Banking is the Problem

Astounding summary of the world’s economic problem by a 12-year old girl. (See video below)

Also: The Bank Runs In Greece Will Soon Be Followed By Bank Runs In Other European Nations 

Source: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

Note: This article comes from an American/Canadian source but it applies equally elsewhere. In particular, the European banking system is about as profligate and irresponsible as you can get; plus the Euro currency system was set up as a vanity project without any safeguards and it was INEVITABLE that this situation would happen. Our only hope is to abandon both the Euro and the EU, but I know that’s never going to happen.

(Article begins here) The bank runs that we are watching right now in Greece are shocking, but they are only just the beginning. Since May 6th, nearly one billion dollars has been withdrawn from Greek banks. For a small nation like Greece, that is an absolutely catastrophic number. At this point, the entire Greek banking system is in danger of collapsing.

If YOU had money in a Greek bank, why wouldn’t you pull it out? If Greece leaves the euro, all euros in Greek banks will likely be converted to drachmas, and the value of those drachmas will almost certainly decline dramatically. In fact, it has been estimated that Greek citizens could see the value of their bank accounts decline by up to 50 percent if Greece leaves the euro. So if you had money in a Greek bank, it would only make sense to withdraw it and move it to another country as quickly as possible.

And as the eurozone begins to unravel, this is a scenario that we are going to see play out in country after country. As member nations leave the eurozone, you would be a fool to have your euros in Italian banks or Spanish banks when you could have them in German banks instead. So the bank runs that are happening in Greece right now are only a preview of things to come. Before this crisis is over we are going to see bank runs happening all over Europe.

If Greece leaves the euro, the consequences are likely to be quite messy. Those that are promoting the idea that a “Grexit” can be done in an orderly fashion are not being particularly honest. The following is from a recent article in the Independent….

“Whoever tells you a Greek exit would be no big deal is an idiot, lying or disingenuous,” said Sony Kapoor of the European think-tank Re-Define. Economists fear that a disorderly exit would prompt a huge run by investors on Spanish and Italian debt, forcing those countries to seek support from an EU bailout fund, which, with a capacity of just €500bn, is widely regarded as too small to cope with those pressures.

A Greek exit from the euro would not only result in a run on Spanish and Italian bonds, but it would also likely result in a run on Spanish and Italian banks.

If Greece is allowed to leave the euro, that will be a signal that other countries will eventually be allowed to leave as well. Nobody in their right mind would want their euros stuck in Spanish or Italian banks if those countries end up converting back to national currencies.

Fear is a powerful motivator. If Greece converts their euros back to drachmas, that will be a clear signal that all euros are not created equally. The race to move money into German banks will accelerate dramatically.

And a Greek exit from the euro is looking more likely with each passing day. Even the IMF is now admitting that it is a very real possibility….

Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, warned she was “technically prepared for anything” and said the utmost effort must be made to ensure any Greek exit was orderly. The effect was likely to be “quite messy” with risks to growth, trade and financial markets. “It is something that would be extremely expensive and would pose great risks but it is part of options that we must technically consider,” she said.

Meanwhile, banks in other troubled European nations are already on shaky ground. The Spanish banking system is an absolute disaster zone at this point and on Monday night Moody’s downgraded the credit ratings of 26 Italian banks.

The situation in Italy is especially worth keeping a close eye on. As Ambrose Evans-Pritchard recently noted, things are not looking good for Italy at all….

Italy’s former premier Romano Prodi said the EU risks instant contagion to Spain, Italy, and France if Greece leaves. “The whole house of cards will come down”, he said

Angelo Drusiani from Banca Albertini said the only way to avert catstrophe is to convert the European Central Bank into a lender of last resort. Otherwise Italy faces “massive devaluation, three to five years of hyperinflation, and unbearable unemployment.”

So what can be done about any of this?

Well, there is actually a lot that could be done if politicians in Europe were willing to think outside of the established global financial paradigm.

The truth is that Greece could solve their current financial problems in four easy steps. They would have to be willing to stick it to the rest of Europe and to risk being blackballed by the international community, but it could be done.

The following is my prescription for Greece….

1.  Default on all debts.
2.  Leave the euro.
3.  Issue drachmas that are debt-free and that do not come from a central bank. Instead, have the Greek government create them and spend them directly into circulation.
4.  Enjoy a return to prosperity.

In such a scenario, the Greek national debt would no longer be a problem, the Greek government would never have to borrow any more money and austerity would no longer be needed.

Yes, inflation would be an issue with the new currency, but a bit of inflation would be a walk in the park compared to the horrible economic depression that Greece is experiencing right now. And once the Greek economy was growing again, it would certainly be possible for them to make the transition to “hard money” if they wanted to.

It is imperative that we all understand that just because the global financial system works a certain way today does not mean that it must always work that way.

If you have a few minutes, I want you to watch an incredible speech by a 12-year-old Canadian girl named Victoria Grant. In this 6 minute speech, she details how the bankers are defrauding the people of Canada and how the Canadian government does not actually need to borrow a single penny from the bankers….

If a 12-year-old girl can figure this out, then why can’t the rest of us?

Sadly, the financial world still seems enamored with the corrupt central banking systemthat has gotten us into this mess. In fact, one recent poll found that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has a 75 percent approval rating from global investors.

Right now, America [and the rest of the world] is going down the same path as Greece, Spain and Italy have gone. Eventually we will hit a wall and our financial system will fall apart. We need the American people to understand that the Federal Reserve system is a perpetual debt machine. The U.S. national debt is now more than 5000 times larger than it was when the Fed was first created. It is at the very core of our national financial problems.

• When will people wake up and realize that central banking is the problem and not the solution?
• When will people wake up and realize that national governments do not have to go into debt to anyone if they do not want to?
• In our world today, there is far more debt than there is money.
• It is a system that will inevitably crash.
• But there are other alternatives.
• Unfortunately, politicians all over the globe continue to want to be married to our current debt-based financial system.
• As a result, we will suffer the consequences of that system.

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EU heading towards its Goal

EU to become fully fledged political union

The Spinelli Group forum on democracy, economics and the social dimension of Europe, “Federalism or nothing” will take place on 26 March in Brussels.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has told the Chinese public that the EU will become a fully-fledged ‘political union’ after the financial crisis.

Speaking to TV cameras after a meeting with Chinese leader Wen Jiabao in Bejing on 14 February, he said that the crisis has prompted a new wave of integration, however, citing the fiscal treaty agreed last month by 25 EU countries.

‘I want to make this very clear to Chinese public opinion. Because I understand when you see the news you may be putting some questions. Is the European Union really going to progress? I say: ‘Yes. No doubt about it’ … Precisely because of the problems in the euro area the conclusion has been to further integrate and to complete the monetary union with a fiscal union and, I believe, in the future toward a political union.’

Back in Europe EU President Herman van Rompuy said  ’Maybe not formally speaking, but at least politically speaking, all national parliaments have become, in a way, European institutions’,  adding that it is the responsibility of national parliaments to ‘adapt’ to this new situation.

The goal is clear. Government by the unelected European Commission with national governments subservient and sovereignty lost. Van Rompuy was given another two years in power on March 2 without any election taking place, so we could say that Russia is more democratic than the European Commission.

Political Unity will follow Financial Unity

Crisis after crisis in the EU led to a new Financial agreement signed in February to control the member states’ national budgets at an EU level.

This is bad enough, but it’s only one more step towards the goal. Much greater fiscal union, at least in the eurozone, is seen by some as the natural next step in European integration – see the article below.

The Fiscal Compact (formally, the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union; also called the Fiscal Stability Treaty) is an intergovernmental treaty which was signed by all of the member states of the European Union (EU) except the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom on 2 March 2012.

The requirements are stringent and far-reaching. Countries will be fined if their national budgets are not in balance or in surplus (and few are). Also included in the rules: “EU’s highest court will be able to fine a country that does not adopt a standardised balanced budget rule in its constitution”.

Countries have to submit their economic policy reforms to EU scrutiny, and attend meetings at least twice a year to have their policies monitored and if necessary vetoed.

If an unelected central committee somewhere imposed that level of surveillance and control over the American budget there would be a war, I think!

“The implementation of the programme, and the yearly budgetary plans consistent with it, will be monitored by the European Commission and by the Council. As soon as a Member State is recognised to be in breach of the 3% ceiling, the Commission submits a proposal of counter-measures…”

But this centralised control of the EU economy is not the end. The goal has always been full unity – in effect, a totalitarian State.

Steve Hill of the left-wing Guardian newspaper asks, what will a United States of Europe look like? He admits that fiscal unity is only one step along the road and that “there seems little doubt that some sort of United States of Europe is slowly emerging. It’s kind of exciting, like watching a new planet condensing from the clouds and dust of the cosmos.”

13 February, 2012
After the fiscal compact, European democracy!

The decision of 25 EU governments to endorse a fiscal compact marks a turning point in the sovereign debt crisis. Now a debate on the POLITICAL future of the EU begins.

Article by Guido Montani, Vice-President of the UEF and member of the Spinelli Group.

(Altiero Spinelli (1907-1986) is considered as one of the founders of Europe. An Italian Communist, he was also the founder of the European federalist movement, a member of the European Commission and the European Parliament. The main building of the European Parliament is named after him.)

European division, not a plot of wicked financiers, was the real cause of the [economic] crisis. When the crisis burst, the Franco-German directoire decided to work as an emergency government. It produced some positive results, but also some breakdowns.

The positive side of its policy is that the governments of Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy are now actively fostering austerity programs and, for the future, they will abide by severe fiscal rules. [The Fiscal Union - see above]. Germany is especially pleased with this outcome.

The other side of the coin is European recession, more unemployment, more poverty, and the nationalisation of the credit and sovereign debt market. Europe is more divided and poorer today than in 2010, when the sovereign debt crisis broke out.

The German government is aware that, in the long run, the emergency government could nurse grudges in the other member states and should therefore be replaced by a real European democratic government.

Recently Mrs Merkel declared:

“My vision is political union, because Europe has to follow its own path. We need to get closer step by step, in all policy areas … In the course of a long process, we will transfer more powers to the Commission, which will then work as a European government for European competencies. This implies a strong Parliament. The Council, which brings together heads of governments, will form the second chamber. Finally, we have the European Court of Justice as the Supreme Court. This could be the future shape of the European political union in a while and, as I said, after many steps.”

Though the word “federalism” is not mentioned, the institutional reform here outlined is certainly based on the federal model. …

The history of European integration is different from that of the USA. The founding fathers of the United States were aware of building a NATION. The EU is not a nation and nationalism cannot become the ideology of European integration. Indeed, nationalistic parties, such as FN in France, are against the European project.

The European Union is a NEW kind of federation; it is a federation of national peoples or, better, a supranational federation.

Latest idiotic EU regulations:

• Banning halogen lights as well as incandescent bulbs: After phasing out incandescent bulbs that are cheap and efficient, and forcing people to buy expensive “low-energy” replacements, the EU are now setting their sights on banning halogen lights as well. The LED replacements are up to 10 times more expensive and would require an electrician or carpenter to replace light fittings.
• Packaging Controls: Yet more recycling regulations that will cripple UK firms with license fees and paperwork. Laws covering “packaging”: Just before Christmas, when the Commission pushed its new directive into law, there on the list were “refillable steel cylinders used for various types of gas”, alongside “graveside lights (containers for candles)”, “clothes hangers (sold with a clothing item)”, “refillable pepper mills”, “cake doilies sold with a cake”, “the release paper of self-adhesive labels” and “matchboxes”. Anyone who makes these items will now have to pay for a licence – and even more for the services of a firm such as that chaired by Lord Deben, to show by voluminous paperwork that a percentage of all their products may eventually be recycled, whether they be matchboxes, or Calor gas cylinders so durable that most of them will probably outlast the EU.
• Regulating internet ‘cookies’  European Union legislation that has been adopted in the UK requires all website owners to get consent from their website visitors before they can store or retrieve any information on their devices including computers, tablets and mobile devices. This includes ‘cookies’ used by 99 percent of websites. Advertising, analytics and personalisation functions are not exempt.
• Farms closing after enforcement of new EU rules on egg production:  New EU rules banning the housing of hens in conventional cages are being blamed for what some in the industry are already labelling a “crisis”, as competition among food manufacturers to source eggs sends prices rocketing. The price of eggs on the EU wholesale market has nearly quadrupled over the past week to more than four euros a kilo. “It’s now no longer a question of price, it’s a question of supply,” said one industry source who asked to be anonymous. “I estimate that within three to four weeks some companies will be at breaking point.”
• Hundreds of safe and useful herbal products banned: The global effort to outlaw herbs, vitamins and supplements is well under way, and hundreds of herbal products have been criminalized in the UK and across the EU. It’s all part of an EU directive passed in 2004 which erects “disproportionate” barriers against herbal remedies by requiring them to be “licensed” before they can be sold.

March to Jerusalem is to “Raise Global Consciousness” says Organisers

There is to be a massive movement of people on March 30th this year to surround Jerusalem (or as close as they can come) to “demand freedom for Palestine and its capital Jerusalem.”   It is timed to coincide with ‘Palestine Land Day’. Their official website says this:

GMJ’s Concept and Objectives

The historic day 30^th March marks Palestine Land Day* in Palestinian national memory. This year our aim is to mark it as an international event to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians and to protect Jerusalem. This will be achieved by organizing a Global March to Jerusalem or to the nearest point to it. The march will demand freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to put an end to the Apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaisation policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem.

By organising the March and its preceding and parallel activities we aim to highlight the cause of Jerusalem (the City of Peace) which is considered the key to peace and war in the region and the world. The march will confirm that the policies and practices of the racist Zionist state of Israel against Jerusalem and its people are a crime not only against Palestinians but against all humanity.

The march will unite the efforts of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all citizens of conscience in the world to put an end to Israel’s disregard for international law through the continuing occupation of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestinian land.

We aim to make this march a turning point in the nature of the confrontation, with the occupation having to face millions of protesters and demonstrators demanding Freedom for Palestine and its capitol Jerusalem.

Who is behind this March?

One supportive website explains: this particular project was born in February, 2011 of discussions initiated by organizers of and participants in the Asian Caravan to Gaza. Since then, it has expanded to other groups in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and North America. Four international planning meetings have taken place in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

This march is gathering momentum with video clips, an official song and much international approval. Here is one advertisement listing the nations taking part and ending with the statement “Humanity Stands as ONE”:

Listen to the words of the official song [here subtitled in English - but can any Arabic speaker confirm these are the actual lyrics?] which must surely have been toned down several times before it was allowed to emerge as their official anthem.  But it still denies all hope of peace from “those who humiliate you” and regards responding to the “call of Jerusalem” as an act of honour and the March to Israel’s borders as an obligation “no matter what the outcome”.

(Hypocritically, those same anti-Christian agitators who now support  marching through the world to claim Jerusalem, also hotly and angrily denounce the ancient “Christian Crusaders” for doing the same thing. NOT to say that I support the Crusades either!)

There are numerous organisations and personalities supporting this initative, including the ‘usual suspects’ like George Galloway (UK): Ex-MP & Founder of the “Viva Palestina” named as ‘one of the most renowned international voices for the cause of Palestine’. And  Cornell West, ‘American philosopher, author, and civil rights activist’.

What are their Plans?

The Jordan River Valley has been chosen by Arabs as a gathering point for a planned mass march on Israel at the end of the month. [Violent attempts by Arabs to cross the Lebanese and Syrian borders took place in 2011 on the anniversaries of Israel's independence and the start of the Six Day war.]

As part of preparations for the Muslim marches on Israel, plans were laid out at a conference in Jordan, according to the Intelligence and Terror Information Center (ITIC).

The convoy is scheduled to leave India on Friday and spend four days in Karachi, Pakistan. From there it will be flown to Iran, where it will tour for five days before making its way to Turkey, and then by boat to Beirut, where it is expected near the end of the month. The ITIC expects that the regime in Tehran will exploit the convoy’s time there, as it has in the past, for a public relations campaign on its own behalf and slander against Israel and the West.

Sources in Judea, Samaria and Gaza say efforts have been made to recruit senior Palestinian Authority officials and activists in the effort. Khatem Al-Bitawi, a member of the Palestinian Authority Legislative Council and the Association of Muslim scholars, stressed that religious and national obligation require all Muslims and Arabs to protect the Al-Aksa mosque and liberate Jerusalem, and that these issues must be returned to the greater Arab and Muslim picture after having been reduced to a local issue.

ITIC also referred to a program broadcast on Al-Quds television – associated with Hamas – in which march spokesman Zahar Birawi, a Hamas activist in Britain, who called the march a “widespread popular process” which includes Israeli Arabs as well as residents of the Palestinian Authority. He called it a turning point in the nature of the struggle against Israel, which he said would be forced to deal with “millions of people”.

In the ITIC’s estimate, “Despite intensive preparations, it seems that organizers prefer at this time to lower expectations.” They noted that the march’s coordinator stressed that the event is not being called the “March of the Million” but the “World Jerusalem March” because it’s important that the march is taking place with the participation of representatives of many countries around the world and the number of participants is less important.

ITIC shows proof Iran is behind the March

One website suggests militant Islam and Iranian forces are behind the initiative. Comment-is-Free (CiF http://gm2j.co/)  front page exposes as lies and misinformation the Global March official statement denouncing Israel’s recent actions in Gaza.

Global March website backs terrorists

The official Global March to Jerusalem website issued a condemnation of what it termed “criminal Israeli assassinations of Gaza civilians” on March 13^th, referring of course to last weekend’s actions to stop the firing of hundreds of missiles at Israeli civilians.

“We, the Global March to Jerusalem, condemn the Zionist campaign of killing Palestinian citizens and imprisoning the Palestinians of Gaza in an open-air prison, just as we condemn the continued occupation of Palestinian land and the intentional destruction and Judaisation of Jerusalem, as well as all of historic Palestine.”

In fact, contrary to the GMJ statement, the vast majority of those who died were not civilians, but terrorists actively involved in perpetrating attacks on Israeli civilians. Fourteen of the people killed were members of the proscribed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization and six were members of the Popular Resistance Committees.

Given the prominent involvement of the Iranian regime in the Global March to Jerusalem project it is hardly surprising that the GMJ organisers would find it necessary to express support for the Iranian-backed and financed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees which were the main players in the latest round of terror attacks on Israeli civilians.  The Global March organisers’ whitewash exposes its much-touted commitment to ‘non-violent protest’ as a farce.

Iranian Support for March

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) has presented information that Iran is behind the initiative and openly supports it.

Now, ITIC is presenting evidence in its possession which indicates that Iran openly and with its own propaganda supports the March 30 events and is also involved in organizational preparations for the marches. To that end, ITIC said in a report posted Wednesday, Iran employs proxies, including organizations and individuals.

The center quoted an item dated February 26, 2012 in the Fars News Agency, in which Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as supporting the march to Jerusalem.

In the report, Khamenei said Iran should openly support movements and groups operating against Israel. Support for the marches to Jerusalem was presented as part of a new strategy designed to increase regional unity against Israel, based on the so-called “resistance axis” (i.e., Syria and the terrorist organizations) and opposition to the so-called “occupation” of Jerusalem.

In the same vein, a report in the Iranian ISNA agency, dated March 4, quoted Ghzanfar Asl Roknabadi, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, as saying he hoped all “Palestine” would shortly be liberated from its “Zionist occupiers” and that cries of “Allahu Akbar” would be heard throughout Rehavia, an elite neighborhood in west Jerusalem.

ITIC noted that a local committee was appointed, in Iran and other Arab countries, to make preparations for the marches. The committee, called The Board of the Global [March] to Jerusalem, is headed in Iran by Hossein Shaikhol-Eslam, who ITIC noted is likely directly connected to the Iranian regime.

The ITIC report also cites the Haganah website, which is run by American professionals specializing in the analysis of jihadist Internet sites. Haganah examined the Global March to Jerusalem website and found indications of Iranian involvement in the marches.

Haganah found three domains of march organizers sharing an IP address with Ahl al-Bayt, an Iranian institution directed by Khamenei’s office and which spreads Shi’ite and Khomeini ideology around the globe. It is headed by Khojat el-Eslam Mohammed Hassan Akhtari, the former Iranian ambassador to Syria.

ITIC also cited an Iranian website, believed to be connected to the Iranian regime, which initiated a cartoon contest in support of the marches. The cartoons are supposed to deal with the theme of the so-called “right of return” of the Arab refugees and with opposition to the so-called “occupation” of Jerusalem. Each of the three winning entries, ITIC noted, will receive a prize of $1000 and a trophy.

The report also noted that the Iranian English-language Press TV channel was also enlisted to promote a propaganda campaign for the marches.

On January 8, 2012, a video was posted on YouTube to promote the marches, produced by Press TV and featuring former British MP and pro-Hamas enthusiast George Galloway. Here he claims that “Jerusalem could be captured this March.

Finally, ITIC noted, another manifestation of Iranian participation in the propaganda campaign for the march was an open letter posted on the marches’ website on March 5, purportedly written by Iranian Jews. The ITIC believes the letter was planted by the Iranian regime.

No matter what comes of this Global March, it’s true that the effort to isolate Israel and force her to concede defeat is mounting.

Sacked for Wearing a Cross!

This Government believes it is wrong to wear a small cross at work!

The Government of the UK (the same one bent on introducing full marriage rights for gay couples) has upheld employers’ rights to sack any employee for wearing a visible cross or a crucifix.

Now any worker commanded to remove his/her cross has no legal redress. It’s an outrage.

But that two British women, Nadia Eweider and Shirley Chaplin – who have already suffered in this way – have to challenge that decision in the European Court of Human Rights (unaided and indeed opposed by their own national authorities) is an even a greater outrage.

Britain is still legally a Christian country where Christianity ought to be upheld.  This isn’t a matter of faith. It’s a matter of constitutional fact. If we travel to a Muslim country, or a Buddhist one, we expect to pay due regard to their customs and symbols. If we chose to live and work – for example – in Israel, we would not seek legislation against Israeli workers following their religious codes  - and we’d be amazed if their own Government ruled against it! So why on earth do people tolerate such religious animosity against Christians in the UK?

Argument Number One:  No matter how small the religious symbol,  it is inappropriate in the work place.

So why would anyone object to the wearing of an invisible little cross at work? One organisation’s reasoning [Royal Devon & Exeter Health Trust] was that wearing a cross at work in a hospital could lead to infections. But how? Were the patients being asked to lick the cross or handle it? Surely a little necklace tucked inside a shirt is no more prone to cross-infection than a badge or belt-buckle that is on display?

The other protagonist, British Airways, felt that other workers – Muslims for example – would be offended, which is plain nonsense. This argument is always cited: “We mustn’t offend Muslims by having a town Christmas Tree (etc)” whereas in fact the town’s Muslims don’t care. They actually like our national fesitvals.

No, this argument is just a cover for the truth. Atheists, gays, humanists and a whole traunch of lefty/liberal “new thinkers” hate any sign of the Christian faith and always complain about it. Search for the person who has actually been “offended” and you won’t find a Muslim or Hindu. You’ll find a social worker in the council who is hiding behind “tolerance” to fulfill his or her own agenda. That is, removing all public expression of Christianity from the UK.

However, we did have tacit support from the Government. Now that too has become infected with religious intolerance, and if I had to guess I’d say it was the result of yet more pressure by Nick Clegg’s little gaggle of new-age softies.

UPDATED:  I was right. It was Liberal Democrat “Equalities Minister” Lynne Featherstone who ordered government lawyers to oppose the right of Christians to wear a cross! Featherstone is a secular Jew with little or no regard for hasidic habits. I doubt she’d dictate to the Jewish community, though, with their distinctive outward appearances. Nor the Muslims or any other group. She’s decided that Christians are different! (or an easy target).

And guess what? She’s also behind the disgusting proposal to introduce gay marriage.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Featherstone said: “Some believe the government has no right to change it (marriage) at all; they want to leave tradition alone. I want to challenge that view – it is the government’s fundamental job to reflect society and to shape the future, not stay silent where it has the power to act and change things for the better.”

Her comments came after the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, a critic of the plans, said “not even the Church owns marriage. I mean that the Church has no authority to change the definition of marriage as far as Christian thinking is concerned – it’s a given.”

But “Lynne Featherstone’s logic implies the will of the people is sovereign. So let’s suppose that in 10 years’ time it is proposed that, as people are living in multiples of four, we may call that marriage also”.

Carey is right. And it strikes me that saying the “will of the people” is sovereign is the ultimate “Laodicean” end of mankind’s wilful and godless condition! The very word Laodicea comes from two Greek words that mean the rule or will of the people! Self-willed, arrogant and rebellious, heedless of the commands of his Maker, man blunders on into a lost eternity.

Argument Number Two: wearing a cross is not a religious ‘requirement’.

The government’s defense is that ‘the wearing of a visible cross’ can be banned because it isn’t ‘a requirement of the faith’. But what about the right to freedom of expression, and freedom of religion? What if a non-Christian wore a cross. Would that also be banned? What if a satanist wore a pentagram or a baphomet symbol? [See below for news on that one] What if an American wore a little flag in his/her lapel? Would there be an equal amount of discrimination about that?

Judging by recent cases, no. A worker who put a cross on the dashboard of his work van when he was delivering goods was ordered to remove it; however his Employer saw no need to remove the religious posters permanently displayed in his own office.

Years ago when I was living in a private housing complex run by a committee, I was commanded to remove a tasteful Christian poster I had in my window, yet pro-Labour election posters were plastered all over windows elsewhere in the estate, along with pictures of John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Che Guevara, and various other left-wing heros.

This discrinimation now seems to have gone nationwide. It’s become fashionable to kick Christianity at every opportunity. Now the Government is helping this intolerance take root legally.

No, our God does not FORCE us to wear a cross. But what’s wrong with doing it by choice?

If you choose to hang a portrait of your hero the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeni in your office I might secretly despise it but do I have the right to force you to remove it? No. (Nor would I get any legal support to do so). So why can’t you do the same for me?

The answer seems to be that the Government and lawmakers hate Christianity more than anything else. They hate the cross! This is only to be expected of the world that nailed Jesus to the cross in the first place. Now they try to absolve themselves of guilt and sin by turning away from every reminder of the God who loves them.

Jesus said,

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you,’A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ [John 15:18-25]

UPDATE: “Let us pray in the nude and wear hooded robes in our cells“, demand pagan prisoners

One pagan in a high security jail in Durham, has claimed that he is being ‘discriminated against’ because he is not allowed to pray wearing a hooded robe in his cell. Pagan prisoners are also want to perform rites in the nude in their cells.

The Ministry of Justice already allows pagan prisoners to have a number of religious ‘artefacts’ in their cells, including incense, a pentagram necklace, a ‘flexible twig or wand’, rune stones made from ‘wood, stone or clay’, a chalice, an altar to pray at and tarot cards. But the guidelines state: ‘Most pagans wear ordinary dress for worship – in prison, skyclad [naked] worship is not permitted [and] a hoodless robe [is permitted], but only to be used during private or corporate worship.’

So, a pagan can wear a pentagram necklace in prison because that is his “right” even though a criminal, and he calls it “discrimination” if he cannot worship as he pleases. BUT a Christian has no right to wear a cross?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113644/Let-pray-nude-wear-hooded-robes-cells-demand-pagan-prisoners.html#ixzz1p60SfMkX

RELATED ARTICLES

• Whose side is Rowan Williams on? 12 Mar 2012
• British Christians fight for right to wear cross 12 March 2012
• Christians: no ‘right’ to wear cross 10 Mar 2012
• Archbishop of Canterbury hits out at cross ban 04 Apr 2010

Kill Healthy Newborns argues Medical Ethics Journal

Would you kill this newborn?

Killing newborn babies is no different to aborting them, and has been labelled “after-birth abortion” by two Professors in a leading British medical journal.

They say that ’foetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons’.

This article calling for the introduction of infanticide for social and medical reasons, has been published by the Journal of Medical Ethics, entitled “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” It states, “After-birth abortion (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.”

The article, written by Alberto Giubilini of the University of Milan and Francesca Minerva of Melbourne University, argues that “foetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons” and consequently infanticide should be made as legal as abortion. They suggest some reasons for taking a baby’s life, such as when a woman has been abandoned by her partner and feels unable to bring up the child alone.

Lord Alton, co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, said that infanticide was the “chilling and unassailable” logical step for a society that permits killing a baby one day before birth.

He said: “That the Journal of Medical Ethics should give space to such a proposition illustrates not a slippery slope, but the quagmire into which medical ethics and our wider society have been sucked. Personal choice has eclipsed the sacredness, or otherness, of life itself. It is profoundly disturbing, indeed shocking, to see the way in which opinion-formers within the medical profession have ditched the traditional belief of the healer to uphold the sanctity of human life for this impoverished and inhumane defence of child destruction.”

But Julian Savulescu, the editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics, has defended the publication of the paper on the British Medical Journal website. He said: “What is disturbing is not the arguments in this paper nor its publication in an ethics journal. It is the hostile, abusive, threatening responses that it has elicited. More than ever, proper academic discussion and freedom are under threat from fanatics opposed to the very values of a liberal society.”

He continued:

“As Editor of the Journal, I would like to defend its publication. The arguments presented, in fact, are largely not new and have been presented repeatedly in the academic literature and public fora by the most eminent philosophers and bioethicists in the world, including Peter Singer, Michael Tooley and John Harris in defence of infanticide, which the authors call after-birth abortion. The novel contribution of this paper is not an argument in favour of infanticide – the paper repeats the arguments made famous by Tooley and Singer – but rather their application in consideration of maternal and family interests. The paper also draws attention to the fact that infanticide is practised in the Netherlands. Many people will and have disagreed with these arguments. However, the goal of the Journal of Medical Ethics is not to present the Truth or promote some one moral view. It is to present well reasoned argument based on widely accepted premises.”

The authors, when discussing children with Down’s Syndrome, state: “To bring up such children might be an unbearable burden on the family and on society as a whole, when the state economically provides for their care. On these grounds the fact that a foetus has the potential to become a person who will have an (at least) acceptable life is no reason for prohibiting abortion. Therefore… when circumstances occur after birth such that they would have justified abortion, what we call after-birth abortion should be permissable.”

The authors also support infanticide for non-medical reasons but do not state at which point in a baby’s development infanticide would no longer be permissable because “it depends on the neurological development of newborns, which is something neurologists and psychologists would be able to assess”.

• Read the full text of the article

The essence of the argument in the study is the claim that newborn babies–just like children in the womb–are not yet persons and therefore lack both rights and interests. They assert that “after-birth abortion” should be permissible if the parents believe it is in their best interest.

The abstract makes the following claims:

1. fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons
2. the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant
3. adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people

Thus infanticide be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled. Essentially the study uses pro-abortion arguments to support infanticide. This disturbing concept asserts that babies in the womb and newborn babies are only “potential persons” and that their lives both can be terminated for the same reasons.

• Quotes from ‘Planned Parenthood’ – Eugenics in the 1920′s

The chilling reasoning used in the study includes the following extracts:

• “We claim that killing a newborn could be ethically permissible in all the circumstances where abortion would be. [including healthy babies where] the well-being of the family is at risk.”
• “People’s well-being could be threatened by the new (even if healthy) child requiring energy, money and care which the family might [not have]….Since non-persons have no moral rights to life, there are no reasons for banning after-birth abortions.”

Scientific American: Kill More Babies To Save Earth

• Original Article Here

Eugenicists push discredited overpopulation myth.

Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com
Monday, October 18, 2010

Following the leak of a United Nations blueprint which outlined the plan to replace fearmongering about global warming with the contrived threat of overpopulation, a Scientific American report mimics precisely that talking point, pushing the notion that programs of mass abortion and birth control need to be encouraged in order to reduce the amount of humans on the planet exhaling carbon dioxide.

To back up his argument, the author David Biello links to an article by the completely discredited eugenicist Paul Ehrlich, who once stated that “everyone will disappear in a cloud of blue steam.”

Ehrlich, who co-authored Ecoscience with White House Science Czar John P. Holdren, the textbook that advocates putting drugs in the water supply to sterilize people, mandatory forced abortions, and a tyrannical eco-fascist dictatorship run by a “planetary regime,” is infamous for his spectacularly inaccurate predictions about how overpopulation would destroy the environment.

The article cited by Biello advocates a mass public relations campaign targeted at women to encourage them to have abortions in order to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In other words, more babies need to be killed to prevent them from exhaling CO2. Coincidentally, the cover of the Scientific American issue in which the article appears features a set of human skulls.

Warnings about the threat posed by overpopulation are fundamentally flawed. In reality, underpopulation will be seen as the biggest danger to human prosperity in the latter half of the 21st century.

World Population Trend

The UN’s own figures clearly indicate that population is set to stabilize in 2020 and then drop dramatically after 2050. As the Economist reported, “Fertility is falling and families are shrinking in places — such as Brazil, Indonesia, and even parts of India—that people think of as teeming with children. As our briefing shows, the fertility rate of half the world is now 2.1 or less—the magic number that is consistent with a stable population and is usually called “the replacement rate of fertility”. Sometime between 2020 and 2050 the world’s fertility rate will fall below the global replacement rate.”

Of course, the globalist agenda to reduce world population by as much as 80% in the name of saving the environment, a figure achievable only via draconian and genocidal measures, has nothing to do with the environment.

The discussion on post-birth abortion (killing newborn babies) article follows alleged instances of sex-selective abortions throughout Britain.

Doctors at British clinics have been secretly filmed agreeing to terminate foetuses purely because they are either male or female. Clinicians admitted they were prepared to falsify paperwork to arrange the abortions even though it is illegal to conduct such “sex-selection” procedures.

• Gender-selection abortions already happen in the UK

The Unnoticed Conspiracy: Food Faddism

Speaking about the last days of mankind, the bible says there will be at least two major signs – keeping people from marrying, and commanding people to abstain from certain types of food.

1 Tim 4:1-5 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

As to hindering marriage, it’s a fact that in America marriage has sharply declined over the past 50 years, from 68% of 20+ being wed in 1960 versus only 26% of the same age group in 2008, according to a 2010 study from the Pew Research Center.

• Read more:  The Decline of Marriage 2011-2010

And in the UK less than half the population is married and one in six couples are cohabiting. Sixteen million Britons are “singletons” whether they have a casual partner or not. (We used to call this “sleeping around”.) A Office for National Statistics report said: One of the main reasons for the decrease in the married population and the increase in the single population is the growth of cohabitation by unmarried couples. (source)

Add to this the Government’s financial penalties for married couples, and their refusal to support the Married Couples’ Tax Allowance, plus the clear advantages of claiming single benefits as opposed to couples’ benefits, and the Government has officially authorised this decline in marriage. So, while marriage is still legal and not “forbidden” the reeducation of society has produced the same result that the bible predicts.

A Change in Diet

But how many realise, also, that the “forbidding of meats” has also taken place in a universal and dictatorial regime of dietary control that is causing devastating changes in the health of the world’s population?

In the decades following the social upheaval of the 60′s, at about the same time as many other profound changes, the dietary habits of this country were criticised a new regimen came in. Out went honest plain fare – meat and two veg dinners (with the fat left on), butter, full-fat milk, bacon and eggs, fish and chips fried in lard – the food that we and our families knew for generations (somehow miraculously managing to stay alive thereby!).

Slowly slowly, so as not to be too obvious, substitutes appeared like margarine, soya protein, tofu, aerosol spray-on cooking lubricants. and a range of artificial sweeteners.

Also, we saw the arrival (strongly promoted by doctors and health advisers) of skimmed milk, bran, low-fat spreads, bean sprouts, hummus and a whole range of wholegrain products. Previously unheard of grains like spelt and millett were introduced. Spelt is the new celebrity grain, and it has gone from curiosity to must-have ingredient in just five years. Spelt bread, cereals, biscuits and flour are piled high in health-food shops, and even supermarkets are catching on. Before, it was widely considered only good for animal feed.

Soy Beans: nutritious or deadly?

Soya too has become the food of the masses, and even if you are not disposed to drink soya milk or eat it raw, you cannot avoid its presence in almost all processed food these days. Yet the soy bean is not a natural health food! Studies have shown it to contain dangerous toxins that disrupt the body’s hormones, yet it now exists in 60 percent of what we eat!

After finding out about the disruptive plant oestrogens in soya, one researcher says, “My next thought was: what about children who are fed soya milk?” He calculated that babies fed exclusively on soya formula could receive the oestrogenic equivalent, based on body weight, of five birth control pills a day.

PLEASE read this Guardian Newspaper article on the subject:

Nobody Dares to Disagree

When the dietary changes were introduced, there seemed not one dissenting voice. Every illness and disability received the same universal advice: avoid coffee, do not eat red meat or dairy produce, and eat lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and pasta.

I saw this advice trotted out so often that I used to imagine it would be used for a broken neck as well.

Incorrect Causes

The official line for justifying all this was a supposed increase in heart disease. It had been concluded (wrongly as it turned out) that eating fat and cholesterol led to obesity and clogging of the arteries. So these ghastly substances became the demons we all had to forsake. (Conveniently forgetting the role of sugar in many diseases.)

Lurking behind this change however was a more sinister agenda that brooked no argument. In fact, it showed all the same rabid hallmarks as the politically-correct campaign towards world unity and equality (see my previous post). And it was just as aggressive in its opposition to rebels, as I was to discover.

My Own Story

I myself was caught up in these changes and obediently changed my diet, thinking I was doing the best for my health. Like many others, I found my health declining as a result, and eventually I developed gallstones and type 2 diabetes. These were not, as is commonly believed, a result of eating fat. On the contrary, they were actually the RESULT of following the new low-fat, high-sugar, high-carbohydrate guidelines!

The month of my diagnosis

For the first time in my life I began to put on weight, even though I ate the same number of calories (or possibly fewer). I started to feel tight round the middle, gassy and bloated, and frequently tired. I felt sluggish, and was always hungry. My digestion was always out of sorts. I had migraines.

In fact, my history of the new diet was almost exactly the same experience as John Nicholson who writes here of his change from a dedicated vegan, to a full-fat eater, with photographic proof of the result. (And not as you might suppose!)

The panic of being diagnosed as a diabetic at that time spurred me into action, and I needed advice. But the doctor at my surgery knew next to nothing about how to control my high blood sugar and when I asked the practice nurse what I should do, she shrugged her shoulders. Another told me “once you have diabetes it will just get worse. There’s nothing you can do.”

I was given a leaflet that told me that I should “eat healthily” and that meant – no prizes for guessing this – yes the same old low-fat, wholegrain, pasta and veggie regime that I’d been eating before. Advice to diabetics (to my astonishment) did not include eating less sugar. (It would have been difficult anyway, since low-fat processed foods added more sugar to make up for the change in taste.)

Not willing to sit idle, I then sourced the internet for help. After looking at all the official sites, I found a few that contradicted the advice I’d been given. These few rebellious researchers had looked into the so-called scientific data on which the new diet was based, and exposed much of it as biased or completely wrong!

Early Success

Many of them pointed out that a cardiologist in the 1970′s – himself alarmed at the increase in obesity and heart-disease – had devised a very effective way of eating that saw many saved from ill-health, and it was the exact opposite of what the media wanted us to hear. It recommended cutting back on sugar and starchy foods (which are a form of fast-food energy to the body) and actually increasing protein and fat!

After changing my diet

I followed this dietary advice and within two months, not only had I lost weight, but I was more energetic, slimmer round the waist and – more to the point – had lowered my blood sugar back to normal!!

So much for “you will not be able to do anything about it”.

That, however, is when I ran into the secret agenda. The unnoticed conspiracy. You’d think my doctor and diabetic nurse would be pleased wouldn’t you? Far from that, they reprimanded me, refused to believe me, and stuck to their guns in an almost aggressive standoff. The change in my condition was put down to “more exercise” or “less stress”, and I was hotly urged to follow the healthy-eating plan I’d been given, the one that had caused the problem in the first place.

Shortly after that, and by a godly coincidence, there was an upsurge in national interest in the Dr. Atkins low-carbohydrate way of eating. That was stage two of the opening of my dietary eyes! I saw the vicious response of officialdom in every guise to this choice of diet.

Given that Boots The Chemist gladly and prominently promoted racks of a hideous sugar-water “Slimfast” drink, and given that we had seen many extremely unhealthy diets (such as the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, the bran diet and others) freely promoted in the country without objection, you’d think the “Atkins Diet” would have been warmly accepted. But no such thing.

It caused a media storm and a division of opinion the like of which had only been seen before in national football matches or general elections! Every newspaper was full of statistics for and against (mostly against). The Health Services and Government Advisers urged us not to reduce our carb intake, and national TV programmes were aired to stop this horrible decline into full-fat milk and meat-eating! It was widespread panic in the ranks!

My Awakening Completed

I myself was now firmly on the side of Dr. Atkins of course, having proved the theory for myself. I had also joined a low-carb forum that gave me links to many reports, articles and books that opened my eyes to the low-fat scandal. These joined together not only Atkins devotees but people from many other disciplines, but all were united in their disgust of the national witch-hunt against poor Atkins dieters.

We began to feel like the underbelly of society, sneaking around trying to find low-carb equivalents to our favourite foods, posting messages about where to get Atkins bars and Slenda sweetener, and posting recipes for one another.

It reached a kind of peak of absurdity when we tried to buy Ketosis strips for checking urine (necessary to know when phase one of the elimination of excess glycogen has been completed)  See this Medical News page for an explanation, also a very useful heads-up to the importance of fats and the role of carbohydrates in obesity.

Ketostix

Anyone can buy Ketostix at Boots and other Chemists – or it used to be the case, before the great clamp-down in opposition to Atkins dieters!

At the height of the media frenzy, it became impossible to buy Ketostix without being interrogated in a most unfriendly way by a shop assistant demanding to know “what do you want them for” and if you were “on Atkins” you were sent out of the shop with your tail between your legs and a dressing down for being so foolish.

So much fear – and for what? So much banner-waving and tub-thumping from so many avid soya-heads! What did it all mean? Were we not free to deal with our own health problems in the way we saw fit? NO. Not if it meant reversing the advice to eliminate fats and eat more on carbs.

Lies, Rumours and More Lies

When Dr Atkins died aged 72 from a slip on the ice, rumours were circulated by a Vegan group that he was overweight and “died as a result of his own diet”. In the UK there was much gleeful gloating! One national newspaper triumphantly reported as front-page news that his weight was over 19 stone (however in hospital he was recorded as being around 12 stone) as if that actually mattered.

But yes, everything matters in this war against fat and meat!

(See this page for the true facts )

The typical “healthy eating food wheel” we see promoted everywhere shows a small slice of protein (preferably lean chicken and no red meat), and of course no fat.

Compared to this, the carbohydrate intake is enormous. Add to that the high-carb vegetables and high-sugar fruit and you end up with a promotion for diabetes and obesity. EXACTLY the problem this world faces after several decades of such “healthy eating”.

We have been told that those who eat a high-fat diet are the unhealthy nations. Yet the Innuit who exist on fat almost exclusively in the winter months have an extremely low incidence of heart disease and are not overweight. (Source)

Scientists studying the Inuit in the 1970s found that as a group, they suffered much less than their European counterparts from certain diseases, such as coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes mellitus. Yet their diet was very high in fat from eating foods like whale, seal, and salmon. Discover Magazine called this the “Inuit Paradox”.

The cheese-eating fatty-food lovers, the French, also are low on the heart-disease scale. Conversely, The pasta and pizza-loving Italians eat less fat and consume more fruit and vegetables than the French yet die in greater numbers from heart disease. (Source)

Why should we be so gullible as to believe what the so-called “experts” tell us about healthy eating, when the facts are against them? We would not trust a car salesman whose cars were so unreliable.

Fat and Protein is NOT the Problem

A growing number of top nutritional scientists blame excessive carbohydrates – not fat – for America’s ills. They say cutting carbohydrates is the key to reversing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

“Fat is not the problem,” says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.”

You can read about it here. Unlike many journalists writing on this topic, this writer commendably went to the trouble of consulting a respected biochemist for her article and to correctly explain the role of carbohydrate in altering metabolism via its effect on insulin.

So why is there such a global surge in vegan diets and a hatred of red meat and fat? Is this really just a disinterested concern for our health? Behind the propaganda is a belief that mankind must forsake all animal produce before it can evolve to a higher spiritual condition.

This antipathy towards certain types of food is an Eastern religious trait that Western new-agers have promoted here. Vegetarianism and religion are strongly linked in a number of religions that originated in ancient India (Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism). In Jainism, vegetarianism is mandatory for everyone.

One website says this:

“Everything in life affects your spirituality. Your eating habit affects your spirituality, and certain choices align with spiritual evolution better than others. You can’t compartmentize spirituality and insist what you eat has nothing to do with your spirituality.” (Source)

“Spiritual evolution” is the goal for many of the new philosophies today and various lobby-groups dedicated to spiritual evolution have the ear of the health authorities and lawmakers.

Some believe that this evolution means passing beyond the physical or animal plane and becoming an ascended spirit being who does not need to eat or drink at all. The steps to attain this goal involve purifying the body of all animal matter, and even existing on nothing but air.

Breatharianism is a concept related to religious fasting, in which believers claim food and possibly water are not necessary, and that humans can be sustained solely by prana (the vital life force in Hinduism), or according to some, by the energy in sunlight (according to Ayurveda, sunlight is one of the main sources of prana). (See here.)

Religious devotees may do as they please, but they have no right to change society’s eating habits to suit their own beliefs. I would like to say that there has been little input from such groups, and that medical bodies and our Government know better than to issue advice based on pseudo-religious claptrap, but the evidence is there.

The Current Anti-Obesity Panic

There is a mounting pressure to (supposedly) tackle obesity, with leaflet campaigns, healthy-eating advice all over TV and surgeries, and even teachers checking up on what pupils are eating.

A list of instructions from one Primary School in Cambridgeshire says that not only will the contents of pupils’ lunchboxes be monitored but “treats” such as “snacks other than fruit and vegetables” can be eaten only on Fridays and “Birthdays, and special events such a Christmas party in class are also times [when] foods other than fruit or vegetables may be offered.” (But only as a one-off treat.) (Source)

One startling piece of recent news towards this end is that FASTING for one or two days a week is now being recommended “as a way to lose weight”.

This is so ludicrous that I wonder how people can swallow it.  (Or NOT swallow it – ho ho)

Fasting only prompts the metabolism to shut down, resulting in binge-eating afterwards and the kind of yo-yo dieting effect that we were previously warned against. It also results in uncomfortably low blood-sugar, tiredness, dizziness, headaches and possible vitamin deficiencies. It’s very unlikely to result in weight loss, but it does promote yet another religious ritual on the road to ascension.

In all of this we have to remember that the world is not a godly nor a Christian one, and doesn’t follow biblical wisdom. The bible says nothing about avoiding meat, indeed meat and fat were two special requirements in sacrifice to the Lord in the Old Testament. (Num 18:17-18) God respected the sacrifice of Abel who brought “the firstborn of his flock and of their fat” (Gen 4:4)

We recall that the feast provided to the much-loved prodigal son in the parable of Luke 15:23-24 was of the “fatted calf” showing how valued fat was, and how acceptable to God. “And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry”.

Don’t cut back on fat!

Fat is vital to the formation and correct function of the human brain; fat is harder to digest so it causes fewer sugar-spikes and provides longer-lasting satisfaction. Plus, it’s almost impossible to over-eat fats when not combining them with carbohydrates such as bread and pastry. How many of us could eat a half-pound of butter?

Fat became demonised because of the mythology that “eating fat makes you fat”. This mythology was extended into “eating cholesterol gives you high cholesterol” which is unscientific nonsense!

Eating fats is not unhealthy, but becomes a problem ONLY when combined with eating high levels of sugary and starchy foods. The simple reason is that the body can create fast energy out of the latter two, so if its needs are immediately and quickly satisfied it will lay down the harder-to-digest fats in the body cells for future use. With less exercise, we never get to use those fat layers, hence we get obese.

However, the solution is NOT to eat MORE sugars and carbs, but to eat LESS. In this way the body is forced to consume the fats instead, firstly from food and then from its own warehouse of the body’s excess fat layers. Weight loss follows as night follows day. This is so simple that even a child could grasp it, yet we are being urged to do the exact opposite.

As to cholesterol, hardly anyone knows what it is, but everyone is afraid of it!

QUOTE: “Cholesterol is essential for the development of our hormones and brain function, providing the stabilization of neurotransmitters. Depression, agitation and irritability can occur when your body doesn’t get enough cholesterol. Insulin is the major hormone directing the overproduction of cholesterol in the body. High-insulin levels are caused by consuming a diet that is insufficient in proteins and fats, while eating excess carbohydrates. … Cholesterol is so necessary to bodily functions that regardless of dietary intake, the body produces about 1,000 mg of cholesterol daily. Our body actually accelerates cholesterol production if we don’t eat enough of it. Not only are cholesterol and fat essential to life, but if you don’t eat these in your diet, you will be on the accelerated metabolic aging track toward disease and an earlier death, say Diana Schwarzbein, MD and Nancy Deville.”  Source

The idea that you “eat cholesterols” and they float around in your blood clogging up your arteries is sheer invention and fantasy! Your body actually needs this blood fat, and even if you ate none it would produce its own.

The truth about cholesterol needs to be heard, but again the exact opposite is preached, often through ignorance. I do realise that the great majority of medical professionals simply regurgitate the information they are given, instead ofg studying it for themselves. But when they rely on supposedly unbiased scientific studies they often do not realise there is a hidden agenda.

In the case of the great scare about cholesterols, we have seen one of the biggest money-making scams ever known, called the STATIN scandal. At least that’s what I call it.

Drug companies who make billions out of selling cholesterol-lowering statins have simultaneously pushed this drug as the cure-all for every modern-day disease, AND managed to get the clinical level at which people need them reduced to the point that almost everyone in the country is urged to take statins.

I worry that eventually they will put them in the water or make them compulsory.

Yet they are proven to have horrible side-effects. Go to just one site here to see some facts that may astound you: (HERE)

QUOTE: “Why don’t doctors, surgeons, hospitals, drug companies – or anyone else in the medical profession – tell you the shocking truth about statins? Why wouldn’t they want you to know that these cholesterol-lowering drugs come with a huge list of side-effects – including kidney failure! Simple: Because when you don’t take their drugs . . . or when you prevent disease or heal yourself naturally… they don’t make a red cent!

One in three people over the age of 45 in the UK currently takes statins – that’s a staggering 7 million people. It costs the National Health Service £450 million per year to fulfill these prescriptions…which goes straight into the pockets of the drug companies and their consultants in the medical establishment.

Pharmaceutical companies also don’t want you to know that statins seriously deplete your body of Coenzyme-Q10 (CoQ10) – the vital heart nutrient that naturally PREVENTS heart attacks and strokes. CoQ10 stops cholesterol from blocking arteries, it helps lower blood pressure and rejuvenates heart cells…

Yet statins destroy this essential ‘life spark’… diminishing it to such an extent that it reaches dangerously low levels. This increases your risk of serious side-effects like muscle wastage and pain, confusion, forgetfulness, disorientation, fatigue, liver damage, migraines, nausea and diarrhoea, to name but a few…”

If you are on statins, and are suffering exhaustion, muscle pains and any of the listed side-effects, why not consider taking extra CoQ10 as a supplement, or even stopping the statins for a while to see if that makes a difference.

Conclusion

However, as you see from the title to this post, I believe there’s an agenda to steer us into a new way of eating.

Medical practitioners are often not the change agents, but they are instructed by other groups more hidden from public view who do know what they are aiming at.

The fact is though, current medical advice on healthy eating is misguided. It may be largely well-meaning – I believe it is – but we don’t have to accept and act upon that advice if it’s incorrect. We have to think for ourselves and do the research, just as with apostasy, or environmentalism. Failure to stand back and consider the cost might be fatal.

Take the time to search out some low-carb websites, and other places that expose this modern diet. Educate yourself on the real facts, and on the dangers. When I did it, it was not only an astonishing eye-openeer, but it gave me a much-needed heads up to a biblical prophecy being fulfilled in my own lifetime.

Political Correctness: It’s Gone Too Far!

• Nursery Rhyme for tots changed
• Seven year old branded racist for simple question
• It’s Gone Too Far! Various Reports
• Three year old “racist” used silly word
• Teachers required to log all incidents 
• Teachers’ Guide for “Creating Safe Schools for Gay Pupils”
• Ricky Gervais slam parents for making their kids homophobic
• Tatchell blames homophobia for Whitney Houston’s death
• 14-year old arrested; she asked to be moved to table of English speakers 
• Fan arrested after making alleged “racist gesture” at football match
• Monkey action gesture at football match ends in man’s arrest 
• Footballer fined, suspended, after using a certain word

In looking for links to acccompany this article, I had way too many to share! This topic is everywhere! Why is nobody addressing this issue in a sensible and rational way – it’s yet another of those issues rammed down our throats by politically-correct numbskulls.

In other words the thought-police who throw their dummies out of the pram when they hear of anything disturbing their one-world love-fest in which we solve all our problems with a group hug.

These are the people who don’t turn a hair at offering twelve-year olds over-the-counter abortion tablets,  but run foaming at the mouth to the police when somebody is called “gay”. Even if that person IS “gay”, which kind of puts it into the realm of factual information rather than insult, does it not?

Equality? Don’t Make Me Laugh

Supposedly, we are all equal now (don’t make me laugh. Ever seen the size of a banker’s salary??). And equality has its disadvantages, like not being able to call somebody from Africa black any more. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but many Africans are black, that’s a fact of nature. But say so and you’re racist.

So the word black has fallen out of favour. We have to have CHALKboards now, coffee “without cream”, HEAVY clouds, an “unfortunate day” instead of a black day and of course nobody can be blackballed any more! It even seems (see links above) one school tried to change “Baa Baa Black Sheep” into “Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep” to reeducate the toddlers. Could it get any more ridiculous?

Doddery but Sane

I actually remember the “olden days” before this global propaganda for the New Age. We ate cooked breakfasts, cycled to work, used cash to buy things, bought fatty meat (gasp!) and delicious offal, and when there was an occasional immigrant living in the neighbourhood people were on the whole polite and respectful no matter what they thought.

We didn’t need a leaflet campaign to develop good manners, because we were brought up decently. Of course certain groups like “the Jews” were to my Dad and others of his age an object of scorn, even though he’d never met one, and if he had met one I’m sure he would have shaken his hand and greeted him warmly like anybody else. Certainly nobody shouted names in the street, and if you heard somebody being offensive about the “blacks” you corrected them.

I’ll go as far as to say (and why do I feel a frisson of fear when I do so?) that in those days the correct factual title of a “person of colour” was a “negro”, simply because that is a word that means “black” and it’s no different to somebody being yellow, brown or white. Since I don’t mind being called white, why should somebody else mind being called black? (OOOOh, I can hear the comments boxes beginning to heat up even now.)

Not being Gay is Now the Crime?

As far as the “gay” thing goes, no doubt homosexuality existed then as it always has done. But you wouldn’t know so. It was behind closed doors, no questions asked. Live and let live. Children didn’t know about such things, as is right. It was treated as a life-choice that was unhealthy and wrong, but – again – if that was your choice you got on with it.

But instead of a sexual deviation from the norm (I say this as a plain statement of fact) being tolerated, today it has to be elevated almost to cult status, praised, promoted, taught in schools, and no TV show is complete without at least one gay character. This goes far beyond tolerance. It’s an evangelical attitude to pushing homosexuality at every opportunity.

The same people, forgetting that tolerance cuts both ways, pillory without mercy any Christian who dares to be evangelical. Equality supposedly means we are all equal, but in this Animal Farm world of ours “some are more equal than others”.

Let a Christian quote something from the bible and you find out just how one-sided equality really is.

Gay lovers – far from being persecuted – are more protected than any other segment of western society, and they have won equal rights with any other group. They can have a civil marriage in a Register Office, adopt children, and receive financial aid as a couple, but that’s not enough. Now they want to redefine marriage for the rest of the country and be “married” as well, forcing every Church in the land legally to marry gay couples whether they like it or not. But as soon as a Church representative objects, there is a witch-hunt by the usual gay activists, being given any amount of airtime to claim they are being hated, oppressed and disadvantaged!

We have the Right to Disagree

Let’s get this straight. Racism, Sexism and all the other isms are wrong. They always have been wrong. The only difference now is that the people who do it are arrested, instead of being given the cold shoulder down the pub. Society used to find its own level, because some people were known to be loud-mouthed bigots and were shunned.

At the same time, if you happened to choose the path of loud-mouthed bigotry, that was up to YOU and nobody was going to put surveillance cameras on your house as a result.

Football Pitfalls

On British TV (although I never watch sport) the issue of the racist footballer was unavoidable. He was endlessly condemned, hauled before his peers, suspended from the game and fined a huge amount of money, and this piece of news was aired over and over again at a time when hundreds were dying in Syria. A tyrant shells his own people, but WE are totally preoccupied with what one man said to another in a rash heated moment during a game of football.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s upsetting that one person should call another THAT word (see, we can’t even say it now). But the word he used – in his own native land – wasn’t half as offensive as was made out, and one could argue that it’s commonly used by black people themselves. But I’m straying from my point.

Criminalising thought patterns, words and beliefs is very near to the religious persecution that we all know will come in its wake.

And in another such incident, a man was reported and subsequently arrested for a similar offense. Do the British police have nothing better to do, than searching countless hours of CCTV tapes for a man who “made a racist gesture” at a football match?

It was so mind-shatteringly offensive, apparently, that our eyes and ears had to be protected from knowing what it was! (Unlike the sexually explicit and blood-soaked drama on TV I might add).

I had to search the internet to find it was a “monkey-gesture”, you know, somebody scratching their sides like an ape. Come on! Can’t we act like grown-ups and spend our time (for instance) tracking down some of the people who steal and melt down our bronze war memorials?

And more to the point, isn’t this public outcry and baying for blood out of proportion? And isn’t it indicative of today’s world, where you do not have the freedom of thought or speech, even though you are NOT racist, or a bigot? Because a simple misunderstanding can lead to arrest and a criminal record too.

The Law Misused

Punishment was once reserved for those who had broken the law. That used to mean burglary, arson, murder, fraud and similar offenses. The arsonist was free to tell others what he thought of immigrants (like it or not) and until he lit a fire under them he wasn’t jailed.

Now a schoolgirl who complains that she can’t understand what her study mates are saying (because they are all speaking Urdu) is arrested, treated like a common criminal, and has to spend several hours in a cell not knowing what will happen to her. (see above link)

Hasn’t something gone terribly wrong? Why has this Government issued strict orders that teachers must log and report every “incident” that hints at homophobic, racist or other hate-crime offenses? In 2010 alone, more than 20,000 pupils aged 11 or younger were last year put on record for so-called hate crimes such as using the word ‘gaylord’.Some of them are even from nursery schools where children are no older than three.

Read more: Daily Mail Article

Once branded as a racist, with your name reported to the local authorities, this record can accompany you throughout your education, and later into your work experience. One chance remark by a child too young to understand the meaning of the words, may prove to be a millstone round his or her neck for life!

How can this be better than a simple reprimand by a parent or teacher? What message of “tolerance” does it present to a toddler, when his or her friends are disgraced and branded for playground backchat?

A child who is taunted as being “four-eyes” or “fatty” hits back by calling the bully a “homo” (because he heard the word used on TV) and is instantly a suspect in a criminal case! No longer can you just wince when you overhear talk in Macdonald’s about some “paki” shopkeeper who refused to sell them cigarettes – you are in fear that the police will be called and you’ll be summoned as a witness.

And it won’t stop here. Once the door is pushed open to the “hate-crime” house it will offer up more and more room to those who are intent on promoting their particular beliefs. They are determined to batter down any form of protest against their activities, good or bad.

Who is Really the Bigot?

Who gave these people authority to dictate what you and I think as we sit in the bath, or what we say when we chat to Auntie on the phone? The same people (usually atheists) who violently object to any kind of biblical legality or judgement, are prepared to condemn and criminalise anyone who disagrees with their twisted view of normality.

Notwithstanding what you and I think might be unbearably offensive, incorrect, one-sided, ill-informed and downright snitty – but up to this decade we still had the freedom to do it.

I find myself whispering when I comment on the news now! It’s got to me too!

2012: Year of Foolish Predictions

2012 with its End-of-the-World prophecies based on the Mayan Calendar looks set to be the “Year of Predictions” in the Church as well.

Excitement is growing about the Coming of the Lord. This is no surprise but unfortunately has led to a rash of foolish date-setting that only heaps ridicule on Christians in general.

It also teaches the world not to listen when Christians speak about the Endtimes. We have “cried wolf” once too often.

It’s one thing to be laughed at for believing that Jesus Christ will return to the earth, or that sin will be judged, but quite another to draw public attention to the Church’s mistakes by going public with “one-hundred-percent-certainty-dates” on which supposedly the Church will be raptured and/or the Tribulation will start.

And it’s one thing to study the endtimes scripture and gain an overall understanding of the “times and seasons” but another to go public with one specific day on which these things “must” happen.

Harold Camping has been the worst offender, with his massive media campaign both in May and October 2011. After the October date failed to materialise, Camping went quiet and there are reports that he will not be leading Family Radio any more. He continues to post to his website regardless, with lame excuses that defy belief.

Excuse number one:  God let it happen

The damage Camping has done to our credibility is huge. But in his website posts he appears to be blaming God instead of himself:

“Why didn’t Christ return on October 21? It seems embarrassing for Family Radio. But God was in charge of everything. We came to that conclusion after quite careful study of the Bible. He allowed everything to happen the way it did without correction. He could have stopped everything if He had wanted to. (10/28/2011)

Excuse number two:  change of plan

“ When God did not bring about the end of the world  as we had been thinking it would happen, we know that it’s God’s plan and we don’t argue with God. We’re not angry with God; we’re not unhappy with God. We simply say, ‘Oh, Lord, we misunderstood somehow, or You  changed Your plan, or whatever’…” …..now, at the last  moment, God has come and said, “No. No, it’s not the end. I still have some other plans.” (11/8/2011)

Excuse number three:  God used a Lie

So, God changed his mind and now has “other plans” – but what are these plans? It seems that God tricked Family Radio into broadcasting a lie in order to bring people’s attention to the bible:

“… maybe God is not finished with bringing salvation to the world… Now by God’s  mercy through the actions of Family Radio… the whole world has heard about the  Bible. … God now is ready for the next action based on that kind of information” (11/8/2011)

The only real truth is that Harold Camping was WRONG in his calculations and predicted a specific day for the Rapture incorrectly. This foolishness leads to the ultimate “egg-on-face” moment that others have experienced before and since.

Other False Predictions

There have been two quite high-profile predictions recently circulating the Net that claimed to be completely one-hundred-percent confirmed, not only by bible calculations but by everyday events like car number-plates and electricity blackouts.  Such coincidences and seeming portents can appear conclusive but the devil can organise events to bolster a false prediction.

The Internet is awash with predictions for 2012. The world in general is ignorant of the bible and thinks that the “End of the World” is one terrible catastrophe followed by Judgement (or whatever). Little do they know that, if anything, 2012 is the beginning, not the end!

However, it’s disturbing when Christians follow the same 2012 prophecies.  They are based on various interpretations of a pagan calendar, and that in itself is only about the “end of a cycle” and not global devastation.

Just as in the time before the first Coming of the Lord, there is increased interest and speculation, and Jesus said delusions such as “He is in the inner room” or “He is in the desert” would arise before the actual day.

Matt 24:23-27 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert !’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

There’s nothing wrong with being excited about the Day, nor in trying to grasp the meaning of prophecy in the bible, but when it spills over into setting one specific date it’s gone too far.

I happen to believe we – as Christ’s Body – will know more and more clearly when the Lord is about to return for us. We will sense it by the Holy Spirit as well as getting much more clear revelation on the scriptures. These two gifts from God – the written word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – are all we need to KNOW the times and seasons.

Only the UNWARY and UNBELIEVING will miss what God is saying, which is why Jesus warned us all to WATCH!

Rev 3:2-4 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch , I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you

1 Thess 5:5-7 We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

Mark 13:34-37 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch .Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning — lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch !”

More:

• Harold Camping: Excuses, Excuses! 
• Camping Apologises and Retires
• But He Did Not Apologise
• Mayan Calendar Might be Incorrect

False Apostles Approved By State

NAR Founder C. Peter Wagner Honored by Delaware Legislature

• See also: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/nar-founder-c-peter-wagner-honored-delaware-legislature
• PDF picture of the actual Tribute Certificate

C. Peter Wagner, founder of the New Apostolic Reformation, sent out an email yesterday announcing that he had recently been in Delaware for the commissioning of several new apostles.  Wagner wrote that, when he arrived, he was surprised to learn that “a good bit of field work had been done to assure the approval of the State of Delaware.”

In fact, Wagner reports that he was given a commendation and the key to the city of Seaford by its mayor and even received a tribute from the city council, the state Senate, and the state House that was personally read by the local state representative:

As part of the ceremony, I was officially welcomed as an apostle and authorized to help commission apostles to the state. The mayor of Seaford (a committed believer) read the Commendation from his office and presented me with the key to the city. This was followed by a Tribute complete with the seal of the Sussex County Council, a Tribute with the seal of the Senate of the State of Delaware, and a Tribute from the House of Representatives of the State of Delaware read personally by the representative of the district.

I could not help but feel that this event, held in our first state, could well have been historic. For the record, I feel I should transcribe the document from the House, elegantly inscribed on 8 1/2″ x 14″ parchment-type paper and encased in a folder:

State of Delaware House of Representatives. Tribute. Be it known to all that the House of Representatives recognizes Dr. C. Peter Wagner As an Apostle For the Occasion of Commissioning Apostles in the State of Delaware. On this special day of the Commissioning Service, we honor Dr. C. Peter Wagner for his many years of faithful service to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and the advancement of His Kingdom. ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.” Rev. 3:7.’ The House of Representatives extends its sincere congratulations and directs this tribute to be presented on this 19th day of January 2012. (Signed) Robert F. Gilligan, Speaker of the House; Richard L. Puffer, Chief Clerk of the House, Representative Daniel B. Short, Sponsor.

UPDATE: The Delaware House Democratic Caucus has sent me an email clarifying the status of this “tribute”, explaining that they are done solely at the discretion of individual members and therefore do NOT represent an endorsement by the Delaware House of Representatives:

HOUSE STATEMENT ON C. PETER WAGNER TRIBUTE

The Delaware House of Representatives has become aware of a misunderstanding surrounding a tribute recently sponsored by a member of the Minority Caucus and presented to Dr. C. Peter Wagner, a leader in the New Apostolic Reformation.

The following is a joint statement from House Speaker Robert F. Gilligan, House Majority Leader Peter C. Schwartzkopf and House Majority Whip Valerie Longhurst:

House and Senate tributes were established more than 15 years ago as a more cost-efficient and less time-consuming way to honor individuals and groups for various accomplishments. Prior to this process, each chamber had to vote on each individual resolution.

The tribute process was devised to handle items that do not require the vote of the full House or Senate. These topics include but are not limited to:

deaths, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, 50th wedding anniversaries, 100th birthdays, congratulating local sports teams and recognizing the accomplishments and milestones of individual members of the community, nonprofit groups and civic associations.

More than 1,000 tributes are requested each year by the 41 members of the House.

Under the House tribute process, each individual Representative is responsible for making a request on behalf of his or her constituency.

Discretion for what constitutes an acceptable request is left to each individual Representative rather than subjecting each tribute to a review that could be interpreted as partisan or vindictive. The Speaker of the House is elected by the entire House and his signature appears on each tribute.

That signature is a formality and is electronically applied.

To be clear, in no way does a tribute represent nor should it be interpreted as an endorsement by the Delaware House of Representatives. The House does not vote on tributes. They are requested and sponsored by a specific Representative or Representatives.

Unfortunately, Dr. Wagner seemingly has mischaracterized the intent of this tribute to be an endorsement by the Delaware House of Representatives. We want to be absolutely clear that the House of Representatives does not endorse Dr. Wagner or his organization.

Additionally, the Delaware House of Representatives does not endorse any religion or present one above another. It is not uncommon for individual Representatives to request tributes to honor members of the religious community much in the same way that nonprofit and civic groups are recognized. Multiple faiths have been recognized through these tributes throughout the years.

Any questions regarding this specific tribute should be directed to the Representative who requested the tribute, Rep. Danny Short, and the House Minority Caucus at (302) 744-4184.

What WERE they THINKING?

• Also See: Man-Made Virus
• And: US Silences scientists over man-made super-flu that could “change world history“

It seems like mankind is not prepared to wait until the prophesied deadly plague hits the earth. They are hurrying doomsday by creating it themselves.

The potential for this super-virus to get “out in the wild” and kill millions is worrying to say the least! Plus, it’s not that difficult for a competent scientist employed by a terrorist group to turn this into the next bio-weapon. To repeat the header: what WERE they THINKING?

A super-strain of bird flu that could infect and wipe out millions has been developed in a laboratory.

Dutch scientists who created the ‘Armageddon virus’ say it is ‘probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make’. Their research focused on what it took to convert bird flu – which can kill more than half of those infected but does not spread easily – into a highly contagious virus.

They said this knowledge would be vital for the development of vaccines and drugs to prevent a possible pandemic. But others argue the virus should never have been created – and warn the potential if it escaped from the lab is ‘staggering’. There are also fears the recipe will be seized on by terrorists looking for a biological weapon.

The U.S. government is so concerned that its advisers are trying to block the details of the virus’s manufacture from being published.

National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity chairman Paul Kiem, an anthrax expert, said: ‘I can’t think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one. I don’t think anthrax is scary at all compared to this.’

However, others pointed out that similar fears – raised six years ago when another team of scientists recreated the Spanish flu virus that killed up to 50million in 1918 – proved groundless. The latest controversy surrounds the H5N1 bird flu virus. In 2005, there were warnings of a potential bird flu global pandemic which would kill hundreds of millions.

Of the 573 people that have caught the bug so far worldwide, 336 have died. However, the germ’s inability to spread easily from person to person means the predicted pandemic has never materialised. Now, scientists at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam have created a H5N1 bird flu that spreads as easily as winter flu.

In experiments on ferrets – whose flu symptoms are most like humans’ – just five mutations in two key genes turned the ‘normal’ bird flu into a highly contagious, super-spreader. The scientist behind the project, Ron Fouchier, said: ‘We now know which mutations to watch for in the case of an outbreak and we can stop the outbreak before it is too late.’

A university spokesman said: ‘If this type of research is carried out under maximum safety conditions, the benefits are greater than the risks.’
But Donald Henderson, an expert in biosecurity who spearheaded the worldwide drive to eradicate smallpox, told New Scientist magazine if a highly contagious virus with a 50 per cent kill rate got loose, ‘a catastrophe would result’.

Last night, the journal Science said the U.S. government’s request to publish only an abbreviated version of Dr Fouchier’s work was being taken very seriously.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2076422/Bird-flu-scientists-DELIBERATELY-create-Armageddon-virus-lab.html#ixzz1hTxBAVZb

Tesco internet spokesman calls christians “evil”

Prime Minister David Cameron wants to see homosexuality put on exactly the same footing as heterosexuality, with not just legalised civil partnerships but full “marriage”. See report here.

Yet with the other side of his mouth he calls for a return to “Christian Values” . He avoided offending other religions and even atheists by saying they had values too, but Christian morals and standards are useful for combatting the breakdown of society.

I would agree if Cameron were supporting the preaching of the gospel, but he specifically said he had big problems with theology and doctrine. Nevertheless it would be nice if people were “good” he seems to be saying. Is this any way to achieve a change? And how hypocritical would you have to be to support biblical standards while promoting same-sex marriage?

And society IS changing – for the worse. It’s being encouraged to act as a Tesco employee did recently, calling Christians “evil” if they resist this redefinition of marriage to allow for same-sex marriage. The comment was posted by the Head of Research and Development at Tesco.com.The inflammatory comment came as news emerged that the supermarket giant is selling a drink degradingly called “P***y Natural Energy”, in a limited edition can exclusive to Tesco.

The company has already faced criticism for dumping its support for the Cancer Research ‘Race for Life’ and sponsoring London’s gay pride festival.

Evil

If you won’t be shopping at Tesco this Christmas, tell them so on their Facebook page, or email CEO Philip Clarke: philip.clarke@uk.tesco.com

The “evil Christians” comment was made by Nick Lansley, Head of Research and Development for the Tesco website.

He wrote: “I’m also campaigning against evil Christians (that’s not all Christians, just bad ones) who think that gay people should not lead happy lives and get married to their same-sex partners.”

The comments appeared on Mr Lansley’s profile page on the photo-sharing website, Flickr.com, where he lists his employment as “Head of R&D at Tesco.com”. But following complaints to Tesco the remarks have now been removed.

Offensive

Earlier this year, a Christian housing manager from Manchester was demoted and had his salary slashed by 40 per cent for posting a moderate comment on Facebook, saying churches shouldn’t be forced to host homosexual civil partnerships if they don’t want to.

But will demotion and a salary cut be the result in the case of Nick Lansley? I very much doubt it!

Judgment

Director of The Christian Institute, Colin Hart, said: “I won’t be shopping at Tesco this Christmas, and I am repeatedly hearing from other Christians who have already come to the same conclusion.

“Mr Lansley is entitled to his opinions, and Christians are entitled to choose not to shop at Tesco.

“The decision by Tesco to sell an offensively named drink shows very poor judgment, even if 5p from every can goes to Cancer Research. Come on, Tesco, you are meant to be a family-friendly store. Start acting like it.”

Nick Lansley is the Head of Research and Development for the Tesco website.

• Tesco funds Gay Pride but drops support for Cancer Research (15 November 2011)
• Video: Tesco slow to refund Christian over Halal lamb (14 October 2010)
• Tesco under fire for selling skimpy school skirt (22 September 2010)

Economic Storm Ahead?

As you probably know, this post was here as a tentative one, based on a striking dream I had on 22nd November. I’m going to amend this post with some further events and thoughts.

I didn’t know then and I still don’t know for certain if it was anything more than my own mind, but as I said originally, I’m going to go out on a limb. I’d rather speak up and perhaps make a fool of myself, than hold back.

I know that God can and has in the bible used dreams to speak to his people, but I also know this is unreliable and open to misinterpretation. It can also be false, a demonic deception. Therefore, I say from the start that I’m NOT making a prediction or even saying this is definitely from God. (Nor is this to do with Elenin, Nibiru, the three days of darkness or anything remotely similar!)

First, the dream, then my comments:

I dreamt there was a piece of paper pinned up on the wall on which a long line of people were contributing. I was watching myself, rather than doing this first-person, but I watched as it became my turn.

I’d already got something on my heart to write/say but was holding back and being polite and quiet, in deference to everyone else – because they were calm and matter-of-fact.

Nonetheless, just as I began to write, the Spirit of the Lord brought this deep and troubled concern to the surface and I could no longer hold back. In fact, I was agitated and I shouted (and woke myself up in the process!).

My Contribution

What I wrote was agitated too, very strong! As I shouted Monday! Tuesday! Wednesday! Thursday! (and more?) I drew a black sun for each day, showing the darkness would continue this long. Then underneath them I drew a huge storm, a storm like nobody had ever seen, with the waves roaring – the waves were also clouds, and floods. It was an overall impression of a tremendous storm to come.

Just as I awoke, I was praying. I said “Lord, remove it now; because the devil is taking advantage of your word.”

So – there it is. Very strange you will agree. If anybody else can give a witness to this, please get in touch with me or comment below. If not – let it just die on the page and be forgotten. Amen.

ADDED on WEDNESDAY 23rd November.

I felt impelled to look at the calendar this morning to see if the date of the dream was significant – I then noticed that this Friday is “Black Friday“. Not being American I needed to Google that term and it’s the day after Thanksgiving when the congestion on the roads is so bad because of all the Christmas shoppers…Also it’s (they hope) the day the bank balance turns black, because of the Christmas sales. BUT every other day of the week, the ones I shouted out, are commemorated differently! They are not about the jolly careless spending spree, but economic disaster!

•  “Black Monday” went down in history as the 1987 stock market crash.
•  “Black Tuesday” was the Wall Street Crash of 1929 that launched the Great Depression.
• “Black Tuesday” was also the Panic of 1873 when the U.S. bank Jay Cooke & Company declared bankruptcy, triggering a series of bank failures.
•  “Black Wednesday”  refers to the events of 16 September 1992 when the British Conservative government was forced to withdraw the pound sterling from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) after they were unable to keep it above its agreed lower limit. In 1997 the UK  Treasury estimated the cost of Black Wednesday at £3.4 billion“  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_wednesday).
•  “Black Thursday” commemorates the actual START of the Wall Street crash

So Black Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ALL refer to catastrophic bank losses and stock market crashes! And the only day left OUT of the dream sequence was FRIDAY, which by contrast commemorates being “in the black” because of the high level of spending by shoppers that day!

Given that I didn’t really know all this til today, I begin to suspect the Lord is calling our attention to the contrast between the casual over-spending of this Black Friday, and the very real possibility of “Black Rest-of-The-Week” with a “perfect storm” to come,  ie, the worst economic disaster this world has ever known. Does this resonate with anyone?

Added 9th December

I’m writing as two events take place, the crucial Euro Summit that is supposedly going to “save the Euro” at the expense of the economies of every contributing nation!

There is much I could say about it, but the bottom line is, we in the UK are being stitched up and face an even more grave situation than the rest of Europe – and that itself is extremely serious! The News Channel headed its report with the word “Global Shaking”! It reminded me of what I saw and felt in my dream.

And interestingly enough there was a MAJOR storm at the same time across all of Northern Britain, with winds speeds as high as 160 mph and a lot of damage and disruption. (Not that I’m saying it was the one in my dream, but it’s a curious fact all the same.)

All in all, I feel more sure that I was sensing the coming crisis in the Eurozone countries. Even though this subject is difficult to grasp, and seems almost irrelevant, in fact it will affect every man woman and child in Europe and probably the rest of the world for many years to come.

We stand on the brink of a precipice and have no reliable earthly leadership to lead us away from it. We put our trust in God our Father, as ever.

What Is The New Apostolic Reformation?

(And Why Should We Be Concerned About It?)

Posted by Christine Pack
A movement inside of Christian evangelicalism called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has gathered lethal momentum very unexpectedly.  This movement had up until recently only been taught and believed inside the hyper-charismatic movement (think IHOP, Kansas City Prophets, Mike Bickle, etc.). But now, having somehow “jumped” from its normal carrier, rather than being “contained” as a strange belief system that would only impact a limited number of people, it suddenly began to go viral when in the United States big names on the political right began to align themselves with the big names from the charismatic Christian side.

Why exactly has the NAR, which makes alarming use of militant “warfare” language and talks of “taking dominion” over the world “one mountain at a time,” [PLEASE visit this page to see worrying evidence] gotten so big, so fast, and with so many big political names attached?

In my view, it’s because there are many on the political right, who, despite their moralistic stance, have a tendency to be more invested in political strategy, power and numbers than in sound doctrine and biblical truth. Thus, to the political right without discernment, Numbers = Power. And I suspect this is what happened: they looked out over the landscape of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement (which is an extremely large segment of professing Christians), decided this was representative of “Christianity,” did the math, and then jumped on board.

The 7 Mountain Mandate

But let me back up here and give a little background information about the NAR. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), as I noted, is a movement that has its roots in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements (Latter Day Rain, Kansas City Prophets, International House of Prayer-IHOP, Joel’s Army). This movement is loaded with self-appointed “apostles” and “prophets” (who take Ephesians 4:11-13 out of context to to defend the idea that the office of apostle and prophet are still valid today). The leaders of this movement believe and teach that Christians have a mandate to reclaim “for Christ” Seven Mountains of influence, which they have designated as:

1 – Business
2 – Government
3 – Family
4 – Religion
5 – Media
6 – Education
7 – Entertainment

This movement and its 7 Mountains Mandate has been very enticing to Christians who hold to a Dominionist view (the idea that the church’s role is to “take back” dominion of the earth from Satan), and has also been extremely seductive to the Conservative Right, because hey, the idea of knuckling down and working hard is what America is all about, right?

So there you have it: combine the errant “doctrine” of Kingdom Now/Dominionism from the Pentecostal/Charismatic camp with the moralism of the Conservative Right, and you’ve got one dangerous pandemic, because both groups, in their own ways, are tremendously influential and powerful.

Who are the players in the NAR movement? It’s a long list that is growing longer by the day, but below are some of the names currently associated with the NAR.

And please note that the presence of a name on this list does NOT mean that the person in question showed up only one time on a random list somewhere or attended one NAR conference, and then disassociated themselves. Each person on this list has had repeated associations and/or dealings with the NAR, and without any record of concern over the heretical theology of the IHOP/New Apostles aspect of the NAR. Now having said that, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all who are on the list are high level movers and shakers in the NAR……I do think that some could be somewhat innocent as to the core theology they’ve become yoked with. So my article is not an attempt to smear or slander anyone, but to highlight some repeated associations that are causing concern:

 Pentecostals/Charismatics/Christians 

• C. Peter Wagner
• Bill Bright
• Mike Bickle 
• Rick Joyner 
• Chuck Pierce
• Pat Robertson 
• “Joel’s Army”
• “Latter Rain” 
• “Manifest Sons of God” 
• Cindy Jacobs 
• Mike Jacobs 
• Lou Engle 
• Ché Ahn 
• Todd Bentley 
• Dutch Sheets 
• Jim Garlow
• Os Hillman
• Paul Cain  
• Chuck Colson 
• Lance Wallnau
• Loren Cunningham 
• YWAM 
• Bill Johnson 
• George Otis, Jr.
• Ed Silvoso
• Jack Hayford 
• Tommy Tenney
• Charles Kraft 
• John Eckhardt  
• Bill Hamon 
• Gabe Lyons

 Political Right 

• The Tea Party Movement 
• Texas Governor Rick Perry 
• Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
• Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell 
• Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli 
• Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 
• Senator Jim DeMint
• Senator Sam Brownback 
• Michele Bachmann 
• Mike Huckabee 
• Glenn Beck
• Jim Garlow 
• David Barton 
• Newt Gingrich 
• Gary Bauer 
• Frank Gaffney 
• Chuck Norris 
• Janet Porter

Friends, the NAR is a dangerous and rapidly growing movement that is, sadly, capturing the hearts and minds of many conservative Christians who have been enticed with the idea of “saving” the world though Christian activism.

In truth, Christians are not ever, anywhere in Scripture, promised easy lives, or even the “right” to live in freedom. But please note that the siren lure of political activism is nothing new. Do we not remember that even Jesus’s disciples repeatedly jockeyed for position in the earthly kingdom they wished for and desired for Jesus to institute?

“They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.” (Mark 9:33-34)

And even after Jesus’s resurrection, they were still questioning Jesus about the earthly kingdom they hoped for:

“So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’” (Acts 1:6)

The NAR teaches that, through the advancement of medicine, science, technology and the gospel, this world is getting better and better. That through strategically “capturing” each of the designated “mountains,” we will set up Jesus’ earthly kingdom, and that once we have accomplished this, Jesus will return as the glittering jewel in the crown of his earthly kingdom.

But is this true? Is this what the Bible teaches? Let us let Scripture lead us on the matter of Jesus’ kingdom:

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’” (John 18:36, my emphasis)

The life of a born again Christian is not complicated. Become reconciled to a high and holy God through the shed blood of Jesus, share the gospel, be persecuted, and die.

But the seductive lure of an earthly life in which we (the Christians) control the earth and all that is in it, is a dream that dies hard. And now the NAR, with its utopian vision of heaven on earth, has once again showed us that very few people are willing to do as Jesus taught us, and that is to “Count the cost“ (Luke 14:25-35) and“Take up your cross and follow me“(Matthew 16:24). Flee from this movement, my fellow Christians.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Prov 14:12)

 Additional Resources 

• The Roots of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)
• The False Gospel Message of the NAR
• Why the NAR is Dangerous, and How It Gathered Lethal Momentum
• The Coalescing of the Christian Right with Apostolic Dominionism
• The 7 Apostolic Spheres
• The Theology of the 7 Mountain Mandate
• The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Makes Strange Bedfellows
• The Tea Party’s Strange Bedfellows and What They Believe
• Articles Documenting the Theological Problems with the NAR
• Say No to Rick Perry’s “The Response” Prayer Event
• Do Not Be Deceived
• Potentially Millions of Evangelicals Compromising the Gospel by Joining With Glenn Beck
• I’m Sorry, Glenn….It’s Over. It’s Not Me, It’s You.
• Christians Putting the Flag Before the Cross? – Part 1
• Christians Putting the Flag Before the Cross? – Part 2
• “Why I Believe Christians Should Not Participate in Governor Perry’s “The Response” and Why It is NOT “Just A Prayer Event” (by Brannon Howse)
• Pastor Justin Peters Explains Why the Word of Faith Movement is Dangerous and Unbiblical – Part 1
• Pastor Justin Peters Explains Why the Word of Faith Movement is Dangerous and Unbiblical – Part 2
• Todd Bentley – “Kick Her In The Face”

Do not label me!

So many years ago, that I don’t want to remember when, we had a catchphrase in our household: Trago Labels.

We said then, and still do, that after the apocalypse, when the earth is a smoking heap, there will be two things left – cockroaches, and Trago labels.

What did this mean? Just that our local shopping outlet used labels so fiercely tight and non-removable that not even a nuclear bomb would shift them. I STILL have Trago labels on some items in my house today.

So, what’s the deal with labels?

Why is it that I can put on a soft woollen sweater, so comfortable and warm, and revel in the feeling against my skin until – GRRRR – that prickly, itchy, annoying back-of-the-neck sensation that tells you there is a label on the collar? Sure enough, in the softest sweater you are bound to find a label woven from what feels like wire wool.

What to do? If you cut it out you lose the maker’s name, size, and washing instructions and are in danger of snipping the wool. If you leave it in, you can’t bear to wear it!

Before we met, my husband had obviously grown so tired of scratchy labels in his tee shirts that he literally ripped them out. I know, I inherited the task of sewing up the holes. These days he’s not allowed to – when he complains I’m fast enough with the scissors to forestall the damage!

But why should I have to? Aren’t the makers of clothes able to produce a cotton label that doesn’t scratch the back of your neck? This puzzles me.

Price Stickers

And as for paper labels, they are just as irritating. Nowadays, at least, birthday cards come with removable price tags, but before then the choice was to leave them in place and admit to your relative what a cheapskate you were for buying a supermarket card, or try to budge it, leaving a grubby sticky mark.

You carry home your new purchase with glee – it’s a little wooden ornament, or a table lamp, or a framed print. But what’s on there, in the most prominent position? Yes, a price label. The person who stuck it there couldn’t be bothered to stick it on the back, or the bottom, it’s right where it’s going to cause the most damage.

Even if you can soak some items, then scrape it with the potato peeler, you are still left with a smudge of gooey gunk that no amount of hot water or scrubbing will remove. Drat the labels!  Like many others I leapt at the chance to buy Betterware “Sticky Label Remover” and it saved the day on many occasions.

IKEA are amongst the worst culprits. Their labels are superglued on.

I needed a new toothmug and found a nice one at a discount price – but it still sits there with a big label across the side telling me what it is (something I’d guessed already) and how to clean it (if only!) and giving me the indispensible store location number. I haven’t been able to shift it yet.

Giving somebody a CD or DVD as a present? Good luck with that. A huge fluorescent label will tell them precisely how much you paid, and unless you want to rip the clingfilm off it, you will have to accept that little proviso.

What’s your worst label disaster?

Our most recent one was a much-needed new frying pan from the Supermarket. Cheap and cheerful.  That very evening it was put to good use on our gas hob. Later, I said to hubby, you know, I’m sure there is a smell like paper burning. I looked all around, but could find nothing on fire – perhaps it was chimney smoke drifting in the window?

The next morning he said to me, guess what. There’s a pile of ash on the top of the cooker. The new frying pan had gone onto the hob with the label still on the bottom.

WELL, at least that’s one way to remove them!

(Note: TRAGO, in those days, was a delightfully quirky commercial park, with outdoor stalls and little buildings owned by self-employed traders, with a pond, a children’s playground and some sandwich bars. You could spend the day there, looking at curious little shops and stalls. It was growing all the time, to the great dismay of the Local Authority, who regularly tried to put a stop to its expansion. In return, the owner (one of the last great British Eccentrics I think) used to post a long rambling diatribe in the local newspaper every week, and stick self-made cardboard posters with his (not very polite) opinions of the Council all down the road to the site.

From Wikipedia: The chain is owned by local businessman Bruce Robertson, son of founder Mike Robertson. He has faced controversy for adverts which he took out in the local paper containing anti-homosexual views. Bruce is also a major supporter of United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), famously refusing to stop using imperial measures in his stores despite contravening European Union law. Despite his opposition to immigration from countries in Eastern Europe, Robertson was revealed in January 2007 to be employing around 30 migrants from Poland in his Newton Abbot store.)

Sarkozy calls Netanyahu ‘liar’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” in remarks to US President Barack Obama overheard by journalists.

“I can’t stand him any more, he’s a liar,” Mr Sarkozy said in French.

“You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day,” Mr Obama replied.

The exchange at the G20 summit was quoted by a French website, Arret sur Images, and confirmed by other media. The remarks – during a private conversation – were overheard by a few journalists last week but were not initially reported, the BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris says.

Journalists at the bilateral press conference had been handed translation boxes but had been told not to plug in their headphones until the backroom conversation had finished. But those who did heard the revealing comments.

For several days there was media silence in France about the exchange – a decision had apparently been taken not to embarrass the French president. A correspondent for Le Monde newspaper referred to the conversation without the quotes.

But Israeli newspapers have reported it in full. It is said Mr Obama was taking Mr Sarkozy to task for voting in favour of the Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN cultural organisation, Unesco, a bid that was approved despite American opposition.

The remarks indicate a breakdown of trust with the Israeli leader which could have wider implications for the Middle East peace process, our correspondent says.

From other news sites

• MSNBC Sarkozy to Obama: I can’t bear ‘liar’ Netanyahu 1 hr ago
• Asian Age Israel silent on Sarkozy ‘outburst’ over Netanyahu 1 hr ago
• New Statesman Sarkozy: “I cannot stand Netenyahu. He is a liar.” 1 hr ago
• Irish Times Sarkozy brands Netanyahu ‘a liar’ 2 hrs ago
• Yahoo! UK and Ireland Sarkozy told Obama he is fed up with Israeli PM 3 hrs ago

Festival of Drivel!

By PETER HITCHENS (edited)

Daily Mail  columnist Peter Hitchens visited the ‘OCCUPY’ protest camp outside St Paul’s and concluded it is a ‘chaotic, self-righteous festival of drivel’

Every crank, dingbat and fanatic in Southern England has found his or her way to the camp by the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. Whatever your cause, it has a pavilion here, especially if it is a lost cause.

There’s a Buddhist shrine next to an arrow marking the direction of Mecca. Che Guevara, that old mass murderer, has his image on display. There’s propaganda against the  ‘persecution of sex workers’. The Socialist Workers Party, those latchers on to every passing procession, have a stall that looks a little too neat and tidy for the occasion. Bolshevik discipline doesn’t really mesh with the world of Twitter and dope.

More…

• How the Guy Fawkes masks inspired by a graphic novel became the symbol of anti-greed protests across the globe
• Fury as anarchist vandals daub 666 on St Paul’s cathedral close to Sir Christopher Wren masterpiece

There really are signs against ‘capitalism’, a word used only by people who still think you can change human nature, which you sort-of can if you have concentration camps and an effective secret police.

And there are other placards enquiring rather aggressively: ‘What would Jesus do?’ People who ask this question always assume that Jesus would agree with them. Well, I suppose it’s possible. But what would He agree with, exactly?

Stand here long enough and you will be pinned to the wall, or to a pillar, by lots and lots of nice but rather silly people.

• There’s the man who thinks we invaded Iraq to punish it for not having a central bank.
• There’s the man who thinks the clue to the greed of the City somehow lies in the Channel Islands.
• And there are dozens of recently fledged experts on the wickedness of the City itself, though it is clear that this is a new concern for them. They are thrilled to have discovered that the City of London Corporation is so fantastically undemocratic. They had no idea that such wickedness still survived, and that they can be against it.
• There’s the slender public schoolboy with the looks of a tragic Thirties poet who, handed a megaphone, emits five minutes of the higher drivel about nothing in particular. ‘We are the people,’ he claims, adding: ‘We have forgotten what and who we are.’  Speak for yourself, sonny!
• And in these less religious times, battiness takes new forms. A dreadlocked man in a Rastafarian hat and glowing red trousers rages about world citizenship to an audience of perhaps 12, including me.
• In the mighty porch of the cathedral, a group of furry people are listening to a man play the guitar. I am reminded of Tom Lehrer’s song: ‘We are the Folk Song Army. Every one of us cares. We all hate poverty, war, and injustice .  .  . unlike the rest of you squares.’

I’m sure that if I had waited long enough, I would have been taken to one side by enthusiasts for flatulent diets, speakers of Esperanto, or persons who think that The Key To Everything is to be found in the measurements of the Great Pyramid.

My nostalgic side hoped to run into advocates of opening Joanna Southcott’s box, which was supposed to be unsealed at a time of grave national crisis, in the presence of all the bishops (it was eventually found to contain an old lottery ticket and a horse pistol). But such enthusiasts are scarce nowadays.

The “Teach-In”

Later, as darkness and drizzle fall, and a general meeting of stupendous, award-winning tedium gets under way, I am reminded of that forgotten horror of the Sixties, the ‘teach-in’.

The people’s representatives (if that is what they are, as they don’t represent me) take an unbelievable amount of time to approve a bland statement about Egypt. They are, it turns out, in favour of democracy and against repression.

When I ask one – who has lectured me lengthily about the wickedness of the banks – what his qualifications are in economics, he concedes with a self-mocking smile that he doesn’t have any.

Where do they come from? It’s hard to tell, though a lot are obviously students with vague timetables. One says he works with autistic children, a rather noble calling. Wouldn’t he be doing more good if he went back to that? He doesn’t think so. To him, this is more important.

It’s impossible to dislike most of them, though I have to admit I carefully avoided the squad of four gaunt men with hollow heroin-abusers’ faces, dressed in war-surplus fatigues and kicking a football around.

And I tried not to meet the stern gaze of the astonishing bearded preacher, who strides backwards and forwards across the cathedral steps, expounding his own version of the Gospels, for hours and hours and hours.

If haranguing were an Olympic event, he could harangue for Britain. The only trouble is that – because he is always on the move – you would have to follow him backwards and forwards for several miles to follow his argument. As it is, you get a snatch of it and then it fades away, and then it starts again.

The camp is scruffy, ugly and dispiriting. The last time I saw so many of these bubble tents was in Mogadishu in the middle of a horrible famine, when many of them contained dying babies.

Now you can’t tell what or who is in them because they’re mostly zipped up tightly. Not having my own thermal-imaging device, I cannot be sure, but in several hours at the camp I saw little sign of life among the tents. (Photo actually taken with thermal imaging camera showing 90% of tents unoccupied at night.)

There’s a lot of sensitivity over the heat-sensitive pictures which seemed to show that most of them were empty by night. ‘They falsified it,’ a determined young man tells me, in between thrusting pamphlets at me and giving me a forbidding reading list.

Cannabis

Nobody made any great efforts to deny that a  lot of cannabis was being smoked. If there really was a war on drugs, I suspect the police could devastate the camp by simply enforcing the Misuse Of Drugs Act 1971. But of course there is no such ‘war’, and the police aren’t interested.

There’s quite a lot of smoking of ordinary cigarettes going on, an interesting reflection on a generation that prides itself on not being fooled by corporate greed and consumerism. So why did they fall for that bit of it?

It was time to go into St Paul’s itself. I had hoped for Evensong, the most beautiful and potent service of the Church of England.

It would have done the campers good to listen to the haunting, 2,000-year-old words of the Magnificat: ‘He hath shewed strength with his arm. He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.’

Someone might then have explained to them that this was a promise of eternal justice, not a programme for government. Alas, it was some other modern service, its bare, plastic language weirdly out of tune with the clouds of medieval incense and the gorgeous feudal robes of the clergy. And the sermon, like so much of the Church of England, was infected with modern Leftwingery and talk about ‘equality’, which sounds nice in theory but always ends up very nasty in practice.

From outside the giant doors, you could just hear the bearded preacher roaring distantly, like the sea.

And I contrasted the great classical majesty of the cathedral, one of man’s most successful attempts to combine reason, science and hope, with the chaotic, self-righteous festival of drivel outside. Yet there’s no doubt which of the two is closer to the mood of the modern world, more’s the pity.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2058102/Occupy-London-Everyones-terribly-sweet–festival-drivel.html#ixzz1cw1iN08p

Malicious Website Blocking?

I post this just as a heads-up personal viewpoint, and I may be totally wrong but recently I’ve sensed an attempt to add Christian websites to (at least my) anti-virus blocking list.

Lately I’ve been blocked four times when clicking on links elsewhere that were for Christian reports, exposing the actions of false teachers or similar issues. I’m posting this to the blog in case it becomes more of a problem.

What Happens?

My anti-virus program (running on my own computer, not just in the browser) is Sunbelt Vipre, which I consider to be a very good commercial program. I got fed up with Norton and Kaspersky taking over my computer! Vipre has been a really good product so far, and I’ve never had any problems accessing sites. This year however, I’ve been blocked four times, and I have found that other people have suffered the same problems.

When I click to follow a reliable link given to me by a friend, to a page of interest – not a scam site or random search result – I get a blank page with this warning:

VIPRE has determined that the site
you are trying to visit contains
potentially harmful or objectionable content.

The first two times I put it down to a mistake, a false alarm, although I knew there was nothing objectionable (to a Christian at least) on those sites. So I do not have those URLs. But the next two I made a note of:

• http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/commentaries/2011/crazybizarre.html (Christianity Today Magazine) Documentary exposing Todd Bentley
• http://firstplumbline.net/html/spiritoflifelab.html (Plumbline Apologetics) Manchester Cathedral Layrinth

The Vipre blocking page (seen above) does not allow me to access the page or the website in any way. I would have to open my anti-virus program, find the web blocking menu, and manually add the website address as an “exception” to allow access. Although it can be done, it’s laborious and annoying.

But why are these sites blocked in the first place? Sometimes websites run adverts on their pages (especially those horrible freebie pages) but in that case Vipre ONLY blocks the ADVERT, not the whole page.

It seems to me that people are targetting certain Christian sites and submitting them to anti-virus companies as “objectionable”, and for all I know, my own website might end up in the same category. This kind of opposition is a very far cry indeed from genuine Christian debate and discussion over various doctrinal issues.

Political Blocking

On a forum I found this comment:

It appears there is a concerted effort by some VIPRE users (or perhaps a Sunbelt employee?) to block conservative news sites. A month ago I reported a false block against “World Net Daily” (wnd.com). Now I just discovered another one: http://cnsnews.com/

I understand that Sunbelt has to deal with thousands of “bad” site submissions, but I’m beginning to question the of quality of your internal review process that can allow MAJOR news websites (Wnd.com and Cnsnews.com are not some person’s personal blog sites) to be listed as malicious sites.

I have already submitted this as an erroneous “block”, but I think Sunbelt needs an internal review to determine why these sites are getting into VIPRE’s block lists. Since installing VIPRE Premium, I’ve only encountered two blocked sites and both have been legitimate news sites with a conservative perspective. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

Okay, it’s just a minor irritation. Nonetheless it could be the thin end of a wedge. Please report here if the same thing is happening to you!

Christian Employee Demoted for Website Comment

Adrian Smith, 54, from Bolton, is taking legal action against Trafford Housing Trust (THT) after being removed from his managerial post for commenting on gay marriage on the BBC News website.

Adrian Smith, who has worked for Trafford Housing Trust and Trafford Council for 18 years, was demoted from a housing manager on a salary of £35,000 to a ‘money support advisor’ – rent collector – with a salary of £21,000, following an internal disciplinary hearing. He would have been sacked altogether if not for his longterm excellent employment record.

But even Peter Tatchell described THT’s response as “excessive and disproportionate”. Tatchell is a  leading gay rights campaigner, but he has backed Mr Smith’s right to hold an opposing opinion.

Disciplinary action was launched against Mr Smith when he commented “an equality too far” next to a BBC News Online story with the headline, “Gay church ‘marriage’ set to get the go-ahead”. He added: “If the state wants to offer civil marriages to the same sex then that is up to the state; but the state shouldn’t impose its rules on places of faith and conscience.”

Mr Tatchell said:

“Adrian Smith’s opposition to churches being compelled to hold gay marriages is shared by much of the population, including many equality and human rights organisations. In a democratic society, he has a right to express his point of view, even if it is misguided and wrong. Freedom of speech should only be limited or penalised in extreme circumstances, such as when a person incites violence against others. Mr Smith’s words did not cross this threshold.”

The Trust previously said its Code of Conduct was updated in 2010 to establish the proper use of social networking sites such as Facebook. Under the code, staff are expected to ensure their opinions cannot be mistaken as being the opinions of the Trust.

Mr Smith is being supported in his legal action by The Christian Institute, a national charity that defends the religious liberty of Christians. He is claiming interference with his rights to free speech and religious liberty, and breach of contract.

More on This Story

Related Stories

• ‘Gay marriage’ demotion man sues 24 OCTOBER 2011, MANCHESTER
• Gay church ‘marriages’ proposed 14 FEBRUARY 2011, UK

Vatican Calls for Global Bank

Vatican Calls for ‘Central World Bank’ to Be Set Up

Monday, 24 Oct 2011 | 6:54 AM ETBy: Reuters

The Vatican called on Monday for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises.

A major document from the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department should be music to the ears of the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn. [Actually many of these people are well-heeled university students and seasoned protesters; their intention is to set off a "people's revolution" that will overthrow conventional government and replace it with a form of Marxism.]

A major document from the Vatican’s The 18-page document, “Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” was at times very specific, calling, for example, for taxation measures on financial transactions.

“The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,” it said.

It condemned what it called “the idolatry of the market” as well as a “neo-liberal thinking” that it said looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems.

It called for the establishment of “a supranational authority” with worldwide scope and “universal jurisdiction” to guide economic policies and decisions.

Such an authority should start with the United Nations as its reference point but later become independent and be endowed with the power to see to it that developed countries were not allowed to wield “excessive power over the weaker countries.”

Effective Structures

In a section explaining why the Vatican felt the reform of the global economy was necessary, the document said:

“In economic and financial matters, the most significant difficulties come from the lack of an effective set of structures that can guarantee, in addition to a system of governance, a system of government for the economy and international finance.” [Does this sound like control to you? It does to me. What exactly is an "effective set of structures" and how can they "guarantee" changes in financial affairs worldwide?]

It said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) no longer had the power or ability to stabilize world finance by regulating overall money supply and it was no longer able to watch “over the amount of credit risk taken on by the system.”

The world needed a “minimum shared body of rules to manage the global financial market” and “some form of global monetary management.”

“In fact, one can see an emerging requirement for a body that will carry out the functions of a kind of ‘central world bank’ that regulates the flow and system of monetary exchanges similar to the national central banks,” it said.

The document, which was being presented at a news conference later on Monday, acknowledged that such change would take years to put into place and was bound to encounter resistance.

[Please consider this final statement very carefully...]

“Of course, this transformation will be made at the cost of a gradual, balanced transfer of a part of each nation’s powers to a world authority and to regional authorities, but this is necessary at a time when the dynamism of human society and the economy and the progress of technology are transcending borders, which are in fact already very eroded in a globalized world.”

[The only two options here are a GRADUAL move toward a Global Bank or a SWIFT one that is now needed and apparently possible.]

We in the UK are already incensed that our Government is surrendering again and again to the demands of the Eurozone countries, not taking this opportunity to pull BACK from the “greater integration” that is being called for, but actually demanding MORE centralised control. What lunacy!

The Euro has been doomed as a currency ever since it began, and now that weaker countries are defaulting on their debts they are pulling everyone else down with them. But at least the UK is not in the Euro.

However, with ONE centralised global banking system (doubtless working towards one global currency) what protection will the well-managed economies have from profligate, defaulting, corrupt and badly-run economies? We’ll all be in the same (sinking) boat!!

The cry of “unity” can sound glorious on paper. It did so in the churches, until we realised that unity came with a price: centralised control, hence corruption and heresy. The only safety-net from the apostasy has been independence, and that is as true for the political world as it is for the Church.

Unity and oneness is all well and good when it’s wisely and fairly led, and when common concerns democratically overrule personal self-interest and the lust for power.

But since human nature is greedy and selfish the righteous go to the wall. We have learned that the hard way ever since we joined the supposed “common market” now turning into a behemoth called the United States of Europe. We are now more enslaved to the EU than we would have been if we’d lost the Second World War, and it’s been OUR foolish choice!!

I am writing this on the same day that our spineless lackey of a Prime Minister has gone out of his way to defeat a Commons Motion to have a referendum on Europe. This is the same Prime Minister who is bending over to do the bidding of his EU buddies, and pledging yet more billions to their doomed currency.

Technological Dawn could lead to Spiritual Sunset

I do not own a mobile phone. Yes, that’s right! I’m coming out and admitting it in public. I don’t have a ‘cell-phone’ a mobile, an iphone, a hand-held, and I’m proud of it. The only blackberry and apple I understand are found in an individual fruit pie.

I used to own one. It was a pay-as-you-go sim inside a basic handset. It had no camera, let alone a video camera, no touch-screen, no mp3 player, it didn’t connect to the internet or download ‘apps’. All my phone did was – phone people.

Tap in the number and it dialled. Simple, effective and cheap – that is, until Vodafone decided they weren’t making enough money out of me! I used it perhaps once every six months, and they zapped my number without telling me for ‘inactivity’.

My husband still has a similar phone and when he showed some young people recently, they crowded round to see this novelty: a phone that, good heavens! just phones people. How cool is that? Do you think it might catch on? Perhaps there’s an app for that; it turns your screen into a phone dial?

Anyway, when Vodafone deleted my sim, I decided I could live without a mobile, and I happily do. Call me an old biddy of you like, but I feel no need to text to my myriad of friends (yeah right!) while I’m loading my washing machine, walking round the supermarket or while watching a movie at the local Cinema.

Replacement

Mobiles are taking over from e-mails, but even worse, they are taking the place of any social interaction with real people. A ‘Sheila’s Wheels’ survey found that many love their phones more than their partners, and on the average night out 48 minutes are spent on these techy toys. One 13-year old admitted to sending nearly 15 thousand texts in one month, many of them to friends in the same room.  (source)

If friends are sitting next to me, I’d prefer to talk to them face-to-face. However, I know I’m in a minority. Many teens can’t get off their phones. And not just teens – the recent failure of the Blackberry network left millions of phone-users suffering angry withdrawal symptoms.

Persistent mobile-phone users are in a dream-world most of the time, paying more attention to a little coloured screen than to life and people around them. They eat, play games, travel, watch TV, do school work, go clubbing – all as peripheral activities secondary to holding a long conversation on their phone.

The reality of life, it seems to me, has become too difficult and stressful for children to cope with. Their first and perhaps only form of social life is through technology, and this isn’t just the fault of parents who use the TV and computers and phones as a substitute for the nurturing all children crave. It’s the preferred choice of kids who are simply afraid of living.

The same 13-year old mentioned above said she “doesn’t like talking to her parents” so she texts her friends instead. What does that say about her understanding of relationships? (source)

Baby & Toddler Phones

One British child in four between the ages of five and 16 now has a mobile phone. Child psychologist Dr David Lewis said: ‘The mobile phone has developed into a playground craze in this country.’

The addiction of children to their mobile phones could threaten the very fabric of society, a study suggests. Many teenagers are fanatical about being always available and are extremely uneasy if unable to contact their friends countless times each day. If the trend continues, young people will soon be incapable of forming and maintaining relationships without the help of a mobile, the study by a leading sociologist concludes.

Dr Lewis endorsed the warning that, in conjunction with home computers and video games, the mobile is having a detrimental effect on children’s social skills. ‘The mobile now often substitutes for physical play,’ he explained. (source)

Is it a way of keeping people at a distance? Some find texting more interesting than talking to a real human being. Try to get their attention when they are texting, and they just ignore you. It’s like you are not even there. Is this a way of screening out real life?

Texting Poll: Can texting become obsessive?

• 89% Yes
• 2% No

I don’t engage in any of the Internet options for ‘chat’. I don’t run MSN, Google chat, Facebook chat or any of the others. And they are numerous!

But too many can’t live without their chat and web-cam permanently running. Somehow I can cope without the world knowing what I look like on a Monday morning (not a pretty sight) and what I’m thinking (usually needs censoring).

Twitter messaging is almost completely pointless, it seems to me. Who needs to know that you just drank your second coffee of the day? I’ve even seen people report on a successful visit to the loo. This kind of meaningless banter belongs in a real FAMILY, but since many are devoid of that experience they have to use the Internet.

There’s been a recent study done to show how many people own a mobile (over 90 percent) and how many are addicted to them (over 45 percent).

The results are even more startling than I could have imagined – and I already knew that phone addiction was a problem from seeing the crowds of teens and twenty-somethings with a mobile permanently stuck to their ear.

Some of them can text with one hand while driving a car! I know, I’ve seen them – (scary!).

I recently saw a ‘baby-friendly’ phone cover. I kid you not. It lets your baby or toddler play with your phone (and get used to the concept) without breaking it. Will baby dummies come phone-shaped soon? (source)

Viruses of Both Kinds

Phone use isn’t without its dangers. One in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with faecal matter, according to new research. 92 per cent of phones had bacteria on them.16 per cent of phones were found to harbour E. coli – bacteria of a faecal origin.

Dr Ron Cutler, of Queen Mary University of London, said: “Our analysis revealed some interesting results from around the UK. E. coli was present on phones and hands in every location and shows this is a nationwide problem. People may claim they wash their hands regularly but the science shows otherwise.”

There’s also a danger now of being hacked.

Smartphone users, especially those running Google’s Android system, are being warned to prepare for an unprecedented tsunami of malicious apps. Phones using the Android operating system – more than four out of five of all new phone sales – will face a 6000 percent higher chance of being hacked, and personal and security details compromised, according to industry experts.

Catalin Cosoi of UK cyber security firm Bitdefender said: “We have investigated applications for Android devices and basically, based on our statistics, we’ve seen a 2,000% increase of malicious applications compared to last year.Our prediction is that in the following six months, we will have a 6,000% increase in malicious applications.

“Once you have a smartphone, you probably can’t go back to an older version of a phone now that you have access to a computer, social media, emails, pictures and so on. You sort of get addicted, so smartphones are becoming very important. On the other hand, it’s very, very easy to create malware for smartphones.”

God Substitute?

Despite these scares, and the danger of getting your brain fried by the microwaves, mobile phone use and all technology is set to explode across the globe. Is there something happening here at a spiritual level that should worry us?

Because I don’t use much technology I don’t feel the effect of withdrawal, but I can imagine it. The sudden loss of your only connection and the emotional gap that it leaves must be like a bereavement. What is happening to people inside? Is this instant communication akin to the omnipresent love of God and his fellowship?

I think so! Everyone has a God-shaped hole, an emotional and spiritual void that only HE can fill.

To some extent the need for love and security was met by parents and other mentors in previous centuries, but now people are drifting without an anchor. They desperately NEED to reach out and communicate, to feel that they BELONG. In the past this need drove people to pray and seek God, but who needs prayer when life is filled with texts and twitters all day long? There is no time to realise you are lonely, lost and helpless.

The endless parade of brightly-coloured images on a screen – whether computer, phone or games console – fills the void with instant gratification. It’s like satisfying your hunger with candy-floss instead of a real meal.

But what is it all for? What’s behind this flood of irresistible technology?

Surely it’s a replacement god, an all-knowing, all-supportive, ever-present god who does not challenge your life or behaviour but provides the warmth of companionship and the security-blanket of acceptance all night and day.

Eventually this addictive technology can be used to promote the New Thought and New Age for mankind – and millions will nod and agree like mindless drones because they no longer study or think or communicate beyond their colourful screen.

Something to ponder: Did you know that the Hebrew letter W also stands for the numeral 6 in that language? Doesn’t that make the WWW = 666? (Hmmmmmm.)