“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
(1 Timothy 4:10)

Saviour Of All Men

Dear Friends,

Greetings!

We thought we would present the topic of Universal Reconciliation this week.

We have quotes below from Rob Bell's best selling book “Love Wins”. He presents the well known verse John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” in quite a unique and thought provoking way.

See what you think?

“In Christian theology, universal reconciliation (also called universal salvation, Christian universalism, or in context simply universalism) is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls—because of divine love and mercy—will ultimately be reconciled to God.” - Wikipedia

“God loves us. God offers us everlasting life by grace, freely, through no merit on our part.

Unless you do not respond the right way. Then God will torture you forever. In hell.” Huh?-Rob Bell

Love Wins

“John remembers Jesus saying", I am the way and the

truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me". (John 14:6)

This is as wide and expansive a claim as a person can

make.

What he doesn't say is how, or when, or in what

manner the mechanism functions that gets people to

God through him. He doesn't even state that those

coming to the Father through him will even know that

they are coming exclusively through him. He simply

claims that whatever God is doing in the world to know

and redeem and love and restore the world is happening

through him.

And so the passage is exclusive, deeply so, insisting on

Jesus alone as the way to God. But it is an exclusivity on

the other side on inclusivity.

First, there is exclusivity.

Jesus is the only way, Everybody who doesn't believe

in him and follow him in the precise way that is defined

by the group doing the defining isn't saved, redeemed,

going to heaven and so on. There is that kind of

exclusion. You're either in, or you're going to hell. Two

groups.

Then there is inclusivity,

The kind that is open to all religions, the kind that trusts

that good people will get in, that there is only one

mountain, but it has many paths. This inclusivity assumes

that as long as your heart is fine or your actions measure

up, you'll be okay.

And then there is an exclusivity on the other side of

inclusivity. This kind insists that Jesus is the way, but

holds tightly to the assumption that the all -embracing,

saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of

course include all sorts of unexpected people from

across the cultural spectrum.

As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus,

Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Chris-

tians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn't

matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn't matter

what you believe, and so forth.

Not true.

Absolutely unequivocally, unalterably not true.

What Jesus does is declare that he,

and He alone,

is saving everybody.

And then he leaves the door way, way open. Creating all

sorts of possibilities. He is as narrow as himself and as

wide as the universe.

He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as

containing every single particle of creation.”

In the new heaven and new earth, there are people on the surface who were former sinners, dogs, liars, all kinds of things, yet He allows them outside the Heavenly City. It says outside the City, outside the walls thereof.

“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (Revelation 22:15)

He allows them to be ministered to with the Leaves from the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations.

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2)

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2Peter 3:9)

Jesus never fails! He' will win them all'! (Universal Reconciliation! 1981 David Berg)

Verses to consider:

“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10)

“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah12:10)

“Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) (The verse says able, not does. Ed.)

***

ENE News

Japan Diplomat: No one denies that a problem with Fukushima No. 4 fuel pool would be the end of Japan -- "We cannot sleep peacefully" (VIDEO)

***

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Obamacare

Kurt Nimmo - Infowars.com - June 28, 2012

In a victory for the New Deal bastardization of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled that the government can mandate at gunpoint that Americans buy monopolized health care insurance.

"The Supreme Court upheld the health care law today in a splintered, complex opinion that appears to give President Obama a major victory," reports USAToday.

In order to avoid arguments that the law is a misinterpretation of the Commerce Clause, the Court ruled that the requirement is a tax.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who held the court's swing vote, dissented. Reading from the bench, Kennedy said he and three conservative justices believe "the entire Act before us is invalid in its entirety."

Polls conducted prior to the landmark vote indicate most Americans do not favor the law.

Today's ruling is important because it is the first time in history that the federal government has required citizens enter into contract with private corporations to buy a product or service. It also represents one of the most egregious violations of the Constitution in American history.

"The insurance mandate clearly exceeds the federal government's powers under the interstate commerce clause found in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution," writes Ron Paul. "This is patently obvious: the power to 'regulate' commerce cannot include the power to compel commerce! Those who claim otherwise simply ignore the plain meaning of the Constitution because they don't want to limit federal power in any way."

"The commerce clause was intended simply to give Congress the power to regulate foreign trade, and also to prevent states from imposing tariffs on interstate goods. In Federalist Paper No. 22, Alexander Hamilton makes it clear the simple intent behind the clause was to prevent states from placing tolls or tariffs on goods as they passed through each state -- a practice that had proven particularly destructive across the many principalities of the German empire."

Expect death panels to come back in a big way now that Obamacare is the law of the land. Now that there is no fear of political backlash, death panels will be sold as a measure to reduce medical costs which will predictably skyrocket (as costs do of anything government touches).

If you are skeptical of this, consider a recent report in Britain. "NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed yesterday," the Daily Mail reported last week.

It is being sold as a "death pathway" that is the equivalent of euthanasia of the elderly.

***

WND EXCLUSIVE

RUSSIA WARNS TURKEY, NATO AGAINST MILITARY ACTION

Syrian army on second highest alert after downing of aircraft

by AARON KLEIN

Published: 06/24/12

TEL AVIV - Russia has sent a backdoor warning to Turkey and NATO that Moscow will not tolerate any military action against Syria in response to the downing of a Turkish aircraft on Friday, according to a Syrian government source.

The source told WND the Syrian military is on its second-highest alert as Turkey announced yesterday it will discuss the downing of one of its military jets by Syria with NATO officials at a special meeting on Tuesday.

As a NATO member, Turkey could ask the international alliance to respond against Syria.

Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said in a Twitter message today he would invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which calls for consultations when a fellow member is attacked.

Davutoglu said on state television the downed plane had been clearly marked as Turkish. He said he didn't believe Syria's earlier statement it had not known the plane, which was shot over international waters, belonged to Turkey.

He further declared Ankara would react "decisively" in its response to the shooting of the plane.

"Our perspective is that of peace ... but nobody can throw Turkey's international security into risk or test Turkey's capacity," Davutoglu said, adding that while Turkey's response will be "in line with international law," it would be "decisive."

***

Info Wars

Syrian Rebels Ransack Christian Churches

Paul Joseph Watson

June 27, 2012

NATO-backed thugs desecrate places of worship

Shocking images have emerged which show the aftermath of Christian churches ransacked by NATO-backed Syrian rebels, illustrating once again how western powers are supporting Muslim extremists in their bid to achieve regime change in the middle east.

A photograph provided to us by a Christian woman in Homs, scene of some of the bloodiest clashes of the conflict, shows a member of the Free Syrian Army posing with a looted Catholic cross in one hand and a gun in the other while wearing a priest's robe.

"Everyone knows simply removing these garments from the church is a sin. The priest is the only one who wears them too. They even pray before putting them on. Him posing in front of the funeral car as well is disgusting to the max," our source told us.

"They destroyed the church and went in to film it. I know this for a fact."

"The Robes can only be worn by Deacons or Priests or Sub-Deacons, and they a Christian man wouldn't hold a Cross in one hand and a gun in another," the woman adds

Another image shows a ransacked church in Bustan al-Diwan (Old Homs).

While Syrian rebels busy themselves ransacking Christian churches, they're also rallying around the Al-Qaeda flag just as their counterparts did in Libya.

A third image sent by our source shows another place of worship, Church Um Al Zinar, with part of its roof missing thanks to Syrian rebels who have been portrayed by the international media as saints despite their involvement in terrorist bombings and massacres.

The Independent

Leading article: An omen of how Syria's conflict could spread

The downing of Turkey's plane shows that regional security is balanced on a knife-edge

27 JUNE 2012

When the Syrians shot down a Turkish military jet at the weekend, Turkey's government responded with commendable moderation. But the temperature rose yesterday when the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc, revealed that Syria had gone on to fire on a plane sent to look for the missing pilots and described this as "a hostile act of the highest order". Turkey is now threatening a military response against any Syrian forces approaching the long border between the two countries and has revised its military rules of engagement.

This is an alarming development. Since the start of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad, there has been concern that the violence could spark a wider regional conflict. Relations between Turkey and Syria have long been strained, with recurrent disputes over the border, water, Damascus's support for Kurdish rebels and, most recently, the influx of Syrian refugees.

But just as significantly Turkey is a member of Nato. Ankara has approached the alliance now under Article 4 of the Nato Treaty which allows any member state to demand a Nato meeting if it believes its "territorial integrity, political independence or security" is threatened. And it is only the second time in Nato's history that a member state has invoked Article 4. In response Nato has condemned Syria's attack "in the strongest terms" and said the alliance's 28 members will "stand together with Turkey in the spirit of strong solidarity". The incident, it said, was another example of the Syrian authorities' disregard for international norms.

Referring the issue to Nato is a double-edged sword for Turkey. It summons the power of the alliance, but it also binds Ankara to take the advice of Nato members among whom there is still no appetite for military intervention in Syria. Nato works by consensus and all members must approve any action. Yet Turkey has pointedly refrained from invoking Article 5 of the Treaty by which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

What this means is that, for all the tough talk of Turkish politicians, its government is limiting its response as yet to a diplomatic rather than a military one. Such caution is prudent. For the downing of the military jet has shown that the international community is here faced with a problem far tougher than that posed by Libya or even Iraq. Syria's air defences are far more extensive than those of Libya, and even these required US air power to destroy.

But if the prospect of Western military intervention in Syria remains remote, what this episode highlights is the way the Syrian crisis is heightening existing volatility. Yesterday there were reports of fighting in the suburbs of Damascus where part of Syria's formidable chemical weapons arsenal is believed to be stored. Both Israel and the US have said privately they would be forced to act if these facilities became insecure. As the bloodshed grows, and the Assad regime becomes more desperate, so the risk mounts that some unforeseen event might ignite a broader conflagration.

Official Nato military intervention is unthinkable without the support of either the Arab League or the UN Security Council, where Russia has a veto. But incidents like the shooting down of the Turkish plane illustrate the knife-edge on which regional security is poised. The nightmare prospect of a conflict involving Syria, Turkey, Israel and Iran becomes more credible with each passing day.

Russia is the key to unblocking the impasse. The West should concentrate now on providing Moscow with assurances that its geopolitical interests will be respected in Syria so long as it assists in a regime change which sees the back of the blood-stained President Assad.

***

The Economic Collapse
Friday

17 Reasons To Be EXTREMELY Concerned About The Second Half Of 2012

June 29, 2012

What is the second half of 2012 going to bring?  Are things going to get even worse than they are right now?  Unfortunately, that appears more likely with each passing day.

I will admit that I am extremely concerned about the second half of 2012.  Historically, a financial crisis is much more likely to begin in the fall than during any other season of the year.  Just think about it.  The stock market crash of 1929 happened in the fall.  “Black Monday” happened on October 19th, 1987.  The financial crisis of 2008 started in the fall.  There just seems to be something about the fall that brings out the worst in the financial markets.  But of course there is not a stock market crash every year.  So are there specific reasons why we should be extremely concerned about what is coming this year?  Yes, there are.  The ingredients for a “perfect storm” are slowly coming together, and in the months ahead we could very well see the next wave of the economic collapse strike.  Sadly, we have never even come close to recovering from the last recession, and this next crisis might end up being even more painful than the last one.

The following are 17 reasons to be extremely concerned about the second half of 2012….

#1 Historical Trends

A recent IMF research paper by Luc Laeven and Fabián Valencia showed that a banking crisis is far more likely to start in September than in any other month.  The following chart is from their report….

So what will this September bring?

#2 JP Morgan

Do you remember back in May when JP Morgan announced that it would be taking a 2 billion dollar trading loss on some derivatives trades gone bad?  Well, the New York Times is now reporting that the real figure could reach 9 billion dollars, but nobody really knows for sure.  At some point is JP Morgan going to need a bailout?  If so, what is that going to do to the U.S. financial system?

#3 Derivatives

Last week, Moody’s downgraded the credit ratings of 15 major global banks.  As a result, a number of them have been required to post billions of dollars in additional collateral against derivatives exposures….

Citigroup’s two-notch long-term rating downgrade from A3 to Baa2 could have led to US$500m in additional liquidity and funding demands due to derivative triggers and exchange margin requirements, according to the bank’s 10Q regulatory filing at the end of the first quarter.

Morgan Stanley – which Moody’s downgraded from A2 to Baa1 – said a two-notch downgrade from both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s could spur an additional US$6.8bn of collateral requirements in its latest 10Q. The bank did not break down its potential collateral calls under a scenario where only Moody’s downgraded the bank below the Single A threshold.

Royal Bank of Scotland estimated it may have to post £9bn of collateral as a result of the one-notch Moody’s downgrade to Baa1 in a statement on June 21, but did not detail how much of this additional requirement was driven by margin for swaps exposures.

The worldwide derivatives market is starting to show some cracks, and at some point this is going to become a major disaster.

Remember, the 9 largest U.S. banks have a total of more than 200 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives.  When this bubble completely bursts it is going to be impossible to fix.

#4 LEAP/E2020 Warning

LEAP/E2020 has issued a red alert for the global financial system for this fall.  They are warning that the “second half of 2012″ will represent a “major inflection point” for the global economic system….

The shock of the autumn 2008 will seem like a small summer storm compared to what will affect planet in several months.

In fact LEAP/E2020 has never seen the chronological convergence of such a series of explosive and so fundamental factors (economy, finances, geopolitical…) since 2006, the start of its work on the global systemic crisis. Logically, in our modest attempt to regularly publish a “crisis weather forecast”, we must therefore give our readers a “Red Alert” because the upcoming events which are readying themselves to shake the world system next September/ October belong to this category.

#5 Increasing Pessimism

One recent survey of corporate executives found that only 20 percent of them expect the global economy to improve over the next 12 months and 48 percent of them expect the global economy to get worse over the next 12 months.

#6 Spain

The Spanish financial system is basically a total nightmare at this point.  Moody’s recently downgraded Spanish debt to one level above junk status, and earlier this week Moody’s downgraded the credit ratings of 28 major Spanish banks.

According to CNBC, Spain’s short-term borrowing costs are now about three times higher than they were just one month ago….

Spain’s short-term borrowing costs nearly tripled at auction on Tuesday, underlining the country’s precarious finances as it struggles against recession and juggles with a debt crisis among its newly downgraded banks.

The yield paid on a 3-month bill was 2.362 percent, up from just 0.846 percent a month ago. For six-month paper, it leapt to 3.237 percent from 1.737 percent in May.

Needless to say, this is very, very bad news.

#7 Italy

The situation in Italy continues to deteriorate and many analysts believe that it could be one of the next dominoes to fall.  The following is from a recent Businessweek article….

The euro zone’s third-biggest economy is seen as the next domino at risk of toppling after the European Union’s June 9 deal to lend Spain $125 billion in bank bailout funds. Yields on Italy’s 10-year government bonds reached 6.2 percent on June 13, up from just 4.8 percent in March. By pushing up Italy’s borrowing costs out of fear of default, investors are making a default more likely.

A recent Fortune article detailed some of the economic fundamentals that have so many economists deeply concerned about the Italian economy right now….

The main glaring risk threats that could propel Italy down the path to become Europe’s next domino is the size of country’s outstanding debt (at €1.9 trillion or 120% of GDP); the mountain of debt it has to roll over in the next 12 months (nearly €400 billion); and the market’s cracking credibility around Prime Minister Mario Monti’s ability to reduce the country’s fiscal footprint and spur growth.

Further, fear around Italy’s creditworthiness, which has recently been expressed by near cycle highs in sovereign CDS spreads and government yields on the 10-year bond, foll ow some rather glaring negative fundamentals over recent quarters and years:  declining GDP over the last three consecutive quarters; a rising unemployment rate (especially among its youth); deterioration in labor market competitiveness; and increased competition for export goods to its key trading partners.

#8 Greece

I have written extensively about the financial nightmare that is unfolding in Greece.  Unemployment has soared past the 20 percent mark, youth unemployment is above 50 percent, the Greek economy has contracted by close to 25 percent over the past four years and now Greek politicians are saying that a third bailout package may be necessary.

#9 Cyprus

The tiny island nation of Cyprus has become the fifth member of the eurozone to formally request a bailout.  This is yet another sign that the eurozone is rapidly falling apart.

#10 Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to promote an austerity path for Europe and she continues to maintain her very firm position against any kind of eurozone debt sharing….

Merkel, speaking to a conference in Berlin today as Spain announced it would formally seek aid for its banks, dismissed “euro bonds, euro bills and European deposit insurance with joint liability and much more” as “economically wrong and counterproductive,” saying that they ran against the German constitution.

“It’s not a bold prediction to say that in Brussels most eyes — all eyes — will be on Germany yet again,” Merkel said. “I say quite openly: when I think of the summit on Thursday I’m concerned that once again the discussion will be far too much about all kinds of ideas for joint liability and far too little about improved oversight and structural measures.”

In fact, Merkel says that there will be no eurobonds “as long as I live“.  This means that there will be no “quick fix” for the problems that are unfolding in Europe.

#11 Bank Runs

Every single day, hundreds of billions of dollars is being pulled out of banks in southern Europe.  Much of that money is being transferred to banks in northern Europe.

In a previous article I included an extremely alarming quote from a CNBC article about the unfolding banking crisis in Europe….

Financial advisers and private bankers whose clients have accounts too large to be covered by a Europe-wide guarantee on deposits up to 100,000 euros ($125,000), are reporting a “bank run by wire transfer” that has picked up during May.

Much of this money has headed north to banks in London, Frankfurt and Geneva, financial advisers say.

“It’s been an ongoing process but it certainly picked up pace a couple of weeks ago We believe there is a continuous 2-3 year bank run by wire transfer,” said Lorne Baring, managing director at B Capital, a Geneva-based pan European wealth management firm.

How long can these bank runs continue before banking systems start to collapse?

#12 Preparations For The Collapse Of The Eurozone

As I have written about previously, the smart money has already written off southern Europe.  All over the continent major financial institutions are preparing for the worst.  For example, just check out what Visa Europe is doing….

Visa Europe is holding weekly meetings to discuss scenarios in the event the euro zone collapses, joining other companies that are preparing for a potential breakup of the currency bloc.

Chief Commercial Officer Steve Perry said Tuesday that management at the U.K.-based credit-card company meets weekly to explore various possible outcomes, including a total collapse of the euro zone.

#13 Global Lending Is Slowing Down

All over the globe the flow of credit is beginning to freeze up.  In fact, the Bank for International Settlements says that worldwide lending is contracting at the fastest pace since the financial crisis of 2008.

#14 Sophisticated Cyber Attacks On Banks

It is being reported that “very sophisticated” hackers have successfully raided dozens of banks in Europe.  So far, it is being estimated that they have stolen 60 million euros….

Sixty million euro has been stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber bank raid after fraudsters raided dozens of financial institutions around the world.

According to a joint report by software security firm McAfee and Guardian Analytics, more than 60 firms have suffered from what it has called an “insider level of understanding”.

What happens someday if we wake up and all the money in the banks is gone?

#15 U.S. Municipal Bankruptcies

All over the United States there are cities and towns on the verge of financial disaster.  This week Stockton, California became the largest U.S. city to ever declare bankruptcy, but the reality is that this is only just the beginning of the municipal debt crisis….

Stockton, California, said it will file for bankruptcy after talks with bondholders and labor unions failed, making the agricultural center the biggest U.S. city to seek court protection from creditors.

“The city is fiscally insolvent and must seek Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection,” Stockton said in a statement released yesterday after its council voted 6-1 to adopt a spending plan for operating under bankruptcy protection.

#16 The Obamacare Decision

The U.S. economy is already a complete and total mess, and now the Obamacare decision is going to throw a huge wet blanket on it.  All over America, small business owners are saying that they are going to have to let some workers go because they cannot afford to keep them all under Obamacare.  It would be hard to imagine a more job killing law than Obamacare, and now that the Supreme Court decision has finally been announced we are going to see many businesses making some really hard decisions.

#17 The U.S. Election

It is being reported that Barack Obama is putting together an army of “thousands of lawyers” to deal with any disputes that arise over voting procedures or results.  It certainly looks like this upcoming election is going to be extremely close, and there is the potential that we could end up facing another Bush v. Gore scenario where the fate of the presidency is determined in court.  This campaign season is likely to be exceptionally nasty, and I fear what may happen if there is not a decisive winner on election day.  The possibility of significant civil unrest is certainly there.

We definitely live in “interesting” times.

Personally, I am deeply concerned about the September, October, November time frame.

The other day, Joe Biden delivered a speech in which he made the following statement….

“It’s A Depression For Millions And Millions Of Americans”

And what Biden said was right for once.  Millions of Americans are out of work right now and millions of Americans have fallen out of the middle class in recent years.  If you have lost everything, it does feel like you are living through a depression.

When people lose everything, they tend to get desperate.  And desperate people do desperate things – especially when they are angry.

A whole host of recent opinion polls have shown that anger and frustration in the United States are rising to unprecedented levels.  The ingredients are certainly there for an explosion.  Someone just needs to come along and light the fuse.  We truly do live in frightening times.

Let us hope for the best, but let us also prepare for the worst.

***

***

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a multinational treaty for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement on the internet

Falkvinge.net

Gallo: "If you're campaigning against ACTA you're a terrorist."

• by Marklar on

• PostedJune 27, 2012

Falkvinge.net - In a remarkable statement, the copyright monopoly fundamentalist Marielle Gallo - of the Gallo Report infamy - says that the citizens of Europe who have been campaigning against ACTA are terrorists.

In a just-published interview (in French), Marielle Gallo - a Member of the European Parliament, no less - calls the anti-ACTA campaigns "A soft form of terrorism" (une forme douce de terrorisme). Yes, she really does say that the citizens of Europe, her constituency, who contact her colleagues in Parliament regarding a concerning political matter should be regarded as terrorists.

This shows a couple of things.

1. The monopoly maximalists have completely gone bonkers, off the deep end, and fishing. Calling your own constituents terrorists in media when they express political opinions that differ from your own is more than political suicide, it's straitjacket material.

2. The monopoly maximalists are scared beyond their wits of getting their dogma questioned, their facade scratched at, and losing their control of the monopoly-maximizing discourse. Apart from the obvious proof of having lost their wits, they are now acting in desperation and are at a loss for stronger words to denounce their opponents. ("Pirate" has kind of lost its denouncing effect when people get elected on the pirate banner.)

3. Accordingly, the pendulum is starting to swing back in the right direction. The reason for the dogmatic maximalists' obvious discomfort to this level of ridiculous statements - on the record, no less - can be no other than a feeling of situational control slipping through their fingers.

Overall, this is an excellent sign. Let's continue with this form of "terrorism". Myself, I just call it democracy at work.

Beyond a win on ACTA, we should take the opportunity to reverse the trend and express our opinion that the monopolies should begin to dismantle.

UPDATE: Several people have pointed out that Gallo also states in this interview that the Members of European Parliament should be doing the thinking, and not citizens.

***

CATCH THE BUZZ

Can Psychedelic Drugs Help us Speak to Aliens? (It could be extremely dangerous to go into the spirit world with out the protection of Jesus. Ed)

Scientific research with the powerful psychedelic drug DMT reliably produces alien contact experiences.

By David Jay Brown

June 15, 2012

Opinion, Awareness

A primary chemical ingredient in ayahuasca--the hallucinogenic jungle juice commonly used in the Amazon--is called dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. 

Fascinating research has been done with this remarkable psychedelic substance, with results that seem far more astonishing than any science fiction.

It appears that DMT has the extraordinary power to open up an interdimensional portal into another universe--often referred to as "hyperspace"--and to reliably allow us to establish contact with the intelligent beings who reside there.

DMT is a profound mystery in many ways. 

One of the strangest puzzles in all of nature revolves around the fact that DMT is naturally found in the human body--as well as in many species of animals and plants--and no biochemist knows what it does, or what function it might serve, in any of these places. 

Because natural DMT levels tend to rise while we're asleep at night, a role in dreaming has been suggested. But this is pure speculation, and even if true, it may also do much more. 

According to reports from many users, DMT has psychedelic effects of such strength and magnitude that it easily dwarfs the titanic quality of even the most powerful LSD trips.

With the proper dosage, DMT appears to transport one into an entirely new world--a world that seems far more bizarre than our wildest imaginings, and yet, is somehow also strangely familiar.

Psychiatric researcher Rick Strassman, who conducted a five year study with DMT at the University of New Mexico, has suggested that naturally-elevated DMT levels in the brain may be responsible for such unexplained mental phenomena as spontaneous mystical experiences, near-death experiences, non-human entity contact, and schizophrenia. 

Strassman and others have even gone so far as to speculate about the possibility that elevated DMT levels in the brain might be responsible for ushering the soul into the body before birth, and out of the body after death. 

But perhaps what's most interesting about DMT is that, with great consistency, it appears to allow human beings to communicate with other intelligent life forms. 

I've personally experienced this numerous times myself, and honestly don't know what to make of these experiences.

When I interviewed Strassman, I asked him if he thought that there was an objective reality to the worlds visited by people when they're under the influence of DMT, and if he thought that the entities that so many people have encountered on DMT actually have an independent existence or not. 

Strassman replied:

"I myself think so. My colleagues think I've gone woolly-brained over this, but I think it's as good a working hypothesis as any other. I tried all other hypotheses with our volunteers, and with myself. The "this is your brain on drugs" model; the Freudian "this is your unconscious playing out repressed wishes and fears;" the Jungian "these are archetypal images symbolizing your unmet potential;" the "this is a dream;" etc."

"Volunteers had powerful objections to all of these explanatory models--and they were a very sophisticated group of volunteers, with decades of psychotherapy, spiritual practice, and previous psychedelic experiences. I tried a thought-experiment, asking myself, "What if these were real worlds, and real entities? Where would they reside, and why would they care to interact with us?" This led me to some interesting speculations about parallel universes, dark matter, etc. All because we can't prove these ideas right now (lacking the proper technology) doesn't mean they should be dismissed out of hand as incorrect." 

A 2006 scientific paper by computer scientist Marko A. Rodriguez called  "A Methodology for Studying Various Interpretations of the N,N-dimethyltryptamine-Induced Alternate Reality" explores how to possibly determine if the entities experienced by people on DMT are indeed independently-existing, intelligent beings, or just projections of our hallucinating brains. 

Rodriguez suggests a test that involves asking the entities to perform a complex mathematical task involving prime numbers to verify their independent existence. 

While it seems like a long shot that this method could lead to fruitful results, I think that any serious speculation about establishing communication channels with these mysterious beings is constructive.

Strassman's work could mark the beginning of a new scientific field that systematically explores the possibility of communicating with higher dimensional entities, and this might prove to be a more fruitful endeavor for establishing extraterrestrial contact than the SETI project. 

What they may be able to teach us, we can only imagine.

***

MailOnline

Cream of the crop circles: New markings snake 350ft across farmer's field as 'mysterious' summer tradition continues

Venus 'sunfish' is 350ft long

Appeared overnight in field near Alton Barnes White Horse chalk figure in Wiltshire

Transit of Venus began last week and will continue until the beginning of July

Wiltshire known as capital of crop circles

By AMY OLIVER

PUBLISHED: 11:00 EST, 27 June 2012 | UPDATED: 17:44 EST, 27 June 2012

It appeared overnight, a mysterious snake-like crop circle weaving across a wheat field in Wiltshire.

The 350ft-long installation is marked out of a field near the 200-year-old Alton Barnes White Horse chalk figure.

Dubbed a Venus 'sunfish', the circle is thought to capture the 'transit of Venus', an astronomical phenomenon which began last week and will continue until the beginning of July.

Overnight sensation: A representation of the transit of Venus has appeared as a crop circle on Woodborough Hill, Alton Barnes in Wiltshire

Location: The enormous 350ft installation is set in a field of wheat near the 200-year-old Alton Barnes White Horse chalk figure

The crop circle shows Venus' period of visibility as a morning star, where it rises with the sun, and tracks its ascension in the sky following the sun through its rising and setting stages.

The ancient Mayans spent much of their time recording the path of Venus, splitting its 584-day cycle of the planet into four distinct parts.

Amateur photographer, Matthew Williams, said: 'I was quite excited to find it in the morning as I hadn't known there was anything there the night before.

'It must have appeared in the hours of darkness. It's very spooky.'

Over the hills: The crop circle appeared in picturesque fields in Wiltshire

Snake-like: The crop circle shows Venus' period of visibility as a morning star, where it rises with the sun, and tracks its ascension in the sky, following the sun through its rising and setting

Astrology: The ancient Mayans spent much of their time recording the path of Venus, splitting its 584-day cycle of the planet into four distinct parts

Stargazers from across the globe have been gathering to watch the rare astronomical spectacle.

From the U.S. and UK to South Korea, people around the world have been turning their attention to the daytime sky to make sure they caught Venus passing directly between the sun and Earth - a transit that won't occur again for another 105 years.

The transit of Venus happens in pairs eight years apart - but then with more than a century between cycles.

During the pass, Venus appears as a small, dark round spot moving across the face of the sun, like a bug on a dinner plate.

Real deal: The transit of Venus, happening now, occurs when the planet passes between the Earth and the Sun

Here comes the sun: Hindu holy men use special cardboard eclipse glasses as they watch the transit of Venus on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India

Crop circles continue to fascinate enthusiasts, but whether they're made by aliens or people with GPS devices still remains a subject of debate for some.

The geometric patterns range in size from a few inches to hundreds of feet across and have been as large as 200,000sq ft.

Stalks are bent down around an inch above the ground before the plants are laid in precise patterns.

In recent years, a booming tourist trade has developed. From Belgium, Holland, America, Norway and Australia, crop-circle spotters or croppies come in their thousands — each with their own theory, each rushing to a new site as soon as it is reported.

Wiltshire is known as the capital of crop circles but why the county plays host to the vast majority these patterns remains a mystery.

Each year during Spring and Summer a new batch of the markings appear and continue to delight the country.

The further Venus goes from the sun the more visible it is from earth

***

Natural News

Lady Gaga's new perfume created using blend of human blood, semen, and poisonous extract

by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer (We don't know how true this is, but it has appeared on several web sites. )

June 27, 2012 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

If you have ever doubted the truly satanic essence of the infamous Lady Gaga, then you need look no further than her new perfume, which is expected to debut this fall. According to the Boston Globe and various other sources, the new Gaga scent, known as "Fame," was created using a sample of Gaga's own blood, as well as semen from another unknown donor. The blend apparently also contains a highly-toxic plant extract that is known to kill humans.

It could all just be one big demonic publicity stunt to market the ugly black liquid packaged in an alien-like, egg-shaped bottle held by what appear to be slender claws. But several sources confirm that Gaga literally used her own DNA to create the scent, which included offering up a blood sample that was actually added to the fragrance batch. Where the alleged semen came from, though, is still unknown.

"It was taken out of my own blood sample, so it's a sense of having me on your skin," said Gaga in early 2011 about the perfume. "I wanted to extract sort of the feeling and sense of blood and semen from molecular structures ...That is in the perfume, but it doesn't smell like that. Actually, the perfume smells like an expensive hooker."

Lady Gaga scent contains poisonous plant extract

The ingredient list printed on the fragrance bottle says it contains "Tears of Belladonna, crushed heart of tiger orchidea, with a black veil of incense, pulverized apricot, and, the combinative essences of saffron and honey drops." Of particular concern here is "Tears of Belladonna," which Starcasm.net reports is an extract of an extremely poisonous plant known as Belladonna, or "Deadly Nightshade."

Deadly Nightshade has apparently been used throughout history as both an anesthetic and a poison. The berries produced by the plant appear safe and delicious, but just a few of them can kill a child -- and a single leaf, in fact, is capable of killing a grown adult. Perhaps this is a metaphor for Gaga herself, as millions are drawn into her mysterious persona and musical style, only to be destroyed by the monster hiding within.

But in all seriousness, this extract, if truly present in Gaga's perfume, is highly problematic for human health, not to mention the potential presence of blood and semen. Italian women used to apply extracts of Deadly Nightshade in their eyedrops to make their eyes dilate, a practice that has since been determined be very risky.

So between the toxic belladonna extract, the blood, and the semen, any rational person will clearly be able to see that avoiding Lady Gaga's "Fame" scent like the plague is the only option here. Then again, these additives may not be any more toxic than the synthetic, petrochemical-based fragrance chemicals added to most other perfumes.

***

Associated Press

Famed Crystal Cathedral to become Catholic church

By GILLIAN FLACCUS

The board of directors of the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral announced November 17th that its preferred buyer for the megachurch's campus is the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. (AP Photo/Orange County Register

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- Retired schoolteacher Dolores Rommel has followed the Rev. Robert H. Schuller almost her entire adult life: She was baptized in his church as a young woman, sent her children to his Sunday school and laid her husband to rest near the soaring, glass-paned Crystal Cathedral that was to be the televangelist's ultimate legacy.

But when the Roman Catholic church bought the famous sanctuary and its cemetery in bankruptcy court last year, Rommel began looking for another spiritual home. She has resigned herself to being entombed in a Catholic cemetery so she can be near her husband, but not without plenty of soul-searching.

"I have no choice. I am going to be buried there because that was his choice and we paid a lot for that vault," said Rommel, who bought a two-casket tomb with her husband in 1997. "At the time, who would know that this was going to happen?"

The Crystal Cathedral congregation recently announced that it will vacate its modernist steel-and-glass church by June 2013. The Diocese of Orange renamed the church Christ Cathedral earlier this month and plans to turn the Protestant landmark where the "Hour of Power" TV ministry is based into its spiritual and administrative headquarters. The fast-growing, 1.2 million-person diocese bought the church campus for nearly $58 million last year.

The upcoming transition has been an emotional one for many longtime congregants like Rommel, who watched Schuller's blockbuster dynasty struggle to survive in recent years amid declining donations, a disastrous leadership transition and an endless family squabble that split the congregation.

Schuller built the church -- an architectural marvel with 10,000 windows and room for nearly 3,000 worshippers and 1,000 musicians -- in 1980, a decade after he began broadcasting his sermons on the "power of possibility thinking" into the homes of millions of evangelical Christians each Sunday.

Reaction to the church's sale was at first bitter: The children of one prominent philanthropist publicly threatened to disinter their father from its cemetery and another congregant sued for $30 billion, saying the transfer to Catholic hands had "permanently desecrated, defamed, polluted and cursed" the church.

Tempers have since cooled, but the recently announced timeline for the transfer to Catholic hands has revived questions about the fate of Schuller's ministry once it leaves behind the iconic building that gave it its name. The diocese will grant the congregation six months rent-free at a nearby Catholic church and it plans to continue filming the "Hour of Power."

"We could film in a studio," said John Charles, the new CEO of Crystal Cathedral Ministries. "We're still going to have the same great preaching, the same great music and pulpit guests. The ministry is not about the building -- it's more about our congregation and who we are."

Some, however, wonder whether the ministry will fizzle out -- or shrink dramatically -- without the building that gave it its name. Broadcasts of the "Hour of Power" were recently cut back to 30 minutes on Lifetime and Discovery channels and Schuller, now 85, no longer appears on the program and hasn't attended church since last fall.

His son and daughter, who each failed to assume their father's mantle, are no longer involved in the ministry. Sheila Schuller Coleman formed a new church after a falling out last year.

The congregation, which now numbers up to 1,700 people each Sunday, will also change its name once it moves.

"It really needs to go back to square one and say, 'Who are we going to be? We can't be what we were 10 to 15 years ago,'" said Kurt Fredrickson, an associate dean and assistant professor of pastoral ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. "There could be resurrection there or it could be that we say goodbye to a congregation and bless them and be grateful and thank God for years and years and years of really wonderful ministry."

Schuller tapped into California's blossoming car culture and the optimism of a post-World War II generation when he began preaching in 1955 from the roof of a snack bar at a drive-in movie theater in suburban Orange County. He exhorted worshippers to "come as you are in the family car" and his upbeat message resonated.

By 1970, Schuller was airing the "Hour of Power" and in 1980, he dedicated the Crystal Cathedral, an architectural marvel that served as the backdrop for the show. At its peak, the broadcast attracted 20 million viewers around the world.

The Rev. Christopher Smith, the Catholic episcopal vicar and rector of the newly minted Christ Cathedral, recalls as a child watching from his grandparents' backyard as the young, energetic evangelist preached from the roof of the drive-in theater's concession stand. Now, Smith is in charge of a delicate transition as the diocese prepares to move into a religious and architectural touchstone cherished by evangelicals around the world.

The diocese hopes to honor Schuller and the history of his ministry with a museum that begins with the drive-in movie theater and ends with the Catholic acquisition. The diocese may also move its archives, which are currently not publicly available, to the cathedral grounds, said Smith.

"I just hope that we attend well to all the different people who are affected by this and also that this place be seen as a place where everyone is welcome to find hope and consolation and inspiration, whether they're Catholic or not," Smith said."That's the bishop's desire -- that we are a real credible witness to Christ in the world through our work here."

***

Natural News

Small West Yorkshire town aims to be first town with food self-sufficiency by growing all its own vegetables

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 by: PF Louis

Different local authorities throughout the USA have been harassing homeowners for growing veggies or herbs in their front lawns. But in the small town of Todmorden, England, a grass-roots food movement has been started by one woman who grew veggies in her front yard and let neighbors pick them free.

It took six months before neighbors and passers-by got the notion that Mary Clear's lowered fence and signs encouraging people to pick veggies from her lawn was for real. Mary, a 56 year old grandmother, kicked off a scheme thought up with local Bear Cafe owner Pam Warhurst and others to engage in local guerrilla agriculture.

Soon, others joined in and they called the movement Incredible Edible. Now this small community has 70 large, raised beds flourishing with fruits and vegetables, all of which are there for others to take from without paying.

Even the Todmorden police station has a few of those beds on its premises. The police also allow others to come and pick from them. It's a high profile setting that lets others know it is okay to grow your own in Todmorden. (Source 1 below)

Mary and Pam realize that Incredible Edible isn't up to feeding all 15,000 residents of Todmorden yet. But their goal is to achieve that level of self sufficiency by 2018. They're working on getting more involved with growing veggies and fruits with a grass roots free educational system to help others learn how to plant and nurture communal food gardens.

So far, there has been no government financial support or interference with Incredible Edible, which has even sprouted up in another British town, Somerset.

***

www.leban.us.

MEXICO'S MOST FEARED REVENGE KILLER FINDS JESUS

'I have advised all of my people who are not Christians to study that religion'

Published: 24 hours ago

More than just a paratrooper’s exclamation, “Geronimo” was one of the most colorful characters in the history of the American West.

Geronimo was an outlaw, an entrepreneur, an entertainer and an advocate. He spent over 40 years of his life terrorizing Arizona and Old Mexico, before surrendering to the U.S. government, more from exhaustion than necessity. He encouraged the Apache youth to find their new place in the white world and yet held out hope for returning to his native land.

Who could have ever imagined that this fierce warrior would one day end up preaching to a hundred or so contrite and crying Indians, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want”?

Check out an exclusive offer for readers of WND from the editors of Leben!

At 17, after an arduous apprenticeship, Geronimo was admitted into his tribe’s council of warriors. To become an Apache warrior, a young man had to prove his strength, courage and ingenuity on at least four war expeditions. The Apache youth had to be able to hide without being found, be content with such insufficient and inferior food as he could manage to pack or scrounge and anticipate and meet the needs of the elder warriors. Miles and miles of running (some histories report that a typical Apache warrior could travel on foot up to seventy miles a day, mostly running), bathing in ice water, wrestling and marksmanship made up a significant amount of the training, as well.

But more than physical accomplishments were expected from a warrior-apprentice. The aspiring warrior had to be familiar with all of the Apache’s instruments of war, their religious significance and the special incantations chanted over the warriors. Apache culture expected a sort of religious power to guide an able warrior and make him a leader worth following. It is no surprise that for Geronimo, war was “a solemn religious matter.”

Geronimo proved himself an able warrior, and shortly after joining the warrior council, he married Alope, a sweet-natured, delicate girl with whom he had three children. He farmed, occasionally raided nearby Mexican outposts for supplies and played with his children on the dirt floor of their wickiup.

This charmed life was not to last long, however. In 1851 Geronimo, with several of his fellow warriors, went to a nearby Mexican town to trade, leaving the women under a small guard. But upon his return, Geronimo found his wife and children and mother, along with many of the other women and children, butchered at the hands of hostile Mexican raiders.

The Apaches broke camp and made their way to the Mexican border, but Geronimo refused food or comfort the whole way, for as Geronimo recounts decades later, “None had lost as I had, for I had lost all.”

Though it was considered a great achievement in the Apache culture to go on “the war path,” for Geronimo, it was now a necessity. He vowed to avenge his family upon the Mexicans who murdered his loved ones and began to cultivate a violent, personal animosity toward the Mexican people that would rage for decades.

And Geronimo – Goyhakla – did exact his vengeance. His unfortunate Mexican victims cried out to St. Jerome (St. Jeromino) as they fell prey to Geronimo’s fury, thus bequeathing the Apache warrior a name that would haunt the Southwest for nearly 35 years until his surrender to the American army in 1886.

But in 1902, Geronimo was approached by two Dutch Reformed missionary pastors and invited to attend services held on the Ft. Sill reservation where he was a prisoner. Geronimo reluctantly agreed and showed up at an evening meeting where the pastor preached on the atonement.

After the sermon, Geronimo declared, “The Jesus Road is best, and I would like my people to travel it. … Now we begin to think the Christian white people love us!”

However, it was nearly a year later before Geronimo officially took the “Jesus Road.” After having spent the year vacillating between the claims of Christianity and his tribal religion, Geronimo found himself once again at the little mission work. Recently injured from a fall from his horse, the old warrior limped into the service and heard the pastor preach a sermon titled, “Jesus Made Just Like Sin for Us.” Right then, Geronimo begged that the pastors would “pray that Jesus would give [him] a new heart.”

A week later, Geronimo was satisfactorily examined, displaying “more knowledge than anyone had anticipated” and subsequently baptized into the Dutch Reformed Church.

“No consistory of our church,” explained Dr. Walter Roe, the examining pastor, “could refuse to admit this man into membership.”

Accounts of the newly converted Apache’s Christian walk are sketchy and, at some points, contradictory. Enthusiastic New York Times reporters recount that Geronimo “had embraced Christianity, had thrown down the scalping knife, and was actively engaged in Sunday School work among his fellow-red men” – nearly 14 years before his public profession of faith.

Still more curious are the conflicting accounts about Geronimo’s church attendance. Barrett, Geronimo’s amanuensis (with whom the old Indian spent many months), recalled that after his admission to the rolls of the church, Geronimo faithfully attended services at the Fort Sill Mission. But some years later, historian Frank Cummins Lockwood writes that Geronimo’s “attendance at services was irregular.”

Lockwood continues, “Surely, whatever may have been his profession, he was a poor practitioner.”

Geronimo, though, pleaded with the Fort Sill missionaries: “You must help me. … Pray for me. You may hear of my doing wrong, but my heart is right.”

Geronimo discusses his faith in his autobiography:

Since my life as a prisoner has begun, I have heard the teachings of the white man’s religion, and in many respects believe it to be better than the religion of my fathers. However, I have always prayed, and I believe that the Almighty has protected me.

Believing that in a wise way it is good to go to church, and that associating with Christians would improve my character, I have adopted the Christian religion. I believe that the church has helped me during the short time that I have been a member. I am not ashamed to be a Christian. … I have advised all of my people who are not Christians, to study that religion, because it seems to be the best religion in enabling one to live right.

There is no doubt that Geronimo had a tremendous amount of spiritual baggage with him as he walked the “Jesus Road,” and debate surrounds Geronimo’s eventual standing with the church. A few historians claim that the elderly Geronimo was excommunicated for drinking and gambling, but there is no mention of Geronimo ever having been excommunicated in the typically meticulous records of the Dutch Reformed Church. In any case, the lifelong habits of drinking and gambling were difficult for Geronimo to forsake. He was not, as one missionary would later admit, “a paragon of Christian behavior.”

Sadly, in 1909, after a night of heavy drinking, Geronimo fell from his horse into a puddle of standing water. He contracted pneumonia and died a short time later.

Was Geronimo a bright, shining star in the history of the church? Only God can see the heart. However, he was an outward member of Christ’s body and a study in the great expanse of God’s grace to needy sinners.

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Until next week...keep on believing.

Almondtree Productions

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
(Romans 8:22)