"Are Christians Brainwashed?"

When you fall into bed at night, are you out like a light, dead to the world, sleeping like a log?

Nope. None of the above. Turns out we are busy 'taking out the trash' while we sleep.

A new study claims to have discovered the true reason we need to catch those Zzzzz: To clean our brains. Apparently, sleep hoses the garbage out of the brain.

Maiken Nedergaard, who led the study, says this discovery might explain why sleep is crucial for all living organisms.

"The cerebral spinal fluid flushes the brain's waste products into what is called the 'glymphatic system' which carries it down through the body and ultimately to the liver where it is broken down," writes Ian Sample of S & T Science.

Sort of like a 'biological dishwasher'.

According to Kurzweil News, "This revelation could transform scientists' understanding of the biological purpose of sleep and point to new ways to treat neurological disorders."

Seems the trash in our brains include proteins that cause Alzheimer's and dementia which need to be washed away.

"Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made," as Psalm 139:4 says.

But while all humans may be 'brain-washed' biologically speaking during sleep, the Bible promises those who read it in faith with an entire 'life-style lift', spiritually speaking.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse here with the washing of the water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5: 25-27 (emphasis added).

In both the New and Old Testament (see Revelation 19:7-9; Hosea 2:29, 20) God's people are viewed as the Lord's betrothed bride.

Revelation 19:8 says, "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

In other words, the bride of Christ wears a garment that signifies faithful obedience to God; we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only because:

Reading + Doing = a glorious church - spot or wrinkle

In need of a makeover? Read the Bible.

A wise man once said: "While you do not need to change your lifestyle before you come to Christ, once you do come to Christ, your lifestyle should show tangible changes. If it does not, then one could doubt whether Christ has really come into your life. The way you live should reflect what you believe." -- Pastor Greg Laurie

News:

• Washington Examiner: Wall Street expert, David John Marotta, in a memo to investors, warns of increasing chances for "fiscal and social disaster"; recommends guns, ammo in case of collapse
• MSN News: California schools prepare for transgender rights law requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use opposite sex bathrooms and locker rooms.
• NBC News: Worst ice storm in recent memory leaves a dozen dead and hundreds of thousands without power in U.S. and Canada

"Who's Watching You Thru Your Webcam?"

According to Theresa Payton, former White House Chief Information Officer, the Federal government may have its eye on you.

That's right, Uncle Sam may actually be watching you right now and you'd never even know it.

How?

Apparently, law enforcement, the FBI, and other government officials are able to activate our web cams remotely without the little red light coming on.

Oh, and your speakers? Let's just say don't say anything you don't want broadcast (literally) into the ears of you-know-who.

Ms. Payton says, "...having this access is really a double-edged sword. You want the law enforcement, FBI, and others, to have all the tools in their toolkit to stop an attack. But on the other side, you could be looking at compromising the privacy of Americans."

(ya think?)

To avoid being watched or recorded against your will, Payton advises we:

• turn off our connection
• keep computers and other devices (smart phones!) out of personal spaces (bedrooms and bathrooms!)
• place masking tape over web cam and speakers to block the video and muffle the audio

Marcus Thomas, a former Assistant Director of the FBI, said, 

The FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer's camera without triggering the indicator light, for several years, and has used that technique mainly in terrorism cases or the most serious criminal investigations."

Mainly?

Anyone remember all those documents leaked by Edward Snowden that revealed the NSA was collecting data on virtually every American? Just sayin'...

watch this FoxNews story

A wise man once said: "Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a Peeping Tom to install your window blinds."  John Perry Barlow, lyricist

"A talebearer reveals secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter." Proverbs 11:13

News:

• NBC News: Climate change expert sentenced to 32 months for fraud; says lying was a 'rush'
• Fox News Channel: Judge rules NSA spying is unconstitutional
• Gallup Politics: New poll reveals a record high of 72% in U.S. say Big Government is greatest threat

• 

For more on this topic, click here...

Fukushima: Another "Glowing" Report

Think you've heard the last of Fukushima?

Think again.

David Suzuki, an award-winning scientist, warns that in a worst-case-scenario, the entire U.S. West Coast might need to be evacuated if the fuel rods in reactor #4 melt down.

Speaking at the University of Alberta, Suzuki said:

"Fukushima is the most terrifying situation I can imagine. You ask, 'what can we do?' First of all you have a government (Japan?) that is in total collusion with Tepco (Japanese power company), they're lying through their teeth.

"The fourth one (reactor) has been so badly damaged that the fear is if there's another quake of a 7 or above that building will go, and then all hell breaks loose.

"And the probability of a 7 or above quake in the next 3 years is over 95%."

Yikes!

Why aren't we hearing this on the MSM?

Well, ABC News finally did something on it and here's the link. Be sure to watch it.

A wise man once said: "Courage consists in equality to the problem before us." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"And there will be great earthquakes in various places...and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and waves roaring, men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."      Luke 21:11, 25-28 (emphasis added)

News:

• LifeNews.com: Belgium Senate approves measure allowing doctors to euthanize children; House of Representatives could block it.
• WorldNewsDaily: Radiation alerts hit 2 U.S. cities: Reno, Nevada and St. George, Utah. Fukushima cited as suspected source.

 

"1000 Economists Agree : U.S. Needs to Wake Up or Crash"

Top economists from every political persuasion are appealing for your help:

Wake up and smell the coffee, America!

Boston University Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff is sounding the alarm, along with virtually the entire economics community (including 15 Nobel Prize winners!)

Their goal?

Get Congress to pass the Inform Act in an attempt to wake up the nation to our dire financial situation.

"The country is in worse fiscal shape by many miles than Detroit. So, the country is essentially bankrupt," say Dr. Kotlikoff, who believes, "the country needs to do honest accounting" and stop "disguising the true problem."

Estimating our long-term debt and liabilities at more than $200 trillion, Dr. Kotlikoff compares the Inform Act to:

"The economist profession sending the equivalent of the letter Einstein sent to Roosevelt warning of the nuclear threat from Germany coming up with the nuclear bomb. Never in the history of this country have this many top economists from all political persuasions endorsed a piece of legislation like this."

Why?

Because never in the history of this country have the people been more deceived in terms of our true financial condition.

"The government is printing mountains of money to pay its bills," says Kotlikoff. "Eventually...this is going to crash."

Dr. Kotlikoff on Greg Hunter's USA Watchdog

Though the Scriptures don't spell it out, there are enough to indicate some major financial headwinds:

"Look here, you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh in hell. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you in the last days." -- James 5

link to "does the bible predict economic collapse?"

A wise man once said: "While the 'experts' want us to believe that all is well (or soon will be), nothing could be further from the truth. The world wide financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 was just a sneak preview of what is to come." -- David Wiedemer, PhD

News:

• The Guardian: Detroit granted bankruptcy protection after judge rejects attempt by pension funds and unions to have the action thrown out.
• The Wall Street Journal: Indebted governments may soon consider a big, one-time wealth tax on capital assets.

"Kiss Your Privacy Good-bye--Update"

Remember back in the day when airport TSA x-ray scanners capable of seeing through your clothes seemed unbelievable?

Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Apparently, street lights are going high-tech and they're not just for lighting anymore.

These new-and-improved street lights are now capable of:

• video surveillance
• emergency alerts
• tracking "RFID-equipped staff"
• data harvesting (huh?)

According to researcher Paul Joseph Watson, 

"The company behind the 'smart' street lighting system which is being rolled out in major cities like Las Vegas admits that the technology has the capability of analyzing voices and tracking people, features that will aid the Department of Homeland Security in protecting its citizens."

(In Europe, where a similar system has been in place for a few years, they actually debated whether or not to x-ray to detect what people were concealing under their clothes!)

Illuminating Concepts, the inventor of Intellistreets, is working with the government to install the street lighting systems in parts of Chicago, Detroit, Auburn Hills, Asbury Park, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. (Though Vegas denies they are going to use the surveillance functions, you gotta wonder--why have 'em?)

"The ability to record street conversations is merely one special feature of the Intellistreets lighting system, which is linked to a central data hub via an ubiquitous wi-fi connection," says Watson.

What happens if they record something incriminating, you ask?

Can these recorded 'street conversations' be used in a court of law?

Legally, if there's no expectation of privacy, they can.

(sigh)

Remember back in the day when the expectation of privacy seemed believable?

Las Vegas and the Intellistreets system

"Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and loved to think about Him.

""They will be My people," says the Lord Almighty. "On that day when I act, they will be My own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."" (Malachi 3:16-18)

A wise man once said: "This verse explains that every time you talk about the LORD with another, God is paying close attention. In fact, the phrase Malachi uses here means 'to bend down so as not to miss a word'." -- Pastor Greg Laurie

News:

• Washington Free Beacon: Iran announces development of ballistic missile technology just days after signing deal aimed at curbing nuclear activities
• Daily Caller: EPA preparing to unleash a deluge of new regulations in the coming New Year.
• CBN: A book of Psalms, published in 1640, sells for $14.2 million in NY auction. Believed to be first book published in what is now the U.S.

"New Euthanasia Law for Kids?"

What do Luxemborg, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Holland have in common?

Euthanasia.

But Belgium wants to crank it up a notch--and extend the law to children.

"The principle of euthanasia for children sounds shocking at first, but it's motivated by compassion and protection," said John Harris, a professor of bioethics at the University of Manchester. "It's unfair to provide euthanasia differentially to some citizens and not to others (children) if the need is equal."

Advocates argue that euthanasia for children, with the consent of their parents, is necessary to give families an option in a desparately painful situation.

Belgium legalized the practice for adults (or emancipated minors beginning at age 15) in 2002. The ruling Socialist party has (after 2 years of debate) proposed a bill that would expand the right to children of any age, as long as their parents agree.

The Christian perspective believes in the sanctity of life from the moment of conception until natural death. That disqualifies:

• abortion
• assisted suicide
• euthanasia

The arguement that 'everyone has a right to do what they want with their own body" doesn't hold water.

When human life is trivialized, there are dire consequences for everybody. It inevitably escalates.

For instance:

Arguements for abortion in the case of 'rape, incest, or the mother's health' morphed into 'a woman's right to choose", followed by late-term abortion, partial-birth abortion, and finally, infanticide moments after birth.

It takes little imagination to see assisted suicide and eunthanasia taking the same slippery slope to include the:

• elderly
• disabled
• mentally challenged

"Modern medicine," says the National Hospice Organization, "offers sophisticated methods of pain control that enable patients to carry on an alert, pain-free life." They reject the practice of voluntary euthanasia.

As Christians we believe God has a reason for everything under the sun. Even suffering. (Ever hear of a death-bed conversion?)

To take life out of the hands of God and change laws so that doctors, relatives and others can directly and intentionally end another person's life is wrong.

To allow a child to decide? Insanity.

A wise man once said: "One of our major problems as Americans today is that we want only the joy, not the sorrow. Many of us mistakenly believe that life is life only when it is healthy and comfortable. But God knows better. To make us whole, He makes sure that we experience every season--not only the springtime of youth, but also the austerity of winter. As C.S. Lewis remarked,'this fullness of experience is so necessary to our souls that perpetual springtime is not allowed.'" --Chuck Colson

"You shall not murder." --Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17

News:

• DEBKAfile: Unusual Israeli Air Force activity reported over Lebanon on Thursday.
• Jerusalem Post: Saudi Arabia urges its citizens ot leave Lebanon due to the risk of political violence.
• Fox News Channel: Iran slams Israel as high-stakes nuke talks resume

Today's Prepper: A Tinfoil Hat-wearing Nut Job?"

Google the word 'prepping' and you'll get 7,420,000 results.

No kidding--'prepping', once the purview of doomsday cults, has gone mainstream. Well, almost.

"When some people think of prepping, it conjures images of strange people wearing tinfoil hats huddled in a shelter while they wait for the mothership to return," says the PreppingToSurvive.com website. "For others, thoughts of a recluse living in a one-room shack in the middle of rural Montana come to mind."

So what's the real nature of preppers?

According to David Z. Morris of CNNMoney, "Many preppers are average consumers reacting to concrete worries, and their way of thinking is spreading, fueling an emerging lifestyle trend."

"More and more Americans are spending money to get ready for an uncertain future," Morris said.

Today's prepper, far from being a wild-eyed fanatic, sees prepping as an insurance plan. According to PreppingToSurvive they:

• buy extra food when it's on sale
• store extra water
• buy supplies in bulk and store some of it
• grow their own garden
• keep extra cash on hand
• get out of debt
• payoff their mortgage, if possible
• learn emergency first aid
• get to know their neighbors
• get to know their Bibles
• pray

In other words, today's prepper is: 

"A prudent person (who) foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions" (Proverbs 23:3 and 27:12. It's there twice to make sure we get it!).

It doesn't have to be the end of the world. We are only one super-sized disaster away from the end of our world. (Think Katrina, Fukishima, Super-storm Sandy, last week's super-typhoon, Richter scale 8-plus mega-quakes in various places, the loss of the US dollar as the reserve currency, hyper-inflation, or even a personal job loss or illness). Let's not be part of the crowd waiting around for somebody else to come to our rescue.

A prudent person takes precautions.

To see why you should prepare,click here

A wise women  once said:

"Private opinion creates public opinion. Public opinion overflows eventually into national behavior and national behavior, as things are arranged at present, can make or mar the world. That is why private opinion, and private behavior, and private conversation are so terrifyingly important." -- Jan Struther, author

News:

• Fox News Channel: South Korea reports North Korea publicly executed 80 people last week for owning Bibles and watching banned videos.
• Reuters: Seattle police deactivate surveillance system attached to utility poles after public outrage.
• Washington Free Beacon: UN General Assembly adopts 22 resolutions condemning Israel; 4 on the rest of the world combined (thus far in 2013) 

"China: Our New Frienemy?"

Last week, The Washington Times ran an alarming story that got very little press coverage in the U.S.

The title?"Inside China: Nuclear submarines capable of widespread attack on U.S."

Apparently, it's being splashed all over China that "Bejiing's nuclear submarines can attack American cities." The Chinese report graphically details:

• target cities
• damage projections
• anticipated radiation spread

The report goes on to say:

"Because the Midwest states of the U.S. are sparsely populated, in order to increase the lethality, (our) nuclear attacks should mainly target the key cities on the West Coast of the United States, such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego."

Projected casualties? 5-12 million Americans.

So why aren't we hearing more about this?

Most believe it's just propaganda--meant only for Chinese consumption.

The Washington Times begs to differ. In a January article, "War hysteria blamed on U.S.", they said,

"The newly appointed supreme leader, President Xi Jinping, has completely revamped the command structure of the People's Liberation Army and given the world's largest military force a central mission: get ready for a war quickly."

The same article quotes the official Communist newspaper, The Global Tines, accusing the U.S. of "changing China from a peaceful competitor to a Soviet Union-like Cold War-era enemy."

Scary stuff.

The People's Republic of China has 2.25 million active duty troops. (The U.S. is next largest with1.45 million). Though the Bible never mentions China by name, Revelation 9:16 says an army of two hundred million will kill one-third of all humankind in the last days.

If China, with its population of over 1.3 billion, and tens of millions of young males with no hope of marriage (due to Chinese one-child mandate resulting in the aborting  of females), joins forces with Islamic nations and Russia...200 million may not seem so ridiculous.

Revelation 16:12 says the Euphrates River will be "dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared."

The Euphrates connects these two passages of scripture, leading most Bible scholars to assume the 200 million man army and the kings of the east refer to the same people.

China is an emerging economic superpower expected to eventually overtake the U.S. They also own roughly 7.5% of our debt.

Common wisdom says China wants the U.S. to prosper so that they can prosper along with us.

Chinese media says something else. Apparently, so does the Bible.

A wise man once said: "Wise men learn much from their enemies."  Aristophanes

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." --    Revelation 22:12-13

News:

• New York Times: U.S. will ease sanctions if Iran halts nuclear program; Netanyahu warns this is an "historic mistake"
• BBC: Saudi nuclear weapons on order from Pakistan; the Kingdom will counter Iran's atomic program
• Times of Israel: Prime Minister Netanyahu heads to Moscow November 20 to meet with Putin. Russia's alliance with Iran and Syria likely to top the agenda
• Honolulu Star: China moves spy ship to Hawaiian waters in "Retaliation" against U.S. Naval presence in the East China Sea
• USA Today: Evangelist Billy Graham celebrates his 95th birthday today with a final sermon: "I've Wept For America". Guest list includes Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump

"Pope Francis: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?"

It all began when a lightning bolt zapped St. Peter's Dome at the Vatican after Pope Benedict's shocking resignation earlier this year. Lightning strike on the Vatican

Then came the wild speculation regarding the centuries-old 'prophecy of the Popes', alleging Pope Francis would be the last pope, and according to some, herald the beginning of the 'great apostacy' that Catholic scholars have been warning against for more than 800 years.

The facts?

Lightning bolts and extra-Biblical prophecies not withstanding, Pope Francis is no stranger to controversy, but do his statements line up with Scripture?

According to the new pontiff: You don't have to believe in God to go to heaven. "The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience."

The Bible says: "There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

                          and

"...he who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16, 18).
Find out how to go to heaven


This pope:

• is #4 on Forbes' 2013 ranking of the World's Most Powerful People
• influences an estimated 1 in 7 human beings on Earth
• has the MSM eating out of his hand

Two weeks ago he described 'ideological Christians' as a 'serious illness' within the Church.

What is an 'ideological Christian'? Technically, it's an adherent to a body of ideas characteristic of a particular group.

So wouldn't an 'ideological Christian' be one who adheres to Christian doctrine?

The folks love this guy--from the man on the street to the man in the White House.

Why?

Because of statements like these:

• "If someone is gay and looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?" (Read what the Bible says in Leviticus 20:13).
• We shouldn't be "obsessed" with imposing doctrines on abortion or gay marriage. (Read what the Bible says in Jeremiah 1:5).
• People should follow good and evil as they "conceive" of them. (Read what the Bible says in Ephesians 4:22-24).
• "Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense." (Read what the Bible says in Matthew 28:19).

Do you see a pattern here? Each statement is contradicted in Scripture.

Of course people like him--he says what they want to hear: Don't worry about obedience--all you need is love! Sounds like a liberal politician (or a Beatle?) or as if Love and following God's Word are mutually exclusive--they're not.

What does the Bible say?

"And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus--who will someday judge the living and the dead when He appears to set up His Kingdom: Preach the Word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:1-3).

So do we think Pope Francis is a wolf in sheep's clothing?

It doesn't matter what we think.

What does the Bible say?

A wise man once said: "Knowledge is power." -- Francis Bacon

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

News:

• DEBKAfile: Israelis strike Russian missiles in Damascus to prevent delivery to Hezbollah.
• Bloomberg Business Week: Google, Oracle workers enlisted for ObamaCare 'Tech Surge'
• Fox News Channel: New report shows only 6 people enrolled in ObamaCare on first day of enrollment. By the end of the second day there were 248. At least 93 million people are projected to lose their current employer-provided healthcare plans due to ObamaCare. 

 

"ObamaCare: Prophetic Implications?"

If the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one, then maybe there's still hope for the ObamaCare roll-out.

But don't count on it any time soon.

The President finally addressed the issue on Monday, describing the catastrophic ObamaCare roll-out as "unacceptable", with a few "glitches" and "hiccups".

Glitches and hiccups? That's like saying the Titanic had a leak!

 This crippled website cost taxpayers $400 million ( a new study claims the true cost is closer to $1 billion), took 3 years to design, and is virtually non-functional. Even the toll-free enrollment phone number the President pushed as an alternative to the website didn't work. If you managed to get through--all it did was refer you back to the website!

"It's been a fiasco. Send Air Force One out to the Silicon Valley, load it up with smart people, bring them back to Washington and fix this problem," said Senator John McCain (R-AZ).

The really disturbing thing is this: Everybody seemed to know it wasn't ready for prime time except the President.

According to Breitbart News, CGI, the Canadian firm whose U.S. subsidiary built the website, has a long history of epic failures in Canada. Sun News, out of Canada says, "CGI is well-known for website crashes, software glitches, delays, budgetary overruns, project mismanagement, cancelled contracts, and even managerial corruption."

Sounds like a track record that would scare the daylights out of most--but not the U.S. government. They probably felt they'd met their match.

CBS News political director John Dickerson contends the roll out catastrophe means President Obama is headed towards a "credibility death spiral".

It's worse than that. The nation as a whole is headed toward a credibility death spiral. The ObamaCare 'failure to launch' debacle is only the latest in a series of policies that seem designed to fail:

• The U.S. is printing $1 trillion a year, knowing it will weaken the dollar
• The U.S. has scaled back its military, knowing Russia has announced a huge nuclear build up
• The U.S. is rolling back sanctions against Iran while dropping the ball in Syria, knowing it weakens our influence in the region and endangers Israel

The list of foolish policies goes on and on...

Why? Are we really that dysfunctional or is the Land of the Free reaping the consequences of kicking God out of our public life?

America, the world's only super power, is not mentioned in the Biblical end times scenario while most other major players are.

You gotta wonder why.

Our absence speaks volumes.

"Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and their actions are evil..." 

Psalms 14:1

A wise man once said: " The president spoke regarding the ObamaCare website glitches. He said he's bringing in 'the best and the brightest' to solve the problem. Why didn't he bring in the best and the brightest in the first place? See, this is typical Washington. They only bring in the best and the brightest as a last resort." -- Jay Leno

News:

• DEBKAfile: Russia and Iran expanding military cooperation and arms trade; Russian technology will upgrade Iran's military to unprecedented levels and challenge America's military status in the region.
• CNBC: Former Xerox exec: No way to fix ObamaCare website anytime soon
• The Guardian: NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders, adding to mounting diplomatic tensions between U.S. and its allies

"Creepy Technology:Coming to a Store Near You!"

It's bad enought that the IRS, NSA, and DHS are all spying on us, but guess who else is jumping on the bandwagon?

Your local supermarkets!

Yep--you read that right. According to privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht, supermarkets have plans to track shoppers using 'smart shelves'.

What are smart shelves, you ask? Shelving that has been rigged with Microsoft Kinect technology that can detect your:

• age
• gender
• physical traits

And that ain't all, folks!

Once they've figured out your specific demographic, the technology within the store shelf will be able to target you with a personalized ad or message. Right then and there--while you're in the store shopping.

For example, suppose you're looking at the premium ice cream and you've got a couple of extra chins. Your ad might sound something like a satanic temptation:

"Mmmmmm....just look at that scrump-dilli-iciousssss, melt in your mouth deliccccioussssnesss. You know you can't resissssst...."

Or let's say you're fit-n-trim:

"Hey, you there! You look mahhhhvalous. Absolootly, mahhhhvalous! You've certainly been taking great care of yourself. So, how 'bout a little reward, hmmmm???"

Get the picture?

The reason for all this, according to Albrecht, is so the stores will be able to charge different prices for different people.



Albrecht believes the store of the future will have no set price points. Customers will have to aim their cell phones at a product to get their specific price.

Inch, by incremental inch, people.

First Big Brother, someday Stater Bros.?

Is nothing sacred?

click here for more info

A wise man once said: "We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government." --William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

"Do not be afraid for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine when you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."  Isaiah 43:1-3

News:

• The Washington Times: U.S. intelligence fears Israeli air force drill may indicate a hardening stance on Iran.
• CBN: Girls threatened with hate crime charges for complaining about transgender bathroom harassment
• Associated Press: Temporary deal reopens government after 16-day shutdown

"U.S. Government: Too Stupid to Survive?"

Is there no intelligent life in Washington D.C.? Not according to former Assistant Treasury Secretary Dr. Paul Craig Roberts.

And tragically, he may be right.

The official name for what is going on in our capital is "government shutdown".

The reality?

A ten-day (and counting) political temper tantrum.

The long and short of it is this:

The Republican-dominated House passed a spending bill to fund the entire government except for ObamaCare, asking for a 1-year delay to work out all the bugs. The Democrats went ballistic, refusing to negotiate, and basically became bureaucratic bullies demanding their own way--or else!

Now they've cut off access to everything they could think of. And if they couldv'e draped the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon with giant tarps, they would have. They've barricaded everything in sight--even a few that don't belong to them...just for good measure.

Seriously, the government is closed. Boarded-up. Shut down. And you better notice it, buster.

Why? In order to score political points and force the Republicans into doing everything the Democrats want.

One angry Park Service ranger publicly admitted that he and fellow rangers have been ordered to "make life as difficult for people as we can" during the government shutdown.

The Democrats point fingers of blame at the Republicans and the Republicans are too weak-kneed to stand up to them. Everybody says it's the other guy's fault.

You know what the polls say? Both sides are idiots. The Republicans for starting it and the Democrats for turning it into Obamageddon and making things worse on purpose just to make Republicans look bad (as if they needed any help).

Frankly, both parties look like spoiled brats and the world is worried  (and rightly so) that they won't get their act together in time for the October 17th debt ceiling deadline.

According to Taiwan's China Post:

"This shutdown is widely seen as a mere precursor to the upcoming congressional fight over the U.S. debt ceiling. If Congress fails to pass a ceiling hike, the U.S. will have to default on its debt for the first time in history. Many economists say they simply have no idea what the consequences of such an unprecedented event will be."

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (remember him--the guy who wondered if there's intelligent life in D.C.?) says, "The danger of default is the rest of the world dumps dollars...the whole system blows up. The banks fail. The markets collapse...it's Washington committing hari-kari. It removes the United States as a superpower." He believes the debt ceiling will be raised and disaster averted.

Let's hope he's right, and intelligent life is found in Washington D.C. after all.

A wise man once said: "Every country has the government it deserves." Joseph Marie DeMaistre--French Diplomat

"Then He will appoint children to rule over them, and anarchy will prevail."  Isaiah 3:4

News:

• CNBC: Stocks surge 323 points on hopes of a temporary debt ceiling deal.
• NBC News.com: Government shut down crippling tourist town near Grand Canyon by shuttering the world famous park.
• FNC: Government shut down prevents families from receiving soldiers' death benefits until shut down is over; private foundation to pick up the tab.

 

"ObamaCare Glitches + Govt. Shutdown = Distraction"

Between the rollout of ObamaCare and the government shutdown this week, most people missed the really important news:

Israel's worst nightmare is coming true.

Last week, Iran's new president, Hussan Rouhani, a perceived moderate cleric who replaced hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was the life of the party at the UN General Assembly.

In an all-out media blitz, dubbed the 'charm offensive', Rouhani has managed to beguile everyone but the kitchen sink.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu urged the world not to believe a word Rouhani says, calling him a "wolf in sheep's clothing" using "soothing rhetoric". Rouhani's purpose?

• To buy Iran time in its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons
• To convince the U.S. to let up on crippling economic sanctions
• To isolate Israel by calling on the international community to demand their disarmament

At the same time, Russia has decided to create an international conference to eliminate WMD in the Mideast.

A mere coincidence or an orchestrated plan designed to take the heat off Iran while convincing the court of public opinion that Israel, not Iran is the problem.

Meanwhile, Rouhani is telling anyone willing to listen (which is just about everybody) that his country "has never had nuclear weapons ambitions and never will."

World leaders seem to be eating it up. Everybody except  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rodgers (R-MI) that is. "Iran has been and continues to be aggressive in pursuing and accelerating its nuclear program," Rodgers said. "Rouhani was chief negotiator for Iran's nuclear program before becoming president earlier this year."

And get this: In 2006, Rouhani bragged about stalling European negotiators while continuing to build up Iran's nuclear program!

The Bible paints a bleak picture for Israel in the last days, one devoid of allies "though all the nations of the earth are gathered against it" (Zechariah 12:3).

The dynamics are beginning to shift into place as the world perceives Israel as an obstacle to peace. Netanyahu told the UN, "Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone."

The Bible predicts Israel will indeed stand alone, but the victory belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).

A wise man once said:  "In our time Biblical prophecies are being realized. As the prophet Amos said, 'they shall rebuild ruined cities and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall till gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them upon their soil never to be uprooted again.' Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Israel have come home never to be uprooted again." 

-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Amos 9:14-15)

News:

• NBCNews.com: China struggles to control an aggressive species of giant hornet that has killed 42 people and injured over 1,600
• Fox News Channel: Israeli PM Netanyahu says, "Iran developing ICBMs capable of targeting U.S." 

Today marks the end of an era as Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel, finished his faithful service on earth this morning, and went home to heaven.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8). 

Our prayers go out to his family.

"Obamacare Slammed by 'Cruz' Missile"

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) gave one of the world's longest speeches this week--21 hours and 19 minutes--supporting the defunding of Obamacare.

Known as a 'filibuster', the overnight talkathon did more than just put Cruz on the radar, it forced the MSM (mainstream media) to discuss the train wreck that is Obamacare.

Contrary to what we've been told, the Affordable Care Act (nicknamed 'Obamacare') is anything but.

Promised savings per family? $2500.00

Actual projected cost increase per family of four per year: $7450.00 (according to the Medicare actuaries).

If Obamacare is so great, how come everyone (and his brother) is trying to opt out?

"The Obama administration's decision to exempt members of Congress and their staffs from participating in Obamacare is fundamentally unfair," says former Education Secretary William Bennett. "Regardless of whether or not they support Obamacare, members of Congress should refuse the special exemption," Bennett said. "The law they enacted should apply to them."

Republican Senator Rand Paul intends to introduce a constitutional amendment that would force all federal employees onto Obamacare.

"I support any effort to make all laws applicable to Congress that we pass," Paul said. "The president wants 100% Obamacare, we want zero. Maybe we make it less bad through a compromise."

Compromise? What a novel idea. This bill has no Republican backing. Not even one Republican voted for it. Not one Republican helped write it.

What's wrong with that, you ask?

Where's the checks-and-balances? We have a 2 party system but only 1 party was invited to the Obamacare dance. Last time we checked it still took 2 to tango. Too bad for us the Republicans (for the most part) are too whimpy to stand up for the folks.

On board or not, the Obamacare train wreck is scheduled to hit the tracks October 1st.

A wise man once said: "I hope to 'stand firm' enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause." -- Abraham Lincoln

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same mighty power that He will use to conquer everything, everywhere."  -- Philippians 3:20,21

News:

• DEBKAfile: Iran calls on international community to demand nuclear disarmament of Israel; while Syria claims they have weapons able to "blind" Israel.
• Washington Free Beacon: Russia, China hold large-scale war games; NATO to conduct large-scale maneuvers designed to counter growing concerns of a westward Russian military
• Fox News: 300+ companies report widespread cuts because of Obamacare

"Does America Suffer From Low Self- Esteem?"

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote a New York Times op-ed denouncing the concept of American exceptionalism as 'dangerous'.

Fine and dandy. He's entitled to his opinion.

The real issue is not what Putin thinks of us, but what we think of ourselves. Lately, it seems America has lost her mojo, or at the very least suffered a drop in her national self-esteem. Suddenly, American exceptionalism is being mistaken for conceit or arrogance--especially by those who have not been taught American history.

Our exceptionalism is not rooted (as so many seem to believe) in our military might, our standard of living or our superpower status (with the implication that the rules don't apply to us and we are therefore entitled to be the world's bullies).

We are exceptional because:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."--United States Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

We are exceptional because we are free.

If our national self-esteem has taken a nose dive, it's because many Americans have traded freedom for free stuff.

According to a Fox News poll, 74% think Americans rely too heavily on the government and not enough on themselves. According to CNNMoney: more than one in three Americans lived in households that received Medicaid, food stamps, or housing assistance last year and that number is even higher today.

And is it any wonder when we have House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) saying in regards to Obamacare:

"We see it as an entrepreneurial bill, a bill that says to someone, if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations, because you will have health care. You don't have to be job-locked."

Really? (Let's forget we just read that, and move on, shall we?)

Is Vladimir Putin correct? Should we denounce the concept of American exceptionalism as dangerous? Only if we no longer hold:

"...these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 

This is the foundation of our exceptionalism. If we want to keep it, we must remember, recite, repeat (as necessary). The real danger lies in forgetting.

We are exceptional because we are free. Period. End of story.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."  -- Abraham Lincoln

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires."  Psalm 37:3

News:

• Drudge Report: Dollar falls to 7 month low as Fed continues pumping money into the system.
• DEBKAfile: Obama softens on nuclear Iran: 'Keep components, just promise not to weaponize them.'
• FNC: US Post Office in "midst of disaster", expecting to lose an additional $6 billion this year after losing $16 billion last year. 

"Will Prophetic Events Unfold Soon?"

Prophecy buffs: Start your engines!

Every major player mentioned in end-time Bible prophecy has been front page news in recent weeks:

• Syria
• Egypt
• Iran 
• Israel
• and......Russia!

The only nation in the news that is NOT mentioned in the prophetic profile is the late, great U.S.A. 

President Barack Obama's decision to climb-down and back away from military action against Syria, and hand the reins over to Russian President Vladimir Putin, marks the beginning of the end of U.S. leadership in the Middle East.

Russia is only too happy to fill the vacuum--a situation predicted in the book of Ezekiel.

Russia, it seems, recognized the opportunity and pounced. They also recognized (even if U.S. leaders did not) the humongous potential for an early Armageddon.

"If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic," Moscow warned last Wednesday. Such a strike could set off a chain-reaction of unintended and horrific consequences.

The possibility of this happening is high. According to DEBKAfile, "important chemical weapons research facilities are located in the same compound  as the small Syrian reactor.  Moscow fears if the area were targeted the entire region could be at risk of contamination by highly-enriched uranium that could 'fall into the wrong hands.' 

In other words, Putin is afraid Obama will miscalculate and trigger a domino effect that sets the tinderbox known as the Middle East ablaze. 

Given these circumstances, it takes little imagination to see how the prophecy regarding Damascus, found in Isaiah 17, might be fulfilled: "This message came to me concerning Damascus: 'Look, Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins" (Isaiah 17:1).

Both Syria and Iran have threatened to retaliate against Israel should the U.S. attack Syria. If Syria makes the mistake of lobbing chemical weapons into Israel, you can bet on a swift and devastating response.

The seriousness of today's geopolitical landscape cannot be overstated. The Bible predicts:

• The city of Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1)
• Egypt will dissolve into civil war (Isaiah 19)
• Israel will be attacked by her surrounding Muslim neighbors (Psalm 83)
• Russia will form a strategic military alliance with Iran (Persia), Ethiopia and Libya (Ezekiel 38:5), attack Israel in what sounds like either a chemical or nuclear exchange (Ezekiel 39:14)
• All the nations of the world eventually come against Israel  (Zechariah 12)

The Bible gives us detailed descriptions of what will happen in the Middle East. What it doesn't give us is the precise timing or order of these events, saying only that they will happen in 'the latter days' or 'the time of the end.'

Remember, 27% of the Bible is prophetic. There are literally hundreds of prophecies scattered throughout its pages. Many appear to be coming to fruition in our life time, indicating that we are the last generation.

Hard to believe?

Coincidence is one thing--but when every player mentioned begins to line up exactly as predicted--it's harder not to believe.

Before rolling your eyes, open them to the possibility that maybe---just maybe---God really does know the future, and He wants you to know it, too.

Why? So you can believe in Him, repent, and be saved (Ezekiel 38:16)

U.S. vs. Syria may be averted thanks to Putin, of all people. If so--great. But make no mistake: 

Damascus, one of the world's oldest cities, will one day face destruction.

And so will the rest of us if we refuse God's offer of salvation

"Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).

"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plans to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

A wise man once said: "Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late." Felix Frankfurter--Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1939-1962.

News:

• Washington Post: Opinion writer (and former Bush speechwriter) Marc A. Thiessen, accuses President Obama of "lifting his Syria speech from Bush. Obama essentially copied Bush's speech making a case for military action back in 2002, while attacking him at the same time."
• DEBKAfile: Western strike force for Syria disperses. Syria launches offensive near Israeli border

"Rush to War: Too Little, Too Late"

Authorization of U.S. military action in Syria was approved Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This paves the way for a full vote next week.

Apparently, the Democratic leadership was in such a hurry to pass the war authorization that they didn't even adhere to their own rules.

"This was a rush to war behind closed doors," one senior GOP aide said. "We were told there was a need to have a thoughtful and public debate about how this nation goes to war, but this seems to be about simply getting a resolution done to cover the president."

According to Senate rules, seven days of advance notice is suppose to be given so that members have an opportunity to mull over the resolution before having to vote on it. This time they were only given a matter of hours. Considering the fact that 59% of Americans oppose going into Syria, you'd think they could at least follow their own protocol.

There are so many problems with going into Syria now, we hardly know where to begin. Assad is a monster and should have been dealt with two years ago. Now, after 120,000 deaths and millions of refugees, no one knows who the good guys are.

And why are we announcing our intentions to Syria?

Intelligence out of Syria reports the Assad regime has already hidden its WMD throughout Damascus hospitals and schools (Dang those guys! Who could've seen that one coming?)

While everyone hates to see what is happening to innocent Syrian people, it is now a classic example of 'Too little, too late'. If we are going to fight Assad now--we better fight to win. This 'shot across the bow' business won't cut it.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, complained to reporters that this administration has put military planners in the Pentagon in a "strategic bind." (ya think?) A limited Syrian strike could potentially open a can of worms that unravels the whole region.

One can only hope this whole Syria thing is just a diversionary tactic and what they're really planning is a surprise attack against Iran's nuclear program.

But that's just crazy talk. Taking out one of the world's biggest threats in a timely manner makes too much sense.

A wise woman once said: "Happy are all free peoples, too strong to be dispossessed. But blessed are those among nations who dare to be strong for the rest." -- author Elizabeth Barrett Browning

As the Scriptures say: "I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas. So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense" -- 1st Corinthians 1:19-20.

News:

• DEBKAfile: Hizballah mobilizes to defend Damascus under U.S. attack, while also preparing to launch a rocket attack against Israel.
• CNN: Russian President Vladimir Putin made veiled threat to sell highly advanced S-300 defense system to Iran if western nations attack Syria without UN backing.

"Economic Facts Don't Add Up"

Hang onto your hats, people, and everything else that's not tied down. There's only a few days left before the Boys (and Girls) are back in town.

That's right, folks, the lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill and it won't be pretty. In fact, according to Oliver Knox, Chief Washington Correspondent for Yahoo!News, Americans should "brace themselves for a game of political chicken."

On September 9, back from five weeks of summer recess, this gang is ready to rumble. First issue up at bat?

The Debt Ceiling.

If Congress refuses to raise the nation's $16.7 trillion (that's trillion with a T) borrowing limit, and if they can't agree on a federal budget before September 30, the entire government could come to a sudden, grinding halt.

Though shutting down the government might sound like a good thing, it's not likely to happen. Knox predicts they will come up with their usual "kick the can down the road" solution at the very last moment and pass a temporary spending bill, solving nothing. 

Again.

Meanwhile, a recent Gallop poll reveals:

• 7 out of 8 jobs created this year are part-time
• 54% of Americans earn less than $30,000 annually
• 8 million Americans have stopped looking for work

Money manager Peter Schiff says, "the government keeps telling us the economy is getting bigger, but millions of Americans are leaving the workforce. We've got record numbers of people on food stamps and part-time jobs are replacing full-time jobs. How is that consistent with a growing economy? It's not. Incomes have dropped twice as fast during the 'recovery' than they did during the recession. That's quite an accomplishment."

James Rickards, author of the best-selling Currency Wars-The Making of the Next Financial Crisis, takes it even further:

"The problem in 2008 was too-big-to-fail banks. Well, those banks are now bigger. Their derivative books are bigger. In other words, everything that was wrong in 2008 is worse today."

Much worse. In 2008 the Fed hadn't started the printing presses yet. This country is hemorrhaging  money to the tune of  $85 billion each and every month. That's one trillion (with a big fat T!) per year.

Can't bend your mind around all those zeroes? Try this:

• a million seconds = 12 days
• a billion seconds = 32 years
• a trillion seconds = 31,688 years (+ change)

And that, dear friends, is longer than the existence of Western civilization.

Maybe it's time to give the gang in Washington a permanent recess.

A wise man once said: "If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they may become happy."  --Thomas Jefferson

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income" --Ecclesiastes 5:10.

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded,nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy" -- 1 Timothy 6:17.

News

• Fox News Channel: Both U.S. and Russian warships head for Syria, as U.S. weighs military strike; meanwhile, Iran threatens destruction of Israel if U.S. strikes.
• Family Research Council: San Antonio proposal 1st step to banning Christians from holding public office; ordinance would prevent those who express concerns regarding same-sex marriage from attaining positions of influence.
• CNBC: 40% of businesses polled plan to cut spouses from insurance plans due to Obama care.

"Extermination Under Way in Syria?"

This week the world was assaulted with the horrific sight of row upon row of dead Syrians, many of them children, alleged victims of an al-Assad chemical attack.

Exactly one year ago, President Obama warned the Syrian government against crossing the now famous 'Red Line':

"We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is [when] we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation." 

Outraged by opposition rebel claims of being "exterminated', many in the international community are calling for Assad's head. France's foreign minister raised the possibility of using force against Syria if it is proven that Bashir Assad's regime used chemical weapons against his own people.

The U.N. Security Council called for a "thorough, impartial, and prompt investigation", backed by demands from the U.S., Britain, France, Turkey, and Germany that a team of U.N. experts already in Syria be granted immediate access to investigate the site.

Some, like Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, insist it is clear Assad is the culprit. Others, like Russia, China and Assad himself, deny the allegations: "These claims are categorically false and completely baseless and are part of the filthy media war waged by some countries against Syria," an Assad spokesman said. Further, the Assad regime accuses the opposition of fabricating claims or staging gas attacks themselves.

Sounds ridiculous until you remember that the opposition has been taken over by al-Qaeda operatives desperate to sway public opinion against Assad and toward military intervention.

And then there's the timing of the attack--just three days after the team of U.N. chemical experts arrived.

"It would be very peculiar if it was the government to do this at the exact moment the international inspectors come into the country," said Rolf Ekeus, a retired Swedish diplomat and former head of U.N. weapons inspectors. "At the least, it wouldn't be very clever."

Let's hope clear heads prevail.

A wise man once said: "Sometimes the only winning move is not to play." unknown

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

News:

• CNN: Japan scrambles fighter jets when Russian bombers briefly enter Japanese airspace; 2nd such incident this year.
• Fox News Channel: Newly confirmed U.N. Ambassador, Samantha Power, absent from Syria emergency meeting due to vacation.
• MSN: Dozens of wildfires rage across western U.S. driven by worst drought in years.

"The Nightmare Disaster We're Barely Aware Of"

Hey, anybody out there remember Fukushima?

That's the Japanese nuclear power plant that exploded following the Tohoku, magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It is the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and only the second to measure a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. (Chernobyl was the first).

Yeah. That Fukushima.

According to Professor Christopher Busby, Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks, "Fukushima is a nightmare disaster area, and no one has the slightest idea what to do. The game is to prevent the crippled nuclear plant from turning into an open-air super reactor spectacular which would result in a hazardous, melted catastrophe."

But even if that worst-case scenario never happens, (though Prof. Busby claims it is predictable), we still have a slo-mo disaster in progress. Since 2011, "huge amounts of radioactivity have flowed from the wrecked reactors directly into the Pacific Ocean," Busby says.

And the other problem? There isn't much anyone can do about it. "They can't get close enough because the radiation levels are too high. The water itself is lethally radioactive (within the plant). Gamma radiation levels tens of meters from the water are enormously high. No one can approach without being fried," Busby said.

The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) begs to differ. In their first public estimate of the size of the leakage, they claim that a cumulative 20-40 trillion becquerels of radioactive material has probably leaked into the ocean, which is within legal limits.

Dale Klein, former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, blasted the company's failure to prevent leaks and lack of transparency and secretiveness over the issue. "These actions indicate that you (TEPCO) don't know what you are doing--you do not have a plan and you are not doing all you can to protect the environment and the people."

TEPCO faces huge liabilities.

They have every reason to downplay the catastrophe, and though the country's Nuclear Regulatory Authority believes it's an emergency, they've only come up with a clean-up plan now--2 years, 5 months, and 3 days later.

But hey--better late than never, right?

The Wall Street Journal reports that the reactors have lost containment, and experts have no idea where the nuclear cores are or how to get them safely out.

So what does this all mean?

Fukushima is an unprecedented disaster and the truth is this: No one knows the long-term repercussions of a Level 7 nuclear event. Chernobyl, as bad as it was, didn't leak into the ocean. They were able to contain it for the most part and eventually cap it. Fukushima is not contained and cannot be capped. The ramifications are unknowable.

Apparently, the only thing they know for sure is that they don't know anything for sure. Oh, and the clean-up? Think in terms of decades. About 4 of them, give or take, but again, better late than never.

For a graphic (and terrifying ) picture of what you're not hearing about Fukushima, click link below:

News You Don't Want To Read About Fukushima

To see freaky vegetable and butterfly mutations caused by Fukushima, click links below:

Fukushima vegetables

Japanese Mothra

A wise man once said: "Facts have a cruel way of substituting themselves for fancies. There is nothing more remorseless, just as there is nothing more helpful, than truth." -- Wm. C. Redfield, Secretary of Commerce

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."  (2 Corinthians 5:1).

News:

• FNC: National Security analyst, K.T. McFarland says next 72 hours will be pivotal in the future of Egypt; current chaos could dissolve into prolonged civil war that spreads across the region.
• CBS: Pentagon study of US nuclear power plants security risks found all 107 nuclear reactors vulnerable to terrorist attack; facilities insufficiently protected against theft of bomb-grade nuclear materials and sabotage.
• CNBC: Congress exempts itself from Obamacare
• Household Debt and Credit Report: US consumer bankruptcies jump by most in three years; third-party collections at all-time high.

"Fallen Angels and Demons: Are They The Same?"

The terms fallen angels and demons are often used interchangeably, but could there be a difference between the two?

Angels were created by God with spiritual bodies that look similar to ours, but are probably more akin to Jesus’ resurrected body.

Way back, long before God created mankind, there was a rebellion in heaven headed by the Archangel Lucifer. A third of the angels chose to follow him rather than God, so God threw the lot of them out of heaven.

Okay—so what exactly are demons? Did God create them, too?

That brings us to the very controversial (and just plain weird) Genesis 6 passage:

            “…And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on

 the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they

were fair; and they took them wives of all which they

chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).

The word daughters clearly means female children of human parents. The daughters of men were simply women, in other words.

The sons of God refer to an entirely different group from either the men or the daughters of men. The term sons of God occurs elsewhere in the Bible and clearly means angels (see Job 1:6).

The term sons of God in Hebrew is B’nai Ha Elohim—Sons of Elohim, a term consistently meaning angels throughout the Old Testament. Ancient rabbinical texts and early New Testament translators agreed the term refers to angels. Up until the fifth century A.D., there was no question that the text meant: Fallen angels procreating with human women.

Why the controversy? Angels + women = hybrids, a thoroughly perverted, depraved, and shameful situation. For this reason Augustine embraced an interpretation that Genesis 6 simply meant: Believers marrying unbelievers producing ungodly children. Short and sweet, but wrong and misleading.

This interpretation, though widely accepted, does nothing to explain what follows in Genesis 6:4:

                        “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also

                        afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters

                        of men and they bore children to them.”

Believers marrying unbelievers may produce a mixed-up kid, but certainly not a giant!

Back in Noah’s day, the human race was corrupted by fallen angels. They co-habited with humans and created one heck of a gene-pool problem. This was such a monumental breach of God’s order that it provoked a divine judgment.

The entire world was destroyed with the Flood. Everyone, every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth was wiped out. Except Noah and his family.

Extreme? Not when you understand the fact that only Noah and his family were still fully human. All the others, known as the Nephilim, had tainted genes. They were corrupted, in other words. God had no choice but to start over, using Noah and his family to re-populate the earth.

Unfortunately, though the Nephilim were destroyed in the Flood, their spirits remained. Mankind would now have to contend with something new: Demonic entities.

So, why didn't God destroy their spirits, too, if they were such an affront? We don’t know. Maybe the consequences of this particular sin meant having to contend with disembodied evil spirits until the final judgment.

We do know this: The human spirit is eternal. It cannot be destroyed and will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Those who choose to repent of their sin and be redeemed by the death of Christ will spend eternity in heaven. But those who choose to ignore God’s offer of salvation will spend eternity in hell.

The Nephilim were conceived in direct opposition to God and were neither human nor angel. They cannot be redeemed. When a Nephilim dies, its spirit cannot enter heaven, it is left homeless, looking for a host body, hence the Biblical references to demonic possession (Luke 4:33, 11:19; Acts 16:16).

And yes, Satan did enter Judas in John 13:23 which proves fallen angels can possess humans (and serpents, for that matter), but they don't need to. They have spiritual bodies that can manifest as solid if they want. Demons do not.

So, are fallen angels and demons the same? Study Genesis 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4; and Jude 5-11 and come to your own conclusions.

A wise man once said: “Our real battle is not with human cultists, false religionists, atheists, agnostics, and pseudo-Christians, but with the demonic beings working through them.” – Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

News:

• CBN: At least 12 states at risk for flooding as relentless rains top 15 inches in South and Midwest.
• Wall Street Journal: Outgoing CIA Deputy Director says Syria is greatest threat to US national security.
• MSN: Mystery priest appears to pray over crash victim, then vanishes

"A Cure for Death?"

Doctor Sam Parnia claims raising the dead, even after 24 hours have passed, could be commonplace someday soon.

Impossible?

Not according to his new book, Erasing Death, where Dr. Parnia details his study of resuscitation science. The critical care physician writes, "With today's medicine, we can bring people back to life up to one, maybe two hours, sometimes even longer, after their heart stopped beating and they have thus died by circulatory failure. In the future, we will likely get better at reversing death."

For now, the average resuscitation rate for cardiac arrest patients in the US is roughly 18%. But at Stony Brook University School of Medicine (New York) where Sam Parnia is leading the research, that rate jumps to between 33 and 38%. And, according to Parnia, "Most, but not all of our patients, get discharged with no neurological damage whatsoever." We've come a loooong way baby...at least when it comes to resuscitation.

A specialized and complicated field much like cardiology, resuscitation science has made tremendous progress in the past decade. Parnia believes "it is possible that in 20 years, we may be able to restore people to life 12 hours or maybe even 24 hours after they have died."

Dr. Parnia's basic message? "The death we commonly perceive today in 2013 is a death that can be reversed."

That may be so--but only temporarily. Let's face it gang, unless Christ returns in our lifetime--nobody gets out alive. We've got a survival rate of exactly ZERO. While that's a bummer for the unbeliever, it's not a problem for the Christian. We are only sojourners and pilgrims here. This earth is not our home. We are foreigners with a job to do, traveling to our eternal home, hoping to bring as many with us as are willing to come.

There is only One who has conquered death once and for all time. So yeah, resuscitation is a marvelous thing, but Resurrection is infinitely better. If you're looking for a permanent cure for death, click below:

 How to Go to Heaven

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

A wise women once said: "Real wisdom is looking at the world from God's point of view." --Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread

News:

• Debkafile: Israeli, Palestinian negotiators set goal of peace deal in 9 months
• Wired: Lawmakers who upheld NSA phone-spying received double the defense industry cash; House votes not to rein in NSA's phone-spying dragnet
• MSNBC: Fed keeps stimulus going, leaves rates unchanged
• Infowars: Report exposes NSA for tracking Americans thru web searches and social media
• FNC: Massive rate hikes due to Obamacare hit many states with 198% insurance premium increases; Group of Republicans push to de-fund the law

 

"Obamanomics"

This week President Obama kicked-off his new talking points venture with a rousing speech designed to...what? Bore us silly?

Talk about your summer reruns.

For most of 2012 (and 2008, for that matter) we heard (over and over and over again) how he was going to fix everything via:

• job creation
• repairing our aging infrastructure
• giving us affordable healthcare
• reforming immigration
• (and our personal favorite) end climate change

So what's the hold up?

"Washington has taken its eye off the ball," the President said.

Huh? But we thought he was Washington...ohhhhh...he means the Republicans. With all due respect, Mr. O, we've heard that song before: The Blame Game.

Here we are five years in and what have we got?

• a healthcare bill so poorly written and packed with problems and loopholes, even its champions no longer want it
• one out of every four Americans on some sort of government assistance
• an unemployment number that isn't projected to hit 2007 levels for another 11 months (if all goes well)
• five years worth of quantitative easings, a "last resort" that goes on and on, putting our economy at greater and greater risk of eventual sky-high inflation rates

So, what's the President's plan?

Give more speeches! No kidding. He pledged to spend the next several weeks touring the country, telling us how there's no way:

   "I will allow gridlock, inaction, or willful indifference to get in our way."

Okay, so how does that create jobs? Isn't he wasting time telling us how he's not gonna be wasting time? Or as Republican National Committee Communications Director Sean Spice tweeted, "More jobs will be created thru the announcement of the royal baby than thru the latest version of this speech."

Or could it be he's trying to butter us up for the coming debt ceiling debates and possible government shutdown this fall just before the midterm elections?

Obamanomics (which means: Big Government + Big Spending = Big Taxes) may make for a good speech, but a good economy? Not so much.

A wise man once said: "Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary."  -- Robert Louis Stevenson

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody" (Romans 12:17).

News: 

• CNBC: IRS, in charge of Obamacare, asks to be exempt from it
• USA Watchdog: Former President Jimmy Carter said last week: "The U.S. has no functioning democracy at this moment."
• NBC: Kansas slammed with baseball-sized hail in several counties
• Breitbart: Christian military chaplain censored for writing an article with the title "No Atheists in Foxholes." Atheists call for punishment.
• Times of Israel: Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister says PM Benjemen Netanyahu preparing to give away 86% of West Bank to create sovereign Palestinian state.

"Why is No One Covering This?"

While most of us are being bombarded day and night with the Trayvon Martin aftermath, a dangerous drama is being played out in Russia's Far East. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a 'snap-drill' designed to plunge his nation's military into a state of 'full combat readiness' at a moment's notice.

The largest Russian military exercise since the Cold War is being simulated this week in response to a "hypothetical attack by Japanese and US forces." The impromptu war games are a massive show of force which includes:

• 130 combat aircraft
• 70 ships
• 5,000 tanks
• 160,000 troops
• 320 tons of equipment

Moscow-based military analyst Alexander Khramchikhin claims, "The land part of the exercise is directed at China, while the sea and island part of it is aimed at Japan."

Really? With the U.S. and Russia on the verge of a proxy war in Syria? And come to think of it, wasn't Putin a little ticked off by the Israeli bombing of Russian weapons supplies earlier this month?

H-m-m-m...you've got to wonder people, if maybe the tensions between them are starting to simmer.

Let's not forget the Russian's have been pressing the pedal to the metal in regards to accelerating their military build-up in recent years.

While the U.S. cut military spending by 15% in 2013, Russia has increased their's by a whopping 60%, the largest military build-up since the Cold War. And while America is calling for a reduction in nuclear weapons, Russia is busy working on a new generation of nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles which Kremlin officials say, "will be able to penetrate U.S. missile defenses."

So where's the media? M.I.A.

The Bible predicts Russia (aka Gog) will attack Israel along with Iran and a coalition of Muslim nations (Ezekiel 38). Maybe somebody should let the White House know this isn't exactly a good time to be cutting back on military spending. Just sayin'...

A wise man once said:  "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse." John Stuart Hill

"For I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done."  Isaiah 46: 9, 10

News:

• Detroit News: Detroit declares bankruptcy; largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history
• CNN: Jesse Jackson calls Florida an "apartheid state" in a reference to the Trayvon Martin case
• Capitalism Institute.org: House votes to delay Obamacare mandates for individuals for one year; last week's vote delayed mandates for institutions.