tax relief and would also have other implications," said the institute in a report.

The report said the congregation's elders testified to a select committee of Parliament last week.

The government has determined the group cannot be registered because it has decided that its communion services are for members only.

"During the evidence a letter from the commission's head of legal services emerged claiming that churches cannot be assumed to be acting for the public good," the report said.

The institute said it is working on the case because of the need to protect religious liberty for all church groups.

A statement released by the government agency said, "The application [from the church] was not accepted on the basis that we were unable to conclude that the organization is established for the advancement of religion for public benefit within the relevant law."

The institute said Conservative Member of Parliament Charlie Elphicke speculated whether the government agency was "actively trying to suppress religion in the U.K., particularly the Christian religion."

According to a report from the Telegraph of London, the faith group is planning to take the battle to the European Court of Human Rights if needed.

The report said the commission letter was uncovered as part of a select committee's investigation of the Charity Commission.

***

CNN

Former oil executive named archbishop of Canterbury

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

November 9, 2012

Anglican Church names new Archbishop

London

(CNN) -- The Church of England named former oil executive Justin Welby as the next archbishop of Canterbury, making him the titular leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans.

Welby, who has been a bishop for only a year, is considered an outspoken critic of the excesses of capitalism, a supporter of women bishops and an opponent of gay marriage.

Read more: Britain fights Christian right to wear cross

He will be enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury on March 21.

Speaking as his appointment was announced Friday at Lambeth Palace in London, Welby said it was a privilege to take the helm at a time when the "tide of events is turning" and the Church has great opportunities to be involved in a changing world.

"To be nominated to this post is both astonishing and exciting," he said, adding that it is a time for "optimism and for faith in the Church" as it faces tough issues.

One of those issues is the ordination of women bishops, on which the General Synod will vote later this month. Welby said he would be voting in favor -- and urged the Synod to go ahead with the change.

Read more: Head of Anglican church to step down

Welby said he supported the opposition voiced by the Church of England earlier this year in response to a British government consultation on upgrading same-sex "civil partnerships" to gay marriage.

However, he added, the church must not accept any form of homophobia.

Welby acknowledged that homosexuality is a highly divisive issue within the wider Anglican Communion, but said he would listen "very attentively" to the concerns of the gay, lesbian and transgender community.

He promised to "examine my own thinking carefully and prayerfully" on gay issues.

Paying tribute to the faith and charitable work of churchgoers and clergy around the country, Welby, who is currently the Bishop of Durham, said he felt "utterly optimistic about the future of the Church."

Reflecting on his wider role, Welby said the Anglican Communion, "for all its difficulties, is also a source of remarkable blessing to the world."

He singled out northern Nigeria, where churches have been targeted in deadly attacks by militant Islamist group Boko Haram, as a place where Christians are under particular pressure.

Peppered with wry jokes, his speech displayed a sense of humor and down-to-earth attitude that may help him negotiate the minefield of conflicting views and interests within the vast Anglican Communion.

Educated at Cambridge University, Welby worked for oil companies in Paris and London before training for the ministry.

His appointment was approved by Queen Elizabeth II, as supreme governor of the Church of England.

He will take over from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who has headed the Church for more than a decade.

Welby paid tribute to Williams' moral courage and learning, and said he would be a hard act to follow.

"The Church worldwide owes him a great debt, more than it knows, and I shall be continuing to seek his advice and wisdom," the archbishop-elect said.

Welby's appointment was welcomed by the archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, who heads the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

"I know that Bishop Welby will bring many personal gifts and experience to his new role," he said in a statement. "As the future primate of the Church of England, I am sure that his ministry, like that of his predecessor Archbishop Rowan Williams, will provide an important Christian witness to this country over the coming years."

***

LifeSiteNews.com

Irish Children's Rights Referendum will make children property of the state: U.S. legal expert

BY HILARY WHITE

Nov 05, 2012

DUBLIN, November 5, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.comt) - A proposed "Children's Rights" amendment to the Irish constitution will make children "creatures" of the Irish state, totally subject to the whims of state officers, who can order them adopted out to strangers without even judicial review, an American legal expert has warned.

The public is set to vote on the wording, which was described by the expert as "frightening," on November 10th. Michael Vacca, a lawyer with the group Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-governmental organization focusing on religious freedom and family law issues, says the language places the rights of children at odds with the rights of their parents and the family, a move that is in direct contradiction to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Ireland is signatory. - - "The Children's Rights Referendum gives Ireland absolute control over children in Ireland, who are subjected to the fancies of the State and can be deprived of loving and caring parents without a clear showing of parental neglect or abuse."

Vacca has written a comprehensive analysis of the proposed new wording to Ireland's constitution in response to questions by LifeSiteNews.com. He told LSN that he hopes it will help to educate the Irish public on the threat to the family and to children posed by the government's amendment. Recent polls show that, with millions of public and private funds being spent on the Yes campaign, and the No side coming late and underfunded to the fight, the referendum is likely to overwhelmingly pass the new wording.

Read: Why You Must Vote "No" on Ireland's Children's Rights Referendum on November 10th

"If this Referendum passes, Irish children will belong to the State, and parents will be powerless to protect their own children from the State," Vacca warned.

"Ireland is legally obligated to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Children's Rights Referendum will place Ireland out of step with the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world."

In the proposal, "The child is viewed as an isolated individual rather than as a part of the family," Vacca said. "As a result, the child becomes a creature of the State of Ireland. Ironically, by claiming the authority of Ireland to safeguard the best interests of the child independent of parental rights, Ireland would thus violate the right of children not to have their families interfered with through the dismissal of parental rights."

Ominously, given the current government's growing antipathy towards the Catholic Church, Vacca warns that the ambiguity of the new wording could be used to impose a secularist interpretation of "best interests" and remove children from homes based on anti-religious prejudice.

"Whether, for example, a child's safety or welfare is 'likely to be prejudicially affected' may very well depend upon the religion or culture of that child's parents, or rather, the perception which an agent of the State has about that religion or culture," he said.

The Irish state has claimed that the referendum will bolster protections for children according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. But Vacca has found that it is precisely the rights defined by that document that will be threatened by the proposed amendment. He points out that the Convention on the Rights of the Child "explicitly and implicitly protects parental rights" as the best means of protecting children. Despite it being the Convention's foundational principle, any mention of protections for the family is glaringly omitted from the wording.

The Convention's Preamble states that the family, is "the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children," and as such "should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community".

But far from protecting families, Vacca says, the government's Committee on the Rights of the Child has "so contorted the express language used in the Convention that it has effectively interpreted [it] as a means for the State to usurp parental rights".

The amendment's wording grants the state the right to dissolve the family. It asserts that in undefined "exceptional cases" the "State as guardian of the common good shall, by proportionate means as provided by law, endeavour to supply the place of the parents." It allows children to be seized by the state and adopted out to others against the will of their natural parents "where the best interests of the child so require," with "best interests" also remaining undefined.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, however, is quite specific about the meaning of "best interests" and defines it clearly as being "intrinsically connected with the protection of parental rights based on the family," Vacca says. - - Article 3(2) of the Convention says, "States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her..."

Vacca writes, "Lest States are tempted to think that they are the primary guarantors of the 'best interests of the child,' Article 3(2) makes clear that the best interests of the child standard necessarily involves the protection of parental rights."

Further, the Convention repeats the priority of the rights of parents, saying in Article 5, "States Parties shall respect the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents". According to the Convention, Vacca says, "Implicit in every child's right, to education, to healthcare, to clothing and shelter, etc, is the right of children to exercise such rights within their family, that is, within the context of parental rights and duties."

"There are no children's rights which of their nature exclude parental rights because all the rights of a child should be exercised, if possible, within their respective families."

The Convention also prohibits states from arbitrarily and unilaterally removing children from their parents' supervision, even in "exceptional cases" where the child is subject to abuse. The determination of the State to remove children from their parents must be subject to judicial review, and courts must have the authority to return a child to his parents if that is in the "best interests" of the child. "The Convention on the Rights of the Child presumes that parents act in the 'best interests' of their children," Vacca said.

Vacca says it is the proposal's blanket permission to adopt children out without their parents' consent that is "most frightening" because the grounds for this extreme action are left entirely to the discretion of the state to define.

The state can adopt out children when parents fail in their "duty" but this is undefined, and "in practice means ...whatever the State of Ireland wants it to mean".

"Secondly, since the 'best interests of the child' is determined without regard to parental rights, it is the State which unilaterally determines the 'best interests of the child.'

"Thirdly, the period of time that parents must fail in their duty towards their child to have their child taken away from them without their consent is unspecified, and could theoretically be a very short period of time."

Many of the amendment's critics have pointed out that the scandals involving abuse of children in various institutions, that prompted the proposal for the referendum, occurred in state-funded and supervised institutions, not within private families. Moreover, the amendment includes no language to create a mechanism or structure to supervise state officials in their dealings with children.

***

New American

Homeschoolers Flee Persecution in Germany and Sweden

Alex Newman - -

November 4, 2012

BERLIN -- Two leaders in the European home education movement, a father from Sweden and a German mother, drew tears from the audience as they told a packed conference room about life in exile and the heart-rending decision to flee abroad. While each of their stories was unique, both parents were forced to escape from their homelands due to relentless government persecution when they refused to stop homeschooling.

The presentations were made during a Friday workshop at the first-ever Global Home Education Conference (GHEC), held in Berlin, Germany, bringing together around 200 homeschooling leaders, policy makers, parents, human rights activists, and pro-family forces from every corner of the world. Meeting here this weekend, they say the plan is to join forces in the battle to protect the right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of children.

Today, parental rights over the education of children are almost universally recognized. Even the controversial United Nations' so-called "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" concedes that "parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children," as more than a few activists at the conference have pointed out. But under certain totalitarian regimes, as well as in Sweden and Germany, that is not always the case.

Jonas Himmelstrand, the chairman of the GHEC, is the president of the Swedish Home Education Association (ROHUS). He also lives in exile, having fled to Finland as a "homeschooling refugee" after the Uppsala municipality adopted a restrictive view on homeschooling -- a process that began even before the national government passed a law purporting to ban home education in 2010.

As The New American reported earlier this year, Himmelstrand was forced to flee from Sweden when officials threatened his family with massive fines and potentially even retaliation by social services. There finally came a point where the pressure became too much to bear.

"We cannot live with the fear of the threat that our children will be taken away," Himmelstrand told GHEC attendees, explaining his decision to escape from Sweden after the family received a letter from social authorities calling the parents and child to a meeting. "The moment we got that letter, we knew the move was close."

After moving to the Swedish-speaking Aland Islands in Finland and leaving the vicious persecution behind, his homeschooled kids are doing great, Himmelstrand explained, saying it was a huge relief. When the head of a Finnish government education organization and residents of his new island home welcomed the family to Finland, "I nearly had tears in my eyes," he said, adding that they are referred to as "Swedish school refugees." Conference attendees sought to keep their own tears in, but not all succeeded.

At least a dozen other families Himmelstrand knows personally have already fled abroad, too, he said. Many of them, including other members of the ROHUS board, now live on the semi-autonomous Finnish Aland Islands as well. Still, some brave homeschooling families have decided to risk the fines and even the threat of having their children seized to stay in Sweden and defy the ban -- for now at least.

The situation in Germany is similar: Many persecuted homeschooling families have already escaped abroad, but some have not left yet for various reasons. Himmelstrand had some advice for the victims of the persecution who have not thus far fled to more liberty-minded countries. He told the 50 or so workshop attendees to plan beforehand, decide what the final line in the sand is, and make escape plans to be kept between the parents. If and when the line is crossed, act on the plan and run.

Before closing, Himmelstrand also mentioned a recent appeals court victory by a Jewish homeschooling family in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Unfortunately for that family as well as for other homeschoolers and advocates of religious freedom in Sweden, however, authorities decided this week to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court in an effort to prevent the Rabbi and his wife from educating their four children.

"If the Supreme Administrative Court agrees with this permission, that's going to create a conflict within Sweden where at least the politicians are going to have to start thinking about it," Himmelstrand explained, careful not to sound too optimistic. "If not, we're back to square one."

While the Jewish family's victory was celebrated by homeschooling advocates and Jews all over the world, in Sweden, politicians have been fuming. In recent days, for example, the state-run and government-subsidized Swedish media unleashed a series of screeds against the family, its religious beliefs, homeschooling, freedom of religion, and more.

"The critical views that some top Swedish politicians express about the victory of the Jewish family is about more than only homeschooling," Himmelstrand told The New American after the session. "It is about the generally hostile view on family in Sweden, and families choosing their own way of life."

Also at the workshop on homeschooling in exile was Dagmar Neubronner, a German home educator and civil rights activist who became the face of the secular home-education movement in Germany's press. When she took the microphone and began talking, it took her a few moments to stop sobbing. But her story of standing up for her children and their education despite having to flee her homeland clearly inspired the attendees.

After another German family lost a key court battle, Neubronner's family finally left Germany in 2008, largely to avoid crippling fines and the possible loss of custody over her children. The family now lives just across the border in France, she sobbed, explaining how hard it is for a person to be forced to leave their own country.

"Once you're in a new country, with a new language and a new culture, you realize how big the sacrifice is," Neubronner said. "We risked everything we could risk -- fines, jail. But we left at the moment where we couldn't be sure about keeping custody of the children.... My very first responsibility as a mother is for the well-being of my children -- not any political goal. I can fight for political goals until it comes to the point where I can't assure the well-being of my children."

Fortunately for persecuted homeschooling families, it is possible to legally homeschool in all of the countries bordering Germany -- some families have even registered in neighboring nations while still spending much of the time in their homeland. Among the primary refuges for German homeschooling refugees, she said, are Austria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden -- at least before the Swedish Parliament passed its own draconian prohibition.

Some exiles even fled to Canada and the United States, where a U.S. immigration judge slammed the German government persecution when granting a family asylum. "We can't expect every country to follow our Constitution. The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate," explainedfederal U.S. Judge Lawrence Burman in his decision.

With the wave of exiles continuing to grow, authorities in places such as Austria are starting to get nervous. At the same time, homeschooling families in those countries -- especially in Austria and some Swiss cantons -- are also expressing fear about the extra scrutiny placed on them due to the growing tide of German home educators fleeing across the border.

After the talk about home education in exile, two persecuted homeschooling parents in the audience also spoke out briefly about their own situations. One father explained how he was forced to flee to Switzerland from Germany a day before officials were planning to seize his daughter. Following his comments, a mother who fled to Italy with her family said the "government is being so irrational," brutally seeking to quash homeschooling even when it clearly works so well.

"It reminds me of the situation faced by other refugees throughout history," Neubronner, the German homeschooling leader living in France, said of the hesitation of nearby countries and homeschooling advocates to fully accept the fleeing homeschoolers with wide-open arms. "It is very important that we connect with each other, and don't lose our loyalty to each other, and not split into groups. This is very, very important." The global home education movement must emphasize what it has in common and support its persecuted members, she concluded.

Opponents of educational freedom and the human rights of parents and families never argue on facts and logic because they know homeschoolers will win, Neubronner added. The key to securing the right to home education, then, is not so much government and policy, but changing public opinion in hostile countries. That way, local authorities -- who often fear trouble with higher-level officials -- would feel more comfortable coming up with solutions other than persecution, helping to accommodate homeschoolers.

"We are just pioneers -- pioneers get dirty, get in the mud," she said, noting that the explosion in homeschooling around the world, while wildly successful as an educational strategy, was a relatively recent phenomenon. Neubronner concluded by urging fellow persecuted homeschoolers and leaders from around the world not to fear, but rather prepare.

***

Press TV (Edited from longer article. On the way to Armageddon.)


Syria's Assad warns of apocalyptic war

In a rare interview with Russia Today TV, President Bashar al-Assad vigorously clarified his stance on the current Syrian crisis created by the West and some regional states including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar and warned them of the apocalyptic consequences of any foreign intervention in Syria.

“I do not think the West is going [to intervene], but if they do so, nobody can tell what is next. I think the price of this [foreign] invasion if it happened is going to be more than the whole world can afford,” Assad said in a Thursday interview with the Russia Today TV network.

Assad warned that the domino effect of any military attack on the country “will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you know the implication on the rest of the world.”

Assad is well aware of what the West and their Arab allies are up to and what kind of scenario they are planning to follow in his country.

The Syrian crisis has been dragging on for months now and a large number of people including civilians have been killed. The sabotaging efforts of the West and the financial funding of the insurgents by regional states have not yet born any fruit whatsoever in helping these antagonistic forces to achieve their goals in Syria.

There was an initial assumption that President Assad would soon conclude that a propitious escape would be the wisest choice. However, the speculation never transcended a merely idle notion. Thanks to Iran, China and Russia, Syria stood firm and a West-prescribed recipe for the so-called peaceful transition of power never materialized in the country. Quite unexpectedly, the plans of Syrian opposition fell apart on the eve of Doha conference.

***

Natural News

Total hypocrisy: Monsanto, agribusiness and big food companies spent more than $45 million to kill 'costly' Prop 37 GMO labeling bill

by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

November 08, 2012

210(NaturalNews) Labeling genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) is simply too costly, and any law requiring that GMOs be properly labeled will raise food prices significantly. This was one of the many lies propagated by the biotechnology and processed food industries in the months and weeks leading up to the vote on Proposition 37 in California, the historic GMO labeling initiative that was defeated in large part due to the more than $45 million that Monsanto, Dow, Kraft Foods, and dozens of other industry players hypocritically pumped into the fraudulent No on 37 campaign during the final hour.

For the past few weeks, Californians have had to endure a seemingly endless barrage of misleading television commercials and phony voter guide mailers urging them to vote against the labeling proposal because it would allegedly "cost taxpayers and consumers millions," to quote California "family farmer" Ted Sheely, who was prominently featured in a No on 37 propaganda commercial that aired throughout the state. The same commercial, along with several others, also claimed that GMO labeling would increase grocery bills by about $400 per year for the average California family.

Such claims are bald-faced lies, of course, as food manufacturers change their labels constantly without issue, not to mention the fact that the supposed "Prop 37 Economic Impact Study" from which many of these bogus claims and figures were pulled is nothing but fabricated, industry-backed nonsense. Even so, these nonstop lies were apparently enough to close the gap on an earlier 2-to-1 lead in favor of the bill -- The Los Angeles Times reported back in September that 61 percent of registered voters supported Prop. 37, while only 25 percent opposed it.

Labeling GMOs is apparently too costly, but spending millions to fight labeling is no big deal

So what happened to cause the bill to eventually fail in the eleventh hour? Nearly $50 million in lobbying funds is what happened. In a demonstration of sheer irony and hypocrisy, the same companies that have been complaining about supposed food cost increases from GMO labeling are the very ones that spent tens of millions of dollars making sure the GMO labeling bill did not pass. And in the end, the GMO cartel got its wish, at least in the short term.

The good news, however, is that more than 4.2 million Californians saw through the lies of Monsanto, and voted in favor of Prop. 37 despite the propaganda campaign. And the long-term momentum the Yes on 37 campaign generated about the presence of GMOs in the food supply means it is only a matter of time before GMOs are eventually on the radar of all Americans.

"Yesterday, we showed that there is a food movement in the United States, and it is strong, vibrant and too powerful to stop," said the Yes on 37 campaign following the election. "We always knew we were the underdogs, and the underdogs nearly took the day. Dirty money and dirty tactics may have won this skirmish, but they will not win the war."

To begin proactively fighting against the unlabeled presence of GMOs throughout the American food supply, be sure to check out the Label It Yourself initiative.

Also, be sure to boycott the "natural" and organic imposters that contributed to the No on 37 campaign, and support those that fought for the people's right to know what they are eating and feeding their families.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/05/prop-37-food-gm-bill

http://www.naturalnews.com

***

The Telegraph

British have invaded nine out of ten countries - so look out Luxembourg

Britain has invaded all but 22 countries in the world in its long and colourful history, new research has found.

21 of the 22 countries that have not been invaded by Britain 

By Jasper Copping

04 Nov 2012

Every schoolboy used to know that at the height of the empire, almost a quarter of the atlas was coloured pink, showing the extent of British rule.

But that oft recited fact dramatically understates the remarkable global reach achieved by this country.

A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe.

The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British.

Among this select group of nations are far-off destinations such as Guatemala, Tajikistan and the Marshall Islands, as well some slightly closer to home, such as Luxembourg.

The analysis is contained in a new book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To.

Stuart Laycock, the author, has worked his way around the globe, through each country alphabetically, researching its history to establish whether, at any point, they have experienced an incursion by Britain.

Only a comparatively small proportion of the total in Mr Laycock's list of invaded states actually formed an official part of the empire.

The remainder have been included because the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory - however transitory - either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment.

Incursions by British pirates, privateers or armed explorers have also been included, provided they were operating with the approval of their government.

So, many countries which once formed part of the Spanish empire and seem to have little historical connection with the UK, such as Costa Rica, Ecuador and El Salvador, make the list because of the repeated raids they suffered from state-sanctioned British sailors.

Among some of the perhaps surprising entries on the list are:

* Cuba, where in 1741, a force under Admiral Edward Vernon stormed ashore at Guantánamo Bay. He renamed it Cumberland Bay, before being forced to withdraw in the face of hostile locals and an outbreak of disease among his men. Twenty one years later, Havana and a large part of the island fell to the British after a bloody siege, only to be handed back to the Spanish in 1763, along with another unlikely British possession, the Philippines, in exchange for Florida and Minorca.

Iceland, invaded in 1940 by the British after the neutral nation refused to enter the war on the Allies side. The invasion force, of 745 marines, met with strong protest from the Iceland government, but no resistance.

Vietnam, which has experienced repeated incursions by the British since the seventeenth century. The most recent - from 1945 to 1946 - saw the British fight a campaign for control of the country against communists, in a war that has been overshadowed by later conflicts involving first the French and then Americans.

It is thought to be the first time such a list has been compiled.

Mr Laycock, who has previously published books on Roman history, began the unusual quest after being asked by his 11-year-old son, Frederick, how many countries the British had invaded.

After almost two years of research he said he was shocked by the answer. "I was absolutely staggered when I reached the total. I like to think I have a relatively good general knowledge. But there are places where it hadn't occurred to me that these things had ever happened. It shocked me.

"Other countries could write similar books - but they would be much shorter. I don't think anyone could match this, although the Americans had a later start and have been working hard on it in the twentieth century."

The only other nation which has achieved anything approaching the British total, Mr Laycock said, is France - which also holds the unfortunate record for having endured the most British invasions. "I realise people may argue with some of my reasons, but it is intended to prompt debate," he added.

He believes the actual figure may well be higher and is inviting the public to get in touch to provide evidence of other invasions.

In the case of Mongolia, for instance - one of the 22 nations "not invaded", according to the book - he believes it possible that there could have been a British invasion, but could find no direct proof.

The country was caught up in the turmoil following the Russian Revolution, in which the British and other powers intervened. Mr Laycock found evidence of a British military mission in Russia approximately 50 miles from the Mongolian border, but could not establish whether it got any closer.

The research lists countries based on their current national boundaries and names. Many of the invasions took place when these did not apply.

The research covered the 192 other UN member states as well as the Vatican City and Kosovo, which are not member states, but are recognised by the UK government as independent states.

The earliest invasion launched from these islands was an incursion into Gaul - now France - at the end of the second century. Clodius Albinus led an army, thought to include many Britons, across the Channel in an attempt to seize the imperial throne. The force was defeated in 197 at Lyon.

Mr Laycock added: "One one level, for the British, it is quite amazing and quite humbling, that this is all part of our history, but clearly there are parts of our history that we are less proud of. The book is not intended as any kind of moral judgment on our history or our empire. It is meant as a light-hearted bit of fun."

The countries never invaded by the British:

Andorra

Belarus

Bolivia

Burundi

Central African Republic

Chad

Congo, Republic of

Guatemala

Ivory Coast

Kyrgyzstan

Liechtenstein

Luxembourg

Mali

Marshall Islands

Monaco

Mongolia

Paraguay

Sao Tome and Principe

Sweden

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

Vatican City

The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index



Forbes

Gas Rationing: New Yorkers, Welcome to the Third World

Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Contributor

New York Mayor Bloomberg signed an emergency order today to “establish an odd-even license plate system” for gas rationing in an effort to bring order back to the long lines waiting for gas.  This was highly reminiscent to me of my travel in Ecuador in the late 90’s, when mile-long lines would result on the streets of Quito if the tankers weren’t getting paid to offload fuel in the port of Guayaquil.

The shortage of gas in New York appears to be affected principally by two dynamics:

1)   a real reduction in the supply of fuel being imported into the region and refined. Of the 57 import terminals in the affected region, 8 were reported as still not operational as of Thursday.  In addition, Sandy reduced refinery productivity by 308,000 barrels per day in New Jersey, temporarily crippling Bayway, New Jersey’s largest refinery and idling a Port Reading refinery as well.

2)   the human psychological response akin to a run on the bank.  If you don’t know when you are going to get gasoline again, you might as well get as much as you can, even if you may not need it for a while.

On Thursday, an estimated 28% of New York metro area gas stations were not pumping fuel (or could not be contacted), according to the Energy Information Administration.  While critical, it’s a big improvement from Wednesday’s 38%.   Sandy damaged fuel import terminals in the NY area, which was a critical blow since the port of NY is the most important petroleum hub in the northeastern U.S.  In particular, Hess still has four marine terminals with suspended operations.  It also reported that it does not yet have an estimate as to when its 70,000 barrel per day Port Reading , NJ refinery will come back on line, as full commercial power has not yet been restored.  In addition, Phillips 66 announced Monday that its 238,000 barrel per day Bayway refinery – the area’s second largest plant – would be shut for another two to three weeks.

In a very uncomfortable way, Sandy points out the dangers of our devotion to economic efficiency: when you engineer your economy to cut out waste, you design with lowest costs in mind, and redundancy is eliminated.  You rely on sophisticated systems to provide just-in-time inventory.  You cut your utility budgets to the bone in order to keep electricity bills at a minimum.  You cut costs everywhere, because that’s what people want.  And all of that works just fine until something – a storm, a tsunami, some unanticipated Black Swan throws a monkey wrench into the finely tuned, highly calibrated economy.  One moment all is fine.  The next minute, ATMs don’t work.  Gasoline pumps don’t function.  The lights don’t come on.  And the entire machine breaks down.  Suddenly, the recently arrived immigrants from developing cities like Quito, Lagos, and Kuala Lumpur who are used to making ends meet and surviving as a way of life in cities with broken infrastructures seem to be the ones better able to cope.  And those of us who have lived our whole lives expecting the trains to run on time, money to come out of a machine, and the lights to come on don’t quite know what to do, and we are deeply unnerved by it.

Welcome – only temporarily we hope – to the third world.

***

Hindustan Times

Ladakh UFO sightings fox authorities

Sanjib Kr Baruah,

Thursday, November 08, 2012

A spate of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) near the Pangong Tso lake in the Ladakh area on the Indo-China border has the authorities foxed. More than 100 sightings--comprising moving luminous objects--have been reported from the area in the last two months. The Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have studied the phenomena but have come out with no viable explanation yet.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which had been apprised of the happenings, responded with a crisp "No movement here" comment when asked if any fresh developments have taken place on the puzzling occurrences.

"We have already submitted a report to the Union home ministry on these strange happenings comprising strange moving lights. Till now, no explanations have come forth," said an ITBP official.

While confirming the developments, Army spokesperson Major General SL Narasimhan said they are being looked into at the appropriate levels.

There are also reports that in September, an army radar unit was moved to the location which could not detect these luminous objects inspite of them being in visual range. An Army drone also failed in its mission to check up on the objects.

While the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which has field stations in the area near the lake, has said nothing unusual has been detected, its' staff has been alerted to keep a keen watch.

While the establishment is looking at it from the standpoint of security and technology, the Pangong Tso lake is no stranger to such incidents with locals even in the past reporting 'strange and mysterious  lights' being sighted which defy explanation.

The lake, Pangong Tso or Banggong Co (Tibetan for "long, narrow, enchanted lake) also featured in the Amir Khan-starrer film 'Three Idiots' as well as in Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se'. Situated at about 4,350 metres, 60% of its 134 km length falls in China while the other part is in India. The Line of Actual Control actually passes through the lake.

***

***

Red Dirt Report

Agnew and crew still pursuing "Inner Earth" expedition in 2013

By Andrew W. Griffin

Red Dirt Report, editor

Posted: November 2, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY - This past winter, we reported on the planned North Pole Inner Earth Expedition, led by adventurer Dr. Brooks Agnew.

It was an exciting notion. And after having listened to Agnew's interview with Henrik Palmgren at Red Ice Radio and read much more on the "Hollow Earth" theory, Red Dirt Report was convinced there is something to this theory.

We also wrote in our piece addressing Scott's ill-fated South Pole trek titled "Polar history and polar mysteries" that Agnew was still planning his North Pole Inner Earth Expedition for sometime in 2012, in his attempt to find an entrance - with the help of the Russians - into the hollow Earth, aboard the nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker Yamal.

But that did not come to pass this summer, as hoped, and naturally, we were curious to know where things stood with this exciting expedition.

Answering our questions about the current status of the expedition, Agnew wrote to Red Dirt Report, saying: "The first two years, the challenge was to attract scientific community experts in the area of planetary core geology, oceanography, and cosmology.  We were successful in gathering some major papers that are actually more aggressive that what we require for critical thinking about the possibility that planets form as hollow spheres.  We were successful in getting the space for the charter for Quark Expeditions to get the ship.  We're hopeful that the funding will be complete next month (November 2012), and we are on our way."

The expedition, we understand, according to NPIEE.org, would now take place in 2013, during the "dreaded solar maximum (that) will occur that Summer Solstice." This means that when the solar maximum arrives - the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle - there will be more solar flares, more coronal mass ejections, more geomagnetic storms and more auroras." As Agnew writes at NPIEE.org, "It could be rough."

But with growing interest in his exploration of the Inner Earth, Agnew anticipates a lot of people - "tens of millions of people," Agnew writes - wanting to view their findings on video, now that they have received funding to go into the Arctic Ocean and seek the entrance to the Inner Earth. 

Continuing, Agnew wrote: "The recent Felix Baumgartner live view of the event made me very hopeful.  Tens of millions of people watched that jump live on YouTube.  More than that will watch the Expedition live on You Tube.  The technology exists.  The audience is there.  We are excited about the venture and the possibilities of the discoveries that can be made."

Red Dirt Report will continue to keep readers informed on any updates on the North Pole Inner Earth Expedition.

("Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"  Exodus 20:2

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" Philippians 2:10.

"Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?"  Ephesians 4:9

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."  Revelation 5:13)

***

Operation Highjump (An excerpt.)

1946-47

Bunger's Oasis

Unfortunately, no flights were possible between January 13 and the 21st because of the huge northerly swell. On January 22 the swells at last moderated and the weather remained acceptable for additional flights. Over the next week, long and successful photomapping missions progressed to the west. Suddenly, on either January 30 or February 1 (the record is unclear), PBM pilot Lieutenant Commander David E. Bunger lifted from the bay and headed south for the continent some hundred miles distant. At this time the USS CURRITUCK was off the Shackleton Ice Shelf on the Queen Mary Coast of Wilkes Land. Reaching the coastline, Bunger flew west with cameras humming. Suddenly the men in the cockpit saw a dark spot come up over the barren white horizon and as they drew closer, they couldn't believe their eyes. Byrd later described it as a "land of blue and green lakes and brown hills in an otherwise limitless expanse of ice". Bunger and his men carefully inspected the region and then raced back to the ship to tell the others of their discovery. Several days later Bunger and his flight crew returned for another look, finding one of the lakes big enough to land on. Bunger carefully landed the "flying boat" and slowly came to a stop. The water was actually quite warm for Antarctica, about 30°, as the men dipped their hands in to the elbow. The lake was filled with red, blue and green algae which gave the lakes their distinctive color. The fly boys "seemed to have dropped out of the twentieth century into a landscape of thousands of years ago when land was just starting to emerge from one of the great ice ages", Byrd later wrote. Byrd called the discovery "by far the most important, so far as the public interest was concerned of the expedition".

***

***

Until next week...keep on believing.

Almondtree Productions

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18