The M+G+R Foundation
Current News Commentary (1)October 31st, 2012
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Data gathering via Apps presents a gray legal area. (1)
[our highlights]
Data gathering via Apps presents a gray legal area. (1)
Angry Birds, the top-selling paid mobile app for the
iPhone in the United States and Europe, has been
downloaded more than a billion times by devoted game players around the world, who often
spend hours slinging squawking fowl at groups of egg-stealing pigs.
While regular players are familiar with the particular destructive qualities of certain of these birds, many are unaware of one facet: The game possesses a ravenous ability to collect personal information on its users.
When Jason Hong, an associate professor at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, surveyed 40 users, all but two were unaware that the game was storing their locations so that they could later be the targets of ads.
What is going on, according to experts, is that applications like Angry Birds and even more innocuous-seeming software, like that which turns your phone into a flashlight, defines words or delivers Bible quotes, are also collecting personal information, usually the user's location and sex and the unique identification number of a smartphone. But in some cases, they cull information from contact lists and pictures from photo libraries.
While regular players are familiar with the particular destructive qualities of certain of these birds, many are unaware of one facet: The game possesses a ravenous ability to collect personal information on its users.
When Jason Hong, an associate professor at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, surveyed 40 users, all but two were unaware that the game was storing their locations so that they could later be the targets of ads.
What is going on, according to experts, is that applications like Angry Birds and even more innocuous-seeming software, like that which turns your phone into a flashlight, defines words or delivers Bible quotes, are also collecting personal information, usually the user's location and sex and the unique identification number of a smartphone. But in some cases, they cull information from contact lists and pictures from photo libraries.
miguel de Portugal comments: As the saying goes: Forewarned is forearmed (2). We can do no more than warn of the dangers lurking in all areas, and then pray that our warnings, issued in the Name of God, are heeded.
_________________
(1) New York Times reports
(2) Advance warning provides an advantage.
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Vatican synod warns of "eclipse" of faith in rich countries. (1)
The Roman Catholic faith in many advanced countries
risks being "eclipsed" by an increasingly secularized and materialistic world, bishops who
discussed strategies on how to woo lapsed faithful back to the fold said on Friday.
The alarm was sounded in the final message of a synod of bishops from around the world who met at the Vatican on the theme of the "New Evagelisation", or the need to stop the hemorrhaging of the faithful, particularly in developed countries.
"Everywhere indeed we feel the need to revive a faith that risks eclipse in cultural contexts that hinders its taking root in persons and its presence in society ...," the message said.
The 1.2 billion-member Church will have its work cut out for it in developed nations in order to win back "the often distracted and confused hearts and minds of the men and women of our times", it said.
The alarm was sounded in the final message of a synod of bishops from around the world who met at the Vatican on the theme of the "New Evagelisation", or the need to stop the hemorrhaging of the faithful, particularly in developed countries.
"Everywhere indeed we feel the need to revive a faith that risks eclipse in cultural contexts that hinders its taking root in persons and its presence in society ...," the message said.
The 1.2 billion-member Church will have its work cut out for it in developed nations in order to win back "the often distracted and confused hearts and minds of the men and women of our times", it said.
miguel de Portugal comments: It seems that that part of their "Evangelization" did not fail. There is a saying in (super Catholic) Spain, which is often used to describe someone living in the lap of comfort and plenty, that says: He lives like a priest!
If one thinks that Law used to live in the lap of luxury, that individual has no idea of the overwhelming riches of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Even after all the revolutions, precisely triggered by their abuses where they lost much property, what was lost was just the proverbial drop in the bucket.
_________________
(1) News Report
October 30th
A reminder of News Report No. 2 posted on October 15th.
News
Report No. 2
[our highlights]
New York City unprepared for flooding, sea level rise. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: We finally see some spiritual progress.... they are going back to calling certain natural events "acts of God".
Now then, if we take this one step further and have the authorities distribute glow-in-the-dark plastic rosaries, with easy to follow instructions, and hold training sessions on how to use them and why, the city and its residents would have a far better chance of survival that anything man could do at this late hour.
Ask the citizens of 911 A.D. Constantinople (2). They would certainly go along with our prescription for survival.
We are not trying to be funny. We are as serious as a block of granite is.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
(2) How Constantinople was saved in 911 A.D.
A reminder of News Report No. 2 posted on October 15th.
[our highlights]
New York City unprepared for flooding, sea level rise. (1)
New York City may be a fast paced city of bright lights, sleek attitudes, fashion trends, and some
of the best sports teams in the country, but underneath
the glitz and glamour is a city which is not prepared for an act of God and which is being
threatened by rising sea levels and severe storm flooding; "It’s a million small changes that
need to happen," one expert says
Mayor Michael. Bloomberg has responded by tasking experts to research the effect of climate change on the city, expanded wetlands, and installed green roofs to absorb rainwater.
The New York Times reports that despite these efforts, critics say New York is moving too slowly address the possibility of flooding which could destroy transportation, drive people from their homes, and threaten the financial district.
Hurricane Irene caused panic in the city last year as the subway system was shut down and 370,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The hurricane eventually was reduced to a tropical storm, sparing the city, but the city’s lack of preparation and the absence of contingency and mitigation plans were obvious for all to see.
"They lack a sense of urgency about this," Douglas Hill, an engineer with the Storm Surge Research Group at Stony Brook University, on Long Island, told the New York Times.
Consolidated Edison, the company that provides electricity to most of the city, estimates that installing submersible switches and moving transformers above ground would cost at least $250 million, which it does not have. Instead the company is making gradual adjustments, spending just short of $24 million improving flood zones since 2007.
Critics not only find this idea unacceptable, but they charge that when it comes to flooding, Manhattan receives preference over the other four boroughs.
Mayor Michael. Bloomberg has responded by tasking experts to research the effect of climate change on the city, expanded wetlands, and installed green roofs to absorb rainwater.
The New York Times reports that despite these efforts, critics say New York is moving too slowly address the possibility of flooding which could destroy transportation, drive people from their homes, and threaten the financial district.
Hurricane Irene caused panic in the city last year as the subway system was shut down and 370,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The hurricane eventually was reduced to a tropical storm, sparing the city, but the city’s lack of preparation and the absence of contingency and mitigation plans were obvious for all to see.
"They lack a sense of urgency about this," Douglas Hill, an engineer with the Storm Surge Research Group at Stony Brook University, on Long Island, told the New York Times.
Consolidated Edison, the company that provides electricity to most of the city, estimates that installing submersible switches and moving transformers above ground would cost at least $250 million, which it does not have. Instead the company is making gradual adjustments, spending just short of $24 million improving flood zones since 2007.
Critics not only find this idea unacceptable, but they charge that when it comes to flooding, Manhattan receives preference over the other four boroughs.
miguel de Portugal comments: We finally see some spiritual progress.... they are going back to calling certain natural events "acts of God".
Now then, if we take this one step further and have the authorities distribute glow-in-the-dark plastic rosaries, with easy to follow instructions, and hold training sessions on how to use them and why, the city and its residents would have a far better chance of survival that anything man could do at this late hour.
Ask the citizens of 911 A.D. Constantinople (2). They would certainly go along with our prescription for survival.
We are not trying to be funny. We are as serious as a block of granite is.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
(2) How Constantinople was saved in 911 A.D.
October 29th, 2012
News Report From the
Past....
[our highlights]
....which helps us understand those of the present as they unfold.
miguel de Portugal comments: The objectives of the visit - short and long range - seem clear enough.
[our highlights]
....which helps us understand those of the present as they unfold.
On February 14, 2004, one of the most respected Portuguese weekly news publication - EXPRESSO - with a banner announced: "Guterres In China Without Tabus".
Mr. Guterres is a former Prime Minister of Portugal who was hounded out of office by the Portuguese, Opus Dei laden, extreme right. It so happens that Mr. Guterres is a very well respected leader in the European Union and a key leader of the International Socialist Party of Europe. The "China" referred to in the banner is the People's Republic of China.
Following is the translation of said news item.
António Guterres, leading a delegation of the Socialist International
Party will visit China next week for contacts at the highest levels. He will meet with President
Hu Jintau, who also heads the Chinese Communist Party, with Vice Prime Minister Huang Ju plus with
two members of the steering committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Guterres told to the EXPRESSO that "the main objective of the visit is to establish a structured dialog between the Socialist International Party and the Chinese Communist Party." Being this a common objective of both groups, it is also recognized that there are "very important differences" between them. For example: " a democratic system and human rights". However, he is certain that the "diverging and converging points" will be approached (tackled) "without taboos".
The visit is part of the program of the Intentional Socialist Party to: Create contacts points on a worldwide scale (US, Brazil) from which to establish the foundation of a "New World Order" by the regulation of global markets and the reform of the model currently utilized in engaging in international relations.
miguel de Portugal comments: The objectives of the visit - short and long range - seem clear enough.
To assist our readers in identifying other components of the full plan, we
refer the reader to the direct mention that we have made to the People's Republic of China in
three of our documents: Step No. 1 of the Sequence of Events...,
The bombing of the PRC Embassy in Belgrade... and our
letter to President Bush before the occupation of
Iraq.
It has become clear that the establishment of a New World Order is no longer spoken about in hushed tones amongst the political and religious leaders of the world. As a matter of fact, the issue has become an open race amongst the three key groups who believe, consciously or subconsciously, to have been anointed by God to Save the World.
It has become clear that the establishment of a New World Order is no longer spoken about in hushed tones amongst the political and religious leaders of the world. As a matter of fact, the issue has become an open race amongst the three key groups who believe, consciously or subconsciously, to have been anointed by God to Save the World.
Of course, all of the above can be only understood by "those who have ears to hear and eyes to see" since the rest, which comprise most of the world population, will remain comfortably in the State of Denial until there is "...no smell of coffee to wake up to".
October 28th, 2012 [Sts. Simon and Jude - Apostles and Mary, Mother of the Dying]
Commentary on yesterday's News Report
If someone missed the "flashing neon sign" alluded to in our October 27th post, here are three clues:
(a) The information in some of the documents listed Here
(b) Mr. Ryan, the vice-presidential Republican candidate, is an Opus Dei man.
(c) The Benghazi event is being mercilessly used against President Obama to the benefit of the Republican candidates.
(b) Mr. Ryan, the vice-presidential Republican candidate, is an Opus Dei man.
(c) The Benghazi event is being mercilessly used against President Obama to the benefit of the Republican candidates.
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Vatican says it cannot revoke pedophile Savile's papal honor.(1)
The Vatican says it cannot rescind the papal knighthood awarded to television star Jimmy Savile,
who emerged as an alleged child sex predator after his death.
The Catholic Church of England said it has contacted the Holy See to ask it to posthumously revoke Savile's honor in recognition of the "deep distress" of the victims allegedly abused by Savile, a well-known BBC children's television host who died last year at the age of 84.
But the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the names of people who receive the knighthood don't appear in its yearbook and that the honor dies with the individual.
The Catholic Church of England said it has contacted the Holy See to ask it to posthumously revoke Savile's honor in recognition of the "deep distress" of the victims allegedly abused by Savile, a well-known BBC children's television host who died last year at the age of 84.
But the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the names of people who receive the knighthood don't appear in its yearbook and that the honor dies with the individual.
miguel de Portugal comments: It seems that high profile pedophiles and/or their protectors fare quite well at the Vatican.... and they claim to be illuminated by the Holy Spirit of God.... to which a Vatican spokesperson would probably say: Imagine how it would be if we did not have that guidance!
That is not black humor. After getting in writing from the head Spanish prelate, Cardinal Rouco-Varela, that the cause for the failed Evangelization was the unresponsiveness of those being Evangelized, the hypothetical response of the Vatican spokesman is not out of line with Vatican policy.
________________
(1) News Report
October 27th, 2012
News Report
[our highlights]
CIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack. (1)
Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that
an urgent request from the CIA annex for military
back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate and subsequent attack several hours later
on the annex itself was denied by the CIA chain of
command -- who also told the CIA operators twice
to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at
approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on September 11.
Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."
Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."
Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
miguel de Portugal comments: If our readers have been paying attention to what we have been saying and proving for years, then, what is behind such "stand down" order should be clear, as well as its purpose. As a matter of fact - it should be as clear as flashing neon sign.
If not, well, what can we say? Those who cannot see it, "have not passed the test".
_________________
(1) FOX News Reports
October 26th, 2012
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Hybrid of Sandy, winter storm threatens East Coast. (1)
If you wish, you may follow the storm live via satellite - day and night - through This Link
____________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Hybrid of Sandy, winter storm threatens East Coast. (1)
Much of the U.S. East Coast has a good chance of getting
blasted by gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe even snow early next week by an
unusual hybrid of hurricane and winter storm, federal and private forecasters say.
Though still projecting several days ahead of Halloween week, the computer models are spooking meteorologists. Government scientists said Wednesday the storm has a 70 percent chance of smacking the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean, an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North are predicted to collide, sloshing and parking over the country's most populous coastal corridor starting Sunday. The worst of it should peak early Tuesday, but it will stretch into midweek, forecasters say.
"It'll be a rough couple days from Hatteras up to Cape Cod," said forecaster Jim Cisco of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction center in College Park, Md. "We don't have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting."
Though still projecting several days ahead of Halloween week, the computer models are spooking meteorologists. Government scientists said Wednesday the storm has a 70 percent chance of smacking the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean, an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North are predicted to collide, sloshing and parking over the country's most populous coastal corridor starting Sunday. The worst of it should peak early Tuesday, but it will stretch into midweek, forecasters say.
"It'll be a rough couple days from Hatteras up to Cape Cod," said forecaster Jim Cisco of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction center in College Park, Md. "We don't have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting."
If you wish, you may follow the storm live via satellite - day and night - through This Link
____________
(1) News Report
[our highlights]
Research on enhanced transmissibility in H5N1 influenza: the debate continues. (1)
How can scientists safely conduct avian flu research if
the results could potentially threaten, as well as save,
millions of lives?
Enhancing and analyzing the transmissibility of the H5N1 virus could, on the one hand, provide insights that could help prevent or treat a future outbreak of H5N1, or, on the other hand, it may provide a roadmap for a bad actor deliberately to bring about an influenza pandemic or lead to an inadvertent release of a virus with enhanced transmissibility
Enhancing and analyzing the transmissibility of the H5N1 virus could, on the one hand, provide insights that could help prevent or treat a future outbreak of H5N1, or, on the other hand, it may provide a roadmap for a bad actor deliberately to bring about an influenza pandemic or lead to an inadvertent release of a virus with enhanced transmissibility
miguel de Portugal comments: If man converted nuclear energy - which could have been a true blessing to humanity - into the most devastating instrument of war, anyone who may think that the avian flu research will not become a threat to millions of lives, is completely out of touch with reality. Why debate it? It is fact! It will happen just like that unless God stops it.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
Israeli planes destroy Sudanese arms factory suspected of producing chemical weapons for Hamas. (1)
On October 24th morning, Israeli planes destroyed the Yarmouk arms factory in Khartoum, Sudan's
capital - 1,300 miles from Israel.
In 1998 the plant was suspected of holding Iraqi chemical weapons which Saddam Hussein wanted to conceal from the UN inspectors; Sudan has become a major corridor of arms for Hamas, and Israel has conducted several military operations inside Sudan aiming to disrupt shipments of arms to Hamas.
In April 2011 Israeli special forces, ferried by helicopters into Sudan, ambushed and killed two high-level Hamas officials who were on their way to Libya to finalize a deal, financed by Iran, to buy about 800 chemical munitions from anti-Qaddafi rebels who had taken over a couple of chemical weapons depots from the pro-Qaddafi forces
Sudan's defense minister earlier today said that four Israeli military planes attacked and destroyed an arms factory in Khartoum, the capital, around midnight Sudan time. The distance from Israel to Kahrotum is 1,300 miles. The attack ignited a huge fire in the destroyed facility and neighboring buildings.
In 1998 the plant was suspected of holding Iraqi chemical weapons which Saddam Hussein wanted to conceal from the UN inspectors; Sudan has become a major corridor of arms for Hamas, and Israel has conducted several military operations inside Sudan aiming to disrupt shipments of arms to Hamas.
In April 2011 Israeli special forces, ferried by helicopters into Sudan, ambushed and killed two high-level Hamas officials who were on their way to Libya to finalize a deal, financed by Iran, to buy about 800 chemical munitions from anti-Qaddafi rebels who had taken over a couple of chemical weapons depots from the pro-Qaddafi forces
Sudan's defense minister earlier today said that four Israeli military planes attacked and destroyed an arms factory in Khartoum, the capital, around midnight Sudan time. The distance from Israel to Kahrotum is 1,300 miles. The attack ignited a huge fire in the destroyed facility and neighboring buildings.
miguel de Portugal comments: We suppose that before the eyes of the worthless United Nations, this action by Israel, as well as when they destroyed a nuclear facility in Syria years ago, is perfectly fine, while, God forbid!, bringing to an end the massacre of the innocent Syrian population by the Syrian government is a "No, no".
Whatever God allows upon humanity - which will surpass what He allowed in Noah's time - is well deserved. I truly look forward to it for it is our only hope to minimize the suffering which awaits most of the Elect. Every day that goes by the world population drifts further away from God - with many members of the Elect in it. The further away the Elect drifts from God the greater the suffering that God will allow upon them so that they turn back to Him.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
October 25th, 2012
[our highlights]
Senate candidate Mourdock: "God at work when rape leads to pregnancy". (1)
Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock
said Tuesday when a woman becomes pregnant during a rape, "that's something God
intended."
Mourdock, who's been locked in one of the country's most watched Senate races, was asked during the final minutes of a debate with Democratic challenger Rep. Joe Donnelly whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.
"I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God. And, I think, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen," Mourdock said.
Later Tuesday after the debate, Mourdock further explained he did not believe God intended the rape, but that God is the only one who can create life.
"Are you trying to suggest somehow that God preordained rape, no I don't think that," said Mourdock. "Anyone who would suggest that is just sick and twisted. No, that's not even close to what I said."
Mourdock, who's been locked in one of the country's most watched Senate races, was asked during the final minutes of a debate with Democratic challenger Rep. Joe Donnelly whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.
"I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God. And, I think, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen," Mourdock said.
Later Tuesday after the debate, Mourdock further explained he did not believe God intended the rape, but that God is the only one who can create life.
"Are you trying to suggest somehow that God preordained rape, no I don't think that," said Mourdock. "Anyone who would suggest that is just sick and twisted. No, that's not even close to what I said."
miguel de Portugal comments: Of course we agree with Mr. Mourdock. The problem was his choice of words. He said: "rape, that it is something that God intended to happen". It was "allowed" not "intended".
Jesus explained this situation very clearly when He said:
The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to
that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not
been born. [Matthew 26:24]
If Mr. Mourdock had an understanding of the concepts of the Active Will of God and the Passive Will of God, he could have explained himself better.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Romanian cleric served as Communist informant. (1)
Romania's highest court has upheld the conviction of a
top Orthodox cleric that he secretly served as an informant for the country's communist-era
Securitate police.
The 83-year-old Archbishop Pimen was found guilty by a government council of serving as an informant sent by the church and the Securitate to spy on fellow clergy and members of Romania's expatriate community in the United States in the 1970s.
Before the allegations emerged in 2007, he was considered one of the luminaries of the church and had hosted Romania's former King Michael and Britain's Prince Charles at famous painted monasteries in Romania.
The 83-year-old Archbishop Pimen was found guilty by a government council of serving as an informant sent by the church and the Securitate to spy on fellow clergy and members of Romania's expatriate community in the United States in the 1970s.
Before the allegations emerged in 2007, he was considered one of the luminaries of the church and had hosted Romania's former King Michael and Britain's Prince Charles at famous painted monasteries in Romania.
miguel de Portugal comments: The "holiness" of it all! As you may see, it really does not matter which - East (Orthodox) or West (Roman). Both sprung from "Pope" Constantine's (2) Council of Nicea. East and West did not separate until the 11th century which means that they shared seven centuries of "Imperial Holiness".
We would not be surprised if Pimen also served the Nazis.
Thanks be to God that He saved a bit of Christianity for His Elect (3).
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) The selling of Christianity to the highest bidder
(3) The saving of the Faith for His Elect
October 23rd, 2012
miguel de Portugal
comments on more Missile
"Crisis" News Reports
God does not cease to console us through repeated confirmations of what He has shown to us, and that we have relayed to His children on a worldwide scale.
As if it were not enough all that has been published to make sure that the world is convinced about the alleged Cuban Missile Crisis, yesterday we came across another home spun story (1) about two Cuban brothers - one in the US military and the other in the Cuban military. Without knowing it, the story tells the reader, they were facing each other at that Hollywood style staged crisis.
We cannot vouch for the personal emotions claimed in the news report, but we certainly can, and with authority, address the physical and political scenario described in the news report. The report is as fabricated as the crisis was. For example, one reads, almost teary eyed that: Julio Castro applied for a student visa with the help of an uncle in Miami, not telling his brother or his father. If either knew, he feared it could put his exit in jeopardy or endanger the entire family. So on a January day in 1962, he left for the airport alone in a taxicab, without saying good-bye to anyone.
Already by mid 1959 - just months after Castro filled the vacuum (2) left by Batista - anyone leaving the country needed a signed permit from the police station nearest one's home. By mid 1960 it was even more complicated, yet Mr. Castro, barely 21 years old, managed to exit Cuba two years later - already after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion which had made things in Cuba very tense, were that possible - just as one would go to the local shopping center.
Those who know me know that unless I know something, we will not even venture a guess about it. With that said, I must admit that I have no idea as to why it is so absolutely important to convince the world that such fabricated crisis really happened. On the 30th Anniversary, while in Florida, we confirmed through a contact in Houston, that some of the nine (!!!) Missile Crisis specials aired nationwide during the week in question, had been ordered from headquarters at the expense of preempting regular local programming.
It is also noteworthy that with all of this Missile Crisis talk about a non existent 50 year old threat, the media still is silent about....
"In 2001 I, as the President of the Russian Federation and the supreme commander, deemed it advantageous to withdraw the radio-electronic center Lourdes from Cuba. In exchange for this, George Bush, the then U.S. president, has assured me that this decision would become the final confirmation that the Cold War was over and both of our states, getting rid of the relics of the Cold War, will start building a new relationship based on cooperation and transparency. In particular, Bush has convinced me that the U.S. missile defense system will never be deployed in Eastern Europe.
The Russian Federation has fulfilled all terms of the agreement. And even more. I shut down not only the Cuban Lourdes but also Kamran in Vietnam. I shut them down because I gave my word of honor. I, like a man, has kept my word. What have the Americans done? The Americans are not responsible for their own words. It is no secret that in recent years, the U.S. created a buffer zone around Russia, involving in this process not only the countries of Central Europe, but also the Baltic states, Ukraine and the Caucasus.
The only response to this could be an asymmetric expansion of the Russian military presence abroad, particularly in Cuba. In Cuba, there are convenient bays for our reconnaissance and warships, a network of the so-called "jump airfields." With the full consent of the Cuban leadership, on May 11 of this year, our country has not only resumed work in the electronic center of Lourdes, but also placed the latest mobile strategic nuclear missiles "Oak" on the island. They (the US) did not want to do it the amicable way, now let them deal with this," Putin said.
God does not cease to console us through repeated confirmations of what He has shown to us, and that we have relayed to His children on a worldwide scale.
As if it were not enough all that has been published to make sure that the world is convinced about the alleged Cuban Missile Crisis, yesterday we came across another home spun story (1) about two Cuban brothers - one in the US military and the other in the Cuban military. Without knowing it, the story tells the reader, they were facing each other at that Hollywood style staged crisis.
We cannot vouch for the personal emotions claimed in the news report, but we certainly can, and with authority, address the physical and political scenario described in the news report. The report is as fabricated as the crisis was. For example, one reads, almost teary eyed that: Julio Castro applied for a student visa with the help of an uncle in Miami, not telling his brother or his father. If either knew, he feared it could put his exit in jeopardy or endanger the entire family. So on a January day in 1962, he left for the airport alone in a taxicab, without saying good-bye to anyone.
Already by mid 1959 - just months after Castro filled the vacuum (2) left by Batista - anyone leaving the country needed a signed permit from the police station nearest one's home. By mid 1960 it was even more complicated, yet Mr. Castro, barely 21 years old, managed to exit Cuba two years later - already after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion which had made things in Cuba very tense, were that possible - just as one would go to the local shopping center.
Those who know me know that unless I know something, we will not even venture a guess about it. With that said, I must admit that I have no idea as to why it is so absolutely important to convince the world that such fabricated crisis really happened. On the 30th Anniversary, while in Florida, we confirmed through a contact in Houston, that some of the nine (!!!) Missile Crisis specials aired nationwide during the week in question, had been ordered from headquarters at the expense of preempting regular local programming.
It is also noteworthy that with all of this Missile Crisis talk about a non existent 50 year old threat, the media still is silent about....
Russia has set their latest mobile strategic nuclear
missiles "Oak" in Cuba.
After the meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Putin made a sudden harsh statement to the press.
After the meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Putin made a sudden harsh statement to the press.
"In 2001 I, as the President of the Russian Federation and the supreme commander, deemed it advantageous to withdraw the radio-electronic center Lourdes from Cuba. In exchange for this, George Bush, the then U.S. president, has assured me that this decision would become the final confirmation that the Cold War was over and both of our states, getting rid of the relics of the Cold War, will start building a new relationship based on cooperation and transparency. In particular, Bush has convinced me that the U.S. missile defense system will never be deployed in Eastern Europe.
The Russian Federation has fulfilled all terms of the agreement. And even more. I shut down not only the Cuban Lourdes but also Kamran in Vietnam. I shut them down because I gave my word of honor. I, like a man, has kept my word. What have the Americans done? The Americans are not responsible for their own words. It is no secret that in recent years, the U.S. created a buffer zone around Russia, involving in this process not only the countries of Central Europe, but also the Baltic states, Ukraine and the Caucasus.
The only response to this could be an asymmetric expansion of the Russian military presence abroad, particularly in Cuba. In Cuba, there are convenient bays for our reconnaissance and warships, a network of the so-called "jump airfields." With the full consent of the Cuban leadership, on May 11 of this year, our country has not only resumed work in the electronic center of Lourdes, but also placed the latest mobile strategic nuclear missiles "Oak" on the island. They (the US) did not want to do it the amicable way, now let them deal with this," Putin said.
As we reported on this same forum back on August 4th.
_________________
(1) News Story
(2) Castro "won" because the President-Dictator Batista left the country after losing the US support which was transferred to the revolutionary movement. We fell into that trap with both feet and both arms. Another CIA-FBI "success" story.
October 22nd, 2012
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Conflicting images emerge of NY terror suspect. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: A read of Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner would help the reader better understand the news reports associated with that event better and most others.
_________________
(1) News Report
[our highlights]
Conflicting images emerge of NY terror suspect. (1)
At the Missouri college where Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis enrolled, a classmate said he
often remarked that true Muslims don't believe in violence.
That image seemed startlingly at odds with the Bangladesh native's arrest in an FBI sting this week on charges of trying to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank in New York with what he thought was a 1,000-pound car bomb.
"I can't imagine being more shocked about somebody doing something like this," said Jim Dow, a 54-year-old Army veteran who rode home from class with Nafis twice a week. "I didn't just meet this kid a couple of times. We talked quite a bit. ... And this doesn't seem to be in character."
Nafis' family in Dhaka, Bangladesh, denied he could have been involved in the plot. His parents said he was incapable of such actions and came to America only to study.
Investigators would not say exactly how he initially contacted the government informant.
Nafis was a terrible student in his native Bangladesh,and his middle-class parents said he persuaded them to send him to study in the U.S. as a way of improving his job prospects. They don't believe he was planning an attack.
His father, a banker, said Nafis was so timid he couldn't venture out onto the roof alone.
Dow, his former classmate at Southeast Missouri State,said Nafis spoke admiringly of bin Laden. At the same time, "he told me he didn't really believe bin Laden was involved in the twin towers because he said bin Laden was a religious man, and a religious man wouldn't have done something like that," Dow said.
He said Nafis gave Dow a copy of the Quran and asked him to read it. But he "didn't rant or rave or say crazy stuff," Dow said.
"What really shocked me the most was he had specifically spoken to me about true Muslims not believing in violence," Dow said.
Dion Duncan of St. Louis, a fellow student and member of the Muslim organization, said: "Nafis was a good kid. He showed no traces of anti-Americanism, or death to America, or anything like that. He was a trustworthy, honest kid."
That image seemed startlingly at odds with the Bangladesh native's arrest in an FBI sting this week on charges of trying to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank in New York with what he thought was a 1,000-pound car bomb.
"I can't imagine being more shocked about somebody doing something like this," said Jim Dow, a 54-year-old Army veteran who rode home from class with Nafis twice a week. "I didn't just meet this kid a couple of times. We talked quite a bit. ... And this doesn't seem to be in character."
Nafis' family in Dhaka, Bangladesh, denied he could have been involved in the plot. His parents said he was incapable of such actions and came to America only to study.
Investigators would not say exactly how he initially contacted the government informant.
Nafis was a terrible student in his native Bangladesh,and his middle-class parents said he persuaded them to send him to study in the U.S. as a way of improving his job prospects. They don't believe he was planning an attack.
His father, a banker, said Nafis was so timid he couldn't venture out onto the roof alone.
Dow, his former classmate at Southeast Missouri State,said Nafis spoke admiringly of bin Laden. At the same time, "he told me he didn't really believe bin Laden was involved in the twin towers because he said bin Laden was a religious man, and a religious man wouldn't have done something like that," Dow said.
He said Nafis gave Dow a copy of the Quran and asked him to read it. But he "didn't rant or rave or say crazy stuff," Dow said.
"What really shocked me the most was he had specifically spoken to me about true Muslims not believing in violence," Dow said.
Dion Duncan of St. Louis, a fellow student and member of the Muslim organization, said: "Nafis was a good kid. He showed no traces of anti-Americanism, or death to America, or anything like that. He was a trustworthy, honest kid."
miguel de Portugal comments: A read of Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner would help the reader better understand the news reports associated with that event better and most others.
_________________
(1) News Report
October 21st, 2012
[our highlights]
Lourdes: floods descend on French pilgrim town. (1)
French authorities are assessing the damage to the Catholic pilgrim town of Lourdes that has been
swamped by the overflowing River Gave.
Around 500 pilgrims had to be rescued from hotels along the river bank. Two campsites were cleared and several roads were closed.
The place where Mary appeared also under water.
The evacuees were looked after in makeshift rescue centres on higher ground. No one was reported harmed.
Local people said they had not seen anything like it for 40 years. Only the basilica above the town was spared from the water.
Around 500 pilgrims had to be rescued from hotels along the river bank. Two campsites were cleared and several roads were closed.
The place where Mary appeared also under water.
The evacuees were looked after in makeshift rescue centres on higher ground. No one was reported harmed.
Local people said they had not seen anything like it for 40 years. Only the basilica above the town was spared from the water.
miguel de Portugal comments: Such flood started yesterday - on the day we observe Mary, Wonderful Mother.
Our Wonderful Mother's tears have gone from a trickle at Akita (2) to a flood in Lourdes.... and humanity, led by its "Evangelizers" (3), continues its descent into depravation. The only consolation that we have is that all have been warned (4) as Our Lord Willed it.
___________________
(1) Euronews Reports
(2) The tears at Akita, Japan
(3) Our Position regarding the alleged Evangelizers
(4) Everyone has been amply warned
October 20th, 2012 [Mary, Wonderful Mother]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
"Perversion files" show locals helped cover up. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: That is the level of "Christianity" that so many have attained which, in view of the identical behavior among the "Evangelizers", should surprise no one.
[our highlights]
"Perversion files" show locals helped cover up. (1)
Again and again, decade after decade, an array of authorities -
police chiefs, prosecutors, pastors and local Boy Scout
leaders among them - quietly shielded scoutmasters and others accused of molesting
children, a newly opened trove of confidential papers shows.
At the time, those authorities justified their actions as necessary to protect the good name and good works of Scouting, a pillar of 20th century America. But as detailed in 14,500 pages of secret "perversion files" released Thursday by order of the Oregon Supreme Court, their maneuvers allowed sexual predators to go free while victims suffered in silence.
At the time, those authorities justified their actions as necessary to protect the good name and good works of Scouting, a pillar of 20th century America. But as detailed in 14,500 pages of secret "perversion files" released Thursday by order of the Oregon Supreme Court, their maneuvers allowed sexual predators to go free while victims suffered in silence.
miguel de Portugal comments: That is the level of "Christianity" that so many have attained which, in view of the identical behavior among the "Evangelizers", should surprise no one.
But he that shall
scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me,
it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged
about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world
because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by
whom the scandal cometh. [Matthew
18:6-7]
Notice that the term Our Lord uses is - "it were better for him" - which translates that the fate that awaits them is worse than that. That is for the abusers, who are psychologically dysfunctional (2) individuals. Now imagine what will be the fate for those who covered it up for purely socio-political reasons. The first ones are ill, the second ones are evil.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) The roots of psychological dysfunction
October 18th, 2012 [St. Luke - Evangelist]
(1) News Report
(2) The roots of psychological dysfunction
October 18th, 2012 [St. Luke - Evangelist]
Without a doubt, during the 50th Anniversary of the staged Cuban Missile "Crisis", the interested parties are outdoing themselves from what was done for the observance of the 30th Anniversary. The tremendous effort to convince, better yet, to over convince the general public about how close to the brink of nuclear war we were at that time should be a Red Flag itself.
What we published (1) about the staging of said crisis stand even firmer than when we originally sent it out to the press worldwide back in 1992. That information was later posted in our site, once we had a Internet presence, and further enriched as new and confirmed information found its way to us.
Brethren, as we recently stated "How could we possibly learn from history when the history each generation is taught is an invented and thwarted version of what really happened."? The worse part is that such thwarting of reality starts on the moment the allegedly independent media writes the first article of whatever event they wish to manipulate.
I think that the best way to help the doubting Thomasses understand that what we are saying about the news and history, specifically about the history from the beginning of the 20th Century up to now, is for the reader to invest in a "window to the past". This "window to the past" telescopes all the way to the present and confirms for you what we have published about the past "history" and the validity of what we have announced for the immediate future.
This "window to the past" is Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner (2). This book is so rich in original quoted sources that just their listing occupies 75 pages of the book. Even allowing for factual manipulation at the sources, the amount of information and details are so great that the real picture shines through as clear as daylight.
We assure you - If reading our pages have not changed the real world political perspective for you yet, Mr. Weiner's book will do it.
________________________________
(1) The false Cuban Missile "Crisis"
(2) Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner
October 16th, 2012
News Report No. 1
$ 10,000 REWARD... (1)
_________________
(1) Source
$ 10,000 REWARD... (1)
For credible information leading to the details of the murder of a sexually abused child near St.
Ignatius Catholic Church in San Francisco during the early 1980's. Several anonymous callers have
contacted victims advocate Joey Piscitelli concerning allegations of sexual abuse misconduct by 2
or more catholic priests that reportedly led to the death of a young boy who was given a drink
laced with alcohol and/or narcotics.
This information was turned over to San Francisco Homicide 2 years ago. There is no "statute of limitations" on murder. If you know of any incident of sexual misconduct by any priests at that time, or any time, whereas children were given "kool-aid" laced with controlled substances please contact the numbers below.
More than one victim has alleged complaints regarding the transfer of children for sexual purposes by Jesuit priests. More than one victim has alleged that he was given laced kool-aid by priest(s). The Department of Homeland Security has investigated the transfer of children in and out of the USA by Jesuit clergy.
If you know of any priests who traveled interstate, or intercontinental, who transferred children to and from San Francisco that were sexually abused by priests at or near the vicinity of 650 Parker Avenue, SF, or near St. Ignatius catholic church, please contact the numbers below.
If you are a clergy sex abuse victim, or know of any children who were transferred interstate, or intercontinental by convicted Jesuit priest Fr. Donald McGuire, or any Jesuit priests, please contact the numbers below.
Dept. Homeland Security Investigations: 866-347-2423
San Francisco Police: 415-564-3800
For reward information please contact: Child Sex Abuse Victims Advocate Joey Piscitelli at 925-262-3699
This information was turned over to San Francisco Homicide 2 years ago. There is no "statute of limitations" on murder. If you know of any incident of sexual misconduct by any priests at that time, or any time, whereas children were given "kool-aid" laced with controlled substances please contact the numbers below.
More than one victim has alleged complaints regarding the transfer of children for sexual purposes by Jesuit priests. More than one victim has alleged that he was given laced kool-aid by priest(s). The Department of Homeland Security has investigated the transfer of children in and out of the USA by Jesuit clergy.
If you know of any priests who traveled interstate, or intercontinental, who transferred children to and from San Francisco that were sexually abused by priests at or near the vicinity of 650 Parker Avenue, SF, or near St. Ignatius catholic church, please contact the numbers below.
If you are a clergy sex abuse victim, or know of any children who were transferred interstate, or intercontinental by convicted Jesuit priest Fr. Donald McGuire, or any Jesuit priests, please contact the numbers below.
Dept. Homeland Security Investigations: 866-347-2423
San Francisco Police: 415-564-3800
For reward information please contact: Child Sex Abuse Victims Advocate Joey Piscitelli at 925-262-3699
_________________
(1) Source
October 15th, 2012
[our highlights]
Biometric technologies adopted by more Australian banks. (1)
The use of face-recognition biometrics technology will soon become main stream in Australian
banks, and may even be used in conjunction with other technologies; in a survey,
79 percent of Australians said that they were
comfortable with fingerprint technology replacing banking
PINs
The use of face-recognition biometrics technology will soon become main stream in Australian banks, and may even be used in conjunction with other technologies according to Dr. Ted Dunstone.
ANZ Bank CEO Philip Chronican said that the bank is exploring ways to introduce biometrics as a replacement for traditional identification methods such as Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) at ATM machines.
Face-recognition biometrics are currently being used in other countries such as Europe, South America, and Japan.
Chronican feels that PINs and signatures are easy to duplicate (2) and get a hold of while biometrics provides a more secure verification process for banking. Chronican expects that it will be "probably two to three years before we get commercialization of biometrics in banking."
The use of face-recognition biometrics technology will soon become main stream in Australian banks, and may even be used in conjunction with other technologies according to Dr. Ted Dunstone.
ANZ Bank CEO Philip Chronican said that the bank is exploring ways to introduce biometrics as a replacement for traditional identification methods such as Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) at ATM machines.
Face-recognition biometrics are currently being used in other countries such as Europe, South America, and Japan.
Chronican feels that PINs and signatures are easy to duplicate (2) and get a hold of while biometrics provides a more secure verification process for banking. Chronican expects that it will be "probably two to three years before we get commercialization of biometrics in banking."
miguel de Portugal comments: The "ultimate" security: Biometrics.... to which we say Hogwash!
If our PIN and/or ATM card are stolen, smart phone or even our Passport, they can be canceled almost immediately and they become useless. Now, if someone steals our biometrics - which are no more than specific electronic codes expressing our facial features, iris and fingerprints - what are we going to do? Have plastic surgery? Replace our eyes with crystal balls? How about sanding down our fingers to erase our fingerprints and super glue on a new set?
Regarding the alleged insecurity of the PIN's and for a discussion of far better methods than the silly Biometrics, take a look (2) at what others are proposing now: A two-step procedure. A bit more cumbersome but does not require plastic surgery should the procedure be compromised.
Some banks in "provincial" Portugal were already using the highly secure two-step procedure (2) "only" seventeen years ago!!
Stand by! Any day now someone will discover America again!
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
New York City unprepared for flooding, sea level rise. (1)
New York City may be a fast paced city of bright lights, sleek attitudes, fashion trends, and some
of the best sports teams in the country, but underneath
the glitz and glamour is a city which is not prepared for an act of God and which is being
threatened by rising sea levels and severe storm flooding; "It’s a million small changes that
need to happen," one expert says
Mayor Michael. Bloomberg has responded by tasking experts to research the effect of climate change on the city, expanded wetlands, and installed green roofs to absorb rainwater.
The New York Times reports that despite these efforts, critics say New York is moving too slowly address the possibility of flooding which could destroy transportation, drive people from their homes, and threaten the financial district.
Hurricane Irene caused panic in the city last year as the subway system was shut down and 370,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The hurricane eventually was reduced to a tropical storm, sparing the city, but the city’s lack of preparation and the absence of contingency and mitigation plans were obvious for all to see.
"They lack a sense of urgency about this," Douglas Hill, an engineer with the Storm Surge Research Group at Stony Brook University, on Long Island, told the New York Times.
Consolidated Edison, the company that provides electricity to most of the city, estimates that installing submersible switches and moving transformers above ground would cost at least $250 million, which it does not have. Instead the company is making gradual adjustments, spending just short of $24 million improving flood zones since 2007.
Critics not only find this idea unacceptable, but they charge that when it comes to flooding, Manhattan receives preference over the other four boroughs.
Mayor Michael. Bloomberg has responded by tasking experts to research the effect of climate change on the city, expanded wetlands, and installed green roofs to absorb rainwater.
The New York Times reports that despite these efforts, critics say New York is moving too slowly address the possibility of flooding which could destroy transportation, drive people from their homes, and threaten the financial district.
Hurricane Irene caused panic in the city last year as the subway system was shut down and 370,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The hurricane eventually was reduced to a tropical storm, sparing the city, but the city’s lack of preparation and the absence of contingency and mitigation plans were obvious for all to see.
"They lack a sense of urgency about this," Douglas Hill, an engineer with the Storm Surge Research Group at Stony Brook University, on Long Island, told the New York Times.
Consolidated Edison, the company that provides electricity to most of the city, estimates that installing submersible switches and moving transformers above ground would cost at least $250 million, which it does not have. Instead the company is making gradual adjustments, spending just short of $24 million improving flood zones since 2007.
Critics not only find this idea unacceptable, but they charge that when it comes to flooding, Manhattan receives preference over the other four boroughs.
miguel de Portugal comments: We finally see some spiritual progress.... they are going back to calling certain natural events "acts of God".
Now then, if we take this one step further and have the authorities distribute glow-in-the-dark plastic rosaries, with easy to follow instructions, and hold training sessions on how to use them and why, the city and its residents would have a far better chance of survival that anything man could do at this late hour.
Ask the citizens of 911 A.D. Constantinople (2). They would certainly go along with our prescription for survival.
We are not trying to be funny. We are as serious as a block of granite is.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
(2) How Constantinople was saved in 911 A.D.
October 14th, 2012
[our highlights]
Turkish premier slams Security Council over Syria. (1)
Turkey's prime minister sharply criticized the U.N. Security Council on Saturday for its failure
to agree on decisive steps to end Syria's civil war, as NATO ally Germany backed the Turkish
interception of a Damascus-bound passenger jet earlier in the week.
"If we wait for one or two of the permanent members ... then the future of Syria will be in danger," Erdogan said, according to an official interpreter.
Erdogan called for a reform of the Security Council, which he called an "unequal, unfair system" that didn't represent the will of most countries.
He spoke as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Arab and European leaders amid growing tensions between Turkey and neighboring Syria.
"If a similar incident occurs again from the Syrian side, we will again take counter action," Davutoglu told reporters, while stressing that the border between Syria and Turkey is also the frontier of NATO.
One week after the shelling, Turkey intercepted a Syrian passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus and seized what it said was military equipment on board.
Syria denounced the move as air piracy, while Russia said the cargo was radar parts that complied with international law.
Germany's foreign minister backed Turkey on Saturday, saying Berlin would have acted the same way if it believed weapons were being transported to Syria over its airspace.
"If we wait for one or two of the permanent members ... then the future of Syria will be in danger," Erdogan said, according to an official interpreter.
Erdogan called for a reform of the Security Council, which he called an "unequal, unfair system" that didn't represent the will of most countries.
He spoke as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Arab and European leaders amid growing tensions between Turkey and neighboring Syria.
"If a similar incident occurs again from the Syrian side, we will again take counter action," Davutoglu told reporters, while stressing that the border between Syria and Turkey is also the frontier of NATO.
One week after the shelling, Turkey intercepted a Syrian passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus and seized what it said was military equipment on board.
Syria denounced the move as air piracy, while Russia said the cargo was radar parts that complied with international law.
Germany's foreign minister backed Turkey on Saturday, saying Berlin would have acted the same way if it believed weapons were being transported to Syria over its airspace.
miguel de Portugal comments: Tick-tock, tick-tock....
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
European Union detractors slam Nobel Peace Prize decision. (1)
While some Europeans swelled with pride when the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize, howls
of derision erupted from the continent's large band of skeptics.
To many in the 27-nation bloc, the EU is an unwieldy and unloved agglomeration overseen by a top-heavy bureaucracy devoted to creating arcane regulations about everything from cheese to fishing quotas.
Set up with noble goals after the devastation of World War II, the EU to critics now appears impotent amid a debt crisis that has widened north-south divisions, threatened the euro currency and plunged several members, from Greece to Ireland to Spain, into economic turmoil.
"First Al Gore, then Obama, now this. Parody is redundant," tweeted Daniel Hannan, a euroskeptic European lawmaker - yes, such things exist - from Britain's Conservative Party. President Barack Obama won the peace prize in 2009, less than a year after he was elected, while Gore, a former U.S. vice president, was the 2007 recipient for his campaign to fight climate change.
Nigel Farage, head of the U.K. Independence Party - which wants Britain to withdraw from the union - called Friday's peace prize "an absolute disgrace."
"Haven't they had their eyes open?" he said, arguing that Europe was facing "increasing violence and division," with mass protests from Madrid to Athens over tax hikes and job cuts and growing resentment of Germany, the union's rich and powerful economic anchor.
To many in the 27-nation bloc, the EU is an unwieldy and unloved agglomeration overseen by a top-heavy bureaucracy devoted to creating arcane regulations about everything from cheese to fishing quotas.
Set up with noble goals after the devastation of World War II, the EU to critics now appears impotent amid a debt crisis that has widened north-south divisions, threatened the euro currency and plunged several members, from Greece to Ireland to Spain, into economic turmoil.
"First Al Gore, then Obama, now this. Parody is redundant," tweeted Daniel Hannan, a euroskeptic European lawmaker - yes, such things exist - from Britain's Conservative Party. President Barack Obama won the peace prize in 2009, less than a year after he was elected, while Gore, a former U.S. vice president, was the 2007 recipient for his campaign to fight climate change.
Nigel Farage, head of the U.K. Independence Party - which wants Britain to withdraw from the union - called Friday's peace prize "an absolute disgrace."
"Haven't they had their eyes open?" he said, arguing that Europe was facing "increasing violence and division," with mass protests from Madrid to Athens over tax hikes and job cuts and growing resentment of Germany, the union's rich and powerful economic anchor.
miguel de Portugal comments: It is hard to find a European Union fan in either Spain or Portugal (2) and we feel that is the same throughout the original twelve member block. Many keep dreaming about their old currency - and freedom! - when they could do whatever it was necessary to fix whatever problems their country had at the time. Now, before the proverbial sneeze, they have to secure Brussels' authorization.
It is amazing to see "grown men and women" [EU promoters] believe that they can achieve such union - without forcing it - when Spain's territorial integrity continues to crumble. A country where the "Name of the Game" is secession from the central government.
Granted - so far the European Union project has prevented war among the European countries, but as the popular pressure and resentment rise so will the intensity of the outburst and Germany is being eyed as the "Bad guy" of the picture.
To give you an idea of the mood - Five years ago, a small businessman in Portugal was shutting down his failing business to emigrate to Angola and start his business anew in Africa. After listing "his woes" - which were valid indeed - he said: Our only hope is for you people (the U.S.) take us (Portugal) over and convert the country into a Theme Park - PortuWorld!
Many of our (U.S.) critics - inside and out - only see our failings, which are many, but.... when compared with most countries of the world, it continues to be an example to most.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) For example
October 13th, 2012 [Anniversary of The Miracle of the Sun at Fátima]
[our highlights]
Panetta Warns of Threat of Cyberattack on U.S. (1)
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned Thursday that
the United States was facing the possibility of a
"cyber-Pearl Harbor" and was increasingly vulnerable to
foreign computer hackers who could dismantle the nation's power grid, transportation system,
financial networks and government.
In a speech at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River in New York, Mr. Panetta painted a dire picture of how such an attack on the United States might unfold. He said he was reacting to increasing aggressiveness and technological advances by the nation's adversaries, which officials identified as China, Russia, Iran and militant groups.
Defense officials said Mr. Panetta was responding to a recent wave of cyberattacks on large American financial institutions. He also cited an attack in August on the state oil company Saudi Aramco, which infected and made useless more than 30,000 computers.
But Pentagon officials acknowledged that Mr. Panetta was also pushing for legislation on Capitol Hill. That legislation would require new standards at critical private-sector infrastructure facilities - like power plants, water treatment facilities and gas pipelines - where a computer breach could cause significant casualties or economic damage.
In a speech at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River in New York, Mr. Panetta painted a dire picture of how such an attack on the United States might unfold. He said he was reacting to increasing aggressiveness and technological advances by the nation's adversaries, which officials identified as China, Russia, Iran and militant groups.
Defense officials said Mr. Panetta was responding to a recent wave of cyberattacks on large American financial institutions. He also cited an attack in August on the state oil company Saudi Aramco, which infected and made useless more than 30,000 computers.
But Pentagon officials acknowledged that Mr. Panetta was also pushing for legislation on Capitol Hill. That legislation would require new standards at critical private-sector infrastructure facilities - like power plants, water treatment facilities and gas pipelines - where a computer breach could cause significant casualties or economic damage.
miguel de Portugal comments: We could not agree more with Mr. Panetta; unfortunately, the exact same story that lead to Pearl Harbor will be played out again albeit in a different format due to the advancement of technology and the decrease of the average human IQ.
Quoting from our letter to then Former President Carter on June 3, 1993:
Please Consider These...
1. We cannot stop the flow of illegal immigrants trough the Texas / Mexican border.
If we cannot stop uneducated and fearful people from entering in our country, can we stop a systematic infiltration program from an enemy nation that has designs to destroy us ? No !
2. A teenager breaks into our national security system with his home computer.
If we cannot prevent this serious breach of security by a teenager with high I.Q., can we prevent an enemy nation that has designs to conquer the world from doing it ? No !
3. The U.S. with all its might cannot stop the inflow of drugs that are killing our children and, through them, our nation.
Can we then stop an enemy power from undermining the security of our nation and government, from within, and bring in whatever they desire to employ against us ? No !
4. Mr. Carter, you were once the Chief Military Leader of our Nation...
a. How could our security system prevent some harmless looking cargo ships to dock in, say, New York, Miami, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco, for example, each with one or two short range nuclear tipped missiles ?
b. Are you sure that there are no enemy missiles in Cuba ? In Central America ? Already in
our own nation ?
[Note added on October 12, 2012: It has now been
confirmed by Mr Putin himself that since May 2012 Russia has strategic nuclear missiles in
Cuba.]
We must not forget that the "kamikaze mentality" is more prevalent now than during WW II.
Please, Sir, Further Consider This...
1. Some will say that Russia would not have "released" all their satellite nations unless their
change over was real.
To release "a few" to gain "all" later on is a reasonable strategy.
2. Others will point out how well Russia is working out its political differences. With amazing prudence and harmony.
That should be the very clue! A nation that was a serfdom under the Romanovs for 380 years and then lived under an absolute brutal dictatorship for nearly 70 years cannot have the political maturity and finesse in its government to engage in such a graceful and highly sophisticated political battle between the President and the Parliament.
Not unless it is a staged act, Mr. Carter !
3. And why would they stage such a (almost) flawless act ?
Because the stakes are the highest ever and they are "going for
broke." It is now or never. This is their final chance.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) Letter to Former President Carter
October 12th, 2012
[our highlights]
12 quadrillion Euro phone bill shocks woman. (1)
Nobody likes paying their phone bill. But when the bill
is nearly 12 quadrillion Euro severe anxiety can ensue.
Of course, in this case, the bill was a mistake. When Bouygues Telecom customer Solenne San Jose of Bordeaux, France, opened her bill, she said she nearly had a heart attack. "There were so many zeroes I couldn't work out how much it was," she said, according to the BBC. For the record, the amount she was being asked to pay is 11,721,000,000,000,000 Euro, equal to nearly 6,000 times France's annual economic output.
When San Jose originally contacted customer service she was apparently told there was nothing the phone company could do. The Daily Mail writes that the phone company told her "she was liable for the sum, insisting it would automatically be withdrawn from her bank account." The company did offer to set up an installment payment plan. San Jose wisely declined.
Eventually, the mess was straightened out. The decimal point was put in the wrong place, and 12 zeroes were accidentally added to the bill. Bouygues Telecom apologized and waved the 117.21 Euro San Jose actually owed.
Of course, in this case, the bill was a mistake. When Bouygues Telecom customer Solenne San Jose of Bordeaux, France, opened her bill, she said she nearly had a heart attack. "There were so many zeroes I couldn't work out how much it was," she said, according to the BBC. For the record, the amount she was being asked to pay is 11,721,000,000,000,000 Euro, equal to nearly 6,000 times France's annual economic output.
When San Jose originally contacted customer service she was apparently told there was nothing the phone company could do. The Daily Mail writes that the phone company told her "she was liable for the sum, insisting it would automatically be withdrawn from her bank account." The company did offer to set up an installment payment plan. San Jose wisely declined.
Eventually, the mess was straightened out. The decimal point was put in the wrong place, and 12 zeroes were accidentally added to the bill. Bouygues Telecom apologized and waved the 117.21 Euro San Jose actually owed.
miguel de Portugal comments: Our point here by highlighting such banal news is to show the level of automation humans have achieved.
A customer service rep tells her that there is nothing the company can do about 12 quadrillion
Euro phone bill?
Withdraw the money from the customer's account?
Offer "easy payment" plan?
Withdraw the money from the customer's account?
Offer "easy payment" plan?
Not even a computer equipped with artificial intelligence would be so stupid as to offer such options, given the situation at hand.
These poor souls will never know whatever hit them when the time comes. Forest animals will see it coming, but they are completely unable to even detect anything out of the ordinary. How sad!
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
PlaceRaider application lets phone camera spy on people. (1)
Malware that runs on Android cell phones and can let
attackers perform remote reconnaissance and virtual theft is the handiwork of academic and
military researchers.
They call it "visual malware" dubbed PlaceRaider that uses the phone's camera and other sensors to create three-dimensional models of indoor environments that bad guys could download, study and use to steal "virtual objects" such as financial documents, information on computer monitors, and personal information.
The software even shuts off the phone's speaker so someone being spied on doesn't hear the typical sound a device emits when a photo is taken.
The application follows up on other nefarious tools created by researchers.
The Soundminer malware was designed to listen in on phone conversations and use speech recognition to decode credit card and PIN details that users might mention when calling their bank, for example. It also was designed to recognize and decode tones heard when keys are pressed.
Also, a team of researchers at Georgia Tech created pirate software that used a smartphone accelerometer to steal keystrokes from a nearby keyboard.
So should you worry about your phone spying on you? Hardly.
These researchers get paid to do this stuff and they have vast resources at their fingertips. While they can prove phones are capable of doing these kinds of tricks, and even if doing so gives real criminals ideas, the average hacker can't pull off such shenanigans on his own.
Even if the bad guys could, imagine the vast amount of data they would have to cull through to find a single bank statement you might have displayed on your computer screen that your phone's camera happened to capture surreptitiously.
PlaceRaider was created thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation awarded to researchers from the school of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind.
They call it "visual malware" dubbed PlaceRaider that uses the phone's camera and other sensors to create three-dimensional models of indoor environments that bad guys could download, study and use to steal "virtual objects" such as financial documents, information on computer monitors, and personal information.
The software even shuts off the phone's speaker so someone being spied on doesn't hear the typical sound a device emits when a photo is taken.
The application follows up on other nefarious tools created by researchers.
The Soundminer malware was designed to listen in on phone conversations and use speech recognition to decode credit card and PIN details that users might mention when calling their bank, for example. It also was designed to recognize and decode tones heard when keys are pressed.
Also, a team of researchers at Georgia Tech created pirate software that used a smartphone accelerometer to steal keystrokes from a nearby keyboard.
So should you worry about your phone spying on you? Hardly.
These researchers get paid to do this stuff and they have vast resources at their fingertips. While they can prove phones are capable of doing these kinds of tricks, and even if doing so gives real criminals ideas, the average hacker can't pull off such shenanigans on his own.
Even if the bad guys could, imagine the vast amount of data they would have to cull through to find a single bank statement you might have displayed on your computer screen that your phone's camera happened to capture surreptitiously.
PlaceRaider was created thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation awarded to researchers from the school of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind.
miguel de Portugal comments: Let us take this - "not to worry about it" attitude - one step at a time.
(a) Hackers have proven to crash through the most sophisticated of firewalls and other electronic
protective devices. Then, it logically follows that...
(b) Hackers are a cut above the most sophisticated researchers that money can buy. Of course, the development of a similar malware may take great financial resources which....
(c) Russia and China have, and can make it available to whomever they choose if they deem the project valuable enough.
(b) Hackers are a cut above the most sophisticated researchers that money can buy. Of course, the development of a similar malware may take great financial resources which....
(c) Russia and China have, and can make it available to whomever they choose if they deem the project valuable enough.
Can you imagine such malware in smart phones and tablets in our Embassies? Our sensitive military centers?
Let us not forget that with much, much less, Wikileaks got a hold of untold number of Secret and Top Secret documents.
Frankly we could not care less about this anymore - as we have said, the die has been cast and there is no return. We just share the above with our readership to illustrate how blind most are.
_________________
(1) PC World Reports
October 11th, 2012 [Feast of the Motherhood of Mary]
[our highlights]
U.S. military personnel is sent to Jordan to help with the crisis in nearby Syria. (1)
The United States has sent military troops to the Jordan-Syria border to help build a headquarters in Jordan and bolster that country's military capabilities in the event that violence escalates along its border with Syria, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.
Speaking at a NATO conference of defense ministers in Brussels, Panetta said the U.S. has been working with Jordan to monitor chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria and also to help Jordan deal with refugees pouring over the border from Syria.
But the revelation of U.S. military personnel so close to the 19-month-old Syrian conflict
suggests an escalation in the U.S. military involvement in the conflict, even as Washington
pushes back on any suggestion of a direct intervention in Syria.
miguel de Portugal comments: Tiock-tock, tick-tock... right on schedule.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Chavez backs Assad as rebels threaten Nasrallah. (1)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed his
support for the "legitimate government in Syria" late Tuesday, just days after his
reelection.
"I do not know how it is that some European governments come together with the terrorists and do not recognize a legitimate government. We, of course, continue to support the legitimate government and advocate for peace in Syria," he added.
Venezuelan President reiterated that what is happening in Syria, where an armed uprising attempt to overthrow President Assad was "a planned attack" as was also, according to him, the fall of Gaddafi in Libya. "The government of the United States is one of the most responsible for this disaster," he said on the Syrian crisis.
"I do not know how it is that some European governments come together with the terrorists and do not recognize a legitimate government. We, of course, continue to support the legitimate government and advocate for peace in Syria," he added.
Venezuelan President reiterated that what is happening in Syria, where an armed uprising attempt to overthrow President Assad was "a planned attack" as was also, according to him, the fall of Gaddafi in Libya. "The government of the United States is one of the most responsible for this disaster," he said on the Syrian crisis.
miguel de Portugal comments: Considering that Fidel Castro is his mentor, at least Chavez is consistent with his twisted ideology. Where he is not consistent is with the sale of Venezuela's oil. If we (the US) are so evil, he should not taint his "pure" hands with the dollars we pay him for his oil.
Everywhere one looks - Babylon Rules!
Come Lord Jesus and bring to an end Institutionalized Prostitution!
_________________
(1) News Report
October 10th, 2012
[our highlights]
NATO Ready To Defend Turkey against Syria. (1)
NATO is ready to defend Turkey, the alliance's
top official said Tuesday, in a direct warning to Syria after a week of cross-border artillery and
mortar exchanges dramatically escalated tensions between the two countries.
Ankara has sent additional fighter jets to reinforce an air base close to the frontier with Syria where shells killed five Turkish civilians last week, sparking fears of a wider regional crisis. Syria has defended its shelling of neighboring Turkey as an accidental outcome of its 18-month-old civil war.
The comments by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen were the strongest show of support to Turkey since the firing began Wednesday – though the solidarity is largely symbolic.
"Obviously Turkey can rely on NATO solidarity," Fogh Rasmussen said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. "We have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary."
Ankara has sent additional fighter jets to reinforce an air base close to the frontier with Syria where shells killed five Turkish civilians last week, sparking fears of a wider regional crisis. Syria has defended its shelling of neighboring Turkey as an accidental outcome of its 18-month-old civil war.
The comments by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen were the strongest show of support to Turkey since the firing began Wednesday – though the solidarity is largely symbolic.
"Obviously Turkey can rely on NATO solidarity," Fogh Rasmussen said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. "We have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary."
miguel de Portugal comments: We shall see what move, on the virtual chessboard, the Syrian partners make now. Let us not forget that no one has proven that the Syrian government forces were the ones originally shelling Turkey.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Congressman calls evolution lie from 'pit of hell'. (1)
Georgia Rep. Paul Broun said in videotaped remarks that
evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are "lies straight from the pit of hell" meant to
convince people that they do not need a savior.
The Republican lawmaker made those comments during a speech Sept. 27 at a sportsman's banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell. Broun, a medical doctor, is running for re-election in November unopposed by Democrats.
Broun also said that he believes the Earth is about 9,000 years old and that it was made in six days. Those beliefs are held by fundamentalist Christians who believe the creation accounts in the Bible to be literally true.
Broun spokeswoman Meredith Griffanti told the Athens Banner-Herald that Broun was recorded speaking off-the-record to a church group about his religious beliefs. He sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The Republican lawmaker made those comments during a speech Sept. 27 at a sportsman's banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell. Broun, a medical doctor, is running for re-election in November unopposed by Democrats.
Broun also said that he believes the Earth is about 9,000 years old and that it was made in six days. Those beliefs are held by fundamentalist Christians who believe the creation accounts in the Bible to be literally true.
Broun spokeswoman Meredith Griffanti told the Athens Banner-Herald that Broun was recorded speaking off-the-record to a church group about his religious beliefs. He sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
miguel de Portugal comments: Technically speaking - and wrong as he is - we prefer the option of an individual who believes that we need a Savior than one who thinks that he/she does not.
If we were not as close to the precipice as we are, we would have written Mr. Broun a letter attaching our report (2) showing that either theory needs the other to be valid, while confirming the reality of God ad the need of a Savior. That brand of behind-the-scenes work occupied much of our time from 1991 through 2000. Then it began to quickly taper off until we reached the point where we are at now - no more letters of such nature. The die has been cast. All that we have left to do is pray.
As a matter of fact, it seems that the last letter/report was the one we sent to Fidel Castro (telling him how he had been had, by the world Masters, over and over again) which resulted in his returning to the spotlight warning the world of a nuclear war.... until he went silent, all of a sudden, after months of being on the world's limelight..
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) True Story of Creation
October 9th, 2012
[contributor's highlights]
Worship
Him or Despise Him. (1)
From
Michael Voris' Vortex....
Jesus
demanded we conform to our destinies .. the destinies HE created for us .. eternal life with Him.
And he was a man when he said it.
No
mealy-mouthed don’t be offensive overt wimpiness with him. He called them as He saw
them, and being God, he always sized them up correctly.
He
called the Jewish leaders the children of Satan. He said their synagogue was the synagogue of
Satan.
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen .. who incidentally we prayed to in earnest for this new studio and through those prayers a wonderful donor GAVE us all the money for it .. that same Bishop Sheen in his awesome book The Life of Christ says the following ...
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen .. who incidentally we prayed to in earnest for this new studio and through those prayers a wonderful donor GAVE us all the money for it .. that same Bishop Sheen in his awesome book The Life of Christ says the following ...
"If
he is what he claimed to be, a savior, a redeemer, then we have a virile Christ and a leader worth
following in these terrible times; One who will step into the breach of death, crushing sin, gloom
and despair; a leader to whom we can make totalitarian sacrifice without losing, but
gaining freedom, and whom we can love even unto death.
"We need a Christ today who make cords and drive the buyers and the sellers from the temples; who will blast the unfruitful fug tree; who will talk of crosses and sacrifices and whose voice will be like the voice of the raging sea.
"But he will not allow us pick and choose among his words, discarding the hard ones and accepting the ones that will please our fancy. We need a Christ who will restore moral indignation, Who will make us hate evil with a passionate intensity, and love goodness to a point where we can drink death like water."
"We need a Christ today who make cords and drive the buyers and the sellers from the temples; who will blast the unfruitful fug tree; who will talk of crosses and sacrifices and whose voice will be like the voice of the raging sea.
"But he will not allow us pick and choose among his words, discarding the hard ones and accepting the ones that will please our fancy. We need a Christ who will restore moral indignation, Who will make us hate evil with a passionate intensity, and love goodness to a point where we can drink death like water."
miguel de Portugal comments: When we are faced with acts of terrorism, whether verbal (like what Voris engage in) or physical, the following words of Jesus come to mind:
And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to
kill the soul: but rather
fear him that can destroy both soul and body in
hell. [Matthew 10:28]
Regarding Mr. Sheen's encouragement about telling it like it is, we must agree with him. That is why, henceforth, we are referring the Roman Catholic Administration and those who bow to them at the expense of the Truth, which IS Jesus Christ, as: This wicked, perverse, adulterous and sinful generation [Mat.12:39, 16:4, 17:16, Mk. 8:38] for they have sold the Word of God to the highest bidder - Mammon - just like their predecessors, the Temple Masters, did 2,000 years ago.
_________________
(1) Source
October 8th, 2012
[our highlights]
Turkey's military immediately returned fire on Sunday after yet another Syrian shell landed on its soil. (1)
The artillery round landed in the town of Akcakale, a few hundred metres away from where a shell
landed on Wednesday killing five civilians. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the
latest strike.
The shell landed during a period of intense fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels just the other side of the border.
It was reported that the rebels seized a government outpost near the province of Hatay which sits on a hill overlooking the Turkish village of Guvecci on Saturday and a day later a rebel flag was seen flying over the building.
In the wake of recent artillery fire from Syrian forces, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Damascus on Friday that Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked.
The shell landed during a period of intense fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels just the other side of the border.
It was reported that the rebels seized a government outpost near the province of Hatay which sits on a hill overlooking the Turkish village of Guvecci on Saturday and a day later a rebel flag was seen flying over the building.
In the wake of recent artillery fire from Syrian forces, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Damascus on Friday that Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked.
miguel de Portugal comments: On October 5th, commenting on Turkey's parliament approval of military action in response to Syria attack, we commented:
Actually, this may be a (forced) blessing in disguise. Now the
Western Powers have a "beach head" in Syria which allows circumventing the UN Security council
action-blockade imposed by Russia and China.
Neither Russia nor China can object since it would be an act of self defense by Turkey and.... if Russia and/or China dared to interfere militarily with Turkey they would be declaring war on NATO.
Clever, isn't it?
Neither Russia nor China can object since it would be an act of self defense by Turkey and.... if Russia and/or China dared to interfere militarily with Turkey they would be declaring war on NATO.
Clever, isn't it?
To give you an idea of how complex the situation may be, and using ample historical examples, those shots fired into Turkey from Syria could be from the rebels, on their own or with the encouragement of Turkey and/or other NATO members. They could even be "blessed" by China and Russia so that, with the pretext of avoiding a war with NATO, they "just have to look the other way" while the Western Powers ousts the current Syrian regime.
This, brothers and sisters, is how the system has worked for centuries.
Of course, the enigma is, what will Syria do if Turkey launches an all out war against it? Will we witness the beginning of Isaiah 17 after Syria, feeling cornered, resorts to the unthinkable WMD?
17 A prophecy against Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be
a city but will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks,
which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. 3 The fortified city will disappear from
Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the
Israelites," declares the Lord Almighty.
Of course, the one minor detail is that such an event may finally ignite the worldwide holocaust in which there will not be any winners as the rest of Isaiah claims.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
US to allow South Korea to have longer-range missiles. (1)
The United States has agreed to allow South Korea to
possess longer-range missiles that could strike all of North Korea, officials said Sunday,
a development expected to draw an angry response from the North.
Under a 2001 accord with Washington, South Korea has been barred from developing and deploying ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and a payload of more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) because of concerns about a regional arms race.
The restriction has made South Korea's missile capability inferior to that of rival North Korea, and some key military installations in the North have been out of South Korea's missile range.
South Korea announced Sunday that the U.S. accord has been altered to allow the South to have ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles) to better cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Under a 2001 accord with Washington, South Korea has been barred from developing and deploying ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and a payload of more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) because of concerns about a regional arms race.
The restriction has made South Korea's missile capability inferior to that of rival North Korea, and some key military installations in the North have been out of South Korea's missile range.
South Korea announced Sunday that the U.S. accord has been altered to allow the South to have ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles) to better cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
miguel de Portugal comments: So what happened with the much touted beginning of the Honeymoon with the new N.K. regime? We suppose that the worldwide industrial-military complex needed some extra business and Al-Assad could conceivably resign, after all, ruining their business plans for the rest of 2012.
_________________
(1) News Report
October 7th, 2012 [Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary]
[our highlights]
EU considers far-reaching Internet security initiative. (1)
Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly more daunting challenge as governments try to prevent
attacks against critical infrastructure on which the well-being of countries depends. Now, several
European countries are trying to come together in an effort to defend themselves against a cyber
attack.
ITNews reports that documents leaked an initiative by the European Union, called CleanIT, shows proposal obligating Internet companies to include anti-terrorism features in their software and set up hotlines with law enforcement agencies to report such issues.
The proposal also includes Internet filtering and virtual policing which have some civil rights and privacy advocates worry about Internet freedom. These advocates argue that voluntary but binding agreements between Internet users Internet service providers (ISP) would compromise this freedom.
According to the leaked document, the goal of CleanIT is to develop a set of general rules and practices that the private sector can follow through non-legislative guidelines. The rules would take affect between six months and two years of an Internet organization committing to the recommendations and rules.
ITNews reports that documents leaked an initiative by the European Union, called CleanIT, shows proposal obligating Internet companies to include anti-terrorism features in their software and set up hotlines with law enforcement agencies to report such issues.
The proposal also includes Internet filtering and virtual policing which have some civil rights and privacy advocates worry about Internet freedom. These advocates argue that voluntary but binding agreements between Internet users Internet service providers (ISP) would compromise this freedom.
According to the leaked document, the goal of CleanIT is to develop a set of general rules and practices that the private sector can follow through non-legislative guidelines. The rules would take affect between six months and two years of an Internet organization committing to the recommendations and rules.
miguel de Portugal comments: (See comments after the following News Report)
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Electronic surveillance by U.S. law enforcement agencies has increased dramatically. (1)
According to data obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), U.S. law enforcement's
surveillance of e-mails and other Internet communication has dramatically increased in the last
two years.
From 2009 through 2011, trap-and-trace orders along with pen registers that were obtained by federal law enforcement agencies have increased 361 percent according to the ACLU. The Department of Justice released the data to the ACLU after the civil rights group sued the agency under the Freedom of Information Act.
Pen registers capture outgoing data from a surveillance subject, while trap-and-trace orders collect incoming data, including the addresses of e-mail messages that a subject is talking with on instant message services.
When you include the numbers of telephone surveillance "more people were subjected to pen register and trap-and-trace surveillance in the past two years than in the entire previous decade." Naomi Gilens, a legal assistant with the ACLU wrote in a blog post.
DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd said that federal judges authorize each pen register and trap-and-trace order "As criminals increasingly use new and more sophisticated technologies, the use of orders issued by a judge and explicitly authorized by Congress to obtain non-content information is essential for federal law enforcement officials to carry out their duty to protect the public and investigate violations of federal laws."
From 2009 through 2011, trap-and-trace orders along with pen registers that were obtained by federal law enforcement agencies have increased 361 percent according to the ACLU. The Department of Justice released the data to the ACLU after the civil rights group sued the agency under the Freedom of Information Act.
Pen registers capture outgoing data from a surveillance subject, while trap-and-trace orders collect incoming data, including the addresses of e-mail messages that a subject is talking with on instant message services.
When you include the numbers of telephone surveillance "more people were subjected to pen register and trap-and-trace surveillance in the past two years than in the entire previous decade." Naomi Gilens, a legal assistant with the ACLU wrote in a blog post.
DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd said that federal judges authorize each pen register and trap-and-trace order "As criminals increasingly use new and more sophisticated technologies, the use of orders issued by a judge and explicitly authorized by Congress to obtain non-content information is essential for federal law enforcement officials to carry out their duty to protect the public and investigate violations of federal laws."
miguel de Portugal comments: Recognizing - no, not recognizing but knowing the fact - that this type of control/surveillance will eventually be used for mass population control, we cannot argue with its need..
If it had not been for some monitoring and reporting system already in place, a 21 year old student in Mallorca, Spain, would have gone ahead with a deadly attack at a local University that would have made the Columbine event look like a Sunday outing. Since he could not acquire weapons (it is very hard in Spain), he became an explosive's expert and was going to seed the campus with multiple pipe bombs loaded with shrapnel. He was arrested three days ago when over 150 kilograms of chemicals were being delivered to his apartment.
With that kind of activity going on far too often, plus the horrific child pornography ever-flourishing business, I say: Step on it and set the filters and controls ASAP!
We know that our pages and e-mails are monitored and have been for years, and so is my physical person. However, since we have nothing to hide from legitimate authorities, that is not a problem. Our on-line and phone discretion is because of the proverbial guy (turned-into-fanatic) next door (2) and outright thieves prowling both communication systems.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) Keep in mind that, over the years, there have several attempts against my life.
October 6th, 2012 [First Saturday of the Month]
[our highlights]
Energy company plans to frack a volcano. (1)
With reports only recently confirming that fracking is not,
as long as its properly regulated, the
earthquake-generating terror we thought it was, a U.S. geothermal company has decided it’s a
great idea to extract clean energy from a dormant volcano by hydrofracking its hot underbelly to
generate steam.
AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry, the companies behind the $43 million plan, have been granted a permit to hydrofrack the hot rocks flanking the Newberry volcano in Oregon, where Davenport Newberry has secured federal leases on 62 square miles of land.
This will involve injecting water into a series of cracks in the rocks at a high enough pressure that it reaches three kilometres beneath the surface, fracturing connected veins of rock to access the heat beneath and creating a series of connected geothermal reservoirs in the process.
Water will be introduced to these reservoirs, where heat from the rocks will turn it to steam, which then turns turbines at surface-level to generate electricity.
Fracking is a method typically used to extract fossil fuels, and one that has caused controversy in recent years because of its potential to trigger (albeit mild) earthquakes.
According to a recent survey by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, however, earthquakes are unlikely if companies employ "best practice" and enforce strict regulatory procedures.
With any risk factor at all, however, it seems odd that a volcano would be a first choice to set up shop. Especially when that volcano hasn’t erupted for 1,400 years and the U.S. Geological Survey says it "is certain to erupt again".
AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry, the companies behind the $43 million plan, have been granted a permit to hydrofrack the hot rocks flanking the Newberry volcano in Oregon, where Davenport Newberry has secured federal leases on 62 square miles of land.
This will involve injecting water into a series of cracks in the rocks at a high enough pressure that it reaches three kilometres beneath the surface, fracturing connected veins of rock to access the heat beneath and creating a series of connected geothermal reservoirs in the process.
Water will be introduced to these reservoirs, where heat from the rocks will turn it to steam, which then turns turbines at surface-level to generate electricity.
Fracking is a method typically used to extract fossil fuels, and one that has caused controversy in recent years because of its potential to trigger (albeit mild) earthquakes.
According to a recent survey by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, however, earthquakes are unlikely if companies employ "best practice" and enforce strict regulatory procedures.
With any risk factor at all, however, it seems odd that a volcano would be a first choice to set up shop. Especially when that volcano hasn’t erupted for 1,400 years and the U.S. Geological Survey says it "is certain to erupt again".
miguel de Portugal comments: Notice the qualifiers: "fracking is not, as long as its properly regulated, the earthquake-generating terror we thought it was" and "earthquakes are unlikely if companies employ best practice and enforce strict regulatory procedures."
In the end, after the investigation is concluded (for the umpteenth man-made disaster), the world will be told that somehow the fracking was not "properly regulated" and, without a doubt, the victims will give a sigh of relief knowing that it was just a human error and not an error of judgment by (bow as you read the illustrious names of) the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
I am indeed thankful that I no longer practice Engineering. I do not think I could professionally interact with this quality of alleged engineers and scientists.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Clinics rush to warn patients of tainted steroid. (1)
Health providers are scrambling to notify patients in
nearly two dozen states that the routine steroid
injections they received for back pain in recent
months may have been contaminated with a deadly fungal meningitis.
It became apparent Thursday that hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people who got the shots between July and September could be at risk after officials revealed that a tainted steroid suspected to have caused a meningitis outbreak in the South had made its way to 75 clinics in 23 states.
So far, 35 people in six states - Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, North Carolina and Indiana — have contracted fungal meningitis, and five of them have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All had received steroid shots for back pain, a highly common treatment.
miguel de Portugal comments:
Please, share the above information with others. If just one person who received the injection and
does not know about this problem is informed, it will be worth while your effort.It became apparent Thursday that hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people who got the shots between July and September could be at risk after officials revealed that a tainted steroid suspected to have caused a meningitis outbreak in the South had made its way to 75 clinics in 23 states.
So far, 35 people in six states - Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, North Carolina and Indiana — have contracted fungal meningitis, and five of them have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All had received steroid shots for back pain, a highly common treatment.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
Fungus blamed for meningitis rarely causes trouble. (1)
The fungus blamed for causing a meningitis outbreak in
several states is mostly everywhere. It floats in the air, indoors and outdoors - and
only very rarely makes people sick.
People inhale Aspergillus fungus spores all the time without any problem. It's nearly impossible to avoid, found in such places as decaying leaves, trees, grain, soil, household dust, heating ducts and building materials. The fungus can also cause skin infections if it enters a break in the skin.
It's being blamed for meningitis that occurred after a steroid contaminated with it was injected into the spinal column of some patients getting pain treatments. That provides a rapid way for the fungus to cause a serious infection. It's not clear how the fungus got into the medication which was made by a specialty pharmacy.
People inhale Aspergillus fungus spores all the time without any problem. It's nearly impossible to avoid, found in such places as decaying leaves, trees, grain, soil, household dust, heating ducts and building materials. The fungus can also cause skin infections if it enters a break in the skin.
It's being blamed for meningitis that occurred after a steroid contaminated with it was injected into the spinal column of some patients getting pain treatments. That provides a rapid way for the fungus to cause a serious infection. It's not clear how the fungus got into the medication which was made by a specialty pharmacy.
miguel de Portugal comments: Being the contaminant such a common fungus, this is a real tragedy since it may have been next to impossible to predict the results of what turned into a fatal combination. Although microbiology is not my field, it seems that this was not a human (scientist) failure; just an unfortunate coincidence.
_________________
(1) News Report
October 5th, 2012 [First Friday of the Month ]
For the first time in many years (if ever), I watched the Presidential debate on TV. This is the first time that I remember watching either Obama or Romney speak, in any context. Untill now, what I knew about them was from what I read, not from seeing them on camera.
1. At the beginning of the debate, when I saw Romney, I had the impression of watching a fully
possessed, bug-eyed automaton or zombie. At the start, Obama gave a neutral impression, without
the machine-like aspect that I saw with Romney.
2. As I listened to the debate, I had difficulty making a distinction between them. Their differences seemed to be minor technicalities, at most. They were different in which cliches they used, but not in substance.
3. As the debate continued, Romney came alive, while Obama visibly weakened.
4. I had the impression that Romney won the debate ... or rather, that Obama forfeited it to Romney. I came to the debate prepared for - and expecting - Obama to wipe the floor with Romney. It did not occur.
2. As I listened to the debate, I had difficulty making a distinction between them. Their differences seemed to be minor technicalities, at most. They were different in which cliches they used, but not in substance.
3. As the debate continued, Romney came alive, while Obama visibly weakened.
4. I had the impression that Romney won the debate ... or rather, that Obama forfeited it to Romney. I came to the debate prepared for - and expecting - Obama to wipe the floor with Romney. It did not occur.
I have visited several commentary sites, and the general impression is that Romney won, and Obama lost badly. This is a negative turning point for the Obama campaign; more lackluster performances like this, and the vote may tip in Romney's direction. Such is the "conventional wisdom" tonight, from left and right.
I have several theories to explain why things went as they did tonight. One is:
Obama may have gotten a visit from the real rulers, and was told either that he was slated
to lose, OR that conditions would be so bad after November that he would not WANT to be in the
Oval Office as those events unfold.
miguel de Portugal comments: The debate performance, from what you say - which is confirmed by what we have captured in passing from the European news outlets - is so unchararcteristic that Mr. Obama may have had "one of those visits" which causes any world leader to make "a U-turn on a dime", so to speak.
Mr. Romney (politcs aside) is no match for Mr. Obama in public speaking and/or debates - thus the incoherence of the debate outcome.
Regarding your second choice - I feel it is quite unlikely. No matter how bad the post-November scenario may have looked to Mr. Obama, the temptation to try his hand at "saving the world" would have been too great to back down from.
Thank you for sharing your views on this matter.
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Turkey approves military action in response to Syria attack. (1)
Turkey's parliament has voted by 320 to 129 in favour of
authorising foreign military operations for a period of
one year. This permits action in Syria if Ankara deems it necessary. The move comes
following an attack by Syrian forces on the town of Akcakale on Wednesday that killed five
civilians.
miguel de Portugal comments: Actually, this may be a (forced) blessing in disguise. Now the Western Powers have a "beach head" in Syria which allows circumventing the UN Security council action-blockade imposed by Russia and China.
Neither Russia nor China can object since it would be an act of self defense by Turkey and.... if Russia and/or China dared to interfere militarily with Turkey they would be declaring war on NATO.
Clever, isn't it?
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
October 4th, 2012
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Turkish military strikes back after Syrian attack. (1)
The Turkish military has struck at targets inside Syria
in response to a mortar bomb fired from inside Syrian territory. The attack reportedly
killed five Turkish civilians including children in the border town of Akcakale.
The prime minister's office said Turkish armed forces responded immediately to what it called an "abominable attack", blaming the Syrian regime for provoking Turkey's national security. The shell fell in the middle of a residential area and injured at least nine other people.
The attack has prompted NATO's ambassadors to meet – an event that occurs when a member state feels its territorial integrity is under threat.
The prime minister's office said Turkish armed forces responded immediately to what it called an "abominable attack", blaming the Syrian regime for provoking Turkey's national security. The shell fell in the middle of a residential area and injured at least nine other people.
The attack has prompted NATO's ambassadors to meet – an event that occurs when a member state feels its territorial integrity is under threat.
miguel de Portugal comments: Sooner or later the Turks may just say Enough! regarding Syria and take care of the situation while the rest of the Western powers continue to wring their (well manicured) hands as the slaughter of innocent people continue.
The West - read: Turkey's NATO partners - does not really know the Turks - for whom we have great respect. We could learn much from them but we do not take advantage of that very rich cultural source.
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Outlawing the promotion of homosexuality is a step closer in Ukraine. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: We welcome the good news. Do note that we are highlighting "outlawing the promotion of" which is not the same as "outlawing homosexuality".
As some of you may recall, in our document about homosexuality (2) we wrote:
(1) News Report
(2) On Homosexuality - Understanding the Real Issues and Their Repercussions
[our highlights]
Outlawing the promotion of homosexuality is a step closer in Ukraine. (1)
Ukraine's parliament has taken the first step towards
making it illegal to promote homosexuality as a
way of life.
The draft bill, which has passed its first reading, says this constitutes a threat to national security. Prison terms of up to five years are suggested.
Activists gathered outside to protest against the bill's approval.
The draft bill, which has passed its first reading, says this constitutes a threat to national security. Prison terms of up to five years are suggested.
Activists gathered outside to protest against the bill's approval.
miguel de Portugal comments: We welcome the good news. Do note that we are highlighting "outlawing the promotion of" which is not the same as "outlawing homosexuality".
As some of you may recall, in our document about homosexuality (2) we wrote:
Redefining the (Homosexuality) Problem
The true problems lie in:
1.- The persecution of homosexuals; and
2.- The promotion of the proliferation of homosexual lifestyle.
(1) News Report
(2) On Homosexuality - Understanding the Real Issues and Their Repercussions
October 3rd, 2012
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Hackers break in to White House military office network in charge of the president's nuclear football. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: The only information that we can be sure of, after reviewing the report and knowing the script of the End of These Times "play", is that this five page dis-information tool will be used, when God allows whomever to launch the first nuclear missile, to claim that: (a) it was by mistake; or (b) it was a regrettable overreaction; or (c) "The devil made me do it" excuse as Flip Wilson's character Geraldine used often; or (d) we never thought that it could happen; etc., etc.
It also seems that now the "linked to China" excuse is beginning to surpass the "al-Qaeda linked" prefix to describe the cause of anything from a flat tire to a car bomb killing 100 innocent people, with a "bad hair day" in between both extremes.
Allow me this bit of lack of humility: These (3) people are not even good at being bad. The reason they get away with it is because the general population seems to have molasses flowing through their veins and are in a perpetual semi catatonic state.
Incidentally - this perpetual semi catatonic state is not unique to us - Europeans are in the same state except instead of molasses flowing through their veins it is olive oil!
The next high fashion items we expect to see in the Paris fashion runways are Designer Bibs.... so that the drool does not stain the dresses or suits of the world's elite!
_________________
(1) Source (five pages worth of half-baked disinformation.)
(2) The Chinese Link; Oh, yes, The Link! As reliable as the assurances about Saddam Hussein's apocalyptic stores of WMD.
(3) "These" could be any group from within the Saviours of the World matrix.
Commentary on a News Report provided by (Mr) W.S.
[our highlights]
Regarding the recent 3.4 magnitude quake which recently rattled Dallas, Texas, (1) and its possible relation to fracking (2)....
miguel de Portugal comments: No question about it - should we get to next Christmas - the most popular gift will have to be selected from the new line of "Designer Bibs"!
Thank you, WS, for a very possible inferno like scenario.
________________
(1) News Report
(2) Fracking: A slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracking refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open. The larger fissures allow more oil and gas to flow out of the formation and into the wellbore, from where it can be extracted. Fracking has resulted in many oil and gas wells attaining a state of economic viability, due to the level of extraction that can be reached.
[our highlights]
Hackers break in to White House military office network in charge of the president's nuclear football. (1)
Hackers linked to China's government
(2) broke into one of the U.S. government's
most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for
nuclear commands, according to defense and intelligence officials familiar with the incident.
U.S. officials familiar with reports of the White House hacking incident said it took place earlier this month and involved unidentified hackers, believed to have used computer servers in China, who accessed the computer network used by the White House Military Office (WHMO), the president's military office in charge of some of the government's most sensitive communications, including strategic nuclear commands. The office also arranges presidential communications and travel, and inter-government teleconferences involving senior policy and intelligence officials.
"In this instance the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place," the official said.
"This is the most sensitive office in the U.S. government," said a former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the work of the office. "A compromise there would cause grave strategic damage to the United States."
According to the former official, the secrets held within the WHMO include data on the so-called "nuclear football," the nuclear command and control suitcase used by the president to be in constant communication with strategic nuclear forces commanders for launching nuclear missiles or bombers.
U.S. officials familiar with reports of the White House hacking incident said it took place earlier this month and involved unidentified hackers, believed to have used computer servers in China, who accessed the computer network used by the White House Military Office (WHMO), the president's military office in charge of some of the government's most sensitive communications, including strategic nuclear commands. The office also arranges presidential communications and travel, and inter-government teleconferences involving senior policy and intelligence officials.
"In this instance the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place," the official said.
"This is the most sensitive office in the U.S. government," said a former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the work of the office. "A compromise there would cause grave strategic damage to the United States."
According to the former official, the secrets held within the WHMO include data on the so-called "nuclear football," the nuclear command and control suitcase used by the president to be in constant communication with strategic nuclear forces commanders for launching nuclear missiles or bombers.
miguel de Portugal comments: The only information that we can be sure of, after reviewing the report and knowing the script of the End of These Times "play", is that this five page dis-information tool will be used, when God allows whomever to launch the first nuclear missile, to claim that: (a) it was by mistake; or (b) it was a regrettable overreaction; or (c) "The devil made me do it" excuse as Flip Wilson's character Geraldine used often; or (d) we never thought that it could happen; etc., etc.
It also seems that now the "linked to China" excuse is beginning to surpass the "al-Qaeda linked" prefix to describe the cause of anything from a flat tire to a car bomb killing 100 innocent people, with a "bad hair day" in between both extremes.
Allow me this bit of lack of humility: These (3) people are not even good at being bad. The reason they get away with it is because the general population seems to have molasses flowing through their veins and are in a perpetual semi catatonic state.
Incidentally - this perpetual semi catatonic state is not unique to us - Europeans are in the same state except instead of molasses flowing through their veins it is olive oil!
The next high fashion items we expect to see in the Paris fashion runways are Designer Bibs.... so that the drool does not stain the dresses or suits of the world's elite!
_________________
(1) Source (five pages worth of half-baked disinformation.)
(2) The Chinese Link; Oh, yes, The Link! As reliable as the assurances about Saddam Hussein's apocalyptic stores of WMD.
(3) "These" could be any group from within the Saviours of the World matrix.
Commentary on a News Report provided by (Mr) W.S.
[our highlights]
Regarding the recent 3.4 magnitude quake which recently rattled Dallas, Texas, (1) and its possible relation to fracking (2)....
There are four major super volcano calderas in the Western U.S. :Island Park in Idaho, La Garita
in Colorado, Long Valley in California and of course Yellowstone in Wyoming and surrounding
states.
Fracking seems to be making headway toward these hot spots. If the "Molotov cocktail" of various toxic chemicals, water and crystallized sand has its way, natural gas, consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content, might well be a trigger mechanism for much devastation.
What a display of the economy of God that the search for remnants of prehistoric life (oil and gas) would be our undoing. Not just earthquakes and magma but such a release of hydrocarbons that would light the atmosphere. Quite literally hell on Earth.
I remember hearing about the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico. The scientists did not really know how long the chain reaction would last. And yet they went ahead.
As they would say, the End of Theses Times coming up - with a seminar to follow!
Fracking seems to be making headway toward these hot spots. If the "Molotov cocktail" of various toxic chemicals, water and crystallized sand has its way, natural gas, consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content, might well be a trigger mechanism for much devastation.
What a display of the economy of God that the search for remnants of prehistoric life (oil and gas) would be our undoing. Not just earthquakes and magma but such a release of hydrocarbons that would light the atmosphere. Quite literally hell on Earth.
I remember hearing about the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico. The scientists did not really know how long the chain reaction would last. And yet they went ahead.
As they would say, the End of Theses Times coming up - with a seminar to follow!
miguel de Portugal comments: No question about it - should we get to next Christmas - the most popular gift will have to be selected from the new line of "Designer Bibs"!
Thank you, WS, for a very possible inferno like scenario.
________________
(1) News Report
(2) Fracking: A slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracking refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open. The larger fissures allow more oil and gas to flow out of the formation and into the wellbore, from where it can be extracted. Fracking has resulted in many oil and gas wells attaining a state of economic viability, due to the level of extraction that can be reached.
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Thousands pray for US at 'America for Jesus' rally. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: What God wants - and needs so that He may act on our behalf - is real prayer and not this kind of political publicity stunts which remind us of the Religious Tourism to Marian Apparition Sites.
Before 1991, in Houston, Texas, the rosary prayer groups and demonstrations in front of the abortion clinics were frequent events.
Then, a once a week night of Adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament was organized by a couple - faith acquaintances of mine - to end abortion and make reparation for abortion related sins. It was in a magnificently restored 19th century church - untouched by any Vatican II remodeling allowances - centrally located, traffic free, with ample and secure parking. We started at 8 P.M. and was concluded at 9 P.M. We had communal as well as individual prayers. To me it was like a bit of Heaven!
In a few weeks we had to discontinue it. The attendance was down to four - Jesus, the organizing couple and myself! However, the popular "look at me how holy I am" demonstrations and rosaries continued in front of the abortion clinics.
The First Chapter of Isaiah should be required reading for those who need to know that God is not deaf: He is just ignoring what is not pleasing to Him.
Prayer rallies, vigils, etc. Enough! Serious prayer, real fasting, acts of reparation and sacrifices is what God wants and needs to act. All else, as the saying goes, is dressing which, without the main course (serious prayer, real fasting, acts of reparation and sacrifices), is a waste of time.
_________________
(1) News Report
[our highlights]
Thousands pray for US at 'America for Jesus' rally. (1)
Thousands of conservative Christians gathered Saturday on Independence Mall in Philadelphia to
pray for the future of the United States in the weeks before the presidential election. Religious
broadcaster Pat Robertson and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins topped a full day of
speakers at "The America for Jesus 2012" prayer rally.
Robertson, a former Republican candidate for president, called the election important, but didn't mention either major political party or candidate by name.
"I don't care what the ACLU says or any atheists say. This nation belongs to Jesus, and we're here today to reclaim his sovereignty," said Robertson, 82, who founded the Christian Coalition and Christian Broadcasting Network, and ran for president in 1988.
Organizers plan another prayer rally Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C., two weeks before President Barack Obama faces Republican Mitt Romney in the presidential election. Perkins asked the crowd to pray for elected officials including Obama.
"We pray that his eyes will be open to the truth," Perkins said. A number of event organizers, though, have been vocal critics of the Democratic president.
Steve Strang, the influential Pentecostal publisher of Charisma magazine, which was distributed at the rally, recently wrote in a blog post that America is under threat from a "radical homosexual agenda." He also said Obama "seems to be moving toward some form of European socialism."
Robertson, a former Republican candidate for president, called the election important, but didn't mention either major political party or candidate by name.
"I don't care what the ACLU says or any atheists say. This nation belongs to Jesus, and we're here today to reclaim his sovereignty," said Robertson, 82, who founded the Christian Coalition and Christian Broadcasting Network, and ran for president in 1988.
Organizers plan another prayer rally Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C., two weeks before President Barack Obama faces Republican Mitt Romney in the presidential election. Perkins asked the crowd to pray for elected officials including Obama.
"We pray that his eyes will be open to the truth," Perkins said. A number of event organizers, though, have been vocal critics of the Democratic president.
Steve Strang, the influential Pentecostal publisher of Charisma magazine, which was distributed at the rally, recently wrote in a blog post that America is under threat from a "radical homosexual agenda." He also said Obama "seems to be moving toward some form of European socialism."
miguel de Portugal comments: What God wants - and needs so that He may act on our behalf - is real prayer and not this kind of political publicity stunts which remind us of the Religious Tourism to Marian Apparition Sites.
Before 1991, in Houston, Texas, the rosary prayer groups and demonstrations in front of the abortion clinics were frequent events.
Then, a once a week night of Adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament was organized by a couple - faith acquaintances of mine - to end abortion and make reparation for abortion related sins. It was in a magnificently restored 19th century church - untouched by any Vatican II remodeling allowances - centrally located, traffic free, with ample and secure parking. We started at 8 P.M. and was concluded at 9 P.M. We had communal as well as individual prayers. To me it was like a bit of Heaven!
In a few weeks we had to discontinue it. The attendance was down to four - Jesus, the organizing couple and myself! However, the popular "look at me how holy I am" demonstrations and rosaries continued in front of the abortion clinics.
The First Chapter of Isaiah should be required reading for those who need to know that God is not deaf: He is just ignoring what is not pleasing to Him.
Prayer rallies, vigils, etc. Enough! Serious prayer, real fasting, acts of reparation and sacrifices is what God wants and needs to act. All else, as the saying goes, is dressing which, without the main course (serious prayer, real fasting, acts of reparation and sacrifices), is a waste of time.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Boy Scouts to report pedophiles missed previously. (1)
[our highlights]
Boy Scouts to report pedophiles missed previously. (1)
The Boy Scouts of America plan to begin doing what
critics argue they should have done decades ago - bring suspected abusers named in the
organization's so-called perversion files to the attention of police departments and sheriff's
offices across the country.
The Scouts have, until now, argued they did all they could to prevent sex abuse within their ranks by spending a century tracking pedophiles and using those records to keep known sex offenders out of their organization. But a court-ordered release of the perversion files from 1965 to 1985, expected sometime in October, has prompted Scouts spokesman Deron Smith to say the organization will go back into the files and report any offenders who may have fallen through the cracks.
Smith said Mike Johnson, the group's youth protection director and a former police detective, will lead the review.
That could prompt a new round of criminal prosecutions for offenders who have so far escaped justice, said Clatsop County, Ore., District Attorney Josh Marquis. But investigations may require more than what most Scout files provide, including victims willing to cooperate.
"Let's even assume the suspect confessed," he said. "An uncorroborated confession is not sufficient for a conviction."
Many states have no statutes of limitations for children victimized when they were younger than 16, so even decades-old crimes could be fair game.
The Scouts have, until now, argued they did all they could to prevent sex abuse within their ranks by spending a century tracking pedophiles and using those records to keep known sex offenders out of their organization. But a court-ordered release of the perversion files from 1965 to 1985, expected sometime in October, has prompted Scouts spokesman Deron Smith to say the organization will go back into the files and report any offenders who may have fallen through the cracks.
Smith said Mike Johnson, the group's youth protection director and a former police detective, will lead the review.
That could prompt a new round of criminal prosecutions for offenders who have so far escaped justice, said Clatsop County, Ore., District Attorney Josh Marquis. But investigations may require more than what most Scout files provide, including victims willing to cooperate.
"Let's even assume the suspect confessed," he said. "An uncorroborated confession is not sufficient for a conviction."
Many states have no statutes of limitations for children victimized when they were younger than 16, so even decades-old crimes could be fair game.
miguel de Portugal comments: Many years ago, in the Houston Metroplex, checks without funds ("hot checks") were frequently passed as good. Bank penalties were essentially non existent or inconsequential and legal proceedings were more expensive than it was worth, thus the "hot check" issue was a real problem with small the merchants.... until someone had a great idea: Post the "hot checks" on a bulletin board behind the cash register (so that everyone coming through would see it) until the culprit came back and exchanged it for the cash amount. It was like a miracle - the initially full bulletin boards became quasi empty overnight and the "passing hot checks" became a very minor problem for the small merchants.
Our point? Once the name of the sex offenders begins to be "trumpeted from the rooftops" we assure you, the cases will be reduced overnight.
If, years ago, they had slapped a Bishop in jail for shuffling around known pedo-priests - and announced the fact world wide - the still persistent pedo-problem in the Roman Catholic Church would have come to a screeching halt. Bishops - who otherwise would not have cared - would have swung into action and stopped it on its proverbial tracks.
Yes, yes.... we know. Bishops claim to be successors of the Apostles..... but remember, Judas Iscariot was also an Apostle!
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Easily obtained counterfeit IDs present real risks. (1)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in which the agency demonstrates that
counterfeit documents can still be used easily to obtain valid driver's licenses and state-issued
identification cards under fictitious identities; GAO recommended that DHS exert more assertive
leadership in an effort to correct the problem
Brian Zimmer, president of the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License, stated, "The GAO replicated the same techniques used by the 9/11 terrorists to get more than 30 driver's license and IDs from state licensing agencies. To obtain a driver's license with your photo but with someone else's biographic information or with fictitious information, terrorists need only travel to a state where identification standards are low and service is fast. Terrorists planning future attacks on Americans will be delighted by GAO's findings, but Congress should be very concerned."
Brian Zimmer, president of the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License, stated, "The GAO replicated the same techniques used by the 9/11 terrorists to get more than 30 driver's license and IDs from state licensing agencies. To obtain a driver's license with your photo but with someone else's biographic information or with fictitious information, terrorists need only travel to a state where identification standards are low and service is fast. Terrorists planning future attacks on Americans will be delighted by GAO's findings, but Congress should be very concerned."
miguel de Portugal comments: No surprises here.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Law enforcement can store, identify millions of voice samples using new software. (1)
Everyone this day can be identified by a fingerprint, DNA, or even a picture. Now, with the help
of a Russian company, the FBI will soon be using voice recognition to identify people; the FBI
says voice biometrics will be a "reliable and consistent means of identification for use in remote
recognition"
Everyone this day can be identified by a fingerprint, DNA, or even a picture. Now, with the help of a Russian company, the FBI will soon be using voice recognition to identify people.
The FBI Biometric Center of Excellence says that voice recognition systems are "a popular choice for remote authentication due to the availability of devices for collecting speech samples (e.g., telephone network and computer microphones) and its ease of integration."
Computerworld reports that the company SpeechPro, which has offices in the United States but is based in Russia, created a program called VoiceGrid Nation.
Everyone this day can be identified by a fingerprint, DNA, or even a picture. Now, with the help of a Russian company, the FBI will soon be using voice recognition to identify people.
The FBI Biometric Center of Excellence says that voice recognition systems are "a popular choice for remote authentication due to the availability of devices for collecting speech samples (e.g., telephone network and computer microphones) and its ease of integration."
Computerworld reports that the company SpeechPro, which has offices in the United States but is based in Russia, created a program called VoiceGrid Nation.
miguel de Portugal comments: Anyone can get an official US Drivers License with easily falsified documents.... as long, of course, as they just don't say a word.... otherwise the new "Super-Duper" (Russian developed and made) SpeechPro program will identify them.
At least we are coherent in our stupidity since we can have actual close up photographs of Mars, an ample supply of lunar samples, land a device on a large asteroid, but are 95% ignorant of the area that covers most of the planet - the oceans.
Our level of stupidity and idiocy is of such magnitude that it simply defies quantification.
_________________
(1) Homeland Security Reports
News reflecting the sign of the times....
[our highlights]
Retired Pennsylvania pastor killed both wives. (1)
Retired Pennsylvania pastor Arthur "A.B." Schirmer was a
serial philanderer, preying on women in his church who were having trouble in their own
marriages, court documents say. Yet adultery
might have been the least of his sins.
Charged two years ago in the death of his second wife, Schirmer now stands accused of killing his first wife, too, after a grand jury concluded her injuries weren't consistent with a fall down the stairs, Lebanon County prosecutors announced Friday. He intends to plead innocent, and his children say they support him.
Charged two years ago in the death of his second wife, Schirmer now stands accused of killing his first wife, too, after a grand jury concluded her injuries weren't consistent with a fall down the stairs, Lebanon County prosecutors announced Friday. He intends to plead innocent, and his children say they support him.
Before an unruly Tennessee party ended with a student hospitalized for a dangerously high blood
alcohol level, most people had probably never heard of alcohol enemas.
Thanks to the drunken exploits of a fraternity at the University of Tennessee, the bizarre way of getting drunk is giving parents, administrators and health care workers a new fear.
When Alexander "Xander" Broughton, 20, was delivered to the hospital after midnight on Sept. 22, his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.448 percent — nearly six times the intoxication that defines drunken driving in the state.
"It is believed that members of the fraternity were utilizing rubber tubing inserted into their rectums as a conduit for alcohol," according to a police report.
Thanks to the drunken exploits of a fraternity at the University of Tennessee, the bizarre way of getting drunk is giving parents, administrators and health care workers a new fear.
When Alexander "Xander" Broughton, 20, was delivered to the hospital after midnight on Sept. 22, his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.448 percent — nearly six times the intoxication that defines drunken driving in the state.
"It is believed that members of the fraternity were utilizing rubber tubing inserted into their rectums as a conduit for alcohol," according to a police report.
In Nanaimo, Canada, Tara Ludvigson-Hill thought someone was playing a joke on her when she
received an $81 ticket for parking her car with the windows rolled down. When Ludvigson-Hill
parked at her workplace on a hot day, she left her windows open and thought nothing of it.
She told the Nanaimo Daily News, "I've been parking in the same spot for years and when the weather is hot, I leave my windows open. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous." The citation was issued for violation of Section 191 subsection 2 of the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act which states that parked vehicles must be secured.
Like many others, Ludvigson-Hill was not aware of the law. The officer told her that ignorance of the law was not an excuse, but eventually gave her a warning and no fine was issued.
She told the Nanaimo Daily News, "I've been parking in the same spot for years and when the weather is hot, I leave my windows open. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous." The citation was issued for violation of Section 191 subsection 2 of the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act which states that parked vehicles must be secured.
Like many others, Ludvigson-Hill was not aware of the law. The officer told her that ignorance of the law was not an excuse, but eventually gave her a warning and no fine was issued.
___________
The Links to the past News Commentary Issues follow:
February
2012
January 2012
December 2011
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
January and February 2005
November and December 2004
September and October 2004
July and August 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March and April 2004
February 2004
January 2012
December 2011
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
January and February 2005
November and December 2004
September and October 2004
July and August 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March and April 2004
February 2004
© Copyright 2012 - 2019 by The M+G+R Foundation. All rights reserved. However, you may freely reproduce and distribute this document as long as: (1) Appropriate credit is given as to its source; (2) No changes are made in the text without prior written consent; and (3) No charge is made for it.
The M+G+R Foundation
About Us and Frequently Asked Questions
PAGE of INTRODUCTION to DOMAIN
HOME PAGE
HOME PAGE - Español
HOME PAGE - Portugues
Back Up HOME PAGE
Our Research Department
Please Note: If the above dated image does not appear on this document, it means that you are not viewing the original document from our servers. Should you have reason to doubt the authenticity of the document, we recommend that you access our server again and click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button of your Browser to view the original document.
If you wish to contact The M+G+R Foundation, please Click Here and follow the instructions.