Chosen: End Times Newsletter – Issue 89
The Minister’s Corner
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
DON'T WE ALL
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come
from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.
Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would
consider a bum.
From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no
money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times
that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't
want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
He didn't.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look
like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.
After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly
blond beard keep more than his face warm.
I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never
came.
As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if
he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true
to the inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.
We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from
those of higher learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an
outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum
in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge
shotgun.
Don't we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I
needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus
fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those
three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter
how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you
have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or
a place to sleep, you can give help.
Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all.
They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different
perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from
daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe
he was more than that.
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and
wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
Don't we all?
Author Unknown
Unrequited Love
By Regina
Father shows us Her love for us in every aspect of our lives, beginning with the gift of life itself. Everything you see around you, everything you can touch, feel, smell, taste and hear are gifts to Her creation.
Job 10:12 You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life.
Do you appreciate these things? Do you give thanks and praise to Her? Do you tell Her that you love Her and wish for Her to reside within your heart? And, are willing to make your heart a place where She would want to reside?
Proverbs 4:6 Don't abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you.
If the answer is no…
Have you ever been head over heels in love with someone who seemed to not even know you exist? Perhaps you tried to get their attention in subtle ways, or even went all out and performed great shows of affection – you’ve given an open invitation to that person to know you and love you too – only to be rebuffed or ignored?
This is what is commonly known as unrequited love. While it’s the subject of so many popular many movies, books and songs, I also think that we have all experienced this type of love which is heartbreaking to say the very least.
Now let’s apply this situation to your relationship with our Creator. Perhaps you believe that you’re a good person because you help people, you’re honest, and you’re trustworthy, you’re even faithful to friends and family. But what about Yahweh? How does She fit into your life? Or does She? Do you even know Her? And if you know Her, do you truly love Her?
To love Her is to know Her, and to know Her is to love Her even more. And over and above that, to love Her is also to love Her way, Her instruction, and even Her discipline. It is for your heart to be with Her, and for your heart to be a place where She can reside. If you have not done these things, then Her love for you has been unrequited.
Judges 16:15 "How can you say, 'I love you, ' " she told him, "when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!"
Try to see it from our Creator's perspective. How can Yahweh show love over and over again and in so many ways, making it impossible to deny her existence, when She’s constantly rejected? How can She speak to You and show you Her ways, if the door is always slammed in Her face? How can She reach out to you, heal you, comfort you and be your source of strength and inspiration, how can She teach you her laws and bring you to perfection and true happiness and teach you what love is, if She’s received no open invitation from you to do so?
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
In any relationship, it takes a lot of work to maintain, grow and flourish. It also takes two willing participants. Father is willing, and our relationship with Father is no different than our relationships with anyone we know and love, with one exception. It is the most important relationship you will ever have and while you may be able to live without the love of someone you admire, you cannot live without a loving relationship with Father Yahweh.
Joshua 23:11 So be very diligent to love the LORD your God for your own well-being.
Inspired Writings
Mishappen Illusions
2 Corinthians 11:14 — And no wonder! For Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light.
There are many folk tales about many of Father's different creations. Some of these folk tales have continually been passed on through the generations, while others are simply left behind and forgotten. Yet, it seems that each generation has their own set of tales and myths that they create based on their own culture and growth. Unfortunately, all of these such tales have only been shown to be misleading and misguided such that many more have such a difficult time actually finding the truth amongst all the misery of those that seem to make up their own explanation of the way things are.
At this current age, many might consider the “theory” of human evolution from primates to be a fact, but even in the past, many of the myths that we look back at might have been accepted as fact in those times. Yet, the truth has been passed on from generation to generation, even if it has been diluted by lies here and there. Because of divine intervention, because of Father's mercy and love, the truth is still not completely lost in the world. Simply for the existence of all that one can see, the very evidence of Father's existence and truth is truly right in one's own eyes.
Romans 1:20 — From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
At the same time, each new generation's own variances of myths and lies are continually generated. Often, it may not be thought of where these false explanations come from, but if one considers that there is one divine intervention that has helped the truth to remain for all to see throughout generations, then so too could it be seen that there is an evil intervention that continues their own work to thwart the Light. The one whom inspires death, murder, and deceit throughout the generations can easily be seen by the scriptures as the one who started it all to begin with. In this, mankind has, in general, taken Satan's hand in following his footsteps as a murderer and liar. People may wonder how it is that so many could be so easily deceived, but consider how many years Satan has had in his craft, and how much he has passed onto his own offspring.
One of the strategies that Satan seems to use is simply by the consistent repetition of a lie into other individual's minds. By continually pressing his way about people, he is not only a rapist in this respect, but also a vile controller of minds whom eventually bend to his will like untreated metal that lacks the flame of Father's Spirit. This same strategy can be easily viewed on one's television, or any other form of entertainment. The same movies seem to be constantly generated with the same messages that seem to be reflected from ages past. Where there was prostitution in biblical times (from which it was written, taking into account that even now the times could be considered “biblical”), there continues to be that same sort of “entertainment” today. The news speaks of different topics and tries to put different facts into a certain method of thinking such that different individuals only see the facts a certain way. This is simply brainwashing, and it can, in fact, be sensed in a strong way. Even if one sees an opportunity to do a good deed, there may come to mind a plethora of reasons not to, or perhaps even fearful thoughts. Or, if the demons see an opportunity to get an individual to do something wrong, perhaps a ton of evil thought injections may just be pressed into one's mind. Or perhaps even in one's dreams, there may be an unprecedentedly large number of evil things just influenced upon a person that they cannot stop. All of this is simply a strategy of brute force that, for those that are weak of heart in Father and weak of knowledge of Her Truth, might succumb to in short time. The bottom line in this is simply the pressing of an illusion into one's mind in trade of the truth.
Another illusion that is pressed into one's mind that may be more tricky is when an individual is misguided by their own thoughts, as their own thoughts become or are influenced by misdirection. This is a difficult item to explain, because one must understand and see where their thoughts are going before they end up in a place they don't want. At the same time, one must not open their mind up to such influence, such that the enemy has an opportunity to invade their patterns of thinking. Regardless of the direction or influence that is pressed on oneself, the main concept of this cunning strategy is to provide slight thought injected influences that may not be immediately perceived so that the enemy achieves their ultimate goal in control of their victim's thoughts.
The one thing that the enemy does not have any control over is one's free will. This may be influenced, but it goes straight down to the bottom of one's heart. One's heart is where the free will is based, as it is a general guiding rule for all of Father's intelligent creation. As such, one will be able to perceive any of the influences to their free will in their heart. Once one begins to feel the venom of the thought injections, either small or large, they will be able to recognize it for what it is. A person can be ignorant of the venom that is introduced to their thoughts, but the feeling as the poison in their heart can be instantly recognized by depression and other emotional illness. Serpent's venom can be used to weaken a subject to conform to their will, or in extreme cases, to slay their victim so that they may be consumed like food. There are many other factors that can be attributed to recognizing evil influence, but the main item that the enemy is after, and the main factor of recognizing their illusion, is the heart. If the heart is full of Father's Light, the illusion will not withstand and will be identified. Otherwise, the evil only adds to the current evil, and begets itself in self destruction.
Hebrews 6:4-6 — For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.
Proverbs 8:36 — but the one who sins against me harms himself; all who hate me love death."
Fruitage of the Spirit – Part 6
This week we will start to look at attitudes to be cultivated. We will be sharing what has been given to us, but in groups of 3. Before our Ministry holds Bible Study each week, we pray to Father Yahweh for guidance and help in understanding Her Word. We pray the wisdom imparted will find its way to your heart where it may be written up on it. Amen. http://www.biblegateway.com can be used as a reference tool with the Holman Christian Standard Bible as the recommended version.
You must cultivate hospitality. You are never going to live alone in the Kingdom, so you need to learn to be friendly and generous to others:
Romans 12-13
Hebrews 13:2
1 Peter 4:9
You need to learn to have humility and to be modest:
Matthew 23:12
1 Peter 5:6
Micah 6:8
1 Timothy
You must learn to be impartial the same as Yahweh is:
1 Peter 1:7
James 3:17
Proverbs 28:21
Nourishment From The Throne
“For the LORD gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6
Cherubic Commander: Prince of Yahweh II trained all of you well in earlier times. Your gifted abilities of seeing what is cast comes through in your comments. This photo represented the split that would again occur as the fleshly chain is once more removed from Prince of Yahweh II to perform Father's work as a destroyer angel.
Revelation 6:1, 2
"The First Seal on the Scroll
Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer."
Michael, acting in Father's behalf is now on the move against Satan's evil empire on this planet earth. His holy angelic princes that serve as destroyer angels are acting upon his action of opening the sacred seals provided by Father.
Revelation 6:3, 4
"The Second Seal
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him."
Revelation 6:5, 6
"The Third Seal
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius—but do not harm the olive oil and the wine."
Revelation 6:7, 8
"The Fourth Seal
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and there was a pale green horse. The horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth."
Prince of Yahweh II rides the pale green horse. Father has named him Death. The riddle of the seals is revealed as the destroyer angel Hades follows Prince of Yahweh II's lead. Hades rides the fiery red horse. Michael rides the black horse as the balance scale of justice is administered under his command by Father's powerful right hand. Father's precious olive oil which represents Her chosen ones from this planet will not be harmed by the holy angelic destroyer angels, nor will the covenant between Father and Her flock be broken, and this is what the wine represents.
Revelation 6:9-11
The Fifth Seal
"When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slaughtered because of God's word and the testimony they had. They cried out with a loud voice: "O Lord, holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?" So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until [the number of] their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been, would be completed."
Those who have perished from human life over the past years from Satan's direct involvement using his human element to unjustly end their lives in the visible realm for Father's side of this war. They cry out to Father. They were given white robes which reveal they were sanctified to follow in Father's Way and act as holy ghosts in the spirit realm. Their "rest" is that of waiting for the day that Satan causes the physical deaths of still more of Father's faithful. This part of the revelation is crucial in understanding who Satan is truly targeting. Not by plague or pestilence will Satan bring death since the days of Job. He uses his human agents to kill just as he had our Christ Jesus killed and those that have followed in his footsteps over the past years. Father brings the plagues and the pestilence as a balancing of the scales against the masses that have not repented and accepted Her will and to avenge the blood of those that are murdered in holding to their integrity to Father and Christ.
Revelation 6:12-14
The Sixth Seal
"Then I saw Him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place."
This is yet to occur. It will be the lifting of the veil with much turbulence to follow humankind.
Revelation 6:15-17
"Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of Their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?"
Father is seated on the throne of judgment. Michael will switch to a white horse as he leads the war of Father for vindication of Her sovereign name and for administering the final cup that contains Father's wrath upon mankind. The white represents his being in the lead at that prescribed time. No one will be able to stand up against the forces of the Lamb of Yahweh that brings a conclusion to this war this side of Armageddon. His attack will be so fierce that all inhabitants left on this planet will seek to hide from the presence of his anger. The wrath will have arrived, led by the one that took that wrath into his own body at his sacrifice for those that might never experience it themselves.
Signs From Above
“He rescues and delivers, He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:27
Twenty UFOs fly in formation
The Sun
June 3, 2009
THIS incredible picture captured the strange sighting of more than 20 UFOs buzzing over awestruck Britain. Stunned families watched as the lights in the sky lined up in a flying formation before disappearing upwards into space. The close-encounter snap was taken by quick-thinking engineer Paul Slight on his mobile phone at about 10.30pm on Sunday. He was coming home from a day out cycling with friends in Lincoln when they spotted the lights in the sky. The eerie extra-terrestrial crafts were hovering in the night sky over the town moving in different directions before eventually shooting straight up into the atmosphere.
Multiple UFO sightings over Ramsey, Wisconsin
Examiner
June 3, 2009
A Ramsey, Wisconsin, witness is reporting multiple UFO sightings between May 22 and June 2 in the Ramsey and East Bethel, Minnesota, area, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness database. The first sighting on May 22 was a slow moving Bright Light that hovered and then faded out. On May 24, the same witness and a friend saw a shiny object hovering near East Bethel. Once this object disappeared, three military aircraft moved into the same air space. And on May 26, the same witness with another friend watched a total of four objects hovering in a triangle pattern – until they disappeared. Then on June 2, the witness watched a Bright Light in the sky similar to the first incident.
UFO Traffic Report: bright light over Minnesota releases three smaller objects
Examiner
June 4, 2009
The UFO Traffic Report for Friday, June 5, 2009, includes six selected sightings over six states, according to witness statements filed in the past 48 hours with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. Another fairly light traffic reporting period – and again there are numerous Bright Light cases from multiple states not included in today's list. Today's stories include: a Bright Light over Minnesota that ejects three smaller objects into the sky; multiple UFOs spotted over Salt Lake City forming different patterns – including a triangle; a low flying triangle over New York state the size of a 747 jet; an orange-yellow ball of light over Seattle; circles of light in the sky nightly over a Virginia farm; and a Nashville racetrack photographer asking for your help to identify odd lights caught on camera.
UFO 'squadrons' reported over Hayden, Idaho
Examiner
June 6, 2009
A Hayden, Idaho, man claims he saw multiple objects in the sky over his home on June 3, according to witness testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. He first saw what appeared to be two shooting stars, but then the objects began "morphing into these iridescent glowing reddish orange boomerang like objects." Fifteen minutes later, two more objects appeared . "This time," the witness stated, "the two objects were much closer to one another and again flew in parallel but they then flew apart from one another and back toward each other as if to trace a vase sort of pattern and when they came back together they banked north and disappeared into the sky." Seven minutes after that experience, six more objects appeared. "They were in a very tight single file formation but flying in a snaking manner across the sky." Another 10 objects appeared during two more encounters that night.
Case Number: 17371
Log Number: US-06072009-0010
Submitted Date: 2009-06-07 13:51
Event Date: 2009-05-27 21:30
Status: Submitted
City: Oak island
Region: North Carolina
Description: We were eating dinner on the deck looking at the ocean when we noticed some odd colored lights in the sky out in the distance. As soon as they appeared they were gone. We saw them about four more times over a 30 minute period. Each time the lights were in a different numbers and different formation. The lights lasted about 5 to 10 seconds each time they appeared and then they were gone. The size of the lights and color ( amber- orange) were unlike any we all had ever seen. The following night we saw the lights again each time amazing formations and the last time we saw them they looked as if they had split into 2 different objects. We all sat around trying to come up with ANY rational explanation for what we saw but there are none. We looked the following night but saw nothing and are all sure we will probably never see anything else like it.
Signs Down Below
"But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Marines Train “Civilians” to Accept Coming Martial Law
Infowars
June 1, 2009
Here is a photo from the Strategy Page website: Landing Caption: U.S. Marines participate in a practice raid on Flushing Meadows Park with a CH-46 helicopter to demonstrate for civilians the tactics the U.S. Marine Corps uses while raiding an area in enemy territory, May 25, 2009. The Marines are assigned to the 6th Marine Regiment’s 2nd Battalion. The demonstration was part of Fleet Week 2009 activities. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Carl Payne. On May 23, the Staten Island Real-Time News reported on “mock raids at the public park to give civilians a feel for how soldiers operate in battle.” Or maybe that should be “mock raids” to give civilians a taste of things to come and, of course, get them acclimated to the presence of uniformed and armed soldiers in their midst. It is interesting the Marines characterized Flushing Meadows Park as “enemy territory.” In fact, according to our rulers and their military functionaries, the entire United States is “enemy territory” in need of martial law.
Genetically modified monkeys give birth to designer babies
Guardian
by Ian Sample
May 27, 2009
Genetically modified monkeys that glow in ultraviolet light and pass the trait on to their young have been created by scientists in Japan in controversial research that "raises the stakes" over animals rights. The work paves the way for scientists to breed large populations of primates with genetic faults responsible for incurable human conditions, but could also spark an ethical backlash for introducing harmful genes into the primate population. Researchers hailed the feat as a major step towards understanding the development of inherited diseases, such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease, from the cradle to the grave. But the work is likely to dismay animal rights groups as it could lead to a rise in the number of primates used in research labs. The work also raises the possibility of genetically modifying humans, although such work is outlawed in most countries, including Britain.
Mexico detains 29 police officers for drug ties
AP
by Olga R. Rodriguez
June 2, 2009
MEXICO CITY — Soldiers and federal agents detained 29 police officers in northern Mexico on Monday for alleged ties to drug traffickers. It was Mexico's latest sweep to root out corruption among police and government officials, which has been a major impediment to President Felipe Calderon's battle against drug cartels. Last week, federal officials arrested 10 mayors and 20 other officials in the western state of Michoacan on suspicion of protecting the La Familia cartel. Soldiers and state and federal agents detained the 29 officers at police headquarters in the cities of Monterrey, San Nicolas de los Garza, Apodaca and the state public security offices, said Nuevo Leon state district attorney Luis Carlos Trevino. The officers were detained after soldiers found evidence linking them to drug dealers who were arrested last month, the state government said in a statement. It did not give details on the evidence.
Jobless rates in U.S. cities zoom higher in April
Reuters
June 3, 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The weak labor market is hurting U.S. cities — centers of many industries and large housing markets — with 93 metropolitan areas registering an unemployment rate of at least 10 percent in April, according to Labor Department data released on Wednesday. That is more than 13 times the number of cities that notched the same high levels a year earlier, the Department said. Currently, the national unemployment rate is 8.9 percent, but in nearly 150 cities a higher proportion of residents were out of work this spring. At the same time, the number of cities posting unemployment rates below 7 percent was 117, which was less than half of the 347 cities recording lower rates just a year earlier. The Labor Department said nine of the 13 metropolitan areas with jobless rates of at least 15 percent were in California.
Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies
CNN
by Theresa Tamkins
June 5, 2009
This year, an estimated 1.5 million Americans will declare bankruptcy. Many people may chalk up that misfortune to overspending or a lavish lifestyle, but a new study suggests that more than 60 percent of people who go bankrupt are actually capsized by medical bills. Bankruptcies due to medical bills increased by nearly 50 percent in a six-year period, from 46 percent in 2001 to 62 percent in 2007, and most of those who filed for bankruptcy were middle-class, well-educated homeowners, according to a report that will be published in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine. "Unless you're a Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, you're one illness away from financial ruin in this country," says lead author Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School, in Cambridge, Mass. "If an illness is long enough and expensive enough, private insurance offers very little protection against medical bankruptcy, and that's the major finding in our study." Woolhandler and her colleagues surveyed a random sample of 2,314 people who filed for bankruptcy in early 2007, looked at their court records, and then interviewed more than 1,000 of them.
Crop Circle Watch
Knoll Down, nr Beckhampton, Wiltshire. Reported 1st June
Field Report: Myself and Paul Jones discovered this formation at approx. 9am. It was fresh so to speak and had no visible entry by any visitors. As we stepped into the formation the first initial sign was the crispiness of the plant – a good indication that there was no other visitors walking on the barley. This formation is just visible from Windmill Hill Formation which is now barely visible as the barley has risen and once again growing. This formation is also visible from the main A4 road as its positioned on the incline of the hill. The whole formation appears to have been created clockwise with some interesting features – the smaller circles of the design have two tufts standing side by side and give the impression as if a florist spent time in presentation. ( Rather Quaint ). So – The two dots visible in all four smaller circles in the aerial shot are the standing tufts of barley. The centre circle once again gave of tremendous energy which other visitors have noticed as well. The energy also flowed through the channels of the formation – but at certain points only ( rather interesting ). The centre circle and the swirl within it is positioned of centre – the three quarter large outer circles have tufts of barley standing which are positioned in the inner part of the circle. The channels or ( Lines ) of the formation displayed ` force ` as the flattened barley is pushed high against the standing barley. Also the outline of the formation was created first as other weaves in the formation overlap this outer line of the formation. – Andrew Pyrka ( Cheltenham )
Below Milk Hill, nr Alton Barnes, Wiltshire. Reported 2nd June.
Field Report: Sadly, this formation showed none of the wonder we've come to expect from a genuine formation, including a close inspection of the small circles which showed signs of entry on the ground. Physical crushing and breaking of plants was apparent throughout the whole formation with no classic bent nodes or distinct energy eminations found in the smaller circles where typically energy can be easily felt, the crop was also barely flattened in many areas. Considering that when visiting in the afternoon of June 2nd, I was amongst, if not the first of visitors to the scene (not on any website at the time), I expected much much more. It was, however, a lovely day, and in the glorious countryside and weather (yes in England!), I did have a nice drive and walk, captured a few lovely shots of the White Horse and surrounding landscape, along with a little extra sunshine. Time was not wasted! The single, medium sized circle some distance south-west, was not observed at the time. I didn't have an aerial shot at the time of visit else it would have been inspected. Needless to say, the overhead images are more inspiring than the ground shots. – Robert Armstrong
Little London, nr Yatesbury, Wiltshire. Reported 3rd June.
Field Report: A very rewarding crop form including swirls, cross-over patterns, uprooted stems, charred stems, bent barley stems and grass stems from the tramlines that suffered the same fate.
New Farm, nr Chiseldon, Wiltshire. Reported 5th June
Field Report: No Field Report Available at This Time
Signs in Humanity
Scantily clad baristas give economic jolt to coffee shops
USA Today
by William M. Welch
June 5, 2009
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — Even as Starbucks shutters stores, some coffee shops in Southern California's Little Saigon are booming with a formula that seems to defy recession. They are serving up strong Vietnamese brew, delivered to tables by young women in bikinis, spandex, fishnet sarongs or lingerie, displaying bountiful skin and cleavage. Lots and lots of cleavage. "I think it's kind of like Starbucks meets Hooters," says Tina Nguyen, 19, a waitress at Café Lu, who was exposing a bare midriff between tight Lakers jersey and black micro-mini tube skirt.
Couple who jumped with dead son are named
The Independent
by Elizabeth Barrett
June 2, 2009
A grieving couple who placed the body of their dead son in a rucksack before plunging to their deaths from cliffs at Beachy Head were named today by police. Neil Puttick, 34, from Westbury in Wiltshire, died alongside his Japanese wife Kazumi, 44. Their son was named as Samuel Puttick, aged five. Samuel, who was seriously ill, had been discharged from hospital on Friday after being given no hope of survival. A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset NHS said: "Samuel Puttick had been receiving treatment for pneumococcal meningitis at the Paediatric Intensive Children's Unit at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. "When it became clear that Sam had no hope of recovery from his severe infection, he was discharged to his family home on Friday at his parents' request to die peacefully.
Mother Allegedly Used Young Sons to Commit 20 Armed Robberies in Arizona
Fox News
June 2, 2009
A 51-year-old Arizona mom allegedly used her young sons and their friends to commit at least 20 armed robberies in a calculating and "revolting" scheme, police said. Cynthia Roberson was arrested Friday and accused of manipulating her adolescent sons and others into scores of gunpoint thefts in the Phoenix area by making them feel guilty about finances. Roberson was taken into custody along with some of the boys and young men involved in the armed robberies. Police said Monday that Roberson recently lost her job and guilted her 12- and 14-year-old sons and some of the others into committing the robberies to pay for rent and a car loan. "Mom was running the gang," Phoenix Det. James Holmes told FOX News on Wednesday. "She guilted the kids into doing this."
Anger as school tells children aged five about gay issues…to the sound of Elton John
Mail Online
by Laura Clark
June 6, 2009
Pupils as young as five were left 'confused and worried' after a school assembly to explain homosexuality. Teachers played a recording of Elton John's Your Song before explaining that the singer is homosexual and what the term means. The children were then shown images of same-sex couples. Parents said the experience left some pupils afraid to cuddle each other in the playground in case other children thought they were gay. They have complained they were not consulted over the content of the assembly. Although it may have been appropriate for older children, they say it left the little ones confused and self-conscious about being friends with classmates of the same sex. When parents complained to the headmaster, they claim they were treated as 'homophobic' for even raising the issue.
Chadians get fangs into 'vampire'
BBC
by Celeste Hicks
June 1, 2009
Hungry people in the central African nation of Chad have raised an old culinary fad from the dead – to get their fangs stuck into fried blood. "Vampire", as it is jokingly dubbed, is a traditional dish making a comeback amid a global surge in food prices that has left meat too expensive for many. Meat is often eaten only on special occasions such as religious holidays. Nutritionists say "vampire" is actually an excellent alternative to goat and sheep, especially for children. "I make it with peppers, salt, onions, spicy sauce and maggi [stock cubes]. I fry it all up like that; it's good," said Modestine Danbe, who lives in the N'Djamena. Ms Danbe is one of many women in the city's Walia neighbourhood, close to the Cameroonian border, who has taken to frying up huge vats of blood and selling it to her neighbours on the streets. She buys buckets of fresh blood from the abattoir near her home for about $1 (£0.61), which makes about 40 plates of "vampire".
Arks of Safe Haven
www.arksofsafehaven.org
"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh [and blood]?" Isaiah 58:7
The mission of Arks of Safe Haven is to connect via an extensive network and online message board forum, those individuals and families who have been affected by recent economic downfalls and are in need with those individuals who are ready, willing and capable of providing assistance to those in need with employment, shelter, work, food, clothing and other necessities.
Coupled with our primary mission of delivering the Kingdom Message of Salvation, the assistance of Arks of Safe Haven is available to all who are in need. Our purposeful intention is to follow in the footsteps of Christ as our example, by providing hope to the hopeless and answering the prayers of those who have been forced to live outside of society.
How You Can Help?
In order to provide for those whose outcry of prayers have reached our heavenly Father's ears, Arks of Safe Haven is seeking out those who are able to provide shelter, whether it be an extra bedroom, empty rental property or a work for room and board agreement. Additionally, we also act as a liaison in connecting those with tangible items to donate to those in need like Food, Water, Clothing, & Other Personal Items. We pray that your heart is motivated to make a contribution, no matter how small. Visit http://www.arksofsafehaven.org and view the many posts from those in need to see if you're able to help with advice, prayers or goods & services.
nicole200 – Atlanta, GA. – I need help with water bill 190dollars lost my job … Or i need help with a job … pls i live in atlanta georgia any assistance will help at this point.
thatperkins5 – Boise, ID. – We feel like the hole is getting deeper and deeper. We are now going on 2 months behind on both rent and car payments. We were able to get food stamps, no cash help, not that we are complaining, any help is a blessing, and we just have zero cash coming in. Everything coming into our bank account is going towards our $900 overdrawn account. Kids are good for breakfast and lunch for the next couple weeks at school, but everything else is the same or worse. We checked into a lot of places for help, everyone is out of funds. More ideas would be great. Is there anyone out there that is will to help our family out? Husband on a two week furlough, Wife lost job two weeks ago, three children in school. Rent is due, utilities are so far behind, and something could be turning off today? Car Payment was auto-deducted from bank account that was paid and put us in the overdraft almost $900. Bank paid everything and then charged us $29.05 fourteen times to cover items including a $5.00 check. Two children have severe allergies and one asthma, need meds, other child needs to see the doctor for chronic pain in foot. Wife just had a seizure 6 weeks ago, still on seizure precautions, can't drive, had to take time off of work, which lead to job loss. We are in a total debt of $6000.00, none of which are credit cards, we do not have a single one, kind of wish we did at this minute. Most are way past due doctor bills, that are in collection, which we are receiving letters informing us that we are being sued. Our immediate need is about $1000, to pay half of our rent, buy some groceries and bring our bank account to a positive balance. I know this story is the same story as millions of other people, but we thought it was worth a try. We have an appointment with Health and Welfare in the morning, applied to get kids on the food program at school for lunches. If you have any other ideas for us please reply. Or if you have some cash to lend, one day we hope to pay it forward.
Signs in Natural Disasters
“You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Matthew 24:6-7
Hurricane Season Begins: Increased Storms Off U.S. Coastline Have Forecasters Concerned
These Popup Storms Could Mean More Severe Weather for U.S. During Hurricane Season
By DARCY BONFILS and KELLY HAGAN
June 1, 2009
abc news
Already this decade ranks as the worst ever in the nation's history in both dollars and casualties from hurricanes, and with the 2009 hurricane season beginning today, some forecasters worry the dangers may be on the rise.
Disturbing new phenomenon could change the way we understand the storms. Though this year is expected to be an average season with between nine and 14 named storms, the year already has seen its first tropical depression, which hit last week. The storm formed dangerously close to America's mid-Atlantic shore. "People may be confused that all storms form off Africa and give you a long signal as they cross the way," said Bill Read who heads up the National Hurricane Center in Miami. But a new pattern defies the one common to most tropical systems. Instead of starting off Africa's coast; it starts off the U.S. coast in either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Some forecasters fear the pattern may be a sign of things to come.
Hundreds evacuated after volcano erupts in E Indonesia
http://www.chinaview.cn
JAKARTA, June 2 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of villagers have been evacuated after a volcano erupted in eastern part of Indonesia, officials said here Tuesday. Mount Karangetan on Siau Island, of North Sulawesi province has been on top alert status since Sunday, as the volcano has formed a crater on its side and spewed black ash carrying hot materials up to two kilometers, head of Indonesian Volcanology Agency Surono who goes with single name said. "The mount has erupted and formed craters at its side and spew black ash carrying hot material, which is very dangerous," he told Xinhua. Surono said that the agency had recommended local administration to evacuate residence living in the slope of the volcano up to more than 3 kilometers.
Small earthquake reported in North Texas© 2009 The Associated Press
June 2, 2009, 5:33PM
CLEBURNE, Texas — A minor earthquake has been reported in a small North Texas town — but there were no reports of damage or injuries. The U.G. Geologicial Survey says a 2.8-magnitude earthquake hit the small town of Cleburne just after 3 p.m. Tuesday. People in Cleburne reported hearing a loud boom and felt the ground shake, sending firefighters and police officers scrambling to find the source before they learned it was a minor quake. Last month, a 3.3-magnitude quake hit Euless. People in several other Dallas suburbs reported feeling walls and furniture of their homes and businesses shake in that quake.
The cloud with no name: Meteorologists campaign to classify unique 'Asperatus' clouds seen across the world
By Luke Salkeld
June 2, 2009
Mail Online
Whipped into fantastical shapes, these clouds hang over the darkening landscape like the harbingers of a mighty storm. But despite their stunning and frequent appearances, the formations have yet to be officially recognised with a name. They have been seen all over Britain in different forms – from Snowdonia to the Scottish Highlands – and in other parts of the world such as New Zealand, but usually break up without producing a storm. And some experts believe the stormy weather phenomenon deserves its very own classification. Experts at the Royal Meteorological Society are now attempting to make it official by naming it 'Asperatus' after the Latin word for 'rough'.
It's raining birds on Western Australia
Anne Barrowclough in Sydney
From Times Online
June 1, 2009
The Western Australia sky is raining dead birds in what is becoming a regular, and mysterious, event for the region. More than 200 ibises, ravens, ducks, gulls and a pelican were found dead or convulsing near Perth, raising fears of a mass poisoning. The discovery comes less than a year after the mystery deaths of 200 gulls only a few kilometres away, and two years after thousands of birds fell from the skies over the coastal town of Esperance after being poisoned by lead carbonate. The latest poisoning has been caused by the the pesticide Fenthion, which is used both for domestic and industrial purposes and which is known to be highly toxic to birds. The Department of Environment and Conservation has opened an investigation into whether it was a deliberate bird poisoning or caused by someone dumping large quantites of the pesticide.
Natural Disaster Update
Source: http://home.att.net/~thehessians/disasterwatch.html
QUAKES –
[Worldwide quakes very low – this often means a large quake, or a flurry of moderate quakes, on the horizon. Stay tuned.]
5/31/09 –
5.1 MOLUCCA SEA
6/1/09 –
5.1 VANUATU
6/2/09 –
5.0 HONDURAS
5.1 VANUATU
5.5 VANUATU
6.5 VANUATU
6/4/09 –
5.0 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLANDS REGION
5.1 FLORES REGION, INDONESIA
5.2 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.1 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
ALASKA – Earthquakes continue to rattle through Ester and Chena Ridge nearly two weeks after the first quake struck on May 23. More than 60 earthquakes have occurred in Alaska’s central region since 4 p.m. Saturday, the strongest being a 3.8 magnitude quake on Sunday at 9:35 p.m. just outside Ester. A majority of the recent quakes register at less than a 1.0 magnitude. While Fairbanks is no stranger to a sporadic shake here and there, seismologists with the Alaska Earthquake Information Center say the recent tremors are somewhat UNUSUAL. “It’s unusual because it hasn’t happened in a while – since 1967 to be exact, where there were three magnitude 5 and greater earthquakes in the Fairbanks area." The earthquakes are not a result of the Denali Fault line. The fault line is located about 100 miles south of Fairbanks near Denali Village. While most earthquakes are associated with faults, it’s difficult for scientists to locate any faults in the Ester area given the lay of the land. “To know exactly where faults are, geologists need to map those structures, and that is hard to do in Fairbanks because glacial deposits, gravel, ground cover and heavy vegetation make it hard for geologists to look for rocks to identify where faults may lay.” Questions arise as to whether the recent tremors are foreshocks for a larger earthquake but it’s hard for scientists to forecast future earthquakes based on current activity. “This is a known area for seismic activity, so people should prepare for any seismic activity if they live in the greater Fairbanks area.”
TEXAS – A 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Cleburne at 3:06 Tuesday afternoon. The quake was centered about one mile west of the city. It's the fourth time in the last few weeks that a quake has struck North Texas. Several people called and emailed the local police department, reporting they had heard a loud boom and rumbling in the area. The fire chief said firefighters drove all over town trying to find the damage. At first, they were under the impression they were dealing with an explosion. "When there's lots of small earthquakes, that means you usually won't have a big one because you release a lot of the energy in the small quakes."
VOLCANOES –
ALASKA – Redoubt oozes lava, pressure builds. Dome buildup may collapse creating new round of eruptions. Since Mount Redoubt's last explosion in April, it has quietly continued to ooze lava from its vent, creating a massive hardened dome that could blow at any moment and unleash another ash fall on Southcentral Alaska. Or maybe not. The volcano's dome, roughly the size of nine football fields, has formed a precarious plug over its steaming vent. That's kept ash from spewing into the atmosphere and has perhaps led many to believe the volcano's rumblings are over. But if the dome cracks or collapses, as scientists believe it likely will, ash could once again blast to tens of thousands of feet into the atmosphere and ground airplanes during Alaska's busy summer tourist season. A second worry is that a cracked dome, accompanied by another explosion, would allow hot gas and rock to blast down the mountainside, which would melt snow and ice and once again flood the Drift River valley, as it did in late March. Scientists estimate the amount of lava comprising the hardened dome is so massive it could fill 11 Louisiana Superdomes. It is roughly as thick as a 65-story building. The last time the volcano erupted in 1989 and 1990, a similar dome lasted 36 days before it collapsed and unclogged the vent. "It could happen in 10 minutes or a month or not at all." (photo)
INDONESIA – One of Indonesia's most active volcanos is threatening to erupt, officials said Monday, as they ordered residents in nearby villages to leave. The alert status of Mount Karangetang was raised to the highest level after it started spewing lava and hot ash hundreds of yards (meters) into the air. The volcano on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain, last showed signs of intense activity in July 2006, when 4,000 people were evacuated. It has spit out ash and lava several times since then, but no serious injuries have been reported. The last deadly eruption was in 1992, when six villagers were killed.
INDONESIA – Residents were evacuated after Mount Karangetang volcano began spewing lava and hot ash, threatening a major eruption on Tuesday. There were no reports of casualties in connection with the increased activity. Volcanologists upgraded the alert status to the highest level on Sunday for the volcano on the remote island of Siau, part of the Sulawesi chain, about 2,340 kilometres north-east of Jakarta. Residents were urged to stay outside a radius of 3 kilometres from the crater to avoid possible danger. Local authorities also ordered a ban on farming and other activity on the slope areas. Mount Karangetang is known as the most active volcano in the island chain. Its activity has been increasing for weeks. The last deadly eruption of Karangetang occurred in 1992.
TROPICAL STORMS –
NASA data currently indicate that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are below normal. These cooler than normal ocean temperatures could "starve" developing hurricanes of their driving force, which are waters warmer than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, thus suggesting a damping of hurricanes. Despite Atlantic waters being cooler than normal, the first tropical depression of the Atlantic season formed on May 27 around 11 a.m. EDT in the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream about 310 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island. It then moved away from the mainland U.S. and into cooler waters which led to its dissipation. Meanwhile in the eastern Pacific, the La Niña conditions of the past few years have faded away. This is also good news for the coming hurricane season, as La Niña tends to drive the jet stream farther north, decreasing the hurricane damping wind shear over the tropics. The jet stream is a ribbon of fast moving air in the upper troposphere that guides low pressure areas (storms) and fronts. But, it is very early to forecast hurricane activity since much can change during the summer. Will El Niño develop in the Pacific or will La Niña make a surprise return? Will the Atlantic warm up over the summer? And there are some wild cards. Since 1995, the Atlantic has entered multi-decadal conditions that favor increased hurricane activity. This loads the dice for more hurricanes. In the Pacific, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation's (PDO) characteristic warm "horseshoe" and cool wedge pattern is still strong in the sea surface temperature and sea-level height images. The PDO is a long-term ocean temperature fluctuation of the Pacific Ocean that waxes and wanes approximately every 10 to 20 years. Most recent NASA sea-surface temperature and height data clearly illustrate the persistence of this basin-wide pattern. "While this PDO pattern tends to make the formation of a new El Niño event less likely, the warm waters in the western Pacific favor a very active western Pacific typhoon ("hurricane" in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic) season and inhibit the hurricane damping condition over the Atlantic and Caribbean." "It is the beginning of a long summer and oceanic and atmospheric conditions can change dramatically." Statistics and probabilities of today have huge wiggle room.
Meterologists worry that some storms are forming in a troublesome pattern – 'They're not where they should be'. Distrubing new phenomenon could change the way we understand storms.
Climate change over the next 20 to 70 years can be expected to increase hurricane flooding in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season began Monday with a tropical wave reported over the Caribbean Sea and one tropical depression already spent. Saturday a tropical wave had formed off the coast of Africa, where the majority of tropical storm systems originate. Hot dry air from the Sahara desert moves over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and upward, moisture-driven, convective winds slowly develop. The season that runs through Nov. 30 is forecast to be "near-normal" or average by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA predicts a 70 percent chance of nine to 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes. Of those, as many as three could be major, or above a Category 3 on the 5-point Saffir-Simpson scale. An average season has 11 named storms, including six hurricanes. Last year, there were 16 named storms, eight of which became hurricanes and five of them major. Five of the storms traveled north and tailed out in Canada's eastern provinces. There Is a "very real possibility an El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean could occur during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season" in August through October. The El Nino event occurs when sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific rise, which has been happening for several months. "This is important, since the number and intensity of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes is usually reduced during an El Nino year, thanks to the increased wind shear such events bring."
Increased storms off U.S. coastline have forecasters concerned – these popup storms could mean more severe weather for U.S. during hurricane season. Already THIS DECADE RANKS AS THE WORST EVER IN THE NATION'S HISTORY in both dollars and casualties from hurricanes. Though this year is expected to be an average season with between nine and 14 named storms, the year already has seen its first tropical depression, which hit last week. The storm formed dangerously close to America's mid-Atlantic shore. "People may be confused that all storms form off Africa and give you a long signal as they cross the way." But a NEW PATTERN defies the one common to most tropical systems. Instead of starting off Africa's coast; it starts off the U.S. coast in either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Some forecasters fear the pattern may be a sign of things to come, with sudden developments in our own backyard within two to three days of hitting the coastline. Hurricane Humberto in 2007 is a classic example of this sudden storm. It formed off Texas and INTENSIFIED FASTER THAN ANY TROPICAL STORM ON RECORD. In just one day it grew from a disturbance to a full blown category one hurricane. It ended up causing $50 million in damage. "You're going to get the very excessive rain and flash flooding, which over the long haul in recent time, has been the No. 1 killer in people in tropical systems." And because they develop so fast, getting the word of warning out to those in its path is another concern. Warm water temperatures could be a key reason why these pop-up storms are occurring. The Gulf and Atlantic Ocean warm up faster than the waters off Africa. "The caveat is in the Gulf of Mexico in August and October you can have very strong storms form and become severe simply because warm water is there. The atmosphere is favorable, and these storms can spin up to category 4 or 5 status."
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER –
U.S. – experienced storm chasers are saying they've NEVER SEEN A DOMINANT WEATHER PATTERN LIKE THIS BEFORE. That pattern is a high-pressure ridge, which has settled over most of the Midwest and held back moisture and wind shear like a dam holds back water. The jet stream, composed of high winds aloft that create the wind shear necessary for the formation of supercell thunderstorms, is currently over Canada. That's normal for August, but not May. Through May 27, there have been 213 tornado reports across the country this month, compared to 461 in May 2007. And that number is just a preliminary one – it will probably shrink after reports are confirmed and duplicate reports are discarded. From May 15 to May 25, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman did not issue a single severe weather watch in the United States. That 10-day stretch is A RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF MAY, and ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE considering it occurred in the heart of severe storm season.
On Monday, May 25, storm trackers encountered a PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL STORM. The storm was a fairly isolated, self-contained supercell. Typically, when storms become more severe and prepare to drop a wall cloud (a precursor to tornado formation), they take a right turn. This storm was the EXACT OPPOSITE. It split in two, and while the storm that moved right (or east-southeast) stayed fairly normal, the northeasterly moving (or left-turning) storm became POSITIVELY BIZARRE. "It got more intense as it turned left, it had a wall cloud on the north side and it was anticyclonic." Why is that UNUSUAL? Wall clouds almost always form on the south or southwest side of a storm, and anticyclonic rotation means a storm is rotating clockwise, which is VERY UNCOMMON. Storms in the Northern Hemisphere usually rotate cyclonically, or counter-clockwise, due to the Coriolis effect. Eventually it turned right, weakened, became cyclonic, re-strengthened and dumped some huge hail on I-35. An investigator said he had NEVER SEEN AN ANTICYCLONIC STORM TURN LEFT AND STILL BE A SUPERCELL, and he also said it was EVEN MORE UNUSUAL because there was nothing about the atmosphere that would suggest it could support such a storm for any length of time.
An Air France airliner carrying 228 people from Brazil to Paris has vanished over the Atlantic after flying into strong tropical turbulence and probable lightning. The Airbus sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT, four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro, reporting a short circuit. It may have been damaged by lightning. It was well over the ocean when it was lost, making Brazilian and French search planes' task more difficult. "It is a catastrophe the likes of which Air France has never seen. We are without a doubt faced with an air disaster." Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots. The passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men. The firmest clue to its fate comes from the data message sent via a satellite network at 0214 GMT reporting electrical and pressurisation problems. This suggests whatever happened, happened before the crew could put out a mayday radio call. It was likely a sudden and catastrophic emergency. Even a double engine failure at cruising altitude would normally give the crew around half an hour's gliding time. "Aeroplanes get hit by lightning on quite a routine basis without generally any problems occurring at all. Whether it's related to this electrical storm and the electrical failure on the aeroplane, or whether it's another reason, we have to find the aeroplane first."
Brutal FREAK turbulence is the most plausible cause of the crash of Air France Flight 447. No major crash has been directly blamed on lightning for more than four decades. Large aircraft are regularly struck by lightning but very rarely suffer damage from the bolt, which passes along the exterior of the fuselage and is diffused into the open air, mainly from small tabs on the trailing edge of the wings. The violent turbulence in the heart of storms is a threat to even large aircraft, however. Airliners usually avoid them by flying over or around the biggest ones. Smaller aircraft are from time-to-time torn to pieces in storms or thrown on the ground by them when they are approaching to land or taking off. All that is known is that the aircraft was in a tropical storm system and that electrics failure was brutal and sudden. It killed all the multiple means by which modern airliners communicate with the ground and prevented the use of back-up power — otherwise the pilots or the automated system would have been able to send a distress message. Lightning could, for example, cause a fuel tank to explode, as happened on at least one occasion in the 1960s. All modern airliners are designed with multiple systems to protect their sensitive electronic systems from lightning discharges that would otherwise cause power surges that would fry their software and blow circuit breakers. It is more likely that the extreme turbulence of a tropical storm could have upset the aircraft, causing an uncontrollable descent and an in-flight break-up that would have cut the power. That scenario has been followed by numerous smaller aircraft over the decades.
ILLINOIS – Peoria saw RECORD-BREAKING wet spring. The combined months of March, April and May broke rainfall records for the spring season.
An UNUSUAL type of storm cloud could become the first new variety of cloud to be officially identified in more than half a century. Meteorologists believe they have discovered a new classification of cloud after the unique formation has been spotted in skies around the world. The new cloud type has been named "Asperatus" after the Latin word for rough. The new type of cloud forms a dark, lumpy blanket across the sky and has been sighted in locations all over the world, including above the hills of the Scottish Highlands and above Snowdonia, Wales, above the flat plains of Iowa and Australia and also over the arctic sea just off the coast of Greenland. "The underside of the clouds are quite rough and choppy. It looks very stormy, but some of the reports we have been getting suggest that they tend to break up without actually turning into a storm." The undulating and lumpy underside, however, is thought to be caused by warm and cold air meeting a the boundary between the lower and middle atmosphere creating a transition effect similar to those seen when oil and vinegar mix. "There would probably need to be quite a lot of heat around to produce the energy needed to generate such dramatic cloud formations. They are quite dark structures so there must be a lot of water vapour condensing in the cloud." Clouds are taking on a new importance in meteorological work after falling out of fashion as forecasters used satellite images and radar to help their predications rather than using cloud formations. "Clouds are very important in the Earth's climate as depending where they are in the atmosphere they will either reflect heat or absorb and trap heat. We are only just starting to understand that role."
CALIFORNIA – FREAK storms pummel Southern California. Thunder rumbled through the Southland and freak storms pelted the region with hail, lightning and unseasonable rain, killing two women in San Bernardino County, bedeviling aviation and touching off more than a dozen brush fires on the parched mountain slopes ringing Los Angeles County. Temperatures were about 10 degrees below normal in the area, with downtown Los Angeles registering 67 degrees at 2 p.m. Rain is SO RARE at this time of year that RECORDS WERE BROKEN in Palmdale, Sandberg and Camarillo, where THERE HAS BEEN ZERO PRECIPITATION ON ANY JUNE 3 IN THE YEARS THAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS BEEN KEEPING RECORDS. Small hailstones drummed at least four beachfront communities in San Diego County, as well as Murrieta in Riverside County, ANOTHER ODDITY in late spring, according to the weather service. Thunderstorms and light rain are forecast to continue through Friday or Saturday as a low-pressure system slowly makes its way inland from the coast.
TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES / RISING SEA LEVELS –
INDIA – Even as people are yet to come to terms with the devastation caused by Cyclone Aila, the next tidal wave is supposed to hit Sunderbans on Friday. The tidal wave hits the Sunderbans once every fortnight. Various areas of the Sunderbans will be inundated again on Friday, causing further damage. 20 per cent of the breaches in the embankments could not be repaired before Friday, due to the lack of manpower. The administration has identified 19 points in the various blocks which are vulnurable during the tidal wave on Friday. (photo)
When Cyclone Aila smashed into the Sunderbans at 110 km/hr, the villagers were caught completely unawares.
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD –
CANADA – Snow pellets on May 31! A local weather watcher tracking weather in Orillia for almost 30 years has NEVER SEEN ANYTHNING LIKE WHAT HAPPENED Sunday afternoon. "It actually snowed." A light dusting of snow pellets fell periodically in Orillia on Sunday afternoon for about 90 minutes. It was an ODD weather occurrence for the end of May. "For this time of year it's PRETTY UNUSUAL. It was kind of a freak thing Environment Canada said." The snow and ice pellets landed from Orillia to Sudbury. The snow was so heavy north of North Bay, residents in those areas noticed snow on the ground in the morning. The odd weather was caused by a cold front combined with 70 km/h winds. Although the weather on the ground was plus five-degrees Celsius at 5,000 feet the air was minus two-degrees Celsius, causing precipitation to fall solid through the warmer air.
NEW ZEALAND – A cold snap has struck New Zealand, with blizzard-type conditions being reported in parts of the South Island. The MetService said snowfall was down to near sea level from Southland to Kaikoura Coast and at UNUSUALLY LOW LEVELS in the North Island. temperatures were "bitterly cold" in the South Island, with a high of just 5 degrees in Christchurch and only 4 degrees in Kaikoura. Dunedin hit 7 degrees. Reports from Oxford, just out of Christchurch, suggested blizzard conditions with moderate snow falls and high winds. "It's VERY UNUSUAL to get such a cold outbreak in May."
CALIFORNIA – January and June may be swapping weather patterns in San Luis Obispo County this year. While residents hit the beaches during record-breaking heat the first month of this year, June is starting with a WEATHER PATTERN MORE TYPICALLY SEEN IN WINTER. Clouds, rain and snow in the mountains are forecast later this week.
MINNESOTA – Frost, freeze warnings issued for Northland – "Holy frozen petunias, Batman, this is cold – even for us." Gardeners were warned to protect plants as temperatures Wednesday morning were forecast to drop to the upper 20s in parts of northern Minnesota and to near freezing across much of the Northland. Frost advisories are possible through the weekend. “We are sort of stuck in this northwest flow, with colder than usual air from northern Canada funneling right into our area every few days." If it does frost in Duluth and along Lake Superior, it would be among the latest in recent history. Minnesota State Climatology Office considers Duluth and the North Shore safe from frost on June 5 — the point at which a frost almost never occurs. Duluth’s latest frost occurred June 20, 1992. The trend so far in June, and for the foreseeable future, continues a very cold and slow-starting spring across the Northland, evidenced by late-sprouting trees and plants. While many days were pleasant, including a record high 88 degrees on May 20, overnight temperatures dropped UNUSUALLY LOW. The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting below-normal temperatures through at least mid-June for much of the northern U.S.
International Falls recorded 0.6 inches of snow for the month, raising its total winter season snowfall to a RECORD-BREAKING 125.6 inches. The old record season snowfall was set during the winter of 1995-96, when 116 inches fell.
At the same time, the southern U.S. is basking in RECORD WARMTH.
CANADA – It's June and no one's wearing shorts. The patios are empty, the riverfront is bare and there's not a single ice cream cone in sight. While the weather isn't as cold as in the rest of Ontario, Windsor is still around five degrees cooler than it should be this time of year. On Tuesday, the high was around 19 C, while it should have been about 25. "Models are showing the same situation in Windsor as we're seeing in Eastern Canada. What we're going to see over the next week is temperatures that are a little cooler than (normal). We think this month will come out more in the cool and perhaps the wet side. That's not necessarily great for gardeners and for growers…. We need it to warm up and it doesn't look like June's going to be like that." "We've had a couple nights (where) we had to get up for frost protection. The ground is pretty dried out, we're waiting for one of these big rains to come through." The weather should warm up in July and August.
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
IRAQ – A plague of snakes has caused panic in Iraq's southern province of Nasiriyah, biting cattle and worrying residents as poisonous reptiles flee their dens in the country's water-deprived marshes. "We have been surprised in recent days by the UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER of snakes that have fled their habitat because of the dryness and heat. We saw some on roads, near houses and cowsheds. They have attacked cows and buffalo, and farmers have come to us looking for vaccines but we don't have any.'' Iraq's water reserves dipped to 11 billion cubic metres in May, compared with 40 billion cubic metres three years earlier, although rainfall this past winter was normal. Experts say Iraq faces agricultural disaster this summer if neighbouring Turkey continues to retain waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which have nourished Iraqi agriculture for millennia. Iraq says the problem is the many dams Turkey has built over the past 30 years to irrigate its own southeast.
Climate change is turning the oceans more acid in a trend that could endanger everything from clams to coral and be irreversible for thousands of years. Rising amounts of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted mainly by human use of fossil fuels, are being absorbed by the oceans and making it harder for creatures to build protective body parts. On some projections, by 2060, levels of acidification in 80 per cent of Arctic seas would be corrosive to clams that are vital to the food web. "Coral reefs may be dissolving globally" if atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide rise to 550 parts per million (ppm) from a current 387 ppm. There may be an "underwater catastrophe. The effects will be seen worldwide, threatening food security, reducing coastal protection and damaging the local economies that may be least able to tolerate it." If current rates of carbon emissions continue until 2050, computer models indicate "the oceans will be more acidic than they have been for tens of millions of years".
Extreme weather in Brazil stokes climate worries – Sand dunes had been advancing for decades, and two years ago, they finally swallowed the houses of 13 families in Ilha Grande, an island in the Parnaiba river delta in northeastern Brazil. "It is beautiful now, but beauty brings misery. The cause of this is natural, but it is man-made as well." Experts blame deforestation and population increases for the huge dunes that are advancing by about 25 metres a year, threatening to wipe the town of 8,500 people off the map. But they and residents also blame stronger winds and drier weather in recent years. "The wind has been getting stronger. It is the motor of this process." A bout of extreme weather has reignited a debate about how climate change is affecting Latin America's largest country, home to most of the world's biggest rain forest and one of the world's bread baskets. Unusually heavy rains in the north and northeast have made hundreds of thousands of people homeless and killed about 45. Meanwhile, southern Brazil has been hit by a series of droughts, devastating farmers and cutting by a third the flow of water over the famed Iguacu waterfalls. "Brazil is feeling climate changes that are happening in the world, when there is a severe drought in a place that didn't have them, when it rains in places where it didn't used to." "We are seeing the warming and we are seeing conditions in many parts of the country that appear to be associated." Southern states have suffered droughts in seven of the past 11 years and the first hurricane recorded in Brazil hit the southern coast in 2004. The Amazon area had its worst drought in decades in 2005. Warming also plays a key role in models of a so-called "tipping point" in which drier weather and deforestation combine to turn much of the Amazon forest into a savanna and possibly cut the flow of rain to southern farming states. About half of the forest is "teetering on the edge" of not having enough water to survive the more intense dry seasons. The drying process, which raises the amount of destruction by fires, is on course to release about 20 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere over the next two decades, about twice the current annual total of global emissions.
CHINA endured extreme weather in May, with storms in the south and RECORD TEMPERATURES in the north. Rain in some regions (the mid and lower Yangtze River, south China, eastern Sichuan, western and southern Yunnan, southeastern Tibet and southern Shaanxi) is expected to increase by between 20-40 percent compared to the same period in earlier years. But there was little rain predicted for the drought-stricken northeastern provinces and in the west. The drought in Heilongjiang province in northeast China IS NOW THE MOST SEVERE IN ITS HISTORY. Drought-affected areas reached 92.54 million mu (6 million ha), or 53 percent of the province's arable land, on May 27. Meanwhile, temperature in many parts of Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Fujian reached new records in May. There has recently been numerous lightning strikes in many parts of the country, particularly the south. Since February, there had been 670,000 lightning strikes, which was 80,000 more than the corresponding period in 2008. Meanwhile, there were fewer sandstorms in the northern part of the country in May, with just 22 per cent of the usual number in previous years. In southern Xinjiang and the middle of Inner Mongolia, the sandstorms were the lightest since 2003.
HEALTH THREATS –
New flu virus – With summer temperatures settling in across the United States, health authorities are conceding that the novel H1N1 flu virus may continue circulating through the summer, rather than quieting down as seasonal flu strains do.
Vaccine – CSL Biotherapies, part of Australia-based CSL Limited, said it has signed a contract to sell at least $180 million worth of novel H1N1 influenza vaccine in bulk form to the US government. The company said it "anticipates initial delivery of the antigen by September. The firm has an option to finish processing the bulk vaccine at its plants in Illinois and Germany. The US also has ordered H1N1 vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline recently.
Fifty-three countries have reported a total of 15,510 cases of novel H1N1 influenza with 99 deaths. Countries added to the list since the last update on May 27 are the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Romania, Slovakia, and Uruguay. The United States (8,975 cases), Mexico, and Canada continue to lead the list. Other countries with more than 100 cases are Japan (364), Britain (203), Chile (165), Australia (147), Spain (143), and Panama (107).
The source of exposure is unknown in about 45% of US H1N1 flu cases so far. 25% of patients contracted the virus from a family member, 12% had traveled to Mexico, 12% had contact with a known or suspected case, and 5% were healthcare workers who were exposed on the job.
Australia's health department has confirmed 401 novel flu cases, including 306 in the southwestern state of Victoria. The number is doubling every 2 days, with evidence of community spread that MIGHT PROMPT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO RAISE THE PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL TO 6.
US orders intranasal vaccine for novel flu – US officials have awarded MedImmune, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Md., an initial $90 million contract to produce a live attenuated nasal-spray vaccine to protect priority groups identified in the nation's pandemic flu plan against the novel H1N1 virus. The US is the only country that has licensed MedImmune's intranasal vaccine technology.
Seventy-seven percent of US influenza virus isolates tested during the week of May 17 to 23 were the novel H1N1 type. Four states reported widespread activity: Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Virginia. The proportion of deaths from pneumonia and flu was below the epidemic threshold, and outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms were below the national baseline.
The number of confirmed and probable novel H1N1 cases in the US climbed to 10,053, with all states and the District of Columbia now reporting cases. The global number of confirmed novel H1N1 cases rose to 17,410, including 115 deaths, from 62 countries.
Three anonymous sources PREDICTED THAT THE WHO WILL RAISE ITS PANDEMIC ALERT TO ITS HIGHEST LEVEL WITHIN THE NEXT 10 DAYS. Raising the alert level to phase 6 may trigger new pandemic planning actions around the globe, but WHO officials have said they worry that the action could cause panic and that they are watching for further evidence of sustained community transmission outside North America, where the virus first gained a foothold.
The global number of novel flu cases grew to 19,273 cases, including 117 deaths, in 66 countries. Countries appearing on the list for the first time include Bulgaria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Nicaragua. The United States, Mexico, and Canada continued to lead the list; other countries with more than 300 cases are Australia, Chile, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Signs in False Shepherds & False Religion
"For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also." 2 Timothy 3:6-9
Scandal priest Father Cutie goes over to the other side
Florida is gripped by a tale with a heady mix of sex, sand, God, celebrity and celibacy
By David Usborne in New York
Sunday, 31 May 2009
It will be standing – or kneeling – room only at the Church of the Resurrection in Miami when America's most famous Catholic Casanova, Alberto Cutie, makes a guest appearance this morning to deliver the sermon. Never mind that this particular congregation is not actually Catholic. Since Thursday, he hasn't been with Rome either. Happily, Fr Cutie, always dashing in his dog collar, has never been averse to publicity. So great was his following on Spanish-language television and radio where he dispensed advice on God, love, and relationships, that he earned the nickname Padre Oprah. Yet right now he is at the centre of a national kerfuffle of a scope even he would surely never have wished for. But it's what happens when you juggle sex, celibacy and the church. This charismatic priest famously took his secret girlfriend, a divorced mother, to a public Florida beach and frolicked with her on the sand. This was a month ago, the scene was illicitly photographed and the images published on the pages of a Mexican tabloid. Before you could say "vows", Fr Cutie, 40, was forced to give up his Miami Beach parish.
Boy chosen by Dalai Lama turns back on Buddhist order
Dale Fuchs in Madrid
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 31 May 2009
As a toddler, he was put on a throne and worshipped by monks who treated him like a god. But the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of a spiritual leader has caused consternation – and some embarrassment – for Tibetan Buddhists by turning his back on the order that had such high hopes for him. Instead of leading a monastic life, Osel Hita Torres now sports baggy trousers and long hair, and is more likely to quote Jimi Hendrix than Buddha. Yesterday he bemoaned the misery of a youth deprived of television, football and girls. Movies were also forbidden – except for a sanctioned screening of The Golden Child starring Eddie Murphy, about a kidnapped child lama with magical powers. "I never felt like that boy," he said. He is now studying film in Madrid and has denounced the Buddhist order that elevated him to guru status. "They took me away from my family and stuck me in a medieval situation in which I suffered a great deal," said Torres, 24, describing how he was whisked from obscurity in Granada to a monastery in southern India. "It was like living a lie," he told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Despite his rebelliousness, he is still known as Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche and revered by the Buddhist community. A prayer for his "long life" still adorns the website of the Foundation to Preserve the Mahayana Tradition, which has 130 centres around the world. The website features a biography of the renegade guru that gushes about his peaceful, meditative countenance as a baby. In Tibetan Buddhism, a lama is one of a lineage of reincarnated spiritual leaders, the most famous of which is the Dalai Lama.
Gun-loving pastor to his flock: Piece be with you
Yahoo News
By DYLAN T. LOVAN, Associated Press Writer Dylan T. Lovan, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jun 4, 5:50 pm ET
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment. New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety. "We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," said pastor Ken Pagano. "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms — without that this country wouldn't be here." The guns must be unloaded and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said. He said recent church shootings, including the killing Sunday of a late-term abortion provider in Kansas, which he condemned, highlight the need to promote safe gun ownership. The New Bethel Church event was planned months before Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in a Wichita church.
Man Pleads Not Guilty to Religion Driven Military Murder
LifeSteezNews
A 23-year-old man, who has recently converted to the Muslim Faith, said he was angry at the treatment of Muslims by the U.S., which propelled him to open fire at a Little Rock, Arkansas Army recruiting center Tuesday, killing one soldier and wounding another. According to official court documents, Abdulhakim Bledsoe told officials he had recently watched a video "pertaining to subversive activities which spurred him to commit this act." At his June 2 arraignment, Bledsoe pleaded not guilty and is now being held without bail. Homicide detective Tommy Hudson said Bledsoe "stated that he was a practicing Muslim…that he was mad at the U.S. military because of what they had done to Muslims in the past," reports CNN. The report also reveals Bledsoe told police that "he fired several rounds at the soldiers with the intent of killing them." Little Rock police believe Bledsoe acted alone "with the specific purpose of targeting military personnel." The suspect told officials that he was driving around Monday and spotted two soldiers, Pvt. Williams Long, 23, and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, outside of the official building. He admitted to shooting the soldiers with a semi-automatic rifle after he pulled into the paring lot, and further stated, "he would have killed more soldiers if they had been in the parking lot." Long died shortly after the shooting and Ezeagwula is in stable condition, authorities said Tuesday.
Militant Sikh clashes ‘may happen in Midlands’
May 31 2009 by Fionnuala Bourke, Sunday Mercury
A FATAL gun attack by militant Sikhs at a rival Austrian temple could easily have happened here in the Midlands, a community leader warned last night. Davinder Parsad said tensions between so-called low-caste and mainstream Sikhs had been increasing in the region in recent years leading to a number of violent incidents. “We are just lucky something similar has not happened here. This should serve as a wake-up call to the authorities.” said Mr Parsad. One man died and 17 people were injured after six gunmen stormed the packed Shri Ravidass Sabha temple during a service in central Vienna last week. The temple serves low-caste, or Dalit Sikhs, who follow the teachings of a 14th century saint called Ravidass whose writings are also included in the Sikh holy scriptures. The Midlands is home to the biggest Ravidass community outside India with some 80,000 followers and several temples in the region.
Faith under Fire
“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
“You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endured to the end will be delivered.” Matthew 10:22
Missionary shot to death in South Africa
Rev. Ernst Plochl of the Marianhill Missionaries was found shot to death in the Cape Province of South Africa. Circumstances are unknown.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
By Spero News
Fr. Ernst Plöchl, a 78 year-old Austrian missionary from the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries was killed in the South African Cape Province. Fr. Ploechl, who was a missionary in South Africa for over 40 years, was found dead on the morning of May 31, in the remote missionary station of Maria Zell, Mariannhill Missionaries spokesman Andreas Rohring told the Austrian agency APA. The spokesman affirmed that the the exact circumstances of the crime are yet unknown, as the missionary station has no telephone services. Initially, the local authorities affirmed that the missionary was killed by gun shot wounds, then they said it was by strangulation. Fr. Ploechl ran a school with 400 students in Matatiele, a city in the south of the country.
'Jesus' T-shirt becomes factor in 'hate crimes' argument
Senate, Supreme Court refuse admission for those wearing the slogan
June 02, 2009
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Christians who have been protesting a plan pending in the U.S. Senate to impose a "hate crimes" law on citizens of the United States say they already are experiencing what life under that law would include, because they are being targeted because of the message on their T-shirts: "Truth is Hate to those who Hate the Truth." The shirts, promoted on the Operation Save America website, have the slogan "Jesus is the Standard" on the front. Operation Save America spokesman Rev. Flip Benham told WND that people wearing the shirts had assembled recently in Washington to protest S. 909, now pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee after being approved by the U.S. House on a 249-175 vote. But he said police officers providing security at both the U.S. Senate building and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to allow citizens wearing the shirts to enter the buildings. The plan is the target of an organized letter-writing campaign that has already generated more than 560,000 individual letters sent by Fed Ex to all 100 U.S. senators. The effort, organized by WND columnist Janet Porter, who also heads the Faith2Action Christian ministry, permits activists to send individually addressed letters to all 100 senators over their own "signature" for only $10.95.
***UPDATE***Court: School 'Not Unreasonable' in Barring Bible Reading
By Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Jun. 02 2009
Though individuals have the right to identify and practice their religion in school, public school officials should be given latitude “within a range of reasonableness” in deciding what might be deemed as a school-approved promotion of a religious message, a federal court of appeals ruled Monday. And when officials at the Marple Newtown School District in Philadelphia barred the mother of a kindergartner from reading a passage in the Bible for a “show and tell” exercise, they acted in a way that was “not unreasonable,” the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated Monday in affirming the judgment of the District Court two years ago. When Culbertson Elementary School student Wesley Busch asked his mother to read from his favorite book, the Bible, in front of classmates as part of the class’s “All About Me” assignment, school officials told his mother, Donna Kay Busch, that reading the Bible to the class would be “against the law . . . of separation of church and state.” The school’s principal, in particular, said he determined it improper to read from the Bible because he believed “reading that to kindergarten students is promoting religion and it’s proselytizing for promoting a specific religious point of view.”
BANGLADESH: MUSLIM VILLAGERS BEAT EVANGELISTS IN SOUTHEAST
Nearly four months later, Christian worker still suffering nerve damage.
June 1, 2009
Compass Direct news
FULGAZI, Bangladesh, June 1 (Compass Direct News) – Nearly four months after Muslim villagers in this southeastern Bangladesh sub-district furiously beat two evangelists for showing the “Jesus Film,” one of the Christians is still receiving treatment for nerve damage to his hip. Christian Life Bangladesh (CLB) worker Edward Biswas, 32, was admitted to Alabakth Physiotherapy Centre on May 5. Dr. Mohammad Saifuddin Julfikar told Compass that injuries Biswas sustained from the Feb. 8 attack in Feni district, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Dhaka, had led to neurological complications in his hip. “His hip joint was displaced, and one bone in the hip was fractured,” Julfikar said. Biswas told Compass that he and 21-year-old Dolonmoy Tripura first showed the film on Feb. 7 in a home in Chandpur village, where they also taught the more than 200 poor and mostly illiterate viewers about the dangers of arsenic in water, mother-and-child health care and AIDS prevention. United Nations Children’s Fund reports say more than 30 million people are exposed to high levels of arsenic in water in Bangladesh and India.
PAKISTAN: MUSLIM FORCES 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL TO CONVERT, MARRY HIM
Police ridicule Christian mother for kidnapping complaint; others demand money, labor.
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 4 (Compass Direct News) – The Christian mother of a 12-year-old girl in Punjab Province who was kidnapped, coerced into converting to Islam and forcibly married to a 37-year-old Muslim hopes to recover her daughter at a court hearing next week. The reaction of Pakistani law enforcement authorities to Sajida Masih’s complaint so far – ridiculing her and asserting that there is nothing she can do because her daughter is now a Muslim – does not encourage her hopes of recovering her daughter Huma at next Thursday’s (June 11) hearing. Masih said that Muhammad Imran abducted Huma at gunpoint on Feb. 23 from Hanif Kot village in Gujranwala district, forcibly converted her and then married her. Imran has since disappeared along with his first wife, three children and new child-bride. Masih, who worked alongside Imran as a farmhand, said the kidnapping occurred on her son’s wedding day. Masih said that when she sent Huma and the child’s aunt out of their home to see if transportation had arrived for the wedding party, Imran – who had helped in preparing for the ceremony – was waiting and told her to sit on his motorbike. Huma did not understand and, with her concerned aunt tightly holding her hand, she refused.
