Feb. 8, 2016
BLOOMBERG
President Obama will ask Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus. The request comes as thousands of pregnant women in South America, Central America and the Caribbean have been infected with the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to a birth defect.
American call-center jobs may be one casualty of a pending Pacific trade deal that would allow U.S. federal contract work to be shifted to Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. Opponents of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership are seizing on the provision as an example of how the pact may help U.S. companies with overseas operations to cut costs when vying for their own government’s work, and hurt U.S. workers in the process.
After the Bank of Japan cut some rates below zero last month to spur growth and inflation, strategists are weighing the Federal Reserve’s options in case of a crisis. If the world’s biggest economy weakens enough that traditional policy measures don’t help, the Fed may consider pushing rates below zero, according to Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.
Hackers used malware to penetrate the defenses of a Russian regional bank and move the ruble-dollar rate more than 15 percent in minutes, according to a Moscow-based cyber-security firm hired to investigate the attack.
Anglo American Platinum, the world’s biggest producer of the metal, said profit fell 86 percent as it wrote down mines and operations by $876 million.
Foreign central banks are playing a larger role in the Federal Reserve’s plan to increase interest rates, largely at the expense of domestic money funds.
AP Top Stories
North Korea’s newest satellite passed almost right over the stadium just an hour after it ended.
The South Korean navy fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that intruded over their disputed maritime border Monday, a day after the North’s launch of a long-range rocket raised tensions.
A suspected suicide bomber who blew a hole in the fuselage of a Daallo Airlines plane last week and forced it to make an emergency landing in Mogadishu was meant to be on a Turkish Airlines flight, the Daallo chief executive said on Monday. The bomber was sucked out of the plane through the one-meter wide hole when the blast ripped open the pressurized cabin in mid-air.
A 19-year-old killed his mother and two neighbors before turning his gun on himself in a shooting that brought SWAT and various emergency vehicles to a rural area in Texas.
Chechen spies loyal to the Kremlin have infiltrated Islamic State in Syria and are gathering intelligence the Russian air force uses to select bombing targets, the hardline leader of Chechnya told Russian state TV.
Miss. – A former court clerk who pleaded guilty to embezzlement must pay back more than $1 million, at $600 a month, a Mississippi judge has ruled.
Experts on microcephaly, the birth defect that has sparked alarm in the current Zika virus outbreak, say they are struck by the severity of a small number of cases they have reviewed from Brazil.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday called on other countries not to interfere in the kingdom’s internal affairs in what appeared to be a rebuke to Riyadh’s main foe Iran, which it accuses of attempting to stir unrest.
After the attacks in Paris and New Year’s security scares, Germans have been snapping up self-defense equipment like stun guns – to the delight of a Czech manufacturer who corners the market.
The armed wing of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Sunday it had executed one of its members, with sources familiar with the case calling him a senior official accused of spying for Israel.
China’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen $99.5 billion to their lowest level in more than three years, the central bank said Sunday, as Beijing sells dollars to stop the yuan from depreciating further.
A record 4,279 individuals renounced their U.S. citizenship or long-term residency in 2015, according to data released by the Treasury Department.
BBC
The Syrian government has carried out a state policy of extermination against thousands of detainees, UN human rights investigators said. Many detainees were tortured, some were beaten to death, and others died from lack of food, water, or medical care.
Millions of people across Brazil have joined the first day of the annual carnival festivities despite concerns about the outbreak of the Zika virus.
At least 24 migrants have died off the Turkish coast trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, Turkish media said.
WND
Authorities in Ohio have filed criminal charges, “contributing to the delinquency of a minor,” against homeschool parents in two families, with trials later this month that could result in fines and jail time if convicted for missing paperwork deadlines.
The NFL’s Super Bowl 50 halftime show was embedded with an array of political messages hiding in plain view. From the rainbow theme to the Black Panther suits worn by Beyoncé’s dancers.
A U.S. judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction stopping the distribution of surreptitious videos taken by anti-abortion activists who alleged Planned Parenthood staff discussed the illegal sale of aborted fetal tissue.
Strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 has struck off the town of Panguna in Papua New Guinea, seismologists say, but no tsunami warnings have been issued.
ISIS Playbook – Look Like Western Christians
Samuel Smith for the Christian Post reported that a detailed Islamic State “secret agent” training manual had been distributed on the Internet. It was designed to provide prospective ISIS supporters in Western nations with ways to disguise themselves and their motives when trying to plan and carrying out “lone wolf” attacks and espionage missions. Things to do include: wearing necklaces with a cross – but only those without Arabic names on their passports because “it may look strange”.
Protesters use ‘WW2 tank’ to demonstrate against migrant crisis during carnival
GERMANS used weekend carnival processions as a platform to protest against asylum seekers – including a WW2 lookalike tank emblazoned with the word “asylum defence” near to an Iron Cross emblem. The panzer float in the procession in the town of Steinkirchen in Bavaria drew cheers from some onlookers and boos from others.
FINALLY! UAE and Saudi Arabia join fight against ISIS and WILL put boots on the ground
On Sunday, the UAE, said it stands ready to supply ground troops to support and train international coalition soldiers in the war-ravaged country. Saudi Arabia has also said it is prepared to take part in ground operations in Syria if the US-led coalition decides to go in that direction.
‘Me or terrorists?’ Furious Erdogan tells US to choose between Turkey and Syrian Kurds
Riled by a meeting between a US official and members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which controls the Syrian town of Kobane, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Washington to choose between Turkey and, as he put it, the “terrorists.”
Herzog calls to unilaterally divide Israel to avoid ‘Israestine’
Opposition head and Zionist Union chairperson MK Yitzhak Herzog took part on Monday morning in Arutz Sheva’s Jerusalem Conference, where he presented his “separation plan” from the Palestinian Arabs involving a unilateral division of Israel.
Woman who accused Bill Clinton of assault to campaign against Hillary presidential run
Kathleen Willey, a former White House volunteer who says Bill Clinton groped her in an Oval Office hallway in 1993 when she came to him tearfully seeking a paid job, said she had agreed to become a paid national spokeswoman for a group being created by Roger Stone.
Earth changes intensifying: Volcanoes across the globe go ballistic as 2016 arrives
A volcano eruption in western Mexico has sent a spectacular plume of smoke and ash high into the air. Colima volcano is one of three that make up the Colima Volcanic Complex, near the west coast of Mexico. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and has erupted more than 40 times, including several times in the past few years.
European stocks plunge as Lunar New Year offers no cheer
European shares plunged to 16-month lows on Monday, extending a aggressive sell-off, while bond yields and oil also fell as investors shed risky assets on persistent concern over the pace of global growth. Data over the weekend showing China’s foreign reserves fell for a third straight month in January, as dollars were dumped to defend the yuan and curb capital outflows, did nothing to calm investors.
Migrant crisis: ’33 dead’ off Turkey as two boats sink
At least 33 migrants have drowned near Turkey after their boats capsized on the way to Greece, Turkish media say. Both the Anadolu and Dogan agencies reported that 22 people died close to the Greek island of Lesbos. Dogan said another 11 people died in a separate incident further south, near Dikili in Turkey.
‘Somalia plane bomber given bomb in laptop’ on CCTV
Somali intelligence officials have released a video showing a passenger being given a laptop they say contained a bomb that blew a huge hole into a passenger plane last Tuesday. More than 20 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, a government spokesman told BBC Somali.
Turkey looking to warm ties with Egypt after trying with Israel
Turkey is looking to upgrade diplomatic ties with Egypt, after relations became strained when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, Turkish media reported on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would allow ministerial-level talks between the two countries, but ruled out meeting with the Egyptian president.
‘ISIS operatives in Sinai are receiving medical treatment at Hamas hospitals in Gaza’
Islamic State terrorists in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula have received medical treatment in Gaza Strip hospitals, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, charged in an interview with online Arabic newspaper Elaph on Monday. “We have received authenticated reports that ISIS members in Sinai entered the Gaza Strip through tunnels in order to receive treatment at Hamas hospitals,” Mordechai said.
Another Exponential Chart: Record Numbers Renounce Their U.S. Citizenship In 2015
Another year, another record number of Americans willing to not only pay the $2,350 fee, but also appear in the US Treasury’s “name of shame” list published every, quarter which reveals all the now-former US citizens who have decided to hand over their US passport back to Uncle Sam and expatriate.
Professor Who Said Christians, Muslims Share A God Is Leaving Christian College
A professor at an evangelical Christian college who was suspended for saying Christians and Muslims worship the same God will no longer be teaching at the school. As we’ve reported, Larycia Hawkins, an associate political science professor who had tenure at Wheaton College in Illinois, was suspended from her job in December. She was put on paid administrative leave after vowing to wear a hijab for Advent in solidarity with Muslims — not because of the headscarf, but because of a Facebook post about her decision where she wrote about the relationship between Islam and Christianity and said, “as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.
Russia having success in hybrid war against Germany
Now, as the German chancellor flounders domestically because of her open-door refugee policy, she has made herself vulnerable to attack. “I’ve never seen so much glee from the Russians as during Germany’s refugee crisis,” said a diplomat in Berlin.
Zika virus discourages many Americans from Latin America travel
The rapidly spreading Zika virus is discouraging many Americans from traveling to Latin America and the Caribbean, with 41 percent of those aware of the disease saying they are less likely to take such a trip, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.
10-Year Old Austrian Boy Raped By Iraqi Refugee Due To “Sexual Emergency”
The refugee – who at that point had gone back to swimming and diving – was arrested on the spot and taken into custody where he told police that he was experiencing a “sexual emergency.”
Chelsea Clinton accidentally calls Bernie ‘President Sanders’
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Feb. 5 (UPI) — Chelsea Clinton, campaigning for her mother in Eden Springs, Minn., made a verbal slip at a town hall, accidentally calling Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders “President Sanders.”
Hamas kills its own commander for unnamed ‘violations’
Hamas says it has killed one of its own commanders over unnamed “moral and behavioral violations.” The Islamic militant group, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in a short Twitter statement Sunday that Mahmoud Eshtewi was killed after he confessed.
UN Security Council calls emergency meeting after North Korea rocket launch
North Korea fired a long-range rocket and placed a satellite into space Sunday morning, an act immediately condemned internationally.
Headlines – 2/8/2016
PM: Military aid package with US may not be completed during Obama’s term
American officials tell Netanyahu he won’t get a better military aid package from Obama’s successor
Labor Party votes to freeze two-state solution; Yacimovich boycotts vote
Herzog: ‘Messianic’ Bennett would love to kill two-state idea
Jordan tells Israel to halt Western Wall expansion plans
Turkey looking to warm ties with Egypt after trying with Israel
Israel mulling twin gas pipelines to Turkey, Greece
S & P’s confirms Israel’s A+ credit rating with a stable outlook
Israel agrees to return terrorists’ bodies
Israeli envoy Danon: Palestinians citing UN Secretary General to excuse terror
State comptroller, Likud MKs lock horns over tunnel threat
Hamas calls for suicide bombings in Israeli buses
Gaza staying out of current ‘intifada,’ Hamas claims
Hamas kills its own commander for unnamed ‘violations’
Hamas executes military commander who ‘spied for Israel’
‘Israeli man conspired to help jihadi infiltrate into Israel to carry out terror attacks’
Hamas and Fatah make yet another try at reconciliation
‘ISIS operatives in Sinai are receiving medical treatment at Hamas hospitals in Gaza’
Saudi clerics call for jihad against Russia in Syria – to back ISIS?
Top Ukraine official backs idea ‘to help ISIS take revenge on Russian soldiers in Syria’
Russia having success in hybrid war against Germany
Canada to withdraw its warplanes from anti-IS alliance
Trump calls for waterboarding, other methods in US fight against ISIS
Spain Arrests 7 Suspected of Supplying Cash and Weapons to ISIS
ISIS forced to cut fighters’ pay 50 percent because of airstrikes
Iran-backed militia warns against sending Arab forces to Syria, Iraq
Pope pleas for help for Syrians fleeing war so they survive
Migrant crisis: ’33 dead’ off Turkey as two boats sink
Anti-Migrant Protesters Rally in Several Major European Cities
Iran-backed militia warns against sending Arab forces to Syria, Iraq
Several dual citizens in Iran face espionage charges
8 dead after explosive-laden motorcycle rams Pakistani security forces vehicle
Suicide bomber in Afghan city kills 3, wounds 14
Investigators find video of possible Somalia bomb handoff
Somalia jet explosion raises questions over airline security
Pilot after emergency: Somali airport security is ‘zero’
South Korean naval vessel fires warning shots near North Korean patrol amid high tension
Japan did not try to shoot down North Korean rocket: NHK
North Korea celebrates rocket launch as others see it as a covert missile test
Global outrage over North Korea rocket launch
Kremlin strongly condemns North Korea’s rocket launch
North Korea rocket launch may spur U.S. missile defense buildup in Asia
North Korean satellite flies over Super Bowl site shortly after game
India Blocks Facebook’s Free Basics, Other Zero-Rated Mobile Services Over Net Neutrality
Adblock Plus, scourge of websites, seeks industry deal
Another Exponential Chart: Record Numbers Renounce Their U.S. Citizenship In 2015
42% of Democrats are in favor of socialism
Super Bowl ads: What financial crisis?
China’s currency reserves plunged in January
Iran wants euro payment for new and outstanding oil sales
Crude oil slips as Saudi, Venezuela meeting yields little
Death toll from Taiwan quake hits 34, hunt on for survivors
Colima volcano in Mexico erupts to 22,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 18,000ft
Zhupanovsky volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 17,000ft
Copahue volcano in Argentina erupts to 12,000ft
Sakurajima volcano in Japan erupts to 11,000ft
Mt. Bromo Eruptions Force Malang Airport in Indonesia to Close Again
Powerful storm to bring snow, coastal flooding
Drought In Southwestern United States May Continue Says Research
Unusually warm Arctic winter stuns scientists with record low ice extent for January
Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches New Record Maximum
Pentagon orders commanders to prioritize climate change in all military actions
Zika virus discourages many Americans from Latin America travel
Report: Alleged Zika-Microcephaly Crisis May Be Just ‘Hype,’ ‘Hysteria’
UN Suggests Access to Contraception and Abortion to Countries Affected by Zika Virus
Facing Boycott, Girl Scouts Hide Support for Planned Parenthood, Abortion
Doritos Slammed by Abortion Rights Group for Cute Super Bowl Ad-But Americans’ Reactions Are Fierce
UN Peacekeepers Accused of Trading Cookies for Sex with Children as Young as 7
Thousands of NY state sex offenders due to disappear from public registry
FBI: Kids 13 to 17 rescued from Super Bowl prostitution
National sex trafficking sting nets nearly 600 arrests before Super Bowl
Woman who accused Bill Clinton of assault to campaign against Hillary presidential run
Body of mystic monk in crystal coffin goes on the road in Italy
Professor Who Said Christians, Muslims Share A God Is Leaving Christian College
UK Unitarian Church Offers Transgender Baptisms
UK: Tory MP, Says NHS Doctors Could Use Astrology To Treat Patients
Catholic Idoaltry: Body of Italian monk in crystal coffin to go on display at Vatican
Popes False Gospel: Baptism Unites Catholics and Protestants
Nancy Pelosi Quotes Mohammad at National Prayer Breakfast
The LA Times Wants You to Feel Bad About Babies Being Born
NARAL Attacks Doritos Ultrasound Ad For ‘Humanizing Fetuses’
If you are a Christian, you better brace yourself for great persecution. It has gotten very little attention from the mainstream media, but federal authorities have uncovered an ISIS plot to “shoot up” a Detroit megachurch. 21-year-old Khalil Abu-Rayyan of Dearborn Heights, Michigan told authorities that he actually intended to take a gun into a very large church in Detroit that can seat up to 6,000 people and start killing Christians. He has been charged with supporting the Islamic States and with “illegally having a firearm while using a controlled substance”. Abu-Rayyan actually admitted that since he can’t be part of the jihad in the Middle East, that he would “do my jihad over here”. As I have warned so many times before, ISIS terrorists are already here, and what we have seen so far is just the beginning. (Read More…)
Do you remember how much stocks went down when the first dot-com bubble burst? Well, it is happening again, and tech stocks are already down more than half a trillion dollars since the middle of 2015. On Friday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped to its lowest level in more than 15 months, and it has now fallen more than 16 percent from the peak of the market. But of course some of the biggest names have fallen much more than that. Netflix is down 37 percent, Yahoo is down 39 percent, LinkedIn is down 60 percent, and Twitter is down more than 70 percent. If you go back through my previous articles, you will find that I specifically warned about Twitter again and again. Irrational financial bubbles like this always burst eventually, and many investors that got in at the very top are now losing extraordinary amounts of money. (Read More….)
Frontrunning: February 08
- European stocks plunge as Lunar New Year offers no cheer (Read More)
- European Stocks Fall, Credit Weakens as Signs of Distress Abound (Read More)
- Management trouble at world’s biggest hedge fund: Bridgewater succession plan in flux as heir Greg Jensen steps back (Read More)
- U.S. athletes should consider not attending Olympics if fear Zika – officials (Read More)
- Geithner Gets JPMorgan Credit Line to Invest With Warburg Pincus (Read More)
- Top Clinton Donor Wants a Law Against $1 Million Gifts Like His (Read More)
- Private equity groups under pressure to buy own stock (Read More)
- Before New Hampshire primary, Trump campaign shows mellower side (Read More)
- Big Companies Pull Back After Rough Quarter (Read More)
- A Dying Breed: Currency Traders Are Left Out of New Wall Street (Read More)
- Bill Clinton Launches Attack on Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire (Read More)
- Consumption Seen Dropping as Japan’s Workers Eke Out 0.1% Rise (Read More)
- Peyton Manning handed Budweiser $3.2 million in free ads after the Super Bowl (Read More)
- Guggenheim’s $240 Billion Man Says Nasdaq to Tumble Below 3,800 (Read More)
- Some Australian asylum seekers to be deported have cancer, terminal illnesses (Read More)
- High-Value Banknotes Should Be Binned to Fight Crime, Sands Says (Read More)
- Job Site Hired Raises $40 Million and Forecasts Profit by 2017 (Read More)
The Briefing
1) NARAL’s outrage over Doritos ultrasound ad reveals that pro-choice means anti-baby
NARAL Super Bowl Tweet, Twitter (@NARAL)
2) Feminist laments lack of sympathy from feminist friends after miscarriage, mourns child
Unpregnant: The silent, secret grief of miscarriage, Globe and Mail (Alexandra Kimball)
3) Necco candy chooses gay couple for Valentine’s ad, attempts to capitalize on moral revolution
For Necco, a different kind of ‘Sweethearts’, Boston Globe (Katie Johnston)
4) $4.5 billion: cost of the battle for our eyeballs over 50 years of Super Bowl advertising
Super Bowl, Supersized: $4.5 Billion in Ad Spending Over 50 Years, Ad Age (Bradley Johnson)
In other news…
Daily Digest
February 8, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“In reality there is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will now and then peek out and show itself.” —Benjamin Franklin, 1771
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Obama Ignores the Jobs Number That Really Matters
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Perhaps the economy has been good as Barack Obama claims, but is it resilient? On Friday, the chief executive used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January Jobs Report to boast about his prowess of managing the U.S. economy. America has “the strongest, most durable economy in the world,” Obama said. As proof, he pointed to the jobs report, which said the unemployment rate dipped to 4.9% — the lowest it has ever been in eight years — and the fact that the hourly wage increased 12 cents. Obama also pointed to more people buying health insurance and cheap oil prices as evidence that his economy was working. First, Obama cannot force people to buy health insurance then say it’s a sign that his economy works. And as for cheap oil, Obama used his weekly address the next day to rail against “dirty fuels” and to push for greater government investment into green fuels — funded by a $10-a-barrel tax on the struggling oil industry. Meanwhile, the U-6 unemployment rate — a better measure of labor underutilization — skims along at 9.9%, and the labor force participation rate stands at a near-record low of 62.7%. Economists are now saying the economy is due for another recession, and we doubt the Obama administration’s boast of eight years of job growth will prepare the nation for a downturn.
Doritos Super Bowl Ad Humanized the Unborn
It’s a free country. If a person or group doesn’t like something, they can air their grievances, no matter how morally thin or ignorant they are. Without question, the Super Bowl is a cultural event, where a few diehard sports fans cheer on the game while the rest of us perk up from the seven-layer dip to watch the commercials. For example, NARAL Pro-Chose America took to Twitter to criticize Super Bowl ads that didn’t conform to their leftist agenda. While the Willem Dafoe Snickers commercial earned chuckles, curmudgeonly NARAL decried the 30-second spot as “transphobic.” But NARAL’s Twitter-spew became disturbing when it leveled criticism against Doritos’ advertisement featuring a couple seeing their unborn baby via ultrasound. The ad showed the baby in utero trying to reach for a Doritos chip held by his or her father, and NARAL saw it as pure propaganda. In response, the group wrote, “#NotBuyingIt — that @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight.” The tweet illustrates the lengths to which the pro-abortion crowd has to go to deny unborn children’s personhood in order to justify killing them. To imply that the child has likes, a will and an interest in Doritos undermines the whole pro-abortion argument. What America saw as a clever, humous ad, NARAL saw as a threat to its twisted worldview.
$150,000 Is Chump Change for Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton’s acceptance of shady donations has lost her the environmental activist vote. Climate change activist group 350 Action published a video from a Clinton campaign event last week where 350 activists asked Clinton about the $150,000 her campaign accepted from the oil industry — an industry that has drawn particular ire from liberals. “Yeah, I don’t even know what you’re referring to,” Clinton replied, “but Big Oil knows I’m not their friend, so I can’t imagine. They must have put it in the wrong envelope. I’ve been very clear about that, and I want to take away all their subsidies.” As 350 Action asked, Clinton doesn’t know who funds her? Greenpeace also criticized Clinton’s oil money. The ecofascist group pointed out another video where 350 Action followed up with Clinton, questioning her commitment to the “progressive” dream policy of campaign finance reform because of the donation. Clinton responded, “When you raise a $120 million, $150,000 isn’t very much. Let’s be honest.”
Not very much? For the vast majority of Americans, $150K is a lot of money. If her family really was as “dead broke” as she claimed it was upon leaving the White House, she’d know the value of $150,000 — or the $675,000 she was paid for speaking to Goldman Sachs. Instead, it shows she accepts money from anyone who waves a check, and her claim that she’s a principled politician is both ridiculous and demonstrably false. If the oil industry wanted to change her campaign platform, it should have tripled its donation.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Cultivating Ignorance and Arrogance
By Arnold Ahlert
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“No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity,” wrote Thomas Jefferson.
Millions of Americans remain puzzled by the legions of fellow citizens who would trade capitalism and exceptionalism for the siren song of “free” stuff proposed to varying degrees by Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and, to some extent, Donald Trump. They shouldn’t be. A pernicious combination of civic illiteracy, coupled with a growing sense of entitlement, especially among Millennials, is rapidly approaching critical mass.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released a sobering report regarding civic illiteracy. “The Crisis in Civic Education” reveals that numerous surveys show “recent college graduates are alarmingly ignorant of America’s history and heritage,” the report’s summary states. “They cannot identify the term lengths of members of Congress, the substance of the First Amendment, [or] the origin of the separation of powers. They do not know the Father of the Constitution, and nearly 10% say that Judith Sheindlin — ‘Judge Judy’ — is on the Supreme Court.”
This is no accident. ACTA surveyed more than 1,100 colleges and universities, and discovered that only 18% of them have course requirements in government or civics. High schools are equally deficient. A 2014 civics test administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed that only 23% of high school seniors had “proficient” or better level of knowledge in civics, and a dismal 18% are at the same level with regard to history. Both percentages represented “no significant change” since 2010.
Moreover, as the Washington Examiner’s Eric Bledsoe explains, attempts to address civic deficiencies “conflate rhetoric with results. The Department of Education’s ‘A Crucible Moment’ and the Lumina Foundation’s ‘Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP)’ emphasize ‘civic engagement,'” amounting to “little beyond verbose abstraction.”
Yet perhaps the most devastating illustration of what is really occurring was revealed by Glen Fairman in a 2012 American Thinker column. Fairman recounts his time as a graduate student working as a substitute teacher at Puente High School in Southern California. One day he was assigned to cover a social studies class while the regular teacher was on a field trip. During that assignment he discovered a “set of thirty-year-old textbooks from the mid-1960s” whose contents “burned themselves into my brain.”
“As I flipped through the pages, I was astonished to find what I would now consider an upper-level college textbook under color of what in the high schools used to be termed ‘civics,'” he reveals. “This text contained a very detailed understanding of political theory, constitutional law, macroeconomics, American history, and comparative political systems. I spent the rest of the day in slack-jawed amazement, perusing what a student in a working-class town was expected to know before the mavens of education began tinkering with the curricula of our schools.”
That would be the overwhelmingly “progressive” mavens of education.
When he asked the returning instructor why those books were no longer in use, the instructor explained they were no longer comprehensible by the vast majority of students. When he asked other older teachers regarding whether education had been “dumbed-down,” he discovered “this question unleashed volatile diatribes on how dull children had become since the responders had begun as idealistic young men and women in the field.”
In short, what former President George W. Bush once referred to as the “soft bigotry of low expectations” has been institutionalized.
And not just at the high-school level. Fairman adds, “Campus speech codes and filtered curricula have denuded the classical goal of the acquisition of a free and analytic mind.”
Unfortunately, that is somewhat of an understatement. College campuses are now citadels of safe spaces, micro-aggressions, trigger warnings, and speech and sexual conduct codes, all designed with the purpose of teaching students what to think, not how to think. As historian Victor Davis Hanson so deftly explains, “[T]oday’s campuses mimic ideological boot camps” replete with tenured professors who “seek to indoctrinate young people in certain preconceived progressive political agendas,” and grade-conscious and indebted students willing to make the “necessary ideological adjustments” that ensure their survival. Those adjustments include embracing “the glories of larger government, income redistribution, greater entitlements, radical environmentalism, abortion, multiculturalism, suspicion of traditional religion, and antipathy to the international role of the United States in the past and present.”
In other words, every agenda you would find being championed at any Clinton campaign stop or “feel the Bern” rally.
Couple the “blame America” attitude to an audacious sense of self-entitlement, civic and historical illiteracy, and ideological insulation that embraces censorship of competing ideas. Is it any wonder why the siren song of big government, and living off the “unjustly” acquired wealth of others — promoted as “free” — resonates?
“An honest and comprehensive study of (America’s) history and constitution is the only guarantee of the cultivation of an informed electorate,” Bledsoe warns.
No doubt, but Bledsoe may be laboring under a false assumption. An informed electorate, and by extension a nation of people willing to both think and do largely for themselves, is utterly anathema to the big-government and collectivist ambitions of the American Left. Ambitions that require the “fundamental transformation of the United States of America” to be realized.
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MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
- ANALYSIS: The Great Granite State Debate
- Rubio and Christie Duke It Out on Leadership
- The Long, Dark Winter of the American Economy
- Rice and Powell Also Sent Secrets Via Private Email
- Which Is Worse? F-Bomb or Murder Joke?
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Peggy Noonan: Don’t Take New Hampshire for Granite
- John Goodman: Relief of Poverty: Four Centuries of Futility
- James Wanliss: Ignoring Truth at Our Peril: Lessons From NASA
For more, visit Right Opinion.
TOP HEADLINES
- North Korea Defies Warnings, Launches Long-Range Rocket
- Pentagon Orders Military to Prioritize Climate Change
- Pressure on Lynch to Step Aside in Clinton Email Probe
For more, visit Patriot Headline Report
OPINION IN BRIEF
Peggy Noonan: “On a recent trip I watched candidates in town halls and forums in middle-school gyms, community clubhouses, hotel ballrooms. I keep thinking of the young woman, black, about 20, I saw departing a Sanders event with a friendly young Asian man the same age. Are you for Bernie? I asked. ‘Have you seen my T-shirt?’ she replied, and opened her jacket: ‘Carson 2016.’ I laughed and asked if she was trolling. She was startled. ‘No, we just go see all the candidates.’ This of course is a great New Hampshire cliché — they won’t vote for you unless they’ve met you three times. Yet when you see it, something stops you. Every adult in New Hampshire seems to go hear every candidate at least once. They listen and take their measure; they give it the most precious thing they have, time. They take their duty seriously not because they’re jerky and self-important but because they have self-respect. They believe they are the winnowers. Their function is to get the Reasonable Possibles, put down a marker on their favorite, and then throw it to the South. At the meetings they don’t ask meek, deferential questions. I saw them lecture candidates, mildly upbraid them, inform them. … They have complete democratic confidence. They’re not shy. They’re doing due diligence.”
SHORT CUTS
The Gipper: “This cold war between great sovereign nations isn’t really a new struggle at all. It is the oldest struggle of human kind, as old as man himself. … [S]ome of us came toe to toe with this enemy this evil force in our own community in Hollywood, and make no mistake about it, this is an evil force. Don’t be deceived because you are not hearing the sound of gunfire, because even so you are fighting for your lives.”
For the record: “It’s an old rejoinder, but a true one, that if you think money buys elections, ask President H. Ross Perot, or President Steve Forbes. Romney built his fortune; John Kerry and John McCain married into theirs, and none of their presidential bids succeeded. Michael Huffington — once Arianna’s husband — spent $28 million in a Senate bid in 1994, the most money ever spent on a non-presidential campaign at that point. He lost. Tom Golisano spent $93 million on three independent gubernatorial campaigns in New York; he never won.” —Jim Geraghty
Braying Jenny: “Service is the rent we pay for living in this great country.” —Hillary Clinton (Freedom isn’t free, but her idea of our nation isn’t freedom.)
Non Compos Mentis: “I am impressed by the quality of his foreign policy.” —Bernie Sanders on Barack Obama’s foreign policy malfeasance
The Biggest Sore Loser: “I only came in second because of the fact that Cruz took a lot of votes away from Carson.” —Donald Trump with a fictitious recounting of the Iowa Caucus
Belly laugh of the week: “[Michelle is] going to want to travel and roam around the world in ways we can’t do when we’re traveling in official capacities.” —Barack Obama
Late-night humor: “During last [week’s] Democratic town hall Hillary Clinton told voters, ‘I never thought I’d be standing on a stage here asking for people to vote for me for president.’ Because she thought she’d already be done being president by now.” —Seth Meyers
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
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Assisted Suicide Law Considered In Canada, Christian Doctors Struggling With Conscience
Thousands of Canadian Christian doctors may be forced to execute assisted suicide if a proposed new law passes. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled the country’s prohibition on suicide assistance was a breach of an individual’s Charter rights. Government representatives have until June to pass new legislation, but a Christian physicians’ group is already sounding alarm about the implications of a change in the law.
The Porn Problem In America Is So Much Worse Than You Think
The porn problem is growing in exponential terms, and is creating a society dulled to pure sexuality, and is quickly becoming a cultural cancer.
Nominal Nation—The Shift Away From Self-Identified Christianity
The decline of nominal Christianity is an opportunity for the gospel
How to Respond to Unrequited Love
During these periods of waiting, God is still working, and we need to be as well.
5 Christian Movies to Watch This Year
It’s time to shine the spotlight on five upcoming Christian movies which look certain to please. Don’t miss this year’s top faith-based films!
4 Factors That Define an Evangelical Christian
While the term “evangelical” used to describe those who believed faith required conversion of the heart, it has come to mean “narrow-minded,” “intolerant,” and “hatemonger.”
Most Americans Believe in a Creator
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 The universe reveals a complexity, design, and magnificence that […]
God Bless America Again – Terry James
“We will make America great again!” is a current presidential politics proclamation. No, “we” won’t. We have proven, through our actions and lack thereof, that as a people, we want to take America in the other direction. “We” didn’t make America great in the first place, and we certainly can’t make it great in the future.
Here Comes the ‘Cashless Society’
Beyond that, cash is probably the last arena of personal autonomy left. It can be spent anyway one pleases, with no one watching. It can be hidden from the government to avoid taxes. It can be used to engage in transactions of a semi-legal nature. It has power that the government cannot control; and that is why it has to go.
How Strong Delusion is Setting the Final Stage – Part 2
Jan Markell, Eric Barger and Michele Bachmann continue in part 2 of programming talking about how the strong delusion that has been poured out on the earth, is setting the final stage. Perhaps this is why evil seems to now be empowered. The three remind listeners that God remains in control and the events are fulfilling some predicted scenarios in the Bible. Bachmann also comments on the Trump phenomenon, the 2016 election, and about a coming financial implosion. We use the mobile app at http://www.oneplace.com.
Access Programming Here or Here
The State of Our Union – Thomas Sowell
What is at stake for Americans in 2016?
Some people are surprised at how many young people look favorably on socialism. But socialism is a wonderful-sounding idea. Those who have lived through the era of its disasters in the 20th century, or learned about them from history, are likely to see through the appearances to the reality. A young age prevents the former and our dumbed-down education prevents the latter.
Obama DHS scrubs records of hundreds of Muslim terrorists
Pamela Geller asks, ‘How is this not impeachable?’
Not only did the Obama administration scrub counter-terror programs of jihad and Islam, now we find out that his administration scrubbed the records of Muslim terrorists. If the enemedia were not aligned with the jihad force, this would be front-page news across the nation.
National Prayer Breakfast 2016: Uniting for Satan
On February 4, 2016 U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a sermon on the subject of faith and unity. As he usually does, our Lecturer in Chief stood behind his lectern to lecture the American people on how he wants us to think and believe as we go about our daily lives.
The president twisted the Word of God for his own purposes in order to deceive half-hearted and backslidden Christians into following along with the global program. He tried to sucker those who only want to pay lip service to the God of the Bible, without actually having to commit their hearts to Him.
The Daily Discovery (February 8, 2016)
ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
(Click title to go to full article)
Debunking Silly Statements About the Bible – “First of all, it’s not true we’re dealing with ‘a translation of translations of translations,’ as if the original Greek first went into Chinese which went into German which went into Polish and finally we got around to putting it into English. No, we’re able to translate directly from the original Greek and Hebrew, so at worst we’re dealing with a translation, full stop. But what should we say about that that idea, the charge that all we have available to us are ‘hand-copied copies of copies of copies of copies’?”
This is why Christianity is on the ropes – “If Christians would read their bibles it would clear up a lot of deception, says Bill Muehlenberg of Culture Watch. In this piece Muehlenberg addresses sexual sin and the lengths professing Christians will go to justified having sex outside of marriage. He points out that Satanic deception has become so rampant in our churches that, in their confusion, Christians often use arguments that usually come from atheists and sexual libertines, such as ‘love is all that matters; God looks at the heart; we don’t need lists of rules, etc, etc.’”
On Defending the Unpopular – “A few weeks ago, I found myself in Washington DC with my son, Gus. We have a family tradition to take each child on a trip for their 10th birthday so Gus decided it would be fun to take in the White House, monuments, museums, and most importantly, room service. While I recognized that 10 year olds can overdose on sightseeing pretty quickly, we set up some fun stuff to do and we covered a lot of ground. I learned that 10 year olds like to set speed records in museums. They’re not big on reading explanatory plaques.”
Capturing Weak Women – “It can be a dangerous thing to walk into a Christian bookstore. It can be a dangerous thing to listen to Christian radio or watch Christian television or attend that big conference. It can be dangerous because the Christian world is polluted by so much bad teaching. There are so many leaders who claim to be teaching truth when they are, in fact, teaching error. The healthy, growing Christian must learn to tell the difference.”
My response to “Holy” Yoga – “As I’ve researched Yoga, and what some call the ‘Christianized’ version, or so-called ‘Holy’ Yoga, I’ve come to some conclusions via a study in the Word of God. God actually does have a lot to say about Yoga, though you won’t find that word anywhere in Scripture. At the bottom of this article, I’ve included some very helpful articles and interviews for you to research. More importantly, please scroll over the verses highlighted here to see what God’s Word says.”
SERMON:
Nate Pickowicz – The Sufferings of Christ (John 19:1-11)
VIDEOS:
The Insanity of Abortion.
College student accuses Mark Spence of Circular Reasoning
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
The post The Daily Discovery (February 8, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.
A La Carte (February 8)
Today’s Kindle deals include A Loving Life by Paul Miller ($3.99); Loving the Way Jesus Loves by Philip Ryken ($3.99); New from GLH Publishing is The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards ($0.99). Zondervan has a series of theological works on sale: Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem ($5.99); The Holy Spirit by Christopher Holmes ($5.99); Understanding Biblical Theology by Edward Klink ($3.99); Faith Alone by Thomas Schreiner ($5.99); The Crucified King by Jeremy Treat ($3.99).
Four Things to Help Overcome Gridlock in Your Marriage
“Have you ever found yourself in a place in your marriage where you and your spouse disagree and it seems like there is no way forward?” We have all been there at one time or another, haven’t we?
We Will Never Let Our Daughters Die for Us
Quite right: “Christian dads should never allow their little girls to die for them. This is the opposite of manhood. This is the opposite of honor.”
Why I Don’t Share The Gospel
Here’s an honest look at a common reason we don’t share the gospel.
Wheaton, Larycia Hawkins agree to part ways
“Wheaton College and Larycia Hawkins, the political science professor who started a furor over theology and academic freedom after declaring on social media that Christians and Muslims serve the same God, announced tonight they are amicably parting ways.”
This Day in 356. 1,660 years ago today, Athanasius went into hiding after escaping five thousand soldiers who surrounded his church. *
The Story Behind the Jesus Storybook Bible
Christianity Today interviews Sally Lloyd-Jones whose Jesus Storybook Bible has now sold 2 million copies.
What Ivy League Students Are Reading that You Aren’t
“If you want an Ivy League education, you could fork over $200 grand or so and go to Cornell or Harvard for four years. Alternatively, you could save a ton of cash by simply reading the same books Ivy League students are assigned.”
Thunderstorm Time-lapse
Check out this amazing time-lapse footage of a thunderstorm.
High degrees of Christian assurance are simply not compatible with low levels of obedience. —Sinclair Ferguson
Check out
Blogs
Q+A: The Story Behind the Jesus Storybook Bible
An interview with Sally Lloyd-Jones about her her bestselling Jesus Storybook Bible which has sold over 2 million copies.
A Social Media Heart Check
Four questions to check our hearts in our use of social media.
Loneliness grows from individual ache to public health hazard
“Scientists who have identified significant links between loneliness and illness are pursuing the precise biological mechanisms that make it such a menace, digging down to the molecular level and finding that social isolation changes the human genome in profound, long-lasting ways.”
This is your child’s brain on reading
“When parents read to their children the difference shows in children’s behavior and academic performance. And according to a new study, the difference also shows in their brain activity.”
Puritan Zeal
“Many churches today are looking less like armies engaged in war and more like people taking a nap.”
8 Ways to Order Your Marriage
Nicholas Macdonald looks at different ways husbands and wives negotiate differences.
Kindle Books
God’s Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe $2.99.
A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships by Paul Miller (author of A Praying Life) $3.99.
Loving the Way Jesus Loves by Phil Ryken $3.99. I loved this Christ-centered study of 1 Corinthians 13..
Last Explorer: Hubert Wilkins, Hero of the Golden Age of Polar Exploration $1.99. Might hook a teenage boy into reading a bit more.
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DEVELOPING: Selloff in European Banks is Ominous Posted: 08 Feb 2016 07:38 AM PST European banks have been caught in a perfect storm of market turmoil, lately. Lackluster profits and negative interest rates, have prompted investors to dump shares in the sector that was touted as one of the best investment ideas just a few months ago. The region’s banking gauge, the Stoxx Europe 600 Banks Index FX7, -4.81% has logged six straight weeks of declines, its longest weekly losing stretch since 2008, when banks booked 10 weeks of losses, beginning in May, according to FactSet data. “The current environment for European banks is very, very bad. Over a full business cycle, I think it’s very questionable whether banks on average are able to cover their cost of equity. And as a result that makes it an unattractive investment for long-term investors,” warned Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank. The doom-and-gloom outlook for banks comes as the stock market has had an ominous start to the year. FULL REPORT The post DEVELOPING: Selloff in European Banks is Ominous appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| North Korea’s New Satellite Flew Over Super Bowl Location
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 07:35 AM PST Here’s a bit of Super Bowl trivia: North Korea’s newest satellite passed almost right over the stadium just an hour after it ended. Whatever motives Pyongyang may have about using its rocket launches to develop nuclear-tipped long-range missiles, it now has two satellites circling the Earth, according to NORAD, the North American Aerospace Command, which monitors all satellites in orbit. Both of the Kwangmyongsong, or “Shining Star,” satellites complete their orbits in about 94 minutes and based on data released by international organizations tracking them, the new one passed almost right over Levi’s Stadium about an hour after the Super Bowl ended. “It passed almost directly overhead Silicon Valley, which is where I am and where the stadium is,” tech watcher Martyn Williams said in an email to The Associated Press. “The pass happened at 8:26 p.m., after the game. I would put it down to nothing more than a coincidence, but an interesting one.” FULL REPORT The post North Korea’s New Satellite Flew Over Super Bowl Location appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Legendary Investor Jim Rogers Warns: “Most People Are Going To Suffer The Next Time Around”
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:55 AM PST Back in the 1970’s as recession gripped the world for a decade, stocks stagnated and commodities crashed, investor Jim Rogers made a fortune. His understanding of markets, capital flows and timing is legendary. As crisis struck in late 2008, he did it again, often recommending gold and silver to those looking for wealth preservation strategies – move that would have paid of multi-fold when precious metals hit all time highs in 2011. He warned that the crash would lead to massive job losses, dependence on government bailouts, and unprecedented central bank printing on a global scale. Now, Rogers says that investors around the world are realizing that the jig is up. Stocks are over bloated and central banks will have little choice but to take action again. But this time, says Rogers in his latest interview with CrushTheStreet.com, there will be no stopping it and people all over the world are going to feel the pain, including in China and the United States. FULL REPORT The post Legendary Investor Jim Rogers Warns: “Most People Are Going To Suffer The Next Time Around” appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| 3 Ways America Could Repeat History and Succumb to Islam
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:46 AM PST The thousand-year Byzantine Empire was one of the most powerful and vast empires the world has ever known, and it was Christian. During its lengthy reign, it produced a mass trove of Christian art, architecture, legal jurisprudence, theology and culture. It built, perhaps, the most magnificent church building ever built, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, which is said to have changed the history of architecture. Yet, the mighty Byzantine Empire fell to Islam in the 15th century and serves as a reminder to us that we must not trust in our advanced technology, stock market wealth, or military might, but our trust must be in the Lord. As David said in Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Why did the Byzantine Empire fall to Turkish Ottoman invaders in 1453? I will address three reasons in this article—three trends that weakened the church and Empire and made both vulnerable to the Islamic invaders. They are (1) The church’s preoccupation with political power; (2) the loss of personal faith to outward ritual and liturgical formalism; and (3) theological rigidity and strife. FULL REPORT The post 3 Ways America Could Repeat History and Succumb to Islam appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| China Close To Creating ‘Artificial Sun’ That Could End Reliance On Fossil Fuels
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:42 AM PST Chinese scientists have managed to create a hydrogen gas that is three times hotter than the sun. The artificial solar energy could eventually be used as an inexhaustible source of power, ending reliance on fossil fuels and solving the world energy crisis. Chinese boffins created the gas in a huge magnetic fusion reactor at the Institute of Physical Science in Hefei. Invented by Soviet scientists in the 1950s, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) features a massive metallic doughtnut-shaped chamber twisted into a figure of eight. Researchers were able to use the reactor to produce temperatures of 50 million Kelvins (49.999 million°C) and maintain them for 102 seconds.The core of the sun is believed to around 15 million Kelvins. Although a previous experiment by German scientists claims to have produced temperatures hotter than this, it was unable to sustain them for as long. FULL REPORT The post China Close To Creating ‘Artificial Sun’ That Could End Reliance On Fossil Fuels appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Peruvian volcano may be awakening from dormancy after 540 years
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:38 AM PST The Peruvian volcano El Misti appears to have woken from centuries of dormancy with signs of increased activity. Note, this DOES NOT mean there will be a volcanic eruption and activity remains within a normal range of an active volcano. However, this is an interesting an opportune time for geologists to study the inner workings of volcanoes to better predict and understand their activity. Geologists are piecing together an interesting set of data that are indicative of an increase in activity. With the help of seismic monitoring systems, Peruvian scientists will be able to link seismic activity to gas release. Volcanic eruptions are very hard to predict, however, there are a number of signs that geologists have identified as potential precursors to an eruption. Physical changes on the volcano, such as a slight increase in the surface temperature, an increased release of volcanic gases, ground fissures, and slight tremors are often signs of an increased likelihood of eruption. El Misti has exhibited several of these changes in the past weeks; however it’s very important to note the scale of the changes in activity. The slight increase in activity is not the same scale seen when a volcano eruption is imminent. FULL REPORT The post Peruvian volcano may be awakening from dormancy after 540 years appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Earth changes intensifying: Volcanoes across the globe go ballistic as 2016 arrives
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:35 AM PST A volcano eruption in western Mexico has sent a spectacular plume of smoke and ash high into the air. Colima volcano is one of three that make up the Colima Volcanic Complex, near the west coast of Mexico. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and has erupted more than 40 times, including several times in the past few years. The volcano is permanently monitored by the University of Colima. Kilauea Volcano – Hawaii: (Jan 10, 2016) Nature’s fury was on full display as a rock fall in Hawaii cause an impressive explosion at Kilauea volcano. Volcano watchers recorded the massive explosion on Friday morning, when rocks splashed into the lake of lava at Halemaumau crater. These types of explosions are likely to occur when the lava lake level is relatively high, as it was on Friday, scientists say. In fact, the lake was about 100 feet below the vent’s rim right before the blast. When the lava lake is high, scientists say rocks in the vent wall heat up, expand and then become unstable causing a big section of the rocks to collapse. Fortunately, the explosion does not pose a threat to any neighboring communities. Kileaua’s ongoing eruption began way back in January of 1983. Mount Makaturing – Philippines: (Jan 22, 2016) Authorities in Lanao del Sur are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed the mountain forests of Butig town near Cagayan de oro City, in the Philippines on Thursday night, with the nearby Mount Makaturing volcano high on the suspect list. The magma mount is one of the most active in the Philippines and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The 1,940-metre peak is believed to have erupted 10 times in the past, and could be due another as the last on record was in March 1882. According to locals, heavy smoke enveloped the area near the town as well as Alamada in Wao town and the blaze appeared “lava-like,” as it glowed from the distance throughout Thursday night and into the early hours. FULL REPORT The post Earth changes intensifying: Volcanoes across the globe go ballistic as 2016 arrives appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Satellites Show Mystery Construction at Iran’s Top-Secret Military Site
Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:22 AM PST Newly released satellite images of Iran’s top-secret Parchin military complex reveal that even as Iran was working to negotiate a nuclear deal, it was apparently working to hide its atomic work of the past and hedge its bets for the future. “We’re not saying they’re cheating on the nuclear deal,” Stratfor analyst Sim Tack told The Daily Beast. “The images show Iran was going through the motions to hide what it’s done before, and it is still…developing facilities that the IAEA may or may not have access to,” Tack said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency. FULL REPORT The post Satellites Show Mystery Construction at Iran’s Top-Secret Military Site appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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Our Time is Short
What is The Gospel?
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
What Is the Gospel?
There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the gospel.
The gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness–or lack of it –or the righteousness of another. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.
The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.
The Gospel on 5 Fingers
If you picked up a hitchhiker (not that I recommend doing that) and he saw a Bible on your car seat and said, “I’ve heard about this thing called the Gospel – can you explain it to me before you drop me off in one minute up the street?” What would you say?
Can you explain the gospel in 30 seconds? In one minute? In five minutes?
Here’s one way I have found helpful. The five main components of the gospel can be remembered on 5 fingers of one hand. Here they are:
1) Jesus’ birth
2) Jesus’ life
3) Jesus’ death
4) Jesus’ resurrection
5) Jesus’ ascension
Obviously each point can be elaborated on depending on how much time you have. Here’s the short version:
1) Jesus’ birth – Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, the Messiah, became a human being – took on flesh, and was born of a virgin.
2) Jesus’ life – Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. Though he was tempted in every way as we are, he never once sinned.
3) Jesus’ death – on the cross, Jesus himself took all our sins and paid for them. God the father counted all our sins to Jesus as if he himself had personally committed them. Then Jesus bore God’s wrath towards sin – the punishment we deserved – as a substitute for us.
4) Jesus’ resurrection – within 3 days, Jesus rose physically from the dead, proving that his sacrifice for sins have been accepted by God, since the punishment for sin was death. Jesus was seen by numerous people after he rose including 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15).
5) Jesus’ ascension – Jesus ascended physically into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And someday he will return to the earth.
That’s the gospel, the good news, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and this good news and call upon him he will save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
That’s a simple way to remember the gospel – five fingers. Even a child can do it. So ask God to give you opportunities to share his good news today.
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Resource Links
CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
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(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist).
“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it…” – Martin Luther
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
— Augustine
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