News Commentary
All of January 2013
All of January 2013
Please Note:
The postings on this page will become less frequent than they have been in the past. Whenever we make a post on this forum, the date will appear at the bottom of the Divine Encouragement page.
January 31st, 2013 [Feast of St. John Bosco]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Boy Scouts considering dropping nationwide ban on gay members, leaders. (1)
The Boy Scouts of America is considering dropping a longtime ban on gay members,
leaving such membership and leadership decisions up to local sponsors.
"The BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation,'' spokesman Deron Smith said in a statement obtained by FoxNews.com. "This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, but that the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with their organization's mission, principles or religious beliefs."
"The BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation,'' spokesman Deron Smith said in a statement obtained by FoxNews.com. "This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, but that the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with their organization's mission, principles or religious beliefs."
miguel de Portugal comments: Unfortunately this will not stop sexual abuse (nor will increase it either) but will serve to promote homosexuality. I still think that the best policy, here and elsewhere, is "Don't ask; don't tell."
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(1) Fox News Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Egypt Army Chief's Ominous Warning: 'State Collapse'. (1)
As violent clashes in Egypt continue for a sixth day, the Army chief of staff has a dire warning
for protesters: If there is no reconciliation, Egypt could see the "collapse of the state."
Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi also wrote on the official Army Facebook page today that any attacks on state
institutions will be seen as a "serious matter that harms Egyptian national security and the
future of Egypt," the New York Times reports.
The comments reflect the Army's increasing impatience and concern over the situation, but Reuters notes that it's unlikely the Army wants to take back the power it held while Hosni Mubarak was in power and, briefly, after he was removed from power. The death toll over the past week has hit at least 52, and protesters in three Suez Canal cities are defiantly ignoring the curfew set by President Mohamed Morsi by thronging in the streets after 9pm.
And in Cairo, masked men stormed a luxury hotel's lobby last night - and the hotel live-tweeted the whole thing. No one was seriously hurt.
The comments reflect the Army's increasing impatience and concern over the situation, but Reuters notes that it's unlikely the Army wants to take back the power it held while Hosni Mubarak was in power and, briefly, after he was removed from power. The death toll over the past week has hit at least 52, and protesters in three Suez Canal cities are defiantly ignoring the curfew set by President Mohamed Morsi by thronging in the streets after 9pm.
And in Cairo, masked men stormed a luxury hotel's lobby last night - and the hotel live-tweeted the whole thing. No one was seriously hurt.
miguel de Portugal comments: The Egyptian liberation from the "Mubarak yoke" brings to mind the "liberation" of Africa from its "colonial yoke". When will the West look at: (a) Turkey to learn how to progress from a totalitarian muslim yoke - the Ottoman Empire - to a democratic Republic with a minimum backlash; (b) People's Republic of China to learn how to progress from a brutal communist regime to a flourishing capitalistic society?
Well, what can we expect? God gave the Catholic Administration forty years of Don Bosco (2) proving to that faithless lot that: If we practice what Jesus taught, we can even get the cooperation of one's enemies and they still didn't get it..... and continue to wallow in darkness.
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(1) News Report
(2) Don Bosco's Trajectory
January 30th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Bird flu researchers continue controversial work on lab-made strain. (1)
Bird flu researchers who halted controversial studies on the deadly virus last year amid concerns
their work can be leaked to terrorists, now say they are resuming their research as countries
adopt new rules to ensure safety.
The outcry erupted when two labs - in the Netherlands and the U.S. - reported they had created easier-to-spread versions of bird flu (H5N1). Amid fierce debate about the oversight of such research and whether it might aid terrorists, those scientists voluntarily halted further work last January - and more than three dozen of the world's leading flu researchers signed on as well.
The outcry erupted when two labs - in the Netherlands and the U.S. - reported they had created easier-to-spread versions of bird flu (H5N1). Amid fierce debate about the oversight of such research and whether it might aid terrorists, those scientists voluntarily halted further work last January - and more than three dozen of the world's leading flu researchers signed on as well.
miguel de Portugal comments:We see that all continues "on schedule".
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Record Setting Asteroid Flyby. (1)
On Feb. 15th an asteroid about half the size of a football field will fly past Earth only
17,200 miles above our planet's surface. There's no danger of a collision, but the
space rock, designated 2012 DA14, has NASA's attention.
"This is a record-setting close approach," says Don Yeomans of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at JPL. "Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, we've never seen an object this big get so close to Earth."
2012 DA14 is a fairly typical near-Earth asteroid. It measures some 50 meters wide, neither very large nor very small, and is probably made of stone, as opposed to metal or ice. Yeomans estimates that an asteroid like 2012 DA14 flies past Earth, on average, every 40 years, yet actually strikes our planet only every 1200 years or so.
The impact of a 50-meter asteroid is not cataclysmic - unless you happen to be underneath it. Yeomans points out that a similar-sized object formed the mile wide Meteor Crater in Arizona when it struck about 50,000 years ago. "That asteroid was made of iron," he says, "which made it an especially potent impactor."
Also, in 1908, something about the size of 2012 DA14 exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia, leveling hundreds of square miles of forest. Researchers are still studying the "Tunguska Event" for clues to the impacting object.
"2012 DA14 will definitely not hit Earth," emphasizes Yeomans. "The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact."
"This is a record-setting close approach," says Don Yeomans of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at JPL. "Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, we've never seen an object this big get so close to Earth."
2012 DA14 is a fairly typical near-Earth asteroid. It measures some 50 meters wide, neither very large nor very small, and is probably made of stone, as opposed to metal or ice. Yeomans estimates that an asteroid like 2012 DA14 flies past Earth, on average, every 40 years, yet actually strikes our planet only every 1200 years or so.
The impact of a 50-meter asteroid is not cataclysmic - unless you happen to be underneath it. Yeomans points out that a similar-sized object formed the mile wide Meteor Crater in Arizona when it struck about 50,000 years ago. "That asteroid was made of iron," he says, "which made it an especially potent impactor."
Also, in 1908, something about the size of 2012 DA14 exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia, leveling hundreds of square miles of forest. Researchers are still studying the "Tunguska Event" for clues to the impacting object.
"2012 DA14 will definitely not hit Earth," emphasizes Yeomans. "The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact."
miguel de Portugal comments: Sharing the news as a matter of general information. If it hits the Earth or not is really not of our concern anymore. By now our readers should be ready to be struck in a moment's notice. Whoever is not, should work on his/her level of denial.
NASA's reassurance that it "will definitely not hit Earth" is as valid to us as any politician's promise. That is - worthless.
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(1) NASA Reports
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
North Korean cannibalism fears amid claims starving people forced to desperate measures. (1)
Reports from inside the secretive famine-hit pariah state, North Korea, claim a man has been
executed after murdering his two children for food. The grim suggestion that North Koreans are
turning to cannibalism were reported by the Asia Press, and published in the Sunday Times.
They claim a 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae has killed 10,000 people, and there are fears that cannibalism is spreading throughout the country. One informant, based in South Hwanghae, said: "In my village in May, a man who killed his own two children and tried to eat them was executed by a firing squad.
"While his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat.' "But his wife, suspicious, notified the Ministry of Public Security, which led to the discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves."
Jiro Ishimaru, from Asia Press said: 'Particularly shocking were the numerous testimonies that hit us about cannibalism.'
They claim a 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae has killed 10,000 people, and there are fears that cannibalism is spreading throughout the country. One informant, based in South Hwanghae, said: "In my village in May, a man who killed his own two children and tried to eat them was executed by a firing squad.
"While his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat.' "But his wife, suspicious, notified the Ministry of Public Security, which led to the discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves."
Jiro Ishimaru, from Asia Press said: 'Particularly shocking were the numerous testimonies that hit us about cannibalism.'
miguel de Portugal comments: Sign of the times.... but you will hear those in the State of Denial say that it has happened before..... which of course, it has, i.e. the siege of Leningrad.
Brethren, we have news for all: Everything has happened before on this Earth. The key is knowing how to interpret the events repeating themselves today now and projecting their effects for tomorrow.
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(1) News Report
January 29th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Berlusconi attacked over Mussolini defence. (1)
Silvio Berlusconi has sparked outrage among Italy's political left by defending Mussolini
at a commemoration ceremony for Nazi Holocaust victims.
Speaking on the margins of the event in Milan, the former Italian prime minister said the fascist wartime leader had been wrong to follow Nazi Germany's lead in passing anti-Jewish laws but that in other respects he was a good leader.
"As part of this alliance, there were impositions, including combating and exterminating Jews," he told reporters. "The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did well," he said, referring to laws passed by Mussolini's fascist government in 1938.
It is not the first time Berlusconi has courted controversy by defending Mussolini whose status in Italy remains deeply ambiguous 67 years after he was executed by communist partisans while trying to escape to Switzerland in 1945.
Speaking on the margins of the event in Milan, the former Italian prime minister said the fascist wartime leader had been wrong to follow Nazi Germany's lead in passing anti-Jewish laws but that in other respects he was a good leader.
"As part of this alliance, there were impositions, including combating and exterminating Jews," he told reporters. "The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did well," he said, referring to laws passed by Mussolini's fascist government in 1938.
It is not the first time Berlusconi has courted controversy by defending Mussolini whose status in Italy remains deeply ambiguous 67 years after he was executed by communist partisans while trying to escape to Switzerland in 1945.
miguel de Portugal comments: The key message found in the above news is hidden within the following statement: Silvio Berlusconi has sparked outrage among Italy's political left.
Only the political left was outraged, meaning that the rest of the Italian political spectrum was not fazed by Berlusconi's praising of Mussolini.
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(1) Euronews Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Relatives of Spain's "stolen babies" call for action. (1)
Relatives and parents of what are known as Spain's "stolen babies" have gathered in Madrid to
press once more for their cases to be reopened.
Campaigners believe hundreds of thousands of newborns were taken from parents with leftwing political views by the Franco regime.
1500 cases have been filed but many have lapsed due to the passage of time.
Campaigners believe hundreds of thousands of newborns were taken from parents with leftwing political views by the Franco regime.
1500 cases have been filed but many have lapsed due to the passage of time.
miguel de Portugal comments: This protest was triggered because the visible head of this conspiracy - yes!, it was a conspiracy - Sister Maria, conveniently died a few days ago. Since, according to the media, Sister Maria "acted alone" - a claim which is amongst the greatest fantasies of the decade - once she is dead there is no one else to question.
This is just another "Case Closed", just like the Israeli-Palestinian hopes for peace which ended with the mysterious flu-induced death of Arafat on November 11, 2004, and the mysterious stroke that caused Ariel Sharon to enter in a vegetative state on January 4, 2006. Barely a year apart. Amazingly enough, they were getting somewhere in the Peace process; a preace process which became essentially dead after those two convenient-for-the-hawks events.
(sarcasm on) But of course, we may be imagining things.... after all, there are no conspiracies, right? (2)..... (sarcasm off)
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(1) Euronews Reports
(2) Proven Conspiracies Part I and Part II Etc., Etc.
January 27th, 2013
News Reports
[our highlights]
Church cleared to be sold for $41 million: Evidence that Douglas Steiner is mystery buyer. (1)
The Archdiocese of New York has been authorized to sell Mary Help of Christians Church for
$41 million, and evidence points to Douglas C. Steiner, a developer of luxury residences and the
owner of Steiner Studios, as the church's prospective buyer.
and
A French church nears its end, but not without a contretemps. (2)
Tossing a gauntlet as he delivered an Easter sermon in 1841 to the people of New York, Charles
Auguste Marie Joseph, the bishop of Nancy and Toul in France, demanded:
"In this great city, where the Irish and German Catholics have recoiled from no sacrifice to have their own churches and priests, how is it that the French, so famous for the faith of their fathers, alone remain indifferent?" he asked. "How, in fact, can this nationality be long preserved in a foreign land without the powerful bond of religion?"
That is exactly what some parishioners are asking today as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York prepares to close the Church of St. Vincent de Paul at 123 West 23rd Street - the very church that emerged 170 years ago in response to the bishop's exhortation - and merge the French-speaking parish with the Church of St. Columba at 343 West 25th Street.
"In this great city, where the Irish and German Catholics have recoiled from no sacrifice to have their own churches and priests, how is it that the French, so famous for the faith of their fathers, alone remain indifferent?" he asked. "How, in fact, can this nationality be long preserved in a foreign land without the powerful bond of religion?"
That is exactly what some parishioners are asking today as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York prepares to close the Church of St. Vincent de Paul at 123 West 23rd Street - the very church that emerged 170 years ago in response to the bishop's exhortation - and merge the French-speaking parish with the Church of St. Columba at 343 West 25th Street.
Mr. WO, the contributor, comments: When I was a little child, the good nuns in my school taught me that a church is the house of God. Because He dwells there always in the Tabernacle, in the Blessed Sacrament. And that we should take the time to stop into a church when we pass by, to visit Him, even for a moment. To comfort Him, because most of the time He is alone in the Tabernacle, because nobody shows Him love.
I was also taught by those good nuns that anyone who would dare to vandalize, profane, sell or destroy a church... must, logically, hate God.
Sad experience has taught this former child a reality: that the men who hate God the most are priests and bishops. For it is they who destroy His house. And are doing so with increasing frequency. This would seem to be a fulfillment of what Mary said at La Salette.
This is not merely a lament about the destruction of art and architecture. Nor even of the utter disrespect for the loving sacrifices of many poor souls to build and maintain such churches. (3)
Rather, sorrow for the demonic hatred of these priests and bishops who do such horrors. For agendas from hell, in service to Mammon. And in service to satan, by depriving people of the presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle, and of valid Sacraments. One could not believe in God and do such things.
Even to maintain a parish church - yet lock its doors tightly 98% of the time (preventing souls from visiting Jesus) - serves satan. As God is 'locked away' from the people.
The neighborhoods served by these two now closed churches (1) (2) are rife with wild hedonism. Removing the sacred dwelling of Jesus from them is literally giving aid and comfort to satan. And potentially preventing souls from being saved. (4)
"But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven
against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to
enter." (Matthew 23: 13)
The parish into which St. Vincent de Paul will be forcibly merged (St. Columba) has less then 150 attending mass on Sunday; which St. Vincent's pews were full. Both Mary Help of Christians and St. Vincent de Paul served mostly poor, non-White people.
It is great irony that the patrons of these two closed parishes are:
a) Mary, Help of Christians - the favorite title of Mary as patron of the order founded by
St. John Bosco, who was devoted to genuine charity to the poor.
b) St. Vincent de Paul - who is revered for his work among the poor.
b) St. Vincent de Paul - who is revered for his work among the poor.
Yet it should come as no surprise that the pastors who are engineering these church closings revere Escriva.
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(1) Source
(2) Source
(3) "Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you shall receive the greater judgment." (Matthew 23: 14).
(4) The greatest horror I have seen is the homeless and drug addicts sleeping in the frigid cold on the steps of one of these closed churches. The horror is double: a) the priests will neither feed, shelter, nor minister to them, b) nor will they let them into in the presence of the Tabernacle, that they might be healed.
January 26th, 2013 [Feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
A Rhode Island judge orders Legion of Christ papers unsealed. (1)
A judge on Wednesday ordered the unsealing of documents related to a disgraced Roman
Catholic organization called the Legion of Christ as it faces questions about its relationship
to wealthy elderly patrons, but the religious order immediately moved to block it.
Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein called the public's right to fully scrutinize the documents "paramount."
The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Providence Journal and the National Catholic Reporter had asked the judge to unseal the documents, which are from a lawsuit filed by a woman contesting the will of a wealthy aunt who left the Legion of Christ $60 million. The media organizations' attorney, Joseph Cavanagh, argued the documents could shed light on the Legion's operations and there was no justification to seal them.
The Vatican took over the Legion in 2010 after determining that its late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, had sexually molested seminarians and fathered three children by two women. The Legion has faced other complaints, including one from someone who claims to be one of Maciel's children.
The Legion's lawyer, Joseph Avanzato, had argued that the information in the documents ordered unsealed could taint prospective jurors in the case about the wealthy aunt's will and wanted them to remain hidden from public view.
Shortly after the judge's order, the Legion filed a motion to block the documents' release, Legion spokesman Jim Fair said. The judge is expected to hear arguments on Friday, Fair said.
"Obviously we don't want the documents released; that has not changed," he said. "We'll see what happens going forward."
Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein called the public's right to fully scrutinize the documents "paramount."
The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Providence Journal and the National Catholic Reporter had asked the judge to unseal the documents, which are from a lawsuit filed by a woman contesting the will of a wealthy aunt who left the Legion of Christ $60 million. The media organizations' attorney, Joseph Cavanagh, argued the documents could shed light on the Legion's operations and there was no justification to seal them.
The Vatican took over the Legion in 2010 after determining that its late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, had sexually molested seminarians and fathered three children by two women. The Legion has faced other complaints, including one from someone who claims to be one of Maciel's children.
The Legion's lawyer, Joseph Avanzato, had argued that the information in the documents ordered unsealed could taint prospective jurors in the case about the wealthy aunt's will and wanted them to remain hidden from public view.
Shortly after the judge's order, the Legion filed a motion to block the documents' release, Legion spokesman Jim Fair said. The judge is expected to hear arguments on Friday, Fair said.
"Obviously we don't want the documents released; that has not changed," he said. "We'll see what happens going forward."
miguel de Portugal comments: God will not give rest to the children of Babylon, no matter what they try. Such exposures will help many souls from falling further into sin.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
In a malpractice case, a Catholic hospital argues fetuses aren't people. (1)
ShareLori Stodghill was 31-years old, seven-months pregnant with twin boys and feeling sick when
she arrived at St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City on New Year's Day 2006.
Stodghill's obstetrician, Dr. Pelham Staples, who also happened to be the obstetrician on call for emergencies that night, never answered a page. His patient died at the hospital less than an hour after she arrived and her twins died in her womb.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Stodghill's husband Jeremy, a prison guard, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of himself and the couple's then-two-year-old daughter Elizabeth.
Staples should have made it to the hospital, his lawyers argued, or at least instructed the frantic emergency room staff to perform a caesarian-section. The procedure likely would not have saved the mother, a testifying expert said, but it may have saved the twins.
But when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health's lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect "unborn persons," and Catholic Health's lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.
Stodghill's obstetrician, Dr. Pelham Staples, who also happened to be the obstetrician on call for emergencies that night, never answered a page. His patient died at the hospital less than an hour after she arrived and her twins died in her womb.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Stodghill's husband Jeremy, a prison guard, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of himself and the couple's then-two-year-old daughter Elizabeth.
Staples should have made it to the hospital, his lawyers argued, or at least instructed the frantic emergency room staff to perform a caesarian-section. The procedure likely would not have saved the mother, a testifying expert said, but it may have saved the twins.
But when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health's lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect "unborn persons," and Catholic Health's lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.
miguel de Portugal comments: What can we expect from people who have sold their Mother to the highest bidder - Mammon?
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(1) News Report
January 25th, 2013 [Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
North Korea: Next Nuke Test Will Target US. (1)
After threatening new nuclear tests amid heightened sanctions yesterday, North Korea is getting
more specific: Those tests will target the US, its "sworn enemy," the country says.
"We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States," military leaders said. South Korea says the North is "technically ready" for new nuclear tests, Reuters reports.
Pyongyang ally China has responded to the latest threats, asking North Korea to "remain calm and act and speak in a cautious and prudent way and not take any steps which may further worsen the situation."
But "after all these years and numerous rounds of six-party talks, we can see that China's influence over North Korea is actually very limited," says an expert in Shanghai. Pyongyang didn't make clear when such a test could occur, notes the New York Times, but a South Korean army colonel says the North "can conduct a nuclear test as soon as its leadership makes up its mind."
One date to keep an eye on: Feb. 16, the late Kim Jong Il's birthday.
"We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States," military leaders said. South Korea says the North is "technically ready" for new nuclear tests, Reuters reports.
Pyongyang ally China has responded to the latest threats, asking North Korea to "remain calm and act and speak in a cautious and prudent way and not take any steps which may further worsen the situation."
But "after all these years and numerous rounds of six-party talks, we can see that China's influence over North Korea is actually very limited," says an expert in Shanghai. Pyongyang didn't make clear when such a test could occur, notes the New York Times, but a South Korean army colonel says the North "can conduct a nuclear test as soon as its leadership makes up its mind."
One date to keep an eye on: Feb. 16, the late Kim Jong Il's birthday.
miguel de Portugal comments: Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock,....
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Britsh P.M. Cameron pledges EU vote. (1)
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday positioned himself as the savior of the European
Union, setting out his vision for turning the 27-nation bloc into a "flexible, adaptable and
open" institution and promising Britons the chance to vote on whether the U.K. should remain a
member.
In his eagerly awaited address on his vision for the future of Europe, Mr. Cameron laid down a challenge to his fellow European leaders, one that many are unlikely to welcome,....
Mr. Cameron dwelled at length on the bloc's current shortcomings, which he said had led to growing popular frustration across its membership, citing street protests in Athens, Madrid and Rome, and heated disputation in parliaments in Berlin, Helsinki and The Hague.
"Europe's leaders have a duty to hear these concerns," he said. "Indeed, we have a duty to act on them."
Mr. Cameron defined himself as the defender of the U.K.'s continued membership in the EU, but warned that unless the bloc faces its challenges and changes, Europe could fail and Britain could "drift towards the exit."
In his eagerly awaited address on his vision for the future of Europe, Mr. Cameron laid down a challenge to his fellow European leaders, one that many are unlikely to welcome,....
Mr. Cameron dwelled at length on the bloc's current shortcomings, which he said had led to growing popular frustration across its membership, citing street protests in Athens, Madrid and Rome, and heated disputation in parliaments in Berlin, Helsinki and The Hague.
"Europe's leaders have a duty to hear these concerns," he said. "Indeed, we have a duty to act on them."
Mr. Cameron defined himself as the defender of the U.K.'s continued membership in the EU, but warned that unless the bloc faces its challenges and changes, Europe could fail and Britain could "drift towards the exit."
miguel de Portugal comments: The reason why the U.K. never joined the Euro currency is beginning to show and, we do not necessarily disagree with him. I have been in Europe (on and off) before the Euro, at the time where all currencies changed at midnight, and after the establishment of the Euro. What I have seen is a disaster for the majority, while the Euro "inventors" are making money "hand over fist".
No one (but God!) could get, for example, the "independent" regions of Spain to agree on anything, not even pull together for the benefit of the nation, and some "wise guys" think that is possible for all of the nations tol agree to pull together for the benfit of the European Union.
The European Union concept, as well as the Euro, is part of the plan for one of the three Saviors of the World group, and, the only way they can implement it will be by force as we have said many imes before.
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(1) Wall Street Journal Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
For Your Health: Test Your Home for Radon.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is estimated to
be responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
You can't see, smell, or taste radon -- it's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be present outdoors and in any type of building, but you're likely to get the most exposure to radon in your own home.
To help protect your health, you can test your home for radon and take measures to lower radon levels if needed.
You can't see, smell, or taste radon -- it's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be present outdoors and in any type of building, but you're likely to get the most exposure to radon in your own home.
To help protect your health, you can test your home for radon and take measures to lower radon levels if needed.
January 23rd, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Top 5 Viewed Features on NYTimes.com
(Between Jan. 9, 2013 - Jan. 15, 2013)
1. Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie
2. 300 Cats, Yes. Craziness, No.
3. The End of Courtship?
4. Flu Widespread, Leading a Range of Winter's Ills
5. Darwin Was Wrong About Dating
2. 300 Cats, Yes. Craziness, No.
3. The End of Courtship?
4. Flu Widespread, Leading a Range of Winter's Ills
5. Darwin Was Wrong About Dating
miguel de Portugal comments: This is indeed amazing, yet, it is indeed "Right on schedule".
If those choices had been the top viewed features in a supermarket tabloid or in one of the many "girlie" magazines in convenience stores, it would be coherent with their traditional readership, but, in the New York Times? We are well overdue for that Gamma Ray Burst!
Lord Have Mercy - and let us have what we truly deserve, and soon, before everyone is lost; even the Elect (*)!
(*) And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of
the elect those days shall be shortened. [Matthew 24:22]
and from the land of the Kamikaze....
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Japan's finance minister tells elderly they should 'hurry up and die' to help reduce country's rising welfare bill. (1)
Japan's new finance minister has claimed that the elderly should 'hurry up and die' to help ease
the cost to the taxpayer of caring for them, it has emerged.
Aso, who said he would hate to be a burden on the state, told the national council on social security reforms: 'Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die.'
Aso, who said he would hate to be a burden on the state, told the national council on social security reforms: 'Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die.'
'I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the
government.
'The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die.'
'The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die.'
The statement is a far cry from the usual indoctrinated Japanese respect shown for their elders.
It comes after figures released earlier this month showed the country saw its largest population drop in more than a century last year and is now aging faster than any other in the world.
More than 20 per cent of its 128 million population is already over 65 and set to double to more than 40 per cent within the next 50 years while birthrates continues to plummet.
miguel de Portugal comments: Mr. Aso's demonic wish may come true as the People's Republic of China prepares for war against Japan and its allies.
_________________
(1) News Report
January 22nd, 2013 [Day of Penance in the US (1) ]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
A gamma ray burst (2), the most powerful explosion known in the Universe, may have hit the Earth in the 8th Century. (3)
In 2012 researchers found evidence that our planet had been struck by a blast of radiation during
the Middle Ages, but there was debate over what kind of cosmic event could have caused this. Now a
study suggests it was the result of two black holes or neutron stars merging in our galaxy. This
collision would have hurled out vast amounts of energy.
"Our conclusion was it was 3,000 to 12,000 light-years away - and this is within our galaxy." Although the event sounds dramatic, our medieval ancestors might not have noticed much.
If the gamma-ray burst happened at this distance, the radiation would have been absorbed by our atmosphere, only leaving a trace in the isotopes that eventually found their way into our trees and the ice. The researchers do not think it even emitted any visible light. Prof. Neuhauser said it was unlikely Planet Earth would see another one soon, but if we did, this time it could make more of an impact.
If a cosmic explosion happened at the same distance as the 8th Century event, it could knock out our satellites. But if it occurred even closer - just a few hundred light-years away - it would destroy our ozone layer, with devastating effects for life on Earth.
However, this, said Prof. Neuhauser, was "extremely unlikely".
"Our conclusion was it was 3,000 to 12,000 light-years away - and this is within our galaxy." Although the event sounds dramatic, our medieval ancestors might not have noticed much.
If the gamma-ray burst happened at this distance, the radiation would have been absorbed by our atmosphere, only leaving a trace in the isotopes that eventually found their way into our trees and the ice. The researchers do not think it even emitted any visible light. Prof. Neuhauser said it was unlikely Planet Earth would see another one soon, but if we did, this time it could make more of an impact.
If a cosmic explosion happened at the same distance as the 8th Century event, it could knock out our satellites. But if it occurred even closer - just a few hundred light-years away - it would destroy our ozone layer, with devastating effects for life on Earth.
However, this, said Prof. Neuhauser, was "extremely unlikely".
miguel de Portugal comments: We are sure that Prof. Neuhauser would have also believed that the Titanic was unsinkable
_________________
(1) January 22 has been designated by the U.S. Bishops as a "particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life."
(2) About Gamma Ray Burst
(3) News Report
January 21st, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
China's People Liberation Army (PLA) leadership to Troops: Prepare for War (1)
As tensions between China and Japan escalate, China's PLA has been told to prepare for war
in a training directive issued by the General Staff Headquarters, which oversees the entire
PLA.
"The PLA and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (APF) should focus closely on the objective of being able to fight and winning battle, vigorously strengthen real-combat-like military training, practice and innovate the training mode under information-based conditions and intensify efforts to cultivate new-type and high-caliber military personnel," according to a reference to the directive on the English version of the People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of the PLA. The directive was issued in Chinese and is entitled "Instructions on the PLA's Military Training in 2013."
Past directives have largely focused on coordination among the various PLA branches, in contrast to the strong language of this year's version. "What has attracted attention is that the directive has called on Chinese forces to be prepared to fight using a particular Chinese term," said Taylor Fravel, an expert on Chinese foreign policy and security at MIT.
The term, according to a report in the South China Morning Post, is dazhang, which means "fighting wars." The phrase did not appear in last year's directive.
"The PLA and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (APF) should focus closely on the objective of being able to fight and winning battle, vigorously strengthen real-combat-like military training, practice and innovate the training mode under information-based conditions and intensify efforts to cultivate new-type and high-caliber military personnel," according to a reference to the directive on the English version of the People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of the PLA. The directive was issued in Chinese and is entitled "Instructions on the PLA's Military Training in 2013."
Past directives have largely focused on coordination among the various PLA branches, in contrast to the strong language of this year's version. "What has attracted attention is that the directive has called on Chinese forces to be prepared to fight using a particular Chinese term," said Taylor Fravel, an expert on Chinese foreign policy and security at MIT.
The term, according to a report in the South China Morning Post, is dazhang, which means "fighting wars." The phrase did not appear in last year's directive.
The above news report is backed by the primary source - China Military Online
Chinese soldiers should be ready for battle (2)
National interests are always the focus of the soldier's attention. To safeguard national
interests is always the power source to motivate soldiers. The mission of the military should
expand to the place where the national interests extend to. With the expansion of China's
national interests, the battlefield for soldiers has become more and more diversified. The
soldier's vision should be broaden and cast onto the deep blue ocean, the vast aero space, and the
virtual networks.
It is for this reason that Chinese soldiers should get ready for battle and should not be fooled by such clamored idea as the "China threat theory".... .... we should keep a clear mind, because all the suffering and humiliation that China has sustained in modern history tell us the truth that: "Rich country with no strong military forces is doomed to nothing". It is quite normal for the national defense construction to be criticized by outside world. It is never a smooth process for a country to develop the national defense.
We express great concern over the security of our maritime space, aero space, and cyberspace on our way towards a prosperous country with powerful military force. Despite of all these, we are by no means a belligerent country with the ambition to dominate the world. Instead, we are a nation riding on the tide of peace on a sail of development towards the promotion of the collective development of the whole world.
It is for this reason that Chinese soldiers should get ready for battle and should not be fooled by such clamored idea as the "China threat theory".... .... we should keep a clear mind, because all the suffering and humiliation that China has sustained in modern history tell us the truth that: "Rich country with no strong military forces is doomed to nothing". It is quite normal for the national defense construction to be criticized by outside world. It is never a smooth process for a country to develop the national defense.
We express great concern over the security of our maritime space, aero space, and cyberspace on our way towards a prosperous country with powerful military force. Despite of all these, we are by no means a belligerent country with the ambition to dominate the world. Instead, we are a nation riding on the tide of peace on a sail of development towards the promotion of the collective development of the whole world.
miguel de Portugal comments: As our dear friend and contributor from the Philippines wrote when he referred the above report to us: Another entry for the "on time" file.
________________________
(1) Turkish News Weekly Reports
(2) China Military Online
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
German Priests Carried Out Sexual Abuse for Years. (1)
A report about child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Germany.... showed that priests
carefully planned their assaults and frequently abused the same children repeatedly for years.
The report, compiled from information collected from victims and other witnesses who called a hot line run by the church from 2010 until the end of last year, includes the ages of the victims, the locations of the assaults and the repercussions they have suffered since. The accounts were provided in 8,500 calls to the hot line
"I found particularly devastating the perpetrators' lies to their under-aged victims that their actions were an expression of a loving bond with God," he said Thursday. Claudia Adams, who said she was assaulted as a child in a preschool run by the church in a village near Trier....
The church's credibility regarding its commitment to an impartial investigation suffered a fresh blow last week when the bishops canceled an independent study
into the abuse scandal amid allegations by the independent investigator, Christian Pfeiffer, that the church was censoring information....
Many of the victims said their call to the hot line was the first time they had told anyone about assaults that took place decades ago, most between 1950 and 1980, the report said. Many callers broke down in the middle of their stories and, overcome by emotion, simply hung up the phone,....
The reported assaults were clustered largely in the country's heavily Roman Catholic regions along the Rhine River to the west and throughout the south,
including Pope Benedict XVI's home state, Bavaria.
The report, compiled from information collected from victims and other witnesses who called a hot line run by the church from 2010 until the end of last year, includes the ages of the victims, the locations of the assaults and the repercussions they have suffered since. The accounts were provided in 8,500 calls to the hot line
"I found particularly devastating the perpetrators' lies to their under-aged victims that their actions were an expression of a loving bond with God," he said Thursday. Claudia Adams, who said she was assaulted as a child in a preschool run by the church in a village near Trier....
The church's credibility regarding its commitment to an impartial investigation suffered a fresh blow last week when the bishops canceled an independent study
into the abuse scandal amid allegations by the independent investigator, Christian Pfeiffer, that the church was censoring information....
Many of the victims said their call to the hot line was the first time they had told anyone about assaults that took place decades ago, most between 1950 and 1980, the report said. Many callers broke down in the middle of their stories and, overcome by emotion, simply hung up the phone,....
The reported assaults were clustered largely in the country's heavily Roman Catholic regions along the Rhine River to the west and throughout the south,
including Pope Benedict XVI's home state, Bavaria.
miguel de Portugal comments: First of all, do note the time period where most reported cases dated from - 1950 to 1980. The lack of many pre 1950 reports is not surprising due to today's age of the individuals abused. As a matter of record, Ratzinger was 23 years old in 1950 and was ordained in 1951; therefore he was an active cleric throughout the entire period covered.
Secondly - the usual cover up by superiors allowed this sustained tragedy to take place, a tragedy which has taken place in every single country where these individuals went supposedly to spread the Good News and not to destroy souls. May God dispense upon them the corresponding justice keeping in mind that such hideous crimes were carried out in the Name of God.
To think that some people have the unmitigated gall to stand up to defend the Administration and bankroll the Roman Catholic Church (2)! They do not realize that they will share in the spiritual consequences of those hideous crimes.
Once again we remind one and all to continue to pray for the very few good men and women (within the clergy, hierarchy and religious orders) who are trying to serve God from within the bowels of Babylon. It is not easy for them to survive in such an environment!
They need your prayerful support and encouragement.
_________
(1) New York Times Reports
(2) Our position about the Administration of the Roman Catholic Church
Comet of the Century? (1)
Later this year, "Comet ISON" could blossom into a striking naked eye object visible even in broad
daylight.
"Comet ISON is a sungrazer," explains Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab. "The orbit of the comet will bring it very close to the sun, which we know can be a spectacular thing." Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok found the comet in Sept. 21, 2012.
As 2013 unfolds, the comet is still very far away - near the orbit of Jupiter. That's why it looks like a speck. "But for an object at such extreme distance, it is actually very bright," says Battams. The comet's glow suggests that is spewing gas and dust from a fairly large nucleus - "in the 1 to 10 km range," estimates Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory.
On Nov. 28, 2013, this "dirty snowball" will fly through the sun's atmosphere little more than a million km from the stellar surface. If the comet survives - a big IF - it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, briefly visible near the sun in broad daylight. The comet's dusty tail stretching into the night sky could create a worldwide sensation.
Some reporters have started calling ISON the "Comet of the Century," but Don Yeomans of NASA Near-Earth Object Program thinks that's premature.
"Comet ISON is a sungrazer," explains Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab. "The orbit of the comet will bring it very close to the sun, which we know can be a spectacular thing." Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok found the comet in Sept. 21, 2012.
As 2013 unfolds, the comet is still very far away - near the orbit of Jupiter. That's why it looks like a speck. "But for an object at such extreme distance, it is actually very bright," says Battams. The comet's glow suggests that is spewing gas and dust from a fairly large nucleus - "in the 1 to 10 km range," estimates Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory.
On Nov. 28, 2013, this "dirty snowball" will fly through the sun's atmosphere little more than a million km from the stellar surface. If the comet survives - a big IF - it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, briefly visible near the sun in broad daylight. The comet's dusty tail stretching into the night sky could create a worldwide sensation.
Some reporters have started calling ISON the "Comet of the Century," but Don Yeomans of NASA Near-Earth Object Program thinks that's premature.
miguel de Portugal comments: Just sharing - no hidden nor implied messages.
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(1) NASA Reports
January 19th, 2013
News Report - Contributed by (Mr.) WO
[Mr. W. O. 's highlights]
The news that a very prominent Monsignor of the Bridgeport, CT. Diocese - who had served as Rector of its Cathedral, and assistant to two former bishops (Cardinal Edward Egan, and Bishop Walter Curtis), and was a former national Chaplain to the Knights of Malta - has been indicted by Federal authorities for selling crystal meth, was bad enough. (1)
Now it would also seem that Msgr. Kevin Wallin has added cross-dressing and sex in the Cathedral rectory to his list of antics. (2)
"In his post-priesthood, Wallin, 61, bought an adult specialty and video store in North
Haven called Land of Oz that sells sex toys and X-rated DVDs. Investigators believe the shop
helped him launder thousands of dollars in weekly profits..... While pastor of St. Augustine's,
sources said he often disappeared for days at a time; and rectory personnel became concerned and
notified diocese officials when Wallin, sometimes dressed as a woman, would entertain
odd-looking men, some who were also dressed in women's clothing and engaging in sex
acts...... In addition, diocese officials found bizarre sex toys in Wallin's
residence, the sources said."
However:
" He often attended musicals with his mentor, former N.Y. Cardinal Edward Egan and
parishioners...
Yet, according to the Bridgeport Diocese:
"On Jan. 16, the Diocese of Bridgeport released a statement in response to the indictment. The
statement called Wallin "a gifted, compassionate and accomplished priest," and said that his
arrest and indictment by the grand jury both shocked and concerned his colleagues."
One would think that Wallin's cross-dressing alone should have caused "shock and concern"...
miguel de Portugal comments: This is how the last vestiges of the Catholic Faith are being destroyed.
Anyone who believes that most of his colleagues and superiors had no idea of Wallin's double life needs some serious counseling.
Anyone who believes that any "Sacrament" dispensed by Wallin - and all other "the birds of the same feather" within Catholicism, East and West - had any value will be unpleasantly surprised at the Final Judgment.
Let me spell this out for the "speed readers": Make sure who is dispensing to you the Sacraments that you are counting on because you may be left "out in the cold".
Remember, God allowed World War II because His conditions were not met by just a few men in Rome. Do not count on what you will not get. Everyone has been amply warned over the years.
_________________
(1) Source
(2) Source with News Video
January 17th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Illuminating Jewish Life in a Muslim Empire. (1)
A batch of 1,000-year-old manuscripts from the mountainous northern reaches of war-torn
Afghanistan, reportedly found in a cave inhabited by foxes, has revealed previously unknown
details about the cultural, economic and religious life of a thriving but little understood Jewish
society in a Persian part of the Muslim empire of the 11th century.
"This is the first time that we have actual physical evidence of the Jewish life and culture within the Iranian culture of the 11th century," said Prof. Haggai Ben-Shammai, the library's academic director. While other historical sources have pointed to the existence of Jewish communities in that area in the early Middle Ages, he said, the documents offer "proof that they were there."
"This is the first time that we have actual physical evidence of the Jewish life and culture within the Iranian culture of the 11th century," said Prof. Haggai Ben-Shammai, the library's academic director. While other historical sources have pointed to the existence of Jewish communities in that area in the early Middle Ages, he said, the documents offer "proof that they were there."
miguel de Portugal comments: I shared the above news clip with a dear friend (a 57 year long friendship) of mine who is a practicing - but not a fanatic - Jew. She and her family live in Forest Hills, New York. Following is the response we received from her:
All of their descendants have moved to Forest Hills and are building multi-million dollar homes
right around the corner from us (probably you can see the "compound-type-homes" if you Google
them) so I'm a 21st century witness to their existence.....
So much for the value of the manuscripts! Prof. Haggai Ben-Shammai should have taken a drive through Forest Hills and would have saved a bundle on research work.... and we are not being sarcastic.
_________________
(1) New York Times Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Pentagon chief Panetta meets Pope Benedict. (1)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the leader of the world's largest military, met Pope
Benedict XVI, the world's best known advocate for peace, at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Panetta was in the front row at Wednesday's weekly general audience in the Vatican auditorium. About 1,000 people were crowded into the room.
After the Pope addressed the gathering, Panetta and several staff members lined up to meet the pontiff, who gave them rosaries. Panetta kissed the Pope's hand, and the Pope said, "Thank you for helping to protect the world."
Panetta was in the front row at Wednesday's weekly general audience in the Vatican auditorium. About 1,000 people were crowded into the room.
After the Pope addressed the gathering, Panetta and several staff members lined up to meet the pontiff, who gave them rosaries. Panetta kissed the Pope's hand, and the Pope said, "Thank you for helping to protect the world."
The Pentagon boss responded, "Pray for me."
Panetta, a staunch Catholic, is in Rome as part of a weeklong swing across Europe, meeting with defense ministers to talk about ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Mali. This is expected to be Panetta's last overseas trip as Pentagon chief, as he long has planned to step down once his replacement is confirmed.
Panetta, a staunch Catholic, is in Rome as part of a weeklong swing across Europe, meeting with defense ministers to talk about ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Mali. This is expected to be Panetta's last overseas trip as Pentagon chief, as he long has planned to step down once his replacement is confirmed.
miguel de Portugal comments: The only good news that we see in that report is the fact that Panetta is being replaced.
The last thing the world needs is a Maledict-hand-kissing staunch Catholic controlling the greatest nuclear arsenal in the world.
_________________
(1) News Report
January 15th, 2013
Understanding the News About the Economy - Contributed by Mr. WS @ US
Definition of Rent Seeking (or How to live off other people's efforts and money):
The expenditure of resources in order to bring about an uncompensated transfer of goods or
services from another person or persons to one's self as the result of a "favorable" decision on
some public policy. The term seems to have been coined (or at least popularized in contemporary
political economy) by the economist Gordon Tullock.
Examples of rent-seeking behavior would include all of the various ways by which individuals or groups lobby government for taxing, spending and regulatory policies that confer financial benefits or other special advantages upon them at the expense of the taxpayers or of consumers or of other groups or individuals with which the beneficiaries may be in economic competition.
Examples: oil depletion subsidies, farm subsidies, tariffs, union and closed shops, patents on information and computer software, etc.; in effect any subsidies or legal actions by government that affect production while protecting interests of individuals or groups. Another good example is to pay farmers not to grow or not to grow a certain crop.
Any incentive to interfere with "free enterprise" or run counter to the Preamble to the US Constitution, would, in theory and, in effect, would be considered rent seeking behavior.
Outcome: Nothing is actually produced. What is done is that money, capital or services are isolated from normal "Market Forces" and money/land/wages/freedom is taken from the hard work of "We the People" and ear-marked for the use of certain individuals/groups for their self interest.
A service is something provided for a person which that person does not provide or is unwilling to provide for themselves. Raw material and capital aided by human work produce goods. Whereas Goods can be given a standardized value (Hershey bars and Mars bars are usually the same price), standard kinds of Services tend to be subjectively valued (George Clooney may be paid more than Alan Arkin, although Arkin may have won more Oscars). Some goods such as gasoline are taxed by governments and there is little standardization of price; alcohol is another; cigarettes are another.
In closing, deriving income by diversion of resources, especially public resources, is the same thing as what a parasite does: living off the host until the host becomes weakened or dies.
Since God provides all physical resources for humans, it only remains for humans to use those resources in accord with God's will. All the rest is smoke and mirrors. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. (Wizard of Oz)" God made man's ways straight. But man has recourse to many subtleties.
Examples of rent-seeking behavior would include all of the various ways by which individuals or groups lobby government for taxing, spending and regulatory policies that confer financial benefits or other special advantages upon them at the expense of the taxpayers or of consumers or of other groups or individuals with which the beneficiaries may be in economic competition.
Examples: oil depletion subsidies, farm subsidies, tariffs, union and closed shops, patents on information and computer software, etc.; in effect any subsidies or legal actions by government that affect production while protecting interests of individuals or groups. Another good example is to pay farmers not to grow or not to grow a certain crop.
Any incentive to interfere with "free enterprise" or run counter to the Preamble to the US Constitution, would, in theory and, in effect, would be considered rent seeking behavior.
Outcome: Nothing is actually produced. What is done is that money, capital or services are isolated from normal "Market Forces" and money/land/wages/freedom is taken from the hard work of "We the People" and ear-marked for the use of certain individuals/groups for their self interest.
A service is something provided for a person which that person does not provide or is unwilling to provide for themselves. Raw material and capital aided by human work produce goods. Whereas Goods can be given a standardized value (Hershey bars and Mars bars are usually the same price), standard kinds of Services tend to be subjectively valued (George Clooney may be paid more than Alan Arkin, although Arkin may have won more Oscars). Some goods such as gasoline are taxed by governments and there is little standardization of price; alcohol is another; cigarettes are another.
In closing, deriving income by diversion of resources, especially public resources, is the same thing as what a parasite does: living off the host until the host becomes weakened or dies.
Since God provides all physical resources for humans, it only remains for humans to use those resources in accord with God's will. All the rest is smoke and mirrors. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. (Wizard of Oz)" God made man's ways straight. But man has recourse to many subtleties.
January 13th, 2013 [Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Catholic British TV star and paedophile "groomed a nation". (1)
Late British television presenter Jimmy Savile sexually abused hundreds of children over a
period of 54 years, according to a report published by UK police. The attacks took place in
dozens of schools, hospitals and television studios across the country. Savile, who died in 2011,
was a hugely popular radio and television personality.
His charity work also boosted his public profile and he was knighted by the Queen in 1990. He used his fame, charity work and connections with the higher echelons of society as a smokescreen for his offending, taking advantage of his reputation to gain access to schools and hospitals, where he would sexually assault the young and vulnerable.
His crimes only emerged into the public domain last year, when a number of sexual assault allegations became the subject of a television documentary.
The police report issued on Friday said that Savile's "offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic". It exposes offences spanning between 1955 and 2009 and states that of the 450 people who came forward to make allegations, 73 percent were children at the time of the offence.
Peter Watt from the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children is amazed at just how many people he abused. "I think we have been shocked at just the sheer scale at what Jimmy Savile was able to get away with over nearly six decades, the hundreds and hundreds of victims. But I think the one thing that sticks out for me, this was not someone who casually got away with something, this was a nasty serial perpetrator of child sex abuse," said Watt.
His charity work also boosted his public profile and he was knighted by the Queen in 1990. He used his fame, charity work and connections with the higher echelons of society as a smokescreen for his offending, taking advantage of his reputation to gain access to schools and hospitals, where he would sexually assault the young and vulnerable.
His crimes only emerged into the public domain last year, when a number of sexual assault allegations became the subject of a television documentary.
The police report issued on Friday said that Savile's "offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic". It exposes offences spanning between 1955 and 2009 and states that of the 450 people who came forward to make allegations, 73 percent were children at the time of the offence.
Peter Watt from the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children is amazed at just how many people he abused. "I think we have been shocked at just the sheer scale at what Jimmy Savile was able to get away with over nearly six decades, the hundreds and hundreds of victims. But I think the one thing that sticks out for me, this was not someone who casually got away with something, this was a nasty serial perpetrator of child sex abuse," said Watt.
miguel de Portugal comments: Only a permanently demonic possessed individual would act in such manner. The Head of the Anglican Church (Elizabeth II) did not catch on; John Paul II (see him in the news video when he met with Savile) did not "pick up the vibes"; and the rest of the "learned" and "famous" of Britain did not either.
Can you see how the uninformed majority will fall into the False Christ trap whose level of deception will outstrip that of Savile by many orders of magnitude?
_________________
(1) Euronews Reports
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Tech Problems Plague Stock Exchanges. (1)
Confidence-shaking technology mishaps have been an almost daily occurrence at the nation's
stock exchanges in the new year,....
The latest example came last Wednesday night when the nation's third-largest stock exchange operator, BATS Global Markets, alerted its customers that a programming mistake had caused about 435,000 trades to be executed at the wrong price over the last four years, costing traders $420,000.
A day earlier, the trading software used by the National Stock Exchange stopped functioning properly for nearly an hour, forcing other exchanges to divert trades around it.
The New York Stock Exchange, the nation's largest exchange, has had two similar, though shorter-lived, breakdowns since Christmas and two separate problems with its data reporting system.
And traders were left in the dark on Jan. 3 after the reporting system for stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange, the second-biggest exchange, broke down for nearly 15 minutes.
The latest example came last Wednesday night when the nation's third-largest stock exchange operator, BATS Global Markets, alerted its customers that a programming mistake had caused about 435,000 trades to be executed at the wrong price over the last four years, costing traders $420,000.
A day earlier, the trading software used by the National Stock Exchange stopped functioning properly for nearly an hour, forcing other exchanges to divert trades around it.
The New York Stock Exchange, the nation's largest exchange, has had two similar, though shorter-lived, breakdowns since Christmas and two separate problems with its data reporting system.
And traders were left in the dark on Jan. 3 after the reporting system for stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange, the second-biggest exchange, broke down for nearly 15 minutes.
miguel de Portugal comments: Oh, yes! We place our full trust in tehnology and in the belief that the False Christ will show up wearing a name tag....
We suggest that instead of "Dreaming on" most get on their knees and start Praying!
_________________
(1) New York Times Reports
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
Sales of Guns Soar in U.S. as Nation Weighs Tougher Limits. (1)
As Washington focuses on what Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will propose next week to curb
gun violence, gun and ammunition sales are spiking in the rest of the country as people
rush to expand their arsenals in advance of any restrictions that might be imposed.
People were crowded five deep at the tiny counter of a gun shop near Atlanta, where a pastor from Knoxville, Tenn., was among the customers who showed up in person after the store's Web site halted sales because of low inventory.
Gun dealers and buyers alike said that the rapid growth in gun sales - which began climbing significantly after President Obama's re-election and soared after the Dec. 14 shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., prompted him to call for new gun laws - shows little sign of abating.
Dale Raby, who manages one of two Gus's Guns shops in Green Bay, Wis., said his inventory of guns and ammunition was almost cleaned out, and that most of the interest was in AR-15-style rifles.
"I had almost fistfights over the remaining inventory of that type gun," he said
People were crowded five deep at the tiny counter of a gun shop near Atlanta, where a pastor from Knoxville, Tenn., was among the customers who showed up in person after the store's Web site halted sales because of low inventory.
Gun dealers and buyers alike said that the rapid growth in gun sales - which began climbing significantly after President Obama's re-election and soared after the Dec. 14 shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., prompted him to call for new gun laws - shows little sign of abating.
Dale Raby, who manages one of two Gus's Guns shops in Green Bay, Wis., said his inventory of guns and ammunition was almost cleaned out, and that most of the interest was in AR-15-style rifles.
"I had almost fistfights over the remaining inventory of that type gun," he said
miguel de Portugal comments: Another show of "faith".... faith in the fire power an AR-15 rifle and let the "Thy Shalt Not Kill" commandment "be damned" (2)!
Really, that is not news at all - the "faithful" has been placing their "faith" in money and guns for 1,600 years. What is really news - disturbing, but not surprising - is that "...gun sales - began climbing significantly after President Obama's re-election".
(sarcasm on) Maybe the "faithful" using their Ouija Board (3) found out that Vice President Biden was going to propose the curbing of gun sales. (sarcasm off)
_________________
(1) New York Times Reports
(2) Together with the other nine which are only used for decoration in front of buildings, like the Bibles are used to decorate coffee tables at the homes of the "faithful".
(3) What is a Ouija Board
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Helicopter in Washington, DC on Mission to Detect Gamma Rays. (1)
A helicopter in Washington D.C. is measuring gamma rays. It's not uncommon for manmade birds to
fly over Washington DC. Recently, though, a helicopter has been scoping out the scenery of the
nation's capital for a bizarre reason.
According to the National Nuclear Security Administration, officials are trying to measure radiation levels in the area. They are attempting to measure gamma rays, which are commonly created in nature due to nuclear decay.Authorities want to know what Washington D.C.'s normal output levels of gamma rays are, so they would know how to respond if those levels ever increase.
The helicopter, which is equipped with radiation-detecting technology began making rounds in December and it is expected to continue inspecting the area through the middle of January.In 2011 another low-flying helicopter appeared in the Seattle area. The aircraft made daily flights during the month of July.
The helicopter was outfitted with radiation sensing technology.Washington State Department of Health officials stated that the aircraft was "measuring gamma emitters like cesium and radioactive iodine - materials that would likely increase in a radiation emergency."
According to the National Nuclear Security Administration, officials are trying to measure radiation levels in the area. They are attempting to measure gamma rays, which are commonly created in nature due to nuclear decay.Authorities want to know what Washington D.C.'s normal output levels of gamma rays are, so they would know how to respond if those levels ever increase.
The helicopter, which is equipped with radiation-detecting technology began making rounds in December and it is expected to continue inspecting the area through the middle of January.In 2011 another low-flying helicopter appeared in the Seattle area. The aircraft made daily flights during the month of July.
The helicopter was outfitted with radiation sensing technology.Washington State Department of Health officials stated that the aircraft was "measuring gamma emitters like cesium and radioactive iodine - materials that would likely increase in a radiation emergency."
miguel de Portugal comments: An excellent idea!
Such an excellent idea that we have been doing it around our living quarters for more than a year. Without the helicopter, of course!
One has to wonder why it took so long for the most important capital in the world to start doing it.
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(1) News Video
January 11th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[contributor's highlights]
Swiss court writes off family's 655-year-old debt to Catholic Church. (1)
The Mueller family from the Swiss state of Glarus owe the Catholic Church 70 francs (58 Euros) for
a crime their ancestors committed in 1357
In a Europe of indebted states, there are those who have honoured their debt
obligations for 655 years and others who have shown themselves to be very tenacious creditors
indeed.
The debtors in question are the Muellers, a family of farmers that lives in the Swiss canton (state) of Glarus. They have finally been relieved of a 655-year debt which they have been paying off each year since 1357. They had to pay the Catholic Church 70 francs (58 Euros) to keep the sanctuary lamp of the Naefels Catholic church burning. But judges have ruled that the legal customs practised in the 14th century were no longer valid.
The Muellers gave a sanctuary lamp to the local Church, vowing to pay for its fuel "for eternity" for a murder committed by a member of the family in 1357. One of the farmers who inherited the land refused to pay the parish the sum required to purchase the oil for the lamp.
Swiss public broadcasting organisation Radiotelevisione svizzera reported that it became necessary for the court to intervene when the Church refused to let the family off the hook and even wanted the arrangement registered with the municipality. When the farmer in turn refused, the church took him to court.
miguel de Portugal comments: Well, regardless of the antics of the children of Babylon, the Muellers may have a real problem. If the promise was made to God, no civil entity can nullify it. Only the religious entity which was the "go between" the Muellers and God can do so, unless, of course, it can be proven that coercive manipulation was used.
If I were a member of the Mueller family, I would make good the promise just in case it was a legitimate contract between the Muellers and God. We would only suggest one alteration: Instead of given the cash to the appropriate Church authorities simply provide the oil for the lamps as committed to.
As the saying says, taken it to the supernatural level: That is just how the supernatural cookie crumbles.
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(1) Swiss court writes off family's 655-year-old debt to Catholic Church
January 10th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[contributors' highlights]
New York auxiliary bishop to head Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. (1)
"Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan of New York to lead the
Diocese of Camden, N.J., accepting the resignation of his predecessor.
In a Jan. 8 statement, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York praised Bishop Sullivan, calling him "one of the finest bishops I know" and describing him as "an invaluable help" and "my right hand."
Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop-emeritus of New York, called the appointment "a singular blessing" for the people of Camden. The cardinal noted Bishop Sullivan's "total commitment to the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Archdiocese, especially those of Latin American and Asian heritage and those most in need," adding that he found this to be "a source of genuine inspiration and admiration." (1)
In a Jan. 8 statement, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York praised Bishop Sullivan, calling him "one of the finest bishops I know" and describing him as "an invaluable help" and "my right hand."
Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop-emeritus of New York, called the appointment "a singular blessing" for the people of Camden. The cardinal noted Bishop Sullivan's "total commitment to the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Archdiocese, especially those of Latin American and Asian heritage and those most in need," adding that he found this to be "a source of genuine inspiration and admiration." (1)
Contributor's comments: This is Opus Dei's "gift" to the city of Camden.... bearing in mind that in German, the word 'gift' is translated as 'poison'. (2)
When Mr. Sullivan was a pastor of a mostly Latino parish in a very poor area of Manhattan, his management and leadership skills were such that he allowed the entire plaster ceiling of the 150 year old church to collapse, due to utter lack of maintenance. Sending literally tons of debris crashing through into the basement of the church! This scenario was used as pretext to threaten to close the parish because "We have no money". Causing many to flee the parish.
(Yet the Archdiocese of NY has $177 million to lavish upon its Cathedral...)
Sullivan was also one of the principal architects of similar 'benign neglect' of other minority parishes. Causing the buildings to crumble, while extracting massive amounts of cash for the Archdiocese from these poor parishes. Then rationalizing the closing of said parishes due to 'declining numbers & deteriorating buildings'... which he and his cohort refused to fix. Resulting in driving many people away from their parishes, Faith... and away from God.
Now Sullivan is to be posted to the city of Camden (3) one of the poorest, crime ridden cities in the US, with a mostly non-white population.
Indeed a Bishop like Sullivan is a true 'gift'.... in the sense of that word's German meaning.
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(1) News Source
(2) Take a look!
(3) Wiki Source
January 9th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
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NORAD Exercise Planned for National Capital Region
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 13-04 beginning Wednesday morning between midnight and 2 a.m. EST in the National Capital Region (NCR), Washington D.C. The exercise is comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center (JADOC), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR's Eastern Air Defense Sector. Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD's intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System and certify newly assigned Command and Control personnel at the JADOC. Civil Air Patrol aircraft and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate in the exercise. These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure CONR's rapid response capability. NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command's response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In the event of inclement weather, officials will make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise. For more information, please contact NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs at 719-554-6889. |
(1) NORAD Exercise Planned for National Capital Region
January 8th, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Ugly flash mob empties Louisiana Mall. (1)
The Mall of Louisiana was evacuated Saturday night after a flash mob turned into an ugly
brawl. Cellphone video captured the chaos as shoppers jammed escalators and ran for the
nearest exits in Baton Rouge, the state capital. Employees at the mall were ordered to abandon
their cash registers and evacuateimmediately.
The fight broke out in the mall food court, where 200 teens had gathered for a flash mob.
"We think there was some sort of post on social media about a flash mob for tonight which drew such a large crowd of juveniles," Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, said.
"Never been that scared in my life," Juston D'Nea Millet wrote on Facebook. "People were running everywhere. It was like a movie, but you were in it."
The fight broke out in the mall food court, where 200 teens had gathered for a flash mob.
"We think there was some sort of post on social media about a flash mob for tonight which drew such a large crowd of juveniles," Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, said.
"Never been that scared in my life," Juston D'Nea Millet wrote on Facebook. "People were running everywhere. It was like a movie, but you were in it."
miguel de Portugal comments: Imagine how easy it would be to create nation wide flash mob panic if someone put his mind to it.
Someone with several million stolen Facebook account passwords - which we are sure has already happened - can flash mob every major city in the US (and the world?) causing uncontrollable chaos.... the best time for an evil doer to get the upper hand on anything.
I trust that our NSA "Guardian Angels" are reading this and that they develop and have in place a Plan B and a Plan C, should the above materialize itself..... which we suspect it will, eventually.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Stop war in Syria before it becomes "field of ruins": Benedict XVI (1)
Pope Benedict urged the world on Monday to end what he called the endless slaughter in Syria
before the entire country becomes a "a field of ruins".
miguel de Portugal comments: He should know a "field of ruins" when he sees one, since he and his predecessors turned Christianity into a field of ruined souls.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
A Tulsa megachurch is asking for the dismissal of a civil lawsuit that accuses employees of trying to cover up the rape of a 13-year-old girl by a worker on the church's campus. (1)
The Victory Christian Center argues that the girl's mother, who filed the suit, is not
entitled to any relief under the law. A hearing is set for Monday at the Tulsa County
courthouse.
Ex-janitor Chris Denman was sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple sex-related charges. Denman admitted raping the teenage girl in a stairwell on church property.
The lawsuit accuses employees of not reporting the August rape to the authorities while the church conducted an in-house investigation.
Ex-janitor Chris Denman was sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple sex-related charges. Denman admitted raping the teenage girl in a stairwell on church property.
The lawsuit accuses employees of not reporting the August rape to the authorities while the church conducted an in-house investigation.
miguel de Portugal comments: As we were stating recently - Ecclesiastical trash is not limited to any one particular institution. As a matter of fact, we suspect that the percentage of these type of individuals within religious institutions is far greater than that in secular institutions. Reason? Religious institutions provide a better cover.
"Elementary, my dear Watson!"
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Lucifer Instrument Helps Astronomers See Through Darkness to Most Distant Observable Objects. (1)
A new instrument with an evil-sounding name is helping scientists see how stars are born.
Lucifer, which stands for (deep breath) "Large Binocular Telescope Near-infrared Utility
with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research," is a chilled instrument
attached to a telescope in Arizona. And yes, it's named for the Devil, whose name itself
means "morning star." But it wasn't meant to evoke him, according to a spokesman for the
University of Arizona, where it is housed.
The instrument is chilled to -213 Celsius, about -351 F, to allow for near-infrared observations. That wavelength is important for understanding star and planet formation, as well as observing very distant and very young galaxies. Lucifer has three interchangeable cameras for imaging and spectroscopy in different resolutions. It has a large field of view and high-res capabilities, which allow a wide range of observations.
Lucifer is part of the Large Binocular Telescope, which happens to be right next to the Vatican Observatory on Mt. Graham in Tucson. That's right, the Vatican has an observatory in Arizona, manned by Jesuit astronomers. Now its next-door neighbor is named for the Devil.
The instrument is chilled to -213 Celsius, about -351 F, to allow for near-infrared observations. That wavelength is important for understanding star and planet formation, as well as observing very distant and very young galaxies. Lucifer has three interchangeable cameras for imaging and spectroscopy in different resolutions. It has a large field of view and high-res capabilities, which allow a wide range of observations.
Lucifer is part of the Large Binocular Telescope, which happens to be right next to the Vatican Observatory on Mt. Graham in Tucson. That's right, the Vatican has an observatory in Arizona, manned by Jesuit astronomers. Now its next-door neighbor is named for the Devil.
miguel de Portugal comments: The above is just one of the myriad of signs pointing to the fast approaching bottom of the abyss.
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(1) Source
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Roman Catholic diocese says it's up to alleged sex abuse victims to call police. (1)
A Roman Catholic diocese in New Brunswick that removed two priests after hearing of sexual
abuse accusations last year says it is not responsible for referring the matter to
police.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Moncton says it is up to the alleged sex abuse victims to go to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with their accusations.
But Robert Talach, a lawyer representing victims of sexual abuse by a New Brunswick priest at another diocese, says the archdiocese had a responsibility to notify police immediately.
The archdiocese announced last weekend that Rev. Yvon Arsenault was ordered on July 4, 2012, not to carry out any duties as a priest, as was Rev. Irois Despres, though he has been retired since 1992.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Moncton says it is up to the alleged sex abuse victims to go to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with their accusations.
But Robert Talach, a lawyer representing victims of sexual abuse by a New Brunswick priest at another diocese, says the archdiocese had a responsibility to notify police immediately.
The archdiocese announced last weekend that Rev. Yvon Arsenault was ordered on July 4, 2012, not to carry out any duties as a priest, as was Rev. Irois Despres, though he has been retired since 1992.
miguel de Portugal comments: How low this Ecclesiastical trash can go is impossible to quantify since every day they reach new lows.
The great tragedy is that such behavior pushes away the Faithful from God, and greatly harms the work the very few, but very fine, members of the clergy and Hierarchy are trying to do in the Name of God.
Let us pray for the work these fine men are doing and for the conversion of said Ecclesiastical trash or their elimination by the Hand of God (not man!) if their names are not in the Book of Life.
As a matter of clarification - such trash is not only limited to the Roman Catholic Church, and our prayer is for all.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 3
[our highlights]
Ex-Officer is first from C.I.A. to face prison for a leak. (1)
On Jan. 25, Mr. Kiriakou is scheduled to be sentenced to 30 months in prison as part of a plea
deal in which he admitted violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by e-mailing the
name of a covert C.I.A. officer to a freelance reporter, who did not publish it. The law was
passed in 1982, aimed at radical publications that deliberately sought to out undercover agents,
exposing their secret work and endangering their lives.
In more than six decades of fraught interaction between the agency and the news media, John Kiriakou is the first current or former C.I.A. officer to be convicted of disclosing classified information to a reporter.
He is remorseful, up to a point. "I should never have provided the name," he said on Friday in the latest of a series of interviews. "I regret doing it, and I never will do it again."
At the same time, he argues, with the backing of some former agency colleagues, that the case - one of an unprecedented string of six prosecutions under President Obama for leaking information to the news media - was unfair and ill-advised as public policy.
In more than six decades of fraught interaction between the agency and the news media, John Kiriakou is the first current or former C.I.A. officer to be convicted of disclosing classified information to a reporter.
He is remorseful, up to a point. "I should never have provided the name," he said on Friday in the latest of a series of interviews. "I regret doing it, and I never will do it again."
At the same time, he argues, with the backing of some former agency colleagues, that the case - one of an unprecedented string of six prosecutions under President Obama for leaking information to the news media - was unfair and ill-advised as public policy.
miguel de Portugal comments: The gravity that we see in the reported event is the realization of the quality of some of the C.I.A.officers that we have.
What level of intellectual deficiency is required to: (a) Reveal the name of a covert C.I.A. agent to a member of the press (or anyone outside the Agency , for that matter!); and (2) Use e-mail as the means of transmission.
(sarcasm on) Maybe Mr. Kiriakou did not get a chance to stop by the nearest Greyhound bus station men's room to jot it down on the wall instead! (sarcasm off)
It seems that all that the late E. Hoover feared about the quality of some of the C.I.A. personnel may just be true and not a "turf encroachment" vendetta.
Think of this - How would you like to be doing covert work for the C.I.A. with the possibility that some intellectually challenged colleague ("officer"?!?) may blow your cover.... who will then complain about the application of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act when called to account for such behavior?
Sometimes the friends of Alice, of Wonderland fame, seem saner than some of those who "protect" our national security or lead world governments, for that matter.
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(1) News Report
January 6th, 2013 [The Epiphany of The Lord]
A News Report from September 10th - 14th, 2012
[our highlights]
The Betania Foundation visited Italy and Israel from September 10th to the 14th, 2012. (1)
Fifty-one members of the Betania Foundation traveled to Italy and Israel led by their president,
Mr. Geo Bianchini; together with four of his children...; two important representatives
of the Catholic Church, Father Timothy Byerley, Vice-Postulator of the Cause Beatification and
Canonization of the Servant of God Maria Esperanza de Bianchini, and Father Juan Carlos Silva,
pastor of the Cathedral Caracas; and other members of this fraternal community.
The immense grace of being accompanied by these priests helped them recall the Gospels through the celebration of daily Mass, and through the reflexions that were made at the most important places of the Catholic faith in both countries. In all these holy sites and during Mass, the Betania Choir performed songs of praise to God, and to honor the Blessed Virgin and the followers of the Lord.
In Rome, on Tuesday, September 11, Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, which St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, gave the order to be built in order to keep the relics she had brought from Jerusalem, which are large fragments of the Holy Cross, the I.N.R.I., nails, and thorns of the crown, among others. For this reason it has turned into the most important basilica of relics of the Passion.
On the next day, they went to the Papal Audience where they greeted His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the Betania Choir sang several pieces. The Eucharist was celebrated in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in Transpontina, where three of the children of the Servant of God had celebrated their First Communion. On Thursday, Mass was at the Chapel of St Caterina in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. This inspired Father Silva to assert that: "Almost one thousand years have passed and we still are in need of St. Francis to continue rebuilding the Church. The Servant of God Maria Esperanza, who loved St. Francis so much, is also a consequence of the call of Christ, and she too came to rebuild the Church, and she still is rebuilding our lives together with St. Francis."
The immense grace of being accompanied by these priests helped them recall the Gospels through the celebration of daily Mass, and through the reflexions that were made at the most important places of the Catholic faith in both countries. In all these holy sites and during Mass, the Betania Choir performed songs of praise to God, and to honor the Blessed Virgin and the followers of the Lord.
In Rome, on Tuesday, September 11, Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, which St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, gave the order to be built in order to keep the relics she had brought from Jerusalem, which are large fragments of the Holy Cross, the I.N.R.I., nails, and thorns of the crown, among others. For this reason it has turned into the most important basilica of relics of the Passion.
On the next day, they went to the Papal Audience where they greeted His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the Betania Choir sang several pieces. The Eucharist was celebrated in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in Transpontina, where three of the children of the Servant of God had celebrated their First Communion. On Thursday, Mass was at the Chapel of St Caterina in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. This inspired Father Silva to assert that: "Almost one thousand years have passed and we still are in need of St. Francis to continue rebuilding the Church. The Servant of God Maria Esperanza, who loved St. Francis so much, is also a consequence of the call of Christ, and she too came to rebuild the Church, and she still is rebuilding our lives together with St. Francis."
miguel de Portugal comments: Be sure and visit today's related post at the Private FYI&R Page
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(1) Maria Esperanza Home Page
January 5th, 2013 [First Saturday of the Month]
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
It's 'cash only' now for tourists at the Vatican. (1)
It's "cash only" now for tourists at the Vatican wanting to pay for museum tickets, souvenirs and
other services after Italy's central bank decided to block electronic payments, including
credit cards, at the tiny city-state.
Deutsche Bank Italia, which for some 15 years had provided the Vatican with electronic payment services, said Thursday that the Bank of Italy had pulled its authorization after Dec. 31.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that the Italian central bank took the action because the Holy See has not yet fully complied with European Union safeguards against money laundering. That means Italian banks are not authorized to operate within the Vatican, which is in the process of improving its mechanisms to combat laundering.
The Vatican has been striving to upgrade its measures to detect and discourage money laundering, hiring a Swiss expert just a few months ago. Last summer, the Holy See passed a key European financial transparency test but received failing grades for its financial watchdog agency and its bank, formally called the Institute for Religious Works.
Deutsche Bank Italia, which for some 15 years had provided the Vatican with electronic payment services, said Thursday that the Bank of Italy had pulled its authorization after Dec. 31.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that the Italian central bank took the action because the Holy See has not yet fully complied with European Union safeguards against money laundering. That means Italian banks are not authorized to operate within the Vatican, which is in the process of improving its mechanisms to combat laundering.
The Vatican has been striving to upgrade its measures to detect and discourage money laundering, hiring a Swiss expert just a few months ago. Last summer, the Holy See passed a key European financial transparency test but received failing grades for its financial watchdog agency and its bank, formally called the Institute for Religious Works.
miguel de Portugal comments: Huge European banks have done it well within the required time frame and a mini state is still struggling to get it done? The "good news" is that it looks like that the Bank of Italy seems not to be controlled by the Opus Dei.... yet, anyway.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Hundreds of arrests in US pornography swoop. (1)
US authorities say 245 people have been arrested at home and abroad as part of an international
crackdown on child pornography known as 'Operation Sunflower'.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 123 child victims were identified, some as young as two. Most were from the United States and around a third of those were rescued directly from their abusers. About a dozen of the victims were living in six countries outside the US.
"This operation is ultimately a tale of the perverse, pervasive and violent exploitation of children, very young children, to satisfy the dark pleasures of a group of twisted adults," said ICE Director John Morton.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 123 child victims were identified, some as young as two. Most were from the United States and around a third of those were rescued directly from their abusers. About a dozen of the victims were living in six countries outside the US.
"This operation is ultimately a tale of the perverse, pervasive and violent exploitation of children, very young children, to satisfy the dark pleasures of a group of twisted adults," said ICE Director John Morton.
miguel de Portugal comments: What you see above is the result of much prayer to assist the authorities in this particular enterprise. Just a few days ago another major pedo-ring was dismantled in Spain. No; we do not think that it is the result of prayer - we know that it is the result of prayer. Unfortunately....
The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. [Matthew
9:37]
If we could somehow convert "just talk about it" into "actual prayer", the Immaculate Heart of Mary would triumph, on a global scale, in probably a week.
Coherently enough, only 53 % of the visitors to our Board have bothered accessing the latest post dated January 1st.
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(1) News Report
January 2nd, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Merkel tells Germans to expect more tough times. (1)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the economic climate will still
deteriorate, contradicting her finance minister, who last week claimed that the worst of the
eurozone crisis was over.
In her new year TV address, Merkel called on Germans to be patient, despite the debt crisis now entering its fourth year.
"In fact, the economic situation next year will not be easier but more difficult. But this should not discourage us but instead be an incentive," said Merkel.
In her new year TV address, Merkel called on Germans to be patient, despite the debt crisis now entering its fourth year.
"In fact, the economic situation next year will not be easier but more difficult. But this should not discourage us but instead be an incentive," said Merkel.
miguel de Portugal comments: If, with crucial elections coming up, Mrs. Merkel still announces such bad forecast in such an important speech, one can easily estimate how bad the situation really is, and how much worse it is going to get.
Of course, such negative news have been glossed over by the Iberian press.
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(1) News Report
January 1st, 2013
News Report No. 1
[our highlights]
Vatican paper lauds Italy Prime Minister Monti's election bid. (1)
The Vatican newspaper on Thursday praised Mario Monti's announcement that he may run in
February's general election, signaling that Italy's technocrat prime minister had replaced
Silvio Berlusconi as the Church's preferred politician.
Monti said on Sunday that he was willing to seek a second term if a credible, reform-minded political force backed his agenda ahead of the February 24-25 parliamentary election.
On Sunday Monti said he would "rise" into politics, a thinly veiled dig at four-time premier Berlusconi, who has always said he "descended onto the field" of public service in 1994.
Monti's message was "an appeal to recover the higher and more noble sense of politics that is ... to take care of the common good," the Vatican's Osservatore Romano newspaper wrote.
Monti said on Sunday that he was willing to seek a second term if a credible, reform-minded political force backed his agenda ahead of the February 24-25 parliamentary election.
On Sunday Monti said he would "rise" into politics, a thinly veiled dig at four-time premier Berlusconi, who has always said he "descended onto the field" of public service in 1994.
Monti's message was "an appeal to recover the higher and more noble sense of politics that is ... to take care of the common good," the Vatican's Osservatore Romano newspaper wrote.
miguel de Portugal comments: We thank the L'Osservatore Romano for the courtesy of confirming in writing what we knew otherwise: Mr. Monti is another Opus Dei man.
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(1) News Report
News Report No. 2
[our highlights]
Relics said to be from Jesus' birth to be at Chicago church. (1)
Tiny fragments said to be from the manger that held the infant Jesus, the veil of his
mother, Mary, and a thread from the cloak of St. Joseph will be displayed by a Roman
Catholic church in Chicago when it celebrates its 155th anniversary on Sunday.
The fragments, released by the Vatican in 1972, were a gift to the Holy Family Church from the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, also in Chicago. Displaying them now has particular significance because of their association with Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus.
The Rev. Jeremiah J. Boland, administrator of the church, said on Friday that he is "not that interested" in carbon testing the items to see if they are from the beginning of the Christian Era.
"The Vatican has its own process to determine the authenticity of things," Boland said. "I'm more concerned with it as an object of faith."
The manger relic has "more authenticity" since it was brought from the Holy Land to the Vatican in the 5th century, Boland said.
The fragments, released by the Vatican in 1972, were a gift to the Holy Family Church from the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, also in Chicago. Displaying them now has particular significance because of their association with Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus.
The Rev. Jeremiah J. Boland, administrator of the church, said on Friday that he is "not that interested" in carbon testing the items to see if they are from the beginning of the Christian Era.
"The Vatican has its own process to determine the authenticity of things," Boland said. "I'm more concerned with it as an object of faith."
The manger relic has "more authenticity" since it was brought from the Holy Land to the Vatican in the 5th century, Boland said.
miguel de Portugal comments: They are now counting on this centuries old trick to rekindle the mostly dead Faith. It worked before when most of the Faithful were uneducated, now, they hope, may work because the under Evangelized and educated Faithful are desperate and will grab at any "visible" straw for hope.
What a shameful disgrace!
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(1) News Report
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