The M+G+R Foundation
Current News Commentary (1)
Please Note:
The
postings on this page will become less frequent than they have been in the past. Whenever we make
a post on this forum, the date will appear at the bottom of the
Divine Encouragement
page.
March 30th, 2013 [Holy Saturday]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
'The Attacks Have Changed From Espionage to Destruction' . (1)
American Express customers trying to gain access to
their online accounts on Thursday were met with blank screens or an ominous ancient type
face. The company confirmed that its Web site had come under attack, ....
The assault was the latest in an intensifying campaign of unusually powerful attacks on American financial institutions that began in September and have taken dozens of them offline intermittently, costing millions of dollars.
Corporate leaders have long feared online attacks aimed at financial fraud or economic espionage, but now a new threat has taken hold: attackers, possibly with state backing, who seem bent on destruction.
"The attacks have changed from espionage to destruction," said Alan Paller, director of research at SANS, a cybersecurity training organization. "Nations are actively testing how far they can go before we will respond."
The assault was the latest in an intensifying campaign of unusually powerful attacks on American financial institutions that began in September and have taken dozens of them offline intermittently, costing millions of dollars.
Corporate leaders have long feared online attacks aimed at financial fraud or economic espionage, but now a new threat has taken hold: attackers, possibly with state backing, who seem bent on destruction.
"The attacks have changed from espionage to destruction," said Alan Paller, director of research at SANS, a cybersecurity training organization. "Nations are actively testing how far they can go before we will respond."
miguel de Portugal comments: As we were saying....
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
FBI 'flying saucers' NM memo (1) bureau's most viewed.
An FBI report of "flying saucers" in New Mexico sent to
then-Director J. Edgar Hoover in 1950 has become the most popular file in the bureau's
electronic reading room.
The Roswell Daily Record reports the memo sent to the FBI Washington, D.C., by Guy Hottel has been viewed nearly a million times.
The document is about a report of three flying saucers allegedly recovered in New Mexico, each occupied by three small human-shaped bodies. It says an informant told officials that the UFOs had ended up there because a government radar in the area interfered with their controlling mechanisms.
The FBI never followed up on the report. The memo is available in the "The Vault," an electronic reading room launched by the FBI in 2011 that contains around 6,700 public documents.
The Roswell Daily Record reports the memo sent to the FBI Washington, D.C., by Guy Hottel has been viewed nearly a million times.
The document is about a report of three flying saucers allegedly recovered in New Mexico, each occupied by three small human-shaped bodies. It says an informant told officials that the UFOs had ended up there because a government radar in the area interfered with their controlling mechanisms.
The FBI never followed up on the report. The memo is available in the "The Vault," an electronic reading room launched by the FBI in 2011 that contains around 6,700 public documents.
miguel de Portugal comments: What is most interesting is that there was no apparent official follow up on this memo, specially when the author, Guy Hottel, was of the SAC, Washington Office - not just the local National Park guard type. Considering what is now known about the modus operandi of Mr. Hoover and his "double book keeping" the assertion that the "FBI never followed up on the report" cannot be taken as the truth.
We report this just a matter of general interest. We do not lose sleep over these matters. Even if the popular ET's existed - they were also created by the same, and only, God Who created me. Given human history, even if they existed they could not possibly be any worse that we are.
_________________
(1) 'The Vault' memo
March 29th, 2013 [Holy Friday]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Spam row escalates into biggest ever cyber attack. (1)
Global internet services are suffering in the fallout from a row between a spam-fighting group and a hosting firm, in the biggest cyber attack in history.
Spamhaus, a Geneva and London based group which weeds out unsolicited "spam" messages for email
providers has been targeted by a Dutch web host in retaliation for being blacklisted.
Cyberbunker which says it will host anything with the exception of child pornography or terrorism-related material has accused Spamhaus of abusing it position claiming it should not be allowed to decide what goes onto the internet.
The upshot is that Spamhaus has been attacked with floods of messages from multiple systems for which it blames Cyberbunker.
The row is causing an internet slowdown and experts are concerned the attacks could soon escalate to affect banking and email systems.
Cyberbunker which says it will host anything with the exception of child pornography or terrorism-related material has accused Spamhaus of abusing it position claiming it should not be allowed to decide what goes onto the internet.
The upshot is that Spamhaus has been attacked with floods of messages from multiple systems for which it blames Cyberbunker.
The row is causing an internet slowdown and experts are concerned the attacks could soon escalate to affect banking and email systems.
miguel de Portugal comments: The real news that we have to share with you is the fact that, as the result of an internet spat between two minor players by internet standards, "...experts are concerned the attacks could soon escalate to affect banking and email systems."
Now then, if a "bar room brawl" between two minor players can seriously affect worldwide banking and email systems, can you imagine what a gifted geek or a multinational corporation or any government can do to the internet banking system and overall electronic communications on a worldwide scale?
Read: Do not put too many of your eggs in the internet basket lest you end like the customers of the banks in Cyprus.
It is going to happen - it is just a matter of what will trigger the mechanism. (2)
Picture this, Pyongyang, March (or April) 2013: A country that has nothing to lose anymore realizes that should they use weapons against their perceived enemies - even nuclear weapons - their entire country will become a wasteland with more corpses that living bodies. What to do, so as not to lose face with their people? Simple! Paralyze the e-flow on a worldwide scale and cost the world economy more money that is possible to count.
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
(2) Greater details on the situation
March 28th, 2013 [Holy Thursday - 1st Day of the Triduum (1)]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
North Korea threatens 'war could break out at any time'. (2)
North Korea has cut its military hotline with South Korea, the final official communications
channel between the two countries - saying "war could
break out at any time".
Pyongyang resident So Chol Gyun told reporters: "My heart is burning with vengeful thoughts. Such provocation can no longer be allowed. I am ready to take part in a great war of justice to reduce the US mainland to ashes."
"They insulted the dignity of our supreme leadership. It may be their calculation that such a scheme will deal a mental strike at us," another resident, Kim Ok Song, said.
Few believe that Pyongyang would risk starting an all-out war, but Washington has said that it is prepared for "any contingency".
Pyongyang resident So Chol Gyun told reporters: "My heart is burning with vengeful thoughts. Such provocation can no longer be allowed. I am ready to take part in a great war of justice to reduce the US mainland to ashes."
"They insulted the dignity of our supreme leadership. It may be their calculation that such a scheme will deal a mental strike at us," another resident, Kim Ok Song, said.
Few believe that Pyongyang would risk starting an all-out war, but Washington has said that it is prepared for "any contingency".
miguel de Portugal comments: "Few believe that Pyongyang would risk starting an all-out war" just as few believed that Hitler and his plans were real.
We pray that Washington is better prepared than it was for (a) Pearl Harbor and (b) Katrina, not to mention all the lost wars in the Middle East, rounding out the record which started in Viet Nam.
_________________
(1) The Paschal Triduum
(2) Euronews Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
More on the European Union soap opera.
Tuesday night and Wednesday morning Europe saw the Spanish and French Presidents - in a joint Press Conference - resolutely stating that the Cyprus confiscation of private funds, to help in their own bail out, was just limited to Cyprus and would not apply to any other European Union country.
In the meantime - the Wednesday morning key dailies in Spain were announcing the progress made at the European Union headquarters as they polish the procedure that they have applied in Cyprus so that it could be easily (and legally) applied to any other nation of the European Union. In other words: They are preparing a "template procedure" easily applied to any other nation in short notice.
We are finding difficult - if not impossible - to meet a local resident, regardless of party affiliation, who take their government - and that of all European nations - seriously.
To help you understand the Eurozone in crisis (which, believe it or not, will help the U.S.-U.K. axis) , we invite you to review what Euronews has published about it.
The eurozone has difficulties overcoming the economic crisis.
Markets remains fidgety. Government debt, Government deficit, GDP growth, unemployment, youth
unemployment : five figures to sum up the crisis between 2007 and
2012.
Debt, deficit, GDP, unemployment: the crisis key figures
Debt, deficit, GDP, unemployment: the crisis key figures
miguel de Portugal comments: And you thought we (the U.S.) were in bad shape....
March 27th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
miguel de Portugal initial comments: The reason that we highlight certain news from the European Union is to illustrate how they - as one of the components of the Threesome of Saviors - are also in the self-destruct mode. Invariably they choose the most damaging (to themselves) option when faced with a crisis.
Now to the news....
Bank re-opening delayed in Cyprus. (1)
Cyprus' banks will now remain shut until
Thursday, following the island's controversial bailout deal. Most of them had been expected
to re-open on Wednesday.
The Cypriot Central Bank said the decision was taken to ensure the "smooth functioning of the
whole banking system." The Bank of Cyprus and Laiki bank
are facing radical restructuring under the terms of the 10 billion euro rescue plan.
In a televised address, President Nicos Anastasiades announced that transactions will be limited temporarily as banks reopen - to avoid bank runs. "Cyprus was one step away from financial collapse," he said. "Our choices were not easy and the environment was not ideal but after tough negotiations, with persistence and also a sense of responsibility, we have reached a result that ensures this country's future."
Cyprus may have avoided a euro exit but the cost to the economy is yet to be calculated. In the US, stocks fell when Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that the Cyprus rescue would act as a model for the eurozone.
He later clarified that Cyprus was a unique case.
In a televised address, President Nicos Anastasiades announced that transactions will be limited temporarily as banks reopen - to avoid bank runs. "Cyprus was one step away from financial collapse," he said. "Our choices were not easy and the environment was not ideal but after tough negotiations, with persistence and also a sense of responsibility, we have reached a result that ensures this country's future."
Cyprus may have avoided a euro exit but the cost to the economy is yet to be calculated. In the US, stocks fell when Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that the Cyprus rescue would act as a model for the eurozone.
He later clarified that Cyprus was a unique case.
miguel de Portugal comments: As we stated a few days ago, what was unthinkable to happen in the European Union, happened in Cyprus. Although the EU officialdom was busy telling everyone that the Cyprus situation was a not-to-be-repeated unique case, we had the Eurogroup President spill the proverbial beans and tell the world that such action "would act as a model for the eurozone."
[The "model for the eurozone" has the consequences that you will see on direct on these two brief news clips. (2) (3)]
Once the markets started to crash he quickly backtracked and the mindless markets bounced back. They now believe that they managed to pull the wool over "the market's" eyes. The real "movers and shakers", the individuals who own huge amounts of casn in bank deposits, are not like the mindless markets - they got the point and will act accordingly.
In plain English: Any individual or business that has huge amounts of cash deposited in Eurozone banks - no matter how safe the bank may now appear - will pull their money out. Russia is leading the way.
Such drain in any banking system has only one major consequence: The financial collapse of the banking system and nation(s) associated with it. In this case we are talking about the European Union as a whole.
It is amazing to watch it unfold before our eyes while the eyes of those in charge cannot see what should be obvious to all. The level of blindness God has allowed upon them even surprises me!
The masses are getting restless and we see the 21st century version of the French Revolution (4) - applied in the whole European continent - shaping up in Europe.
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(1) Euronews Reports
(2) View an example from a professional man who is not rich
(3) View what the youth has to say
(4) The French Revolution and The End of These Times
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
What You Didn’t Post, Facebook May Still Know (1)
Despite the streams of data Facebook has collected about people..., the social network needs to
know its users much better if it is going to become, as the company hopes, the Web's most
effective advertising platform. And Facebook is scrambling to do just that.
In shaping its targeted advertising strategy, it is no longer relying solely on what Facebook users reveal about themselves. Instead, it is tapping into outside sources of data to learn even more about them....
In late February, Facebook announced partnerships with four companies that collect lucrative behavioral data, from store loyalty card transactions and customer e-mail lists to divorce and Web browsing records.
They include Acxiom, which aggregates data from a variety of sources, including financial services companies, court records and federal government documents; Datalogix, which claims to have a database on the spending habits of more than 100 million Americans in categories like fine jewelry, cough medicine and college tuition; and Epsilon, which also collects transaction data from retailers.
Facebook's fourth partner is BlueKai, based in Cupertino, Calif., which creates tracking cookies for brands to monitor customers who visit their Web sites.
"Our goal is to improve the relevance of ads people see on Facebook and the efficacy of marketing campaigns," Gokul Rajaram, product director for ads at Facebook, said in an interview on Friday.
In shaping its targeted advertising strategy, it is no longer relying solely on what Facebook users reveal about themselves. Instead, it is tapping into outside sources of data to learn even more about them....
In late February, Facebook announced partnerships with four companies that collect lucrative behavioral data, from store loyalty card transactions and customer e-mail lists to divorce and Web browsing records.
They include Acxiom, which aggregates data from a variety of sources, including financial services companies, court records and federal government documents; Datalogix, which claims to have a database on the spending habits of more than 100 million Americans in categories like fine jewelry, cough medicine and college tuition; and Epsilon, which also collects transaction data from retailers.
Facebook's fourth partner is BlueKai, based in Cupertino, Calif., which creates tracking cookies for brands to monitor customers who visit their Web sites.
"Our goal is to improve the relevance of ads people see on Facebook and the efficacy of marketing campaigns," Gokul Rajaram, product director for ads at Facebook, said in an interview on Friday.
miguel de Portugal comments: "We have news for you", as the saying goes.
These people are beyond cookies. Your computer and your connecting device have unique numbers which are now read by them, therefore, even if you delete the cookies you will be recognized by the ID number of your computer and/or that of your connecting device (modem, pen drive, LAN, etc.).
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(1) News Report
March 26th, 2013 [First Day of
the Jewish Passover
observance]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
North Korea orders artillery to be combat ready, targeting U.S. bases. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: This is the logical step after they aired the video (mentioned and linked to in a previous post) aired to prepare the NK people for an all out war. Let us hope that we are better prepared than we were on December 7, 1941. (2)
Unfortunately "something" tells me that we are not. The only "consolation" is that Europe is in worse shape.
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(1) Reuter Reports
(2) Our level of "readiness" on December 7, 1941
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Iowa Bill Defines Human Life at Conception, Bans Abortion. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: The human exists - with soul and guardian angel - the moment the two cell unite and the developing process start.
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
North Korea orders artillery to be combat ready, targeting U.S. bases. (1)
North Korea said on Tuesday its strategic rocket and
long-range artillery units have been ordered to be combat ready, targeting U.S. military bases on
Guam, Hawaii and mainland America after U.S. bombers flew sorties threatening the
North.
The order, issued in a statement from the North's military "supreme command", marks the latest fiery rhetoric from Pyongyang since the start of joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces early this month.
South Korea's defense ministry said it saw no sign of imminent military action by North Korea.
"From this moment, the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army will be putting into combat duty posture No. 1 all field artillery units, including long-range artillery units and strategic rocket units, that will target all enemy objects in U.S. invasionary bases on its mainland, Hawaii and Guam," the North's KCNA news agency said.
The order, issued in a statement from the North's military "supreme command", marks the latest fiery rhetoric from Pyongyang since the start of joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces early this month.
South Korea's defense ministry said it saw no sign of imminent military action by North Korea.
"From this moment, the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army will be putting into combat duty posture No. 1 all field artillery units, including long-range artillery units and strategic rocket units, that will target all enemy objects in U.S. invasionary bases on its mainland, Hawaii and Guam," the North's KCNA news agency said.
miguel de Portugal comments: This is the logical step after they aired the video (mentioned and linked to in a previous post) aired to prepare the NK people for an all out war. Let us hope that we are better prepared than we were on December 7, 1941. (2)
Unfortunately "something" tells me that we are not. The only "consolation" is that Europe is in worse shape.
_________________
(1) Reuter Reports
(2) Our level of "readiness" on December 7, 1941
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Iowa Bill Defines Human Life at Conception, Bans Abortion. (1)
A three member Iowa state House subcommittee approved a
pro-life bill on Monday that would define human life beginning at conception. The bill,
which purports to ban all abortions, likely won’t make it out of the state legislature.
The measure is an effort to go against the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason. The Supreme Court has affirmed the ruling and is currently split at least 5-4 in favor of continuing abortion on demand. It has also allowed states like Missouri to define human life beginning at conception, but said those laws can't be used to prohibit abortions.
Because of that, the Iowa bill would likely be declared unconstitutional and court and would never go into effect - even if the state legislature approves the bill. But the bill may not likely get out of the state House.
Rep. Kim Pearson and Rep. David Heaton, both Republicans, sponsored House File 153 and both voted for it during the subcommittee consideration. According to the Des Moines register, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat, voted against it and it passed 2-1.
The measure is an effort to go against the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason. The Supreme Court has affirmed the ruling and is currently split at least 5-4 in favor of continuing abortion on demand. It has also allowed states like Missouri to define human life beginning at conception, but said those laws can't be used to prohibit abortions.
Because of that, the Iowa bill would likely be declared unconstitutional and court and would never go into effect - even if the state legislature approves the bill. But the bill may not likely get out of the state House.
Rep. Kim Pearson and Rep. David Heaton, both Republicans, sponsored House File 153 and both voted for it during the subcommittee consideration. According to the Des Moines register, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat, voted against it and it passed 2-1.
miguel de Portugal comments: The human exists - with soul and guardian angel - the moment the two cell unite and the developing process start.
Any destruction of such life is as bad six weeks,
three months or six months after conception, as it would be were it the next day with the
"Morning After" pill.
Since no one can scientifically prove when the developing embryo becomes human, if they were truly sincere in their quest, it would be assumed that it became a human at the moment of conception. That is the way professional science works. That is: When unsure due to lack of concrete data, take the safest option.
No one can go wrong assuming that human life begins at the instant of conception; however, all who assign later times, scientifically speaking, risk being wrong.
Since no one can scientifically prove when the developing embryo becomes human, if they were truly sincere in their quest, it would be assumed that it became a human at the moment of conception. That is the way professional science works. That is: When unsure due to lack of concrete data, take the safest option.
No one can go wrong assuming that human life begins at the instant of conception; however, all who assign later times, scientifically speaking, risk being wrong.
Nonetheless, it is not an easy situation for a legal system divorced from God in spite of the many times His reality is being invoked when it is convenient, like "In God We Trust", etc.
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 3
The link to our letter to President Carter which appeared on yesterday's News Commentary was incorrect.
If you accessed it before the error was corrected, you may want to read the correct letter.
News Report No. 4
Regarding Safety During Floods - Courtesy of the USA.gov Team
Flooding can occur in almost every part of the U.S. and during any month. In 2012, 39 percent of flood fatalities occurred from driving into flood water and 18 percent from walking into it.
If you're driving or walking and encounter flood water, turn around. Don't drown.
It only takes six inches of water to knock over an adult and cause loss of control of a vehicle. A foot of water will float many vehicles and only two feet of rushing water will carry them away, including pickups and SUVs.
The depth of flood water is not always obvious. It can be especially hard to judge at night. The best option is to play it safe and turn around.
Find out what you can do to keep your family
safe before, during, and after floods.
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This email was received through a subscription service from: USA.gov - General Services
Administration - OCSIT - 1275 First Street NE - Washington DC 20417 - (800)
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(*) YouTube New address (This note added on Sept. 2021)
(*) YouTube New address (This note added on Sept. 2021)
miguel de Portugal comments: It is always better to plan and know what to do before disaster strikes.
March 25th, 2013 [Feast of the Annunciation]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Apple buys 'indoor GPS' company WifiSLAM for $20M. (1)
Apple recently closed a deal worth about $20 million to acquire WifiSLAM, a Silicon Valley firm
focused on building technology that affords users positioning data while indoors.
WifiSLAM is a developer of indoor positioning technologies, which extends location data to the inside of buildings and other structures using Wi-Fi signals. The data can be used by third-party apps to accurately grant handset users positioning data where GPS signals are absent.
Apple could implement the positioning assets into its much maligned iOS Maps app as an answer to Google's Indoor Maps initiative, which leverages crowdsourcing to deliver indoor location information for a number of sites worldwide.
WifiSLAM is a developer of indoor positioning technologies, which extends location data to the inside of buildings and other structures using Wi-Fi signals. The data can be used by third-party apps to accurately grant handset users positioning data where GPS signals are absent.
Apple could implement the positioning assets into its much maligned iOS Maps app as an answer to Google's Indoor Maps initiative, which leverages crowdsourcing to deliver indoor location information for a number of sites worldwide.
miguel de Portugal comments: This technique (App ?) was shown in the 1998 movie Enemy of the State and we have more than enough reason to believe that it has been in use by our security services for some time now. Soon, with this new "popular advancement", any "Tom, Dick and Harry" will be using it for 'other than' national security purposes.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Even the CIA is struggling to deal with the volume of real time social data. (1)
Thanks to spy movies and other entertainment fare, we all have our own picture of what the Central
Intelligence Agency is like - but the agency's chief technology officer, Ira "Gus" Hunt, told
attendees at GigaOM's Structure: Data conference that just like any other company, the
intelligence division has to somehow find the signal in an ever-increasing volume of noise. And
that problem is getting harder and harder all the time.
For the CIA, Hunt said, there are three lines of "business" that are required: to collect information on America's adversaries, to produce timely analysis, and to conduct covert action based on that analysis.
As all of those forces combine to generate more information, the CIA's analysts not only have to sort through it all somehow, but they need to be able to combine data in ways that they may not even know they require until the moment arrives where they need a specific kind of information, said Hunt.
And just as Google and other companies are trying to find smarter and smarter ways of filtering the world's information, so is the CIA, using many of the same tools and technologies - it is just doing so for a different purpose.
For the CIA, Hunt said, there are three lines of "business" that are required: to collect information on America's adversaries, to produce timely analysis, and to conduct covert action based on that analysis.
As all of those forces combine to generate more information, the CIA's analysts not only have to sort through it all somehow, but they need to be able to combine data in ways that they may not even know they require until the moment arrives where they need a specific kind of information, said Hunt.
And just as Google and other companies are trying to find smarter and smarter ways of filtering the world's information, so is the CIA, using many of the same tools and technologies - it is just doing so for a different purpose.
miguel de Portugal comments: This brings to mind why we missed the needed advanced alert about the attack at Pearl Harbor. We had already cracked the Japanese code; we had the transmissions discussing the Pearl Harbor attack on hand, however, we were so behind in the translation from Japanese to English that we missed the proverbial boat. (2)
For example, just in YouTube, over 35 hours worth of video material is uploaded every minute. Imagine the amount of information uploaded and e-mailed every second. Now, consider that it is ultimately a human being who has to make the call to action should there be a danger.
As we keep saying - Prayer is the best solution. Actually it is not "the best" solution; it is "the only" solution.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) Letter to Former President Carter
(3) Source
March 23rd, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Venezuela's Maduro accuses US of assassination plot. (1)
In a military museum in Caracas, adorned in the trappings of national mourning, the focus is on
grieving for the man who ruled Venezuela for 14 years. But the void left by the death of Hugo
Chavez is being filled with polemic and posturing.
Acting President Nicolas Maduro has made fresh claims about an alleged US plot to assassinate one of the candidates in the country's April presidential election - right wing opposition leader Henrique Capriles - and then to put the blame on the Venezuelan government.
The United States has "categorically" rejected Maduro's accusation.
Capriles kicked off his campaign this weekend with several large rallies in the provinces. In the light of the alleged assassination plot, acting president Nicolas Maduro said the government had offered to provide security for Capriles ahead of the ballot scheduled for April 14.
Capriles has said that if he were the victim of an assassination attempt, Maduro would be to blame.
Acting President Nicolas Maduro has made fresh claims about an alleged US plot to assassinate one of the candidates in the country's April presidential election - right wing opposition leader Henrique Capriles - and then to put the blame on the Venezuelan government.
The United States has "categorically" rejected Maduro's accusation.
Capriles kicked off his campaign this weekend with several large rallies in the provinces. In the light of the alleged assassination plot, acting president Nicolas Maduro said the government had offered to provide security for Capriles ahead of the ballot scheduled for April 14.
Capriles has said that if he were the victim of an assassination attempt, Maduro would be to blame.
miguel de Portugal comments: This is the perfect - not "a perfect" but "the perfect" - example of the dangers of making public formerly classified documents, personal documentation belonging to former leaders of key organizations which are part of our natural security efforts and interviews with those who worked under said former leaders.
Not long ago we wrote:
For example - the biography of J. Edgar Hoover
(2)
- is an invaluable tool in
the hands of our enemies - foreign
and
local. It should be used as a tool for our Administrators to learn how
not
to act in an unconstitutional manner and/or in illegally
under international law.
For our enemies such revelations become a - "If you did this with such limited technology available, imagine what you are doing now." - mentality; a mentality which leads to a counter behavior which, with today's technology, can turn a sixteen year old dysfunctional teenager into the most serious threat the Pentagon may ever had.
Transparency is great to protect the rights of the citizens but not at the expense of National Security. I feel that, using the seldom used part of the human anatomy - the brain! - an excellent balance could be achieved.
For our enemies such revelations become a - "If you did this with such limited technology available, imagine what you are doing now." - mentality; a mentality which leads to a counter behavior which, with today's technology, can turn a sixteen year old dysfunctional teenager into the most serious threat the Pentagon may ever had.
Transparency is great to protect the rights of the citizens but not at the expense of National Security. I feel that, using the seldom used part of the human anatomy - the brain! - an excellent balance could be achieved.
After reading such book, and others of similar nature, anyone - foreign governements included - will be more prone to believe Maduro's allegations than the US "categoric" denials.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) Tim Weiner's Book
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
How North Korea would destroy US and S. Korean enemies. (1)
A video posted on a website used by North Korea to
promote itself to the outside world shows how the country imagines defeating its American
and South Korean enemies.
A Korean narration over the video tells of how North Korean troops would emerge victorious from a three-day "lightning war" after destroying US military bases in Guam and Japan and occupying its neighbour South Korea.
The video was posted to the semi-official Uriminzokkiri website, an online arm of North Korea's central news agency.
A recent tightening of UN sanctions against North Korea have prompted the reclusive state to threaten a nuclear war with the United States and verbally scrap a 60-year ceasefire in the officially unfinished war with South Korea.
A Korean narration over the video tells of how North Korean troops would emerge victorious from a three-day "lightning war" after destroying US military bases in Guam and Japan and occupying its neighbour South Korea.
The video was posted to the semi-official Uriminzokkiri website, an online arm of North Korea's central news agency.
A recent tightening of UN sanctions against North Korea have prompted the reclusive state to threaten a nuclear war with the United States and verbally scrap a 60-year ceasefire in the officially unfinished war with South Korea.
miguel de Portugal comments: The Euronews report has grossly missed the point. This video IS NOT for foreign consumption; it is for internal consumption - which makes it more of a Red Flag.
If it really were for foreign consumption, truly "the outside world", it would have been dubbed or subtitled in English - a language well understood worldwide, including China, Japan and South Korea.
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
March 22nd, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
South Korea: Chinese address source of attack. (1)
A Chinese Internet address was the source of a
cyberattack on one company hit in a massive
network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies in South
Korea, initial findings indicated Thursday.
It's too early to assign blame - Internet addresses can easily be manipulated and the investigation could take weeks - but suspicion for Wednesday's shutdown quickly fell on North Korea, which has threatened Seoul and Washington with attack in recent days because of anger over U.N. sanctions imposed for its Feb. 12 nuclear test.
South Korean regulators said they believe the attacks came from a "single organization," but they've still not finished investigating what happened at the other companies.
Experts say hackers often attack via computers in other countries to hide their identities. South Korea has previously accused North Korean hackers of using Chinese addresses to infect their networks.
"We do know that North Korea does route attacks through Chinese servers because that's the only way they can communicate with South Korea," Timothy Junio, a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, said. "It's not surprising there's a Chinese IP address involved."
Seoul believes North Korea runs an Internet warfare unit aimed at hacking U.S. and South Korean government and military networks to gather information and disrupt service.
The attack Wednesday caused computer networks at major banks and top TV broadcasters to crash simultaneously. It paralyzed bank machines across the country and raised fears that this heavily Internet-dependent society was vulnerable. On Thursday, only one of the attacked banks, Shinhan, was fully online, officials said.
It's too early to assign blame - Internet addresses can easily be manipulated and the investigation could take weeks - but suspicion for Wednesday's shutdown quickly fell on North Korea, which has threatened Seoul and Washington with attack in recent days because of anger over U.N. sanctions imposed for its Feb. 12 nuclear test.
South Korean regulators said they believe the attacks came from a "single organization," but they've still not finished investigating what happened at the other companies.
Experts say hackers often attack via computers in other countries to hide their identities. South Korea has previously accused North Korean hackers of using Chinese addresses to infect their networks.
"We do know that North Korea does route attacks through Chinese servers because that's the only way they can communicate with South Korea," Timothy Junio, a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, said. "It's not surprising there's a Chinese IP address involved."
Seoul believes North Korea runs an Internet warfare unit aimed at hacking U.S. and South Korean government and military networks to gather information and disrupt service.
The attack Wednesday caused computer networks at major banks and top TV broadcasters to crash simultaneously. It paralyzed bank machines across the country and raised fears that this heavily Internet-dependent society was vulnerable. On Thursday, only one of the attacked banks, Shinhan, was fully online, officials said.
miguel de Portugal comments: Remember how everyone has been pointing the fingers to China as the entity responsible for hacking our computers?
Well, it seems that everyone has egg on their faces if the above is true.
In other words - We "know it all", but cannot predict when and where an inoperative man-made satellite will fall on Earth nor who is hacking who.
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(1) News Source
March 21st, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Large asteroid heading to Earth? Pray, says NASA. (1)
NASA chief Charles Bolden has advice on how to handle a
large asteroid headed toward New York City:
Pray.
That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, Bolden told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing on Tuesday.
An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet in diameter exploded on February 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured.
Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet.
"The odds of a near-Earth object strike causing massive casualties and destruction of infrastructure are very small, but the potential consequences of such an event are so large it makes sense to takes the risk seriously," Holdren said.
About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth.
The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles (2,150 sq km).
That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, Bolden told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing on Tuesday.
An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet in diameter exploded on February 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured.
Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet.
"The odds of a near-Earth object strike causing massive casualties and destruction of infrastructure are very small, but the potential consequences of such an event are so large it makes sense to takes the risk seriously," Holdren said.
About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth.
The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles (2,150 sq km).
miguel de Portugal comments: Praised be God! They are finally waking up.
This is the first sensible advice from NASA regarding Earth bound asteroids since they started monitoring space for Near Earth objects.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
South Korean banks, media report network crash. (1)
Police and South Korean officials were investigating the simultaneous shutdown Wednesday of
computer networks at several major broadcasters and banks. While the cause wasn't immediately
clear, speculation centered on a possible North Korean
cyberattack.
The shutdown came days after North Korea blamed South Korea and the United States for cyberattacks that temporarily shut down websites in Pyongyang.
Officials at the two South Korean public broadcasters KBS and MBC said that all computers at their companies shut down at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT). The officials said the shutdown was not immediately causing any damage to their daily TV broadcasts.
YTN cable news channel reported the company's internal computer network was completely paralyzed. Local TV showed workers staring at blank computer screens, and at one coffee shop employees asked for cash, saying their credit card machine wasn't working.
The state-run Korea Information Security Agency confirmed that computers at at least five South Korean companies were down. The agency was investigating what caused the outage.
The shutdown came days after North Korea blamed South Korea and the United States for cyberattacks that temporarily shut down websites in Pyongyang.
Officials at the two South Korean public broadcasters KBS and MBC said that all computers at their companies shut down at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT). The officials said the shutdown was not immediately causing any damage to their daily TV broadcasts.
YTN cable news channel reported the company's internal computer network was completely paralyzed. Local TV showed workers staring at blank computer screens, and at one coffee shop employees asked for cash, saying their credit card machine wasn't working.
The state-run Korea Information Security Agency confirmed that computers at at least five South Korean companies were down. The agency was investigating what caused the outage.
North Korea denied the allegation and the U.S. military declined to comment.
miguel de Portugal comments: "When one sees one's neighbor's beard on fire, one should start soaking his." Unfortunately, such wise advice is seldom put into practice.
The water is usually used to douse the fire in one's beard after having ignored half a dozen "Red Flags" courtesy of God.
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(1) News Report
March 20th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Syrians trade accusations of chemical attack. (1)
Syria's government and rebels traded accusations of a chemical attack Tuesday on a northern
village near Aleppo. However a U.S. official said there
was no evidence of any such attack.
The regime, whose allegation was backed by ally Russia, said 25 people were killed.
...if confirmed, it would be the first known use of chemical weapons in the 2-year-old civil war and a glimpse of one of the nightmare scenarios for this conflict.
One of the international community's top concerns since fighting began is that Syria's vast arsenal of chemical weapons could be used by one side or the other or could fall into the hands of foreign jihadist fighters among the rebels or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is allied with the regime.
The accusations emerged only a few hours after the opposition to President Bashar Assad elected a prime minister to head an interim government that would rule areas seized by rebel forces from the regime.
The regime, whose allegation was backed by ally Russia, said 25 people were killed.
...if confirmed, it would be the first known use of chemical weapons in the 2-year-old civil war and a glimpse of one of the nightmare scenarios for this conflict.
One of the international community's top concerns since fighting began is that Syria's vast arsenal of chemical weapons could be used by one side or the other or could fall into the hands of foreign jihadist fighters among the rebels or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is allied with the regime.
The accusations emerged only a few hours after the opposition to President Bashar Assad elected a prime minister to head an interim government that would rule areas seized by rebel forces from the regime.
miguel de Portugal comments: Why would we say that "...there was no evidence of any such attack"? Because President Obama and the collapsing European Union said that if Syria used chemical and/or biological weapons they would intervene without hesitation.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Bringing a Virtual Brain to Life. (1)
For months, Henry Markram and his team had been feeding data into a supercomputer,... in the
basement of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
The supercomputer houses thousands of microchips, each programmed to act like a brain cell. Cables carried signals from microchip to microchip, just as cells do in a real brain.
In 2006, Dr. Markram flipped the switch. Blue Brain, a tangled web of nearly 10,000 virtual neurons, crackled to life. As millions of signals raced along the cables, electrical activity resembling real brain waves emerged.
"That was an incredible moment," he said, comparing the simulation to what goes on in real brain tissue. "It didn’t match perfectly, but it was pretty good. As a biologist, I was amazed."
Deciding then that simulating the entire brain on a supercomputer would be possible within his lifetime, Dr. Markram, now 50, set out to prove it.
"A meticulous virtual copy of the human brain," Dr. Markram wrote in Scientific American, "would enable basic research on brain cells and circuits or computer-based drug trials."
An equally ambitious "big brain" idea is in the works in the United States: The Obama administration is expected to propose its own project, with up to $3 billion allocated over a decade to develop technologies to track the electrical activity of every neuron in the brain.
The supercomputer houses thousands of microchips, each programmed to act like a brain cell. Cables carried signals from microchip to microchip, just as cells do in a real brain.
In 2006, Dr. Markram flipped the switch. Blue Brain, a tangled web of nearly 10,000 virtual neurons, crackled to life. As millions of signals raced along the cables, electrical activity resembling real brain waves emerged.
"That was an incredible moment," he said, comparing the simulation to what goes on in real brain tissue. "It didn’t match perfectly, but it was pretty good. As a biologist, I was amazed."
Deciding then that simulating the entire brain on a supercomputer would be possible within his lifetime, Dr. Markram, now 50, set out to prove it.
"A meticulous virtual copy of the human brain," Dr. Markram wrote in Scientific American, "would enable basic research on brain cells and circuits or computer-based drug trials."
An equally ambitious "big brain" idea is in the works in the United States: The Obama administration is expected to propose its own project, with up to $3 billion allocated over a decade to develop technologies to track the electrical activity of every neuron in the brain.
miguel de Portugal comments: Now, if we could get some funding to determine why humans are so intrinsically stupid, we could make some real progress.
We are not even able to peacefully coexist with our neighbor, and we want to electronically duplicate that partially flawed brain of ours? We say "partially" because the God Created anatomical and physiological mechanism cannot be surpassed.
It is the exercise of a free will which places us at the very bottom of the scale of all animals, when it comes to harmonious coexistence with ourselves and our environment. We should be ashamed of ourselves!
But wait! Eureka! No funding for this new project is needed. We have the answer!
Only when man allows God into his heart, and works with Him deferring always to the One Who knows best, we will rise to the No.1 spot on the scale in harmonious coexistence. Otherwise, we are pathetic bumbling mammals hardly worth the slime (2) God used to fashion us with.
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(1) New York Times Report
(2) And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. [Genesis 2:7]
March 19th, 2013 [Feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Cypriot savings grab shocks savers across Europe. (1)
A plan to seize up to 10 percent of people's savings in the small Mediterranean island nation of
Cyprus sent shockwaves across Europe on Monday as households realized the money they have in the
bank may not be safe.
A weekend agreement between Cyprus and its European partners called for the government to raid bank accounts as part of a 15.8 billion Euro ($20.4 billion) financial bailout, the first time in the eurozone's crisis that the prospect of seizing individuals' savings has been raised.
In order to get 10 billion Euro ($13 billion) in bailout loans from international creditors, Cyprus agreed to take a percentage of all deposits - including ordinary citizens' savings. The surprise deal stoked fears that deposits in other countries could be targeted.
"The damage is done," said Louise Cooper of CooperCity, a financial research firm. "Europeans now know that their savings could be used to bail out banks."
The euro and stocks around the world took a hit even though the Cypriot economy accounts for only 0.2 percent of the combined output of the 17 European Union countries that use the currency.
A weekend agreement between Cyprus and its European partners called for the government to raid bank accounts as part of a 15.8 billion Euro ($20.4 billion) financial bailout, the first time in the eurozone's crisis that the prospect of seizing individuals' savings has been raised.
In order to get 10 billion Euro ($13 billion) in bailout loans from international creditors, Cyprus agreed to take a percentage of all deposits - including ordinary citizens' savings. The surprise deal stoked fears that deposits in other countries could be targeted.
"The damage is done," said Louise Cooper of CooperCity, a financial research firm. "Europeans now know that their savings could be used to bail out banks."
The euro and stocks around the world took a hit even though the Cypriot economy accounts for only 0.2 percent of the combined output of the 17 European Union countries that use the currency.
miguel de Portugal comments: As we were saying....
And never mind the European depositors. When the "big boys" from outside the European Union start pulling out their money from the "safe" European Union banks, the background music playing will be that of "The Death of a Swan".
The EU is falling apart at the seams and now their "brilliant minds" come up with an idea that will accelerate their demise.... thus keeping the "schedule".
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(1) News Reports
March 18th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Cyprus savers to be hit by bailout levy. (1)
andNews Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Cyprus savers to be hit by bailout levy. (1)
Shock has turned to panic in Cyprus as the terms of a Brussels backed bailout became known. A
one-off levy on personal savings drove many to withdraw what they could from ATM machines.
Cyprus is to get 10 billion euros to stave off bankruptcy but in a radical departure from previous aid packages, the island's savers are being forced to pay up to 10% of their deposits to raise another six billion.
British-born Cypriots and their families, some of the UK's 3,500 service personnel on the island and holiday home owners will also have to pay up when the levy comes into operation on Tuesday.
Cyprus is to get 10 billion euros to stave off bankruptcy but in a radical departure from previous aid packages, the island's savers are being forced to pay up to 10% of their deposits to raise another six billion.
British-born Cypriots and their families, some of the UK's 3,500 service personnel on the island and holiday home owners will also have to pay up when the levy comes into operation on Tuesday.
The Cypriot parliament's debate on the savings tax that shocked the entire nation will now take place on Monday. (2)
The president postponed the debate to gain time and try and ensure a majority, as for the moment
the EU-IMF imposed levy on savings has raised hackles on all sides.
Rates will start at 6.75 percent and go to 9.9 percent on deposit accounts. The Eurogroup expects this will raise 5.9 billion euros.
Banks may stay closed until Wednesday morning to prevent savers making massive withdrawals, which may prove more of a problem for foreign depositors, who hold 37 percent of Cypriot savings.
Rates will start at 6.75 percent and go to 9.9 percent on deposit accounts. The Eurogroup expects this will raise 5.9 billion euros.
Banks may stay closed until Wednesday morning to prevent savers making massive withdrawals, which may prove more of a problem for foreign depositors, who hold 37 percent of Cypriot savings.
miguel de Portugal comments: The European authorities swear on the proverbial stack of Bibles that this will not happen in any other country of the European Union.
Of course, until a couple of days ago this "would have never happened in any country" of the European Union.
Now, we give you three guesses - although you will only need one - about what will happen to the money owned by foreign nationals and which is deposited in "safe" European Union Banks. If the flow of money out of Europe has been on "high tide" mode for the last year and a half, they may be facing now a flow of tsunami proportions.
This Cuba-like tactic will not go unnoticed by the non European Union movers and shakers. One day, Europeans will wake up to the news that the 500 Euro notes have changed color the Central Bank will only exchange, say, up to 10,000 Euro in cash.
Radical as such idea may sound, it may be the only answer to stop the submerged economy of the Mediterranean faction of the European Union; a submerged economy which is thought, by experts, to be about 25-30 % of the above board economy. Personally, I think is well over 30 %.
By the way, most of the 500 Euro notes are not in circulation. It is very hard to find one. One needs to notify a bank a few days ahead if you wish to take out some of your money in 500 Euro notes. Guess where they are? Under mattresses, cardboard boxes and bulging safety deposit boxes.
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(1) News Report 1
(2) News Report 2
News Alert
Prepare for Severe Weather by Downloading the Tornado App to Your Smart Phone.
Get your family and home ready for a tornado with the official Tornado App from the American Red Cross.
The app puts everything you need to know to prepare for a tornado in the palm of your hand. It also sounds an alarm when NOAA issues a tornado warning for your location, even when the app is closed.
Learn more about the Tornado App and download it now.
Courtesy of the USA.gov TeamNews Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Syria Warns It May Strike Lebanon. (1)
Assad's regime says rebels are crossing back and forth
over border.
With Syrian militants crossing back and forth across the northern Lebanon border, the Syrian foreign ministry has told Lebanon to put a stop to it or else face military strikes, reports Reuters via the Christian Science Monitor.
"Syrian forces have so far exercised restraint from striking at armed gangs inside Lebanese territory," says the Syrian diplomatic cable, adding that "patience is not unlimited."
Opposition militants have taken control over much of northern Syria and are trying to choke out government forces, clustered mostly in military bases in cities - but the process is brutally slow. "They believe in their fates, and that everything comes from God," says one opposition commander.
With Syrian militants crossing back and forth across the northern Lebanon border, the Syrian foreign ministry has told Lebanon to put a stop to it or else face military strikes, reports Reuters via the Christian Science Monitor.
"Syrian forces have so far exercised restraint from striking at armed gangs inside Lebanese territory," says the Syrian diplomatic cable, adding that "patience is not unlimited."
Opposition militants have taken control over much of northern Syria and are trying to choke out government forces, clustered mostly in military bases in cities - but the process is brutally slow. "They believe in their fates, and that everything comes from God," says one opposition commander.
miguel de Portugal comments: It used to be "There is no business like Show Business". Tragically, it now is: "There is no business like War Business", and man has proven incapable of bringing it to an end.
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(1) News Report
March 16th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Catholic organization loses Danish court case over use of Opus Dei name in card game. (1)
A Danish court has ruled against Opus Dei in its suit
against a Danish publisher for alleged trademark violations in a card game that uses the
name of the Roman Catholic organization.
In their verdict Friday, judges at the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court ruled that the philosophy-themed card game "Opus Dei. Existence After
Religion" is so different from the Catholic organization's mission that use of the Latin words "Opus Dei" - meaning "God's work" - cannot constitute a trademark infringement.
The court ruled that Opus Dei will have to pay the defendant's legal expenses of 45,000 kroner ($8,000).
In their verdict Friday, judges at the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court ruled that the philosophy-themed card game "Opus Dei. Existence After
Religion" is so different from the Catholic organization's mission that use of the Latin words "Opus Dei" - meaning "God's work" - cannot constitute a trademark infringement.
The court ruled that Opus Dei will have to pay the defendant's legal expenses of 45,000 kroner ($8,000).
miguel de Portugal comments: The Escrivites continue to lose ground everywhere - Thanks be to God!
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
If you ever wonder what happens when one uses Google services - you may want to take a look.
miguel de Portugal comments: As the saying goes: "There are no free lunches" unless they are from God and, then, some conditions apply..... like striving with all your heart to live according to His Will.
March 15th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Electronic Sensor Tattoos Can Now Be Printed Directly Onto Human Skin. (1)
Thanks to the same people that brought us the stick-on electric tattoo and stretchable battery,
we're now looking at a future of electronic sensors that can be printed directly onto human
skin.
At least for now, it seems like the sensors will be mainly used for medical purposes; they'll be able to monitor skin hydration, temperature, and any electric signals from muscle and brain activity.
The possibilities are truly exciting, and in a certain light, mildly terrifying. But whether we're ready for it not, the future, it seems, is here.
At least for now, it seems like the sensors will be mainly used for medical purposes; they'll be able to monitor skin hydration, temperature, and any electric signals from muscle and brain activity.
The possibilities are truly exciting, and in a certain light, mildly terrifying. But whether we're ready for it not, the future, it seems, is here.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Pope Francis' humility: stops by hotel to pay bill. (1)
Pope Francis put his humility on display during his
first day as pontiff Thursday, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the
bill himself in a decidedly different style of papacy than his tradition-minded predecessor, who
tended to stay ensconced in the frescoed halls of the Vatican.
Jesus Christ comments: [1] Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. [2] Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
[3] But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. [4] That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. [5] And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
[16] And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. [17] But thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face; [18] That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee. [Matthew 6]
_________________
(1) News Report
March 14th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
U.S. snaps up huge stockpile of Smallpox related drugs. Experts question need for $463M anti-bioterror. (1)
More than 30 years after the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated,
the federal government has spent $463 million on enough
medicine to treat two million cases.
The only stocks of the smallpox virus known to still exist are in heavily guarded labs in Atlanta and Moscow, but experts won't rule out the existence of renegade stocks or the possibility of the once-feared killer being genetically engineered back into existence, the New York Times reports.
The huge federal order will be a bonanza for Siga Technologies, a small biotech firm that created the new smallpox medicine, but some experts say the government is buying way too much - especially since it already has a stockpile of 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
"Is it appropriate to stockpile it? Absolutely," a bioweapons expert at Rutgers University says. "Is it appropriate to stockpile two million doses? Absolutely not. Twenty thousand seems like the right number."
The only stocks of the smallpox virus known to still exist are in heavily guarded labs in Atlanta and Moscow, but experts won't rule out the existence of renegade stocks or the possibility of the once-feared killer being genetically engineered back into existence, the New York Times reports.
The huge federal order will be a bonanza for Siga Technologies, a small biotech firm that created the new smallpox medicine, but some experts say the government is buying way too much - especially since it already has a stockpile of 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
"Is it appropriate to stockpile it? Absolutely," a bioweapons expert at Rutgers University says. "Is it appropriate to stockpile two million doses? Absolutely not. Twenty thousand seems like the right number."
miguel de Portugal comments: With Syria, with its back against the wall and nowhere to go other than down, it does not seem as a "half-baked" idea.
Obviously Washington knows more about what is going on in Syria than is letting on - which is wise.
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(1) New York Times Reports
March 13th, 2013
News Report No. 1
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=15858
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 qqq
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 143-13
March 13, 2013
Norad Exercise Planned for National Capital Region
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 13-06 beginning tonight, in the National Capital Region (NCR), Washington, D.C. The exercise will conclude early Thursday morning.
Flights in the NCR are scheduled to take place between midnight and 2 a.m. (EDT).
The exercise is comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center (JADOC), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense Sector.
Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System and certify newly assigned command and control personnel at JADOC. Civil Air Patrol aircraft and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate in the exercise.
In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the following evening. If bad weather continues, officials will then make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise.
For more information, please contact NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs at 719-554-6889.
March 12th, 2013 [Nisan 1st, First Day of the First Month of the Jewish Biblical Calendar Year]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
History shows NKorean pattern: Wait, then attack. (1)
Recent Korean history reveals a sobering possibility: It
may only be a matter of time before North Korea launches a sudden, deadly attack on the
South. And perhaps more unsettling, Seoul has vowed that this time, it will respond with an
even stronger blow.
Humiliated by past attacks, South Korea has promised - as recently as last Tuesday - to hit back hard at the next assault from the North, opening up the prospect that a skirmish could turn into a wider war.
Lost in the headline-making North Korean bluster about nuclear strikes on Washington in response to U.N. sanctions is a single sentence in a North Korean army Supreme Command statement of March 5. It said North Korea "will make a strike of justice at any target anytime as it pleases without limit."
Those words have a chilling link to the recent past, when Pyongyang, angry over perceived slights, took its time before exacting revenge on rival South Korea. Vows of retaliation after naval clashes with South Korea in 1999 and 2009, for example, were followed by more bloodshed, including attacks blamed on North Korea that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.
North Korea sometimes takes months to follow through on its occasionally cryptic threats or warnings, but it also has acted quickly.
North Korea has attempted a military provocation within weeks of every South Korean presidential inauguration dating back to 1992, according to Victor Cha, a former Asia adviser to President George W. Bush, and Ellen Kim at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. South Korea's new president was inaugurated Feb. 25.
"Expect a North Korean provocation in the coming weeks," Cha and Kim wrote Thursday.
Humiliated by past attacks, South Korea has promised - as recently as last Tuesday - to hit back hard at the next assault from the North, opening up the prospect that a skirmish could turn into a wider war.
Lost in the headline-making North Korean bluster about nuclear strikes on Washington in response to U.N. sanctions is a single sentence in a North Korean army Supreme Command statement of March 5. It said North Korea "will make a strike of justice at any target anytime as it pleases without limit."
Those words have a chilling link to the recent past, when Pyongyang, angry over perceived slights, took its time before exacting revenge on rival South Korea. Vows of retaliation after naval clashes with South Korea in 1999 and 2009, for example, were followed by more bloodshed, including attacks blamed on North Korea that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.
North Korea sometimes takes months to follow through on its occasionally cryptic threats or warnings, but it also has acted quickly.
North Korea has attempted a military provocation within weeks of every South Korean presidential inauguration dating back to 1992, according to Victor Cha, a former Asia adviser to President George W. Bush, and Ellen Kim at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. South Korea's new president was inaugurated Feb. 25.
"Expect a North Korean provocation in the coming weeks," Cha and Kim wrote Thursday.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
US citing security to censor more public records. (1)
The U.S. government, led by the Pentagon and CIA, censored or withheld for reasons of national
security the files that the public requested last
year under the Freedom of Information Act more
often than at any time since President Barack Obama took office, according to a new
analysis by The Associated Press.
Overall, the Obama administration last year answered its highest number of requests so far for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more, and it slightly reduced its backlog of requests from previous years. But it more often cited legal provisions allowing the government to keep records or parts of its records secret, especially a rule intended to protect national security.
The AP's analysis showed the government released all or portions of the information that citizens, journalists, businesses and others sought at about the same rate as the previous three years. It turned over all or parts of the records in about 65 percent of requests. It fully rejected more than one-third of requests, a slight increase over 2011, including cases when it couldn't find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the request was determined to be improper.
The administration cited exceptions built into the law to avoid turning over materials more than 479,000 times, a roughly 22 percent increase over the previous year. In many cases, more than one of the law's exceptions was cited in each request for information.
Overall, the Obama administration last year answered its highest number of requests so far for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more, and it slightly reduced its backlog of requests from previous years. But it more often cited legal provisions allowing the government to keep records or parts of its records secret, especially a rule intended to protect national security.
The AP's analysis showed the government released all or portions of the information that citizens, journalists, businesses and others sought at about the same rate as the previous three years. It turned over all or parts of the records in about 65 percent of requests. It fully rejected more than one-third of requests, a slight increase over 2011, including cases when it couldn't find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the request was determined to be improper.
The administration cited exceptions built into the law to avoid turning over materials more than 479,000 times, a roughly 22 percent increase over the previous year. In many cases, more than one of the law's exceptions was cited in each request for information.
miguel de Portugal comments: I feel that too much information is being revealed - even when the "magic period" of several decades cause an automatic declassification of top secret documents.
For example - the biography of J. Edgar Hoover (2) - is an invaluable tool in the hands of our enemies - foreign and local. It should be used as a tool for our Administrators to learn how not to act in an unconstitutional manner and/or in illegally under international law.
For our enemies such revelations become a - "If you did this with such limited technology available, imagine what you are doing now." - mentality; a mentality which leads to a counter behavior which, with today's technology, can turn a sixteen year old dysfunctional teenager into the most serious threat the Pentagon may ever had.
Transparency is great to protect the rights of the citizens but not at the expense of National Security. I feel that, using the seldom used part of the human anatomy - the brain! - an excellent balance could be achieved.
_________________
(1) News Report
(2) Tim Weiner's Book
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
World War III on the World Wide Web. (1)
America is under cyber attack, and Washington now
believes there is evidence that China is officially sponsoring much of it.
The source of much of the activity is a military building, and not some amateur hacker’s home. Mandiant, a private security firm has traced a wave of cyber attacks to the door of China’s cyber command. The report has rattled Washington, and the IT and intelligence communities are still scrambling for adequate answers.
On Wednesday the Homeland Security Committee of the US Congress holds a hearing on cyber security, with the fear that World War Three is already underway, via fibre-optic links and secret servers putting vital infrastructure at risk, and stealing valuable secrets.
Paul Innella, boss of cyber security firm TDI claims "everyone is hacking everyone", but that does not make it a level playing field. Some victims have more to lose than others.
The source of much of the activity is a military building, and not some amateur hacker’s home. Mandiant, a private security firm has traced a wave of cyber attacks to the door of China’s cyber command. The report has rattled Washington, and the IT and intelligence communities are still scrambling for adequate answers.
On Wednesday the Homeland Security Committee of the US Congress holds a hearing on cyber security, with the fear that World War Three is already underway, via fibre-optic links and secret servers putting vital infrastructure at risk, and stealing valuable secrets.
Paul Innella, boss of cyber security firm TDI claims "everyone is hacking everyone", but that does not make it a level playing field. Some victims have more to lose than others.
miguel de Portugal comments: As we were saying....
In addition, we ask: Why has taken this long to the agencies entrusted with our security to realize that this was coming? Do they have syrup in their veins? Maybe we need to place out security agencies on commission - No busted threat, no pay check! You'd be amazed how quickly that syrup in their veins turns into fast flowing blood.
_____________
(1) Euronews Reports
March 11th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[highlights by contributor]
The Index of Forbidden
Blogs. (1)
Just when you think that the bureaucrats at the Vatican cannot do anything stupider than they’ve done before, they manage do outdo themselves:
One of the domain names of a website that is the primary source of information on clergy sex abuse cases has been blocked on the Vatican's web servers.
Users on Vatican servers who try to access one of the four web addresses for Bishopaccountability.org, which tracks publicly available information on clergy accused of abuse, are told the page has been blocked because of "Hate/Racism."
A Vatican spokesman said the site may be blocked because of an automatic filter system that checks words that appear on websites for explicit nature or inappropriateness.
————–
Bishopaccountability.org, which is a non-profit corporation in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is run by a staff of two located in the Boston area.
A staple of those researching the decades-long clergy sex abuse crisis, the site includes links to reporting on abuse since the 1980s, a database of accused abusers throughout the U.S., testimonies of abuse survivors, and court documents from lawsuits and criminal prosecutions across the U.S.
Among its activities in the past year, the site has:
*Made available more than 8,500 pages of material detailing claims of sexual abuse by a group of Franciscan priests and brothers in California, after their court-ordered release in May 2012;
*Provided a detailed timeline of the witness testimonies and evidence in the trial of Msgr. William Lynn, a former official in the Philadelphia archdiocese who was found guilty in June 2012 of endangering children during his time at the archdiocese from 1992-2004, and;
*Given background information on the release of some 12,000 files documenting Cardinal Roger Mahony and the Los Angeles’ archdiocese’s handling of abuse cases in the 1980s, following the files’ court ordered release in February 2013;
“This Web site is dedicated to the survivors and their families and loved ones,” the site states on its “About us” page.
Access to one of the site's four addresses was prevented by the web service provided in Paul VI Audience Hall, a facility the Vatican has provided for use by reporters during the papal transition.
Mr. Podles helped BishopAccountability get started. It has hundreds of thousands of pages of documents which are being organized and put on the web. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
What the Vatican bureaucrats at all levels do not yet realize is that the web makes secrecy almost impossible. Their idiocies will be broadcast world-wide, so they might as well do the right thing.
Any attempts to suppress the web will fail, and will only give wider publicity to their mistakes:
miguel de Portugal comments: The reader may draw his/her own conclusions. It should be highlighted that one one of the servers was blocked - the server that provides the service in Paul VI Audience Hall, a facility the Vatican has provided for use by reporters during the papal transition.
They are finished. It is just a matter of witnessing how God will dispense Divine Justice and dispose of them as He disposed of the Temple's priestly class. This time - once and for all!
They will then learn what we meant when we wrote: The Gates of Hell will not prevail.... but some conditions do apply.
_________________
(1) The Index of Forbidden Blogs
March 9th, 2013
Hot Off-the-Press
As you must have heard, the beginning of the (pretend) Conclave has been set for March 12th.
March 12th, in the year 2013, is the Jewish date of Nisan 1st - The first day of the first month of the Jewish biblical calendar.
Nisan in the Jewish calendar is the first month of the
year according to biblical reckoning and the seventh month of the civil year, usually
falling within March and April. (1)
That day is called Rosh Chodesh.
It is interesting to note the meaning of Rosh Chodesh:
"On a deeper level, Rosh Chodesh symbolizes
renewal, the ability of the Jewish People to rise
up from oblivion and restore itself to its past greatness. Just as the moon disappears at
the end of each month, but returns and grows to fullness, so Israel may suffer exile and decline,
but it always renews itself - until the coming of the Messiah, when the promise of the Exodus and
the Revelation at Sinai will be fulfilled, never to be dimmed again." (2)
_______________________
(1) Source
(2) Source
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Back on November 4, 2012, the Coptic Church elected Theodoros II as 118th Pope. The election of H.H. Throdoros II took place as follows:
After the death of Shenouda III the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church voted, and
the names of the three candidates who received most
votes were put in a glass chalice for a name to be picked to be the New Patriarch of
Alexandria. The name is picked by 'Divine Choice', by a
blindfolded boy believed to be guided by the hand of God.
miguel de Portugal comments: That is how a Church leader is selected through the unadulterated action of the Hand of God. A true Divine Choice.
What we see in the Vatican is the same charade that they have been practicing for 1,600 years. God only intervenes when whatever action the "politcos", passing themselves as Divine Representatives, will interfere with a major Divine Plan.
A case in point was the election of H.H. Paul VI. The "politicos" thought that they were electing "their man" to stop the Second Vatican Council.... and they did. Therefore, God changed "their man" into "His man" to ensure that the Second Vatican Council would come to a fruitful end (as God had established from all Eternity) - and which Paul VI crowned by officially proclaiming Mary the Mother of the Church.
Naturally, this did not set well with the "politicos" beginning with the fact that the RCC Administration had spent centuries brainwashing the innocent Faithful with the concept that they - who have assumed the position of "the Church" - were their mother. Remember the times that you have heard the Mother Church this or the Mother Church that?
[Naturally, with Mary being the Mother of the Church, which theologically is an absolute truth, while the "politicos" keep using their very dear and psycho manipulative term "Mother Church", they are making Mary our Grandmother...... What a pathetic bunch of Administrators!]
That is why I thought it amusing when we found out the name of the monastery (2) Maledict was "retiring" to: 'Mater Ecclesiae' (Mother Church)
_________________
(1) Source
(2) Mater Ecclesia
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Jesus put church in hands of erring humans, not angels. (1)
If Jesus had wanted a church free of scandal or
problems, he would have put it in the hands of angels, not a humanity he loved, said
Nigeria's newest cardinal elector, Cardinal Onaiyekan.
"If you say the church needs to reform and improve, it would be the first to admit it, because the church has never reached the end of its journey; the church is always under reform," Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, told Catholic News Service.
Even successful changes or improvements don't signal the job of conversion "is done and finished once and for all, because every generation has to go through its own reforms," he said on the sidelines of pre-conclave meetings March 6.
Cardinal Onaiyekan said, "I do believe that very often there's a tendency to exaggerate the gravity and even the moment (importance) of the problems we have in our house today. Anyone who has read church history knows that there is nothing new on that."
Problems or accusations of scandal or corruption should be addressed, he said, "but that only proves that the church is made of human beings."
"Jesus Christ could have left this church in the hands of angels; there were enough in heaven to do the job," he said.
Instead, with his love and hope for humanity, he put the church in the hands of 12 ignorant men, who included simple fishermen and a tax collector, he said.
"If you say the church needs to reform and improve, it would be the first to admit it, because the church has never reached the end of its journey; the church is always under reform," Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, told Catholic News Service.
Even successful changes or improvements don't signal the job of conversion "is done and finished once and for all, because every generation has to go through its own reforms," he said on the sidelines of pre-conclave meetings March 6.
Cardinal Onaiyekan said, "I do believe that very often there's a tendency to exaggerate the gravity and even the moment (importance) of the problems we have in our house today. Anyone who has read church history knows that there is nothing new on that."
Problems or accusations of scandal or corruption should be addressed, he said, "but that only proves that the church is made of human beings."
"Jesus Christ could have left this church in the hands of angels; there were enough in heaven to do the job," he said.
Instead, with his love and hope for humanity, he put the church in the hands of 12 ignorant men, who included simple fishermen and a tax collector, he said.
miguel de Portugal comments: From his declarations, we would not want to even imagine what this "Prince" is keeping in his closet - but we are sure that any US and UK tabloid would give the proverbial King's Ransom for it.
God has used him to show to the world what is the Hierarchy's mentality and why the Administration has continued to wallow in its own waste for 1,600 years.
It seems that the "Prince" missed the following part of the New Testament:
[6] 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. [7] 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]
....not to mention the next one....
[8] And if thy hand, or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off,
and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands
or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. [9] And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two
eyes to be cast into hell fire. [10] See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say
to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
[Matthew 18]
Of course, neither Jesus meant the amputations literally, nor we would even consider such interpretation. What He clearly meant was that it was imperative to get rid of the source of sin.
In "sexual abuse terms", what He meant was: Once a member of a religious order, clergy and or hierarchy is found guilty of any form of sexual abuse, he/she is to be set aside and removed from any kind of public ministry. He did not mean: "Move him/her to wherever he/she is not know and keep quiet about it."
Brethren - you have no idea how disgusting and upsetting it is for me to write about these people, but we must. That is part of the reason for my existence. However, know that I look forward to the time that I have only to interact with the exceptions of this shameful lot, like the John Bosco's, the Teresa's (de Jesus), the Gertrude's, the Faustina's, the John XXIII's, etc.
_________________
(1) Source
March 8th, 2013
News Report
[our highlights]
Cardinals get finance brief but no conclave date. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: Business as usual at The Vatican. Money first!
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report
[our highlights]
Cardinals get finance brief but no conclave date. (1)
Cardinals in Rome for the conclave to elect the next pope received a briefing on the Holy See's
finances Thursday amid questions about the Vatican bureaucracy and continued suspicions about its
bank.
The heads of the Vatican's three main financial offices briefed the cardinals as required by rules covering the transition period between papacies, during which cardinals meet daily to discuss the problems of the church and the qualities needed in a new pope.
The cardinals didn't set a date for the start of the conclave, and the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said he didn't expect a decision to be taken in Thursday's afternoon session. The last of the 115 voting-age cardinals, Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, was arriving later Thursday and the date can't be set until he does.
The heads of the Vatican's three main financial offices briefed the cardinals as required by rules covering the transition period between papacies, during which cardinals meet daily to discuss the problems of the church and the qualities needed in a new pope.
The cardinals didn't set a date for the start of the conclave, and the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said he didn't expect a decision to be taken in Thursday's afternoon session. The last of the 115 voting-age cardinals, Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, was arriving later Thursday and the date can't be set until he does.
miguel de Portugal comments: Business as usual at The Vatican. Money first!
_________________
(1) News Report
March 7th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Did South Korea Just Threaten to Strike Kim Jong Un? (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: From the almost daily fallout from the love-hate relationship reported between North and South Korea, it is easy to confirm that the government officials, of all countries involved, as well as the media, do not have the slightest idea of what they are talking about.
Just a reminder....
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Did South Korea Just Threaten to Strike Kim Jong Un? (1)
In a rare response to North Korea's bluster, South Korea's military today warned that it is ready
to strike at the North's "command leadership" if provoked - a term that could be referring to Kim
Jong Un, the New York Times reports.
The warning follows the North's threat yesterday to cancel the Korean War ceasefire over new UN sanctions.
Typically, Seoul considers Pyongyang's threats to be propaganda and ignores them; this response marks a significant ratcheting up of tensions between the two countries, the Times notes.
Here's the statement:
"If North Korea attempts a provocation that threatens the lives and security of our people, our military will forcefully and decisively strike not only the origin of provocation and its supporting forces but also its command leadership. We make it clear that we are all prepared."
"We read [North Korea's] confidence in nuclear weapons behind their aggressive, more provocative rhetoric and actions recently," says one expert, and the Times reports that officials echo that sentiment.
The warning follows the North's threat yesterday to cancel the Korean War ceasefire over new UN sanctions.
Typically, Seoul considers Pyongyang's threats to be propaganda and ignores them; this response marks a significant ratcheting up of tensions between the two countries, the Times notes.
Here's the statement:
"If North Korea attempts a provocation that threatens the lives and security of our people, our military will forcefully and decisively strike not only the origin of provocation and its supporting forces but also its command leadership. We make it clear that we are all prepared."
"We read [North Korea's] confidence in nuclear weapons behind their aggressive, more provocative rhetoric and actions recently," says one expert, and the Times reports that officials echo that sentiment.
Reuters reports, Pyongyang has set no-fly and no-sail
zones, indicating it is preparing to conduct major military drills off its east and west
coasts - or even test-fire missiles, warns the South.
miguel de Portugal comments: From the almost daily fallout from the love-hate relationship reported between North and South Korea, it is easy to confirm that the government officials, of all countries involved, as well as the media, do not have the slightest idea of what they are talking about.
Just a reminder....
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Furious over sanctions, NKorea vows to nuke US. (1)
miguel de Portugal comments: We are going to get it one way or another - whether it is from North Korea or Cuba or from a nuclear bomb already in an Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2), etc., etc.
As we keep on saying - the only real option is prayer.
________________
(1) News Report
(2) The Soviet Union had a nuclear bomb in their Embassy in Washington, D.C. TIME, November 12, 2001. p. 31
[our highlights]
Furious over sanctions, NKorea vows to nuke US. (1)
North Korea on Thursday vowed to launch a pre-emptive
nuclear strike against the United States, amplifying its threatening rhetoric hours ahead
of a vote by U.N. diplomats on whether to level new sanctions against Pyongyang for its recent
nuclear test.
An unidentified spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said the North will exercise its right for "pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the headquarters of the aggressors" because Washington is pushing to start a nuclear war against the North.
Although North Korea boasts of nuclear bombs and pre-emptive strikes, it is not thought to have mastered the ability to produce a warhead small enough to put on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. It is believed to have enough nuclear fuel, however, for a handful of crude nuclear devices.
An unidentified spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said the North will exercise its right for "pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the headquarters of the aggressors" because Washington is pushing to start a nuclear war against the North.
Although North Korea boasts of nuclear bombs and pre-emptive strikes, it is not thought to have mastered the ability to produce a warhead small enough to put on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. It is believed to have enough nuclear fuel, however, for a handful of crude nuclear devices.
miguel de Portugal comments: We are going to get it one way or another - whether it is from North Korea or Cuba or from a nuclear bomb already in an Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2), etc., etc.
As we keep on saying - the only real option is prayer.
________________
(1) News Report
(2) The Soviet Union had a nuclear bomb in their Embassy in Washington, D.C. TIME, November 12, 2001. p. 31
March 6th, 2013
About Some News Reports
[our highlights]
In the recent past we have mentioned how the Opus Dei forces are losing ground everywhere. The crucial battles are now being fought in Spain and Portugal, with Spain as the final battleground since it is the Flag-Ship of the Opus Dei system.
The recent state of affairs regarding Opus Dei in Portugal has been brought to our attention, and as the saying goes, they have been "thrown under the bus" without much ado.
A. In the January 28, 2013, issue of a major Portuguese daily - Diario de Notícias - a lengthy article about Opus Dei in Portugal begins on the front page. The blaring headlines read (our translation): Members of the Opus Dei Control an Estate in Excess of 50 million Euro ( about 65 million US dollars).
This lengthy front page article is followed by a number of articles covering eleven full pages of said daily's edition. Key members of Opus Dei were interviewed and quoted by name. It is amazing what they themselves revealed. In a nutshell: They have described: (a) how the official organization Opus Dei appears to have just a few dollars while it fully controls a total of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars; (b) how the money is invested while collecting donations from members to cover alleged investment losses; and (c) listing of businesses which are indirectly owned by Opus Dei.
Some high profile members of the hierarchy were also interviewed. Of course, all were supportive of Opus Dei.
In essence - in this series of articles - the typical Modus Operandi of Opus Dei has been exposed and will be used against them on a worldwide scale. In case the reader may think that the Modus Operandi that was revealed does not reflect the truth (in order to somehow protect Opus Dei and its members) - that is not the case. What has been revealed matches perfectly with what we know about their Modus Operandi.
B. In the weekly (February 12 to 27, 2013) issue of the Portuguese magazine VISÃO (the Portuguese equivalent to the U.S. TIME magazine) we read the following headlines (our translation): The Sexual Siege in the Church : THE BISHOP'S SECRET. A short text follows. The full backdrop of the cover is a photograph of a high profile Bishop who has "crashed" in Portugal and has, logically, been promoted to a high position at the Vatican.
The Bishop in question is D. Carlos Azevedo, who was being considered to replace the current Patriarch of Lisbon.
His fall in Portugal, of course, was the result of the sexual scandal in the Portuguese Roman Catholic Church. In the full six-page article, his connections with the Opus Dei are also brought to light.
This less than subtle attack on Opus Dei in Portugal is a rarity. The last one we can remember was the VISÃO article that we quoted from in a 1994 document (1). Coincidentally, that magazine's headquarters burned down shortly thereafter – and until now, we did not hear another negative word out of them regarding the Opus Dei.
Meanwhile in Spain....About Some News Reports
[our highlights]
In the recent past we have mentioned how the Opus Dei forces are losing ground everywhere. The crucial battles are now being fought in Spain and Portugal, with Spain as the final battleground since it is the Flag-Ship of the Opus Dei system.
The recent state of affairs regarding Opus Dei in Portugal has been brought to our attention, and as the saying goes, they have been "thrown under the bus" without much ado.
A. In the January 28, 2013, issue of a major Portuguese daily - Diario de Notícias - a lengthy article about Opus Dei in Portugal begins on the front page. The blaring headlines read (our translation): Members of the Opus Dei Control an Estate in Excess of 50 million Euro ( about 65 million US dollars).
This lengthy front page article is followed by a number of articles covering eleven full pages of said daily's edition. Key members of Opus Dei were interviewed and quoted by name. It is amazing what they themselves revealed. In a nutshell: They have described: (a) how the official organization Opus Dei appears to have just a few dollars while it fully controls a total of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars; (b) how the money is invested while collecting donations from members to cover alleged investment losses; and (c) listing of businesses which are indirectly owned by Opus Dei.
Some high profile members of the hierarchy were also interviewed. Of course, all were supportive of Opus Dei.
In essence - in this series of articles - the typical Modus Operandi of Opus Dei has been exposed and will be used against them on a worldwide scale. In case the reader may think that the Modus Operandi that was revealed does not reflect the truth (in order to somehow protect Opus Dei and its members) - that is not the case. What has been revealed matches perfectly with what we know about their Modus Operandi.
B. In the weekly (February 12 to 27, 2013) issue of the Portuguese magazine VISÃO (the Portuguese equivalent to the U.S. TIME magazine) we read the following headlines (our translation): The Sexual Siege in the Church : THE BISHOP'S SECRET. A short text follows. The full backdrop of the cover is a photograph of a high profile Bishop who has "crashed" in Portugal and has, logically, been promoted to a high position at the Vatican.
The Bishop in question is D. Carlos Azevedo, who was being considered to replace the current Patriarch of Lisbon.
His fall in Portugal, of course, was the result of the sexual scandal in the Portuguese Roman Catholic Church. In the full six-page article, his connections with the Opus Dei are also brought to light.
This less than subtle attack on Opus Dei in Portugal is a rarity. The last one we can remember was the VISÃO article that we quoted from in a 1994 document (1). Coincidentally, that magazine's headquarters burned down shortly thereafter – and until now, we did not hear another negative word out of them regarding the Opus Dei.
The battle against the Opus Dei is less obvious, since what is seen by the public is the siege of the Partido Popular (which is now in the government). The Partido Popular is, in essence, the Opus Dei Party. The attacks are now coming from outside the Party as well as from the inside.
The manifestation - in Catholic Church terms - of the siege of Opus Dei is seen in the defense of poor Ratzinger and how he has been conspired against by the evil ones within the Roman Curia. They have gone to the extreme of mopping the floors with the late John Paul II in an effort to defend Ratzinger.
We will now quote from a featured column (2) in the Sunday supplement of the high profile Spanish daily ABC. This daily is so Monarchical (center-right-right) that the locals claim that if tomorrow was the King's birthday and, on the same day the World was going to end, the feature article in the final issue would be the King's birthday.
The five full page article is headlined as follows (our translation): "They have won", the Pope (they are referring to Ratzinger) lamented 17 years ago. And the story repeats itself: he has been powerless against those who believe in a Church above Good and Evil."
A global condemnation of the late John Paul II is made to justify Maledict's resignation with the following statement (our translation): The poisoned legacy of Wojtyla was too much (for Maledict). This is followed by highlighting the alleged pro-pedophile position of the late John Paul II, which was allegedly purchased by the now-disgraced founder of the Legionnaires of Christ. The article also pointed to the shady transactions of the Vatican Bank allegedly allowed by John Paul II regime.
Such an attack on John Paul II from the Opus Dei sympathizers’ quarters means only one thing: They are desperate and are acknowledging the fact that once Opus Dei's Maledict is out, they have lost the grip they had in the Vatican.
miguel de Portugal's concluding comments: Opus Dei is now up against the wall and maybe, just maybe, because we are going straight into the Chastisement, God does not need their "services" any more.
To explain such a strange statement, imagine that at the very last moment, God had decided not to give humanity another chance via the Redemptive Sacrifice of Jesus. If that had been the case, He no longer would have needed the "services" of Judas Iscariot. In that case, Judas would have had to gravely sin against God in some other way so that he would end in hell, as he was predestined to do in Eternity.
_________________
(1) "The Secret Army of the Pope" published by Portuguese VISÄO and French Le Nouvel Observateur
(2) El Norte de Castilla, Sunday, February 17, 2013. pp. 18-23
March 5th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Underworld saint becoming more popular in US. (1)
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Underworld saint becoming more popular in US. (1)
A follower in New Orleans built a public shrine in her honor. An actor in Albuquerque credits her
with helping him land a role on the TV show "Breaking Bad." She turns up routinely along the
U.S.-Mexico border at safe houses, and is sighted on dashboards of cars used to smuggle
methamphetamine through the southwest desert.
Popular in Mexico, and sometimes linked to the illicit drug trade, the skeleton saint known as La Santa Muerte in recent years has found a robust and diverse following north of the border: immigrant small business owners, artists, gay activists and the poor, among others - many of them non-Latinos and not all involved with organized religion.
Clad in a black nun's robe and holding a scythe in one hand, Santa Muerte appeals to people seeking all manner of otherworldly help: from fending off wrongdoing and carrying out vengeance to stopping lovers from cheating and landing better jobs. And others seek her protection for their drug shipments and to ward off law enforcement.
"Her growth in the United States has been extraordinary," said Andrew Chesnut, author of "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint"... the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, says "Because you can ask her for anything, she has mass appeal and is now gaining a diverse group of followers throughoutthe country. She's the ultimate multi-tasker."
Popular in Mexico, and sometimes linked to the illicit drug trade, the skeleton saint known as La Santa Muerte in recent years has found a robust and diverse following north of the border: immigrant small business owners, artists, gay activists and the poor, among others - many of them non-Latinos and not all involved with organized religion.
Clad in a black nun's robe and holding a scythe in one hand, Santa Muerte appeals to people seeking all manner of otherworldly help: from fending off wrongdoing and carrying out vengeance to stopping lovers from cheating and landing better jobs. And others seek her protection for their drug shipments and to ward off law enforcement.
"Her growth in the United States has been extraordinary," said Andrew Chesnut, author of "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint"... the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, says "Because you can ask her for anything, she has mass appeal and is now gaining a diverse group of followers throughoutthe country. She's the ultimate multi-tasker."
miguel de Portugal comments: This is the product of the "Evangelization" led by the successors of the seemingly most emulated Apostle, Judas Iscariot
_________________
(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[Contributor's highlights]
<>Cardinal Mahony says Vatican told him to attend papal conclave. (1)
The retired cardinal has been under fire for his handling of sexual abuse cases, particularly his role in hiding molestations by priests from authorities. The cover-ups were revealed with the recent release of thousands of pages of detailed court documents about the cases.
But shortly after Pope Benedict XVI announced he would retire at the end of last month, Mahony announced on his blog that he would attend the conclave to elect the next pope. The announcement touched off a fresh storm of protest against Mahony, who has been using his blog and Twitter account to defend himself.
Now in Rome for the conclave, Mahony has been keeping a high profile and tweeting regularly.
miguel de Portugal comments:
We are sure that "La Santa Muerte" is giving him a hand....
_________________
(1) Source
_________________
(1) Source
March 4th, 2013
About the Boy Scouts of America recent News Reports
[our highlights]
by (Mr.) IW @ US
The Decline and Fall of the Boy Scouts of America - An illustration via brief historical overview of just how bad its present situation really is.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was established in 1910 with headquarters in New York City. As Scouting was always designed for urban boys, NYC became its 'test tube'. The amazing popularity of the program in its first years created a massive backlog of boys who wanted to join - yet there were not enough troops or scoutmasters to run them.
Scouting in NYC became the model for how to organize and operate the program across the US. After several false starts to separate NYC Scouting from the National BSA headquarters, the Boy Scout Foundation of Greater New York was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1922. He remained its head until his death. Its successor corporation - Greater New York Councils (GNYC) - exists today. (1)
It is a 'super council', composed of five councils (one for each of the five Boroughs of NYC). How successful was Scouting in NYC? By the 50th Anniversary of the BSA in 1960, GNYC had some 80,000 boy members.
In the Manhattan Council, by the 70s and 80s, while the membership had fallen in GNYC totals to c. 60,000, they operated five Districts. Each District had about 30 scout troops. Total membership in Manhattan in 1982 was around 7500.
Today, in the Manhattan Council - on an island of 1.7 million souls - there is only one District. And less then 500 Manhattan boys are now registered in Scouting. The present total boy membership for all of GNYC is now 3,900.
There were more NYC boys registered in 1911, then there are today in 2013.
Nationally, the boy membership of the BSA has fallen from a high of 6.5 million (1969) to less then 2.7 million in 2011. As they allow no external audit of their membership rolls, and have a bad reputation for inflating the rolls (by as much as 1/3) the actual numbers are probably far less now.
They have lost the organization. Totally. It is a 'house of cards', held together by the reputation and public image of the BSA. A reputation now forever soiled by rampant pedophilia, corruption, and Masonry.
When one shuts down a theater, there is a tradition of leaving one solitary light on the stage: the Ghost Light. (2)
For the once great BSA, the time has come to put on the Ghost Light.... as the show is over, save for the ghosts.
_________________________
(1) Greater_New_York_Councils
(2) About the Ghost Light
About the Boy Scouts of America recent News Reports
[our highlights]
by (Mr.) IW @ US
The Decline and Fall of the Boy Scouts of America - An illustration via brief historical overview of just how bad its present situation really is.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was established in 1910 with headquarters in New York City. As Scouting was always designed for urban boys, NYC became its 'test tube'. The amazing popularity of the program in its first years created a massive backlog of boys who wanted to join - yet there were not enough troops or scoutmasters to run them.
Scouting in NYC became the model for how to organize and operate the program across the US. After several false starts to separate NYC Scouting from the National BSA headquarters, the Boy Scout Foundation of Greater New York was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1922. He remained its head until his death. Its successor corporation - Greater New York Councils (GNYC) - exists today. (1)
It is a 'super council', composed of five councils (one for each of the five Boroughs of NYC). How successful was Scouting in NYC? By the 50th Anniversary of the BSA in 1960, GNYC had some 80,000 boy members.
In the Manhattan Council, by the 70s and 80s, while the membership had fallen in GNYC totals to c. 60,000, they operated five Districts. Each District had about 30 scout troops. Total membership in Manhattan in 1982 was around 7500.
Today, in the Manhattan Council - on an island of 1.7 million souls - there is only one District. And less then 500 Manhattan boys are now registered in Scouting. The present total boy membership for all of GNYC is now 3,900.
There were more NYC boys registered in 1911, then there are today in 2013.
Nationally, the boy membership of the BSA has fallen from a high of 6.5 million (1969) to less then 2.7 million in 2011. As they allow no external audit of their membership rolls, and have a bad reputation for inflating the rolls (by as much as 1/3) the actual numbers are probably far less now.
They have lost the organization. Totally. It is a 'house of cards', held together by the reputation and public image of the BSA. A reputation now forever soiled by rampant pedophilia, corruption, and Masonry.
When one shuts down a theater, there is a tradition of leaving one solitary light on the stage: the Ghost Light. (2)
For the once great BSA, the time has come to put on the Ghost Light.... as the show is over, save for the ghosts.
_________________________
(1) Greater_New_York_Councils
(2) About the Ghost Light
March 2nd, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Greenpeace slams WHO over Fukushima radiation. (1)
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Greenpeace slams WHO over Fukushima radiation. (1)
Greenpeace has criticised the World Health Organisation's (WHO) assessment of radioactive risks
around Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. The environmental group says the WHO has not sufficiently
taken into account the potential long-term health risks to people exposed to radiation in the
area.
The Japanese government acknowledges the problems. Shinji Inoue, Japan's Vice Minister for the Environment, said. Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), which operates Fukushima, said a fish had been detected near the plant that had 5,000 times the level of radiation allowed by the government.
Scientists say such high levels of radiation could point to a continuing leak, as fish naturally lose a few percent of radiation each day. TEPCO denies this, saying the high levels detected are the result of previous contamination only.
The Japanese government acknowledges the problems. Shinji Inoue, Japan's Vice Minister for the Environment, said. Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), which operates Fukushima, said a fish had been detected near the plant that had 5,000 times the level of radiation allowed by the government.
Scientists say such high levels of radiation could point to a continuing leak, as fish naturally lose a few percent of radiation each day. TEPCO denies this, saying the high levels detected are the result of previous contamination only.
miguel de Portugal comments: If you asked the average man-on-the-street (outside Japan) about the state of affairs regarding the Fukushima incident, he would, most likely, say that "all has been taken care of"..... while the diametrically oposed reality is spelled out above.
Do you have an idea about how many similar scenarios are active worldwide right now? Remember the disappearing bees?
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
March 1st, 2013
News Report No. 1
[contributor's highlights]
Top cardinal defends Mahony on abuse scandal, takes on critics. (1)
Jesus Christ reminds us:
News Report No. 1
[contributor's highlights]
Top cardinal defends Mahony on abuse scandal, takes on critics. (1)
A top U.S. cardinal came to
the defense of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, saying some priest abuse victims groups who have
criticized Mahony may never be satisfied with the church's response to the crisis.
Cardinal William Levada on Monday said Mahony should help select a new pope.
"There are some victims groups for whom enough is never enough, so we have to do our jobs as best we see it," said Levada, 76, according to Associated Press. "He has apologized for errors in judgment that were made. I believe he should be at the conclave."
Levada, who spoke about Mahony and the historic events at the Vatican during a talk at a Menlo Park seminary, is a former archbishop of San Francisco and also served as the pope's prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Critics have slammed Mahony for going to Rome for the papal conclave after church files released last month showed he sought to prevent law enforcement officials from investigating priests who molested children. Mahony has apologized for his actions in the 1980s but said it is his duty to help select a new pope.
On Saturday, a Catholic organization delivered a petition with thousands of signatures asking that Mahony recuse himself from the conclave in Rome.
.....
After delivering the petition, organizers attended Mass at the parish to pray for healing and for
the future of the church.
....
Mahony has been tweeting regularly about Rome and blogging about his impressions.
"People on the streets are wondering which Pope God has chosen to replace Benedict," Mahony wrote.....
"I can't recall a time such as now when people tend to be so judgmental and even self-righteous, so quick to accuse, judge and condemn," Mahony wrote on his personal blog. "And often with scant real facts and information. Because of news broadcasts now 24/7 there is little or no fact checking; no in-depth analysis; no context or history given. Rather, everything gets reported as 'news' regardless of the basis for the item being reported and passed on by countless other news outlets."
On Saturday, Mahony answered questions under oath for more than 3½ hours about his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, according to the lawyer who questioned the former archbishop.
Jesus Christ reminds us:
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
18:7]
and
For he that shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation: the Son of man also will be ashamed of him, when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. [Mark 8:38]
miguel de Portugal comments: Ignoring His Words and nurturing scandal is far worse than being ashamed of His Words. It is shamefully ignoring them. Thanks be to God that soon all of these betrayers of Christ will not even be history, for they will be Eternally forgotten.
In closing, we wish to remind you who the "defender" is: Levada, with a well stained record.
_________________
(1) Top cardinal defends Mahony on abuse scandal
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