Rise of the Drones...and the end of Liberty?

     ARGUS-IS, or Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, is small enough to fit easily into an unmanned drone. It wields a 1.8-gigapixel video camera that can distinguish objects as small as six inches from a 22,000 foot altitude. This high resolution makes ARGUS capable of viewing 15 square miles at one time, meaning it’s powerful enough to observe a medium-sized city.
     The so-called “Patriot” Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the NDAA have already authorized the federal government to conduct domestic surveillance without probable cause or a warrant. Police departments of several major cities anticipate using drones soon.  Is this really the America we want?  See the incredible capabilities of these unmanned aircraft:

Common Sense, Emotion, and Women in Combat

     I believe that  the recent decision by outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta to allow women to serve in front-line combat units is yet another nihilistic assault on the cohesiveness of our society by attempting to obscure a fundamental tenet of reality, i.e., that women and men are already equal before God, yet we have different and complementary designs and roles.  While this combat decision is presented to us on the political/ideological front, such deception about equality having to negate any differences at all between women and men originates in the spiritual realm.
     In a Washington Times commentary today, Lt. General (that's three stars) Jerry Boykin addresses problems with the practical side of the decision, and, without disparaging women or their achievements in the military, he reveals how "mixed-sex" units in ground operations will hurt readiness and morale.  Boykin, unlike Panetta or anyone else in the White House, has combat experience and speaks to the issue from that perspective.  Rather than have me reduce his ideas into a summary, please read the article here: BOYKIN: Common sense, emotion and women in combat - Washington Times

Hypocrisy: New York Style

      "Don't do as I do, do as I say," seems to sum up New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's political philosophy.  The man who single-handedly took over the city schools (see the Dianne Ravitch link on the side), moved into food-control, and now gun-control, keeps himself surrounded by at least six select armed undercover officers.  Watch this Jason Mattera video and see what happens as he tries to question the mayor.  Watch the harassment after the mayor departs, as the officers follow Mattera.

Dr. Barack Strangelove: Learn to Love the Drone

     Apparently some Americans don’t want their kids playing ‘rain down death on the brown children.'  An Amazon page aimed at children featuring a toy model of a Predator Drone has been targeted for protest by Americans who simply do not agree that airborne assassination is the best foreign policy approach.
     The product in question is Maisto’s miniature RQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The model is a scale version of the very same drone that has been used extensively by the military and the CIA in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen.
     The page has become a sounding board for hundreds of comments, serious and sarcastic, that highlight how insane it is to glorify a military weapon that has, according to conservative estimates, been responsible for the deaths of over 3000 innocent civilians in the last decade.
     To see for yourself click here and then click here, too.

Nothing is Real: News from Davos

     Time to check in with the latest news from our would-be global masters at their World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.   Let's start with the bankers, shall we?
     The CEO of J.P. Morgan and Obama's good buddy, Jamie Dimon, tells the people of the world that they don't need to know how banks do business--it's too complicated-- with no word of thanks for the billions of dollars of our bail-out money he took in 2008.  Watch it here, and notice how the news anchor is so quick to defend him!
     Next, Henry Kissinger, who is either a globalist kingpin, renowned war criminal and Rockefeller co-conspirator or a deserving Nobel Peace Prize laureate (for 'ending' a war that he helped plan and that raged on for at least two more years) depending on your perspective, calmly predicts that nuclear war with Iran is just around the corner!  The fact that the Iranians have only recently reached the 20% enrichment-level of plutonium and have never been anywhere near the 90% enrichment-level needed for weapons-grade plutonium is apparently irrelevant to our global masters' plans for them.  Click here to watch and learn what the sage himself says our future holds.

Why Are Americans Less Healthy?

     These statistics were widely reported recently, but the Mercola article re-posted here is an excellent summary:

• Despite spending twice the amount per capita on health care, the United States ranks last in health and mortality analysis of 17 developed nations.
• Americans are near the bottom in nine key areas of health, including low birth weight; injuries and homicides; teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; HIV and AIDS; drug-related deaths; obesity and diabetes; heart disease; chronic lung disease; and general disability. 

     Yet the mass media claims researchers were unable to uncover any single cause or rally point and called instead for more research!
     Considering the fact that human health tends to be primarily affected by a) nutrition, b) exercise, and c) toxic exposures, do they seriously believe that we can improve public health while ignoring these three basic areas?  It should be obvious that diet and exercise are critical factors here. The National Institutes of Health even states that four of the six leading causes of death in the United States are linked to unhealthy diets.
     While failing to pin-point the source(s) of Americans’ failure to thrive, the answers are not hard to deduce: adhering to the government-sponsored health- and dietary guidance has led Americans astray.
The top two crops grown in the U.S. are corn and soy--GMOs.  High fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil are two of the most popular ingredients made from these crops. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has repeatedly been shown to be a driving factor behind being overweight and having poor health outcomes. HFCS is pervasive and in many processed food items some individuals would never expect, including so called diet foods and 'enhanced' water products. Even most infant formulas contain the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola.   
Read the entire article here.

Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops

   How should a regulatory agency announce they have discovered something potentially very important about the safety of products they have been approving for over twenty years?
    In the course of analysis to identify potential allergens in GMO crops, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has belatedly discovered that the most common genetic regulatory sequence in commercial GMOs also encodes a significant fragment of a viral gene (Podevin and du Jardin 2012). This finding has serious ramifications for crop biotechnology and its regulation, but possibly even greater ones for consumers and farmers. This is because there are clear indications that this viral gene (called Gene VI) might not be safe for human consumption. It also may disturb the normal functioning of crops, including their natural pest resistance.
   The researchers themselves concluded that the presence of segments of Gene VI “might result in unintended phenotypic changes”. They reached this conclusion because similar fragments of Gene VI have already been shown to be active on their own (e.g. De Tapia et al. 1993). In other words, the EFSA researchers were unable to rule out a hazard to public health or the environment.
From "Independent Science News": Read the article here.  Highlights above are mine.

Charlotte Gerson on Cancer and Disease

    January 19th is an important date in our family's history, related to a health catastrophe three years ago.  Thanks to this diet, combined with other homeopathic and naturopathic medicines and healers, and by the grace of God, my daughter is healed and healthy today.  I hope you or someone you know may find this message helpful.

Cuomo is a "Catholic governor?"

    Abortions are already killing more blacks in New York City alone than the Klan ever dreamed of...and sensationalizing the false premise that a woman must have unrestricted abortion rights before she can be "equal" to a man?  That's being a Catholic?
     In my RCIA classes, the instructor said that nowadays the Catholic church "proposes" teachings, doctrines, and beliefs and no longer "imposes" them on anyone.  So we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for Cardinal Dolan or any Catholic clergy to say, "Andrew, we love you, and want to see you in church, but until you repent of your positions on abortion and same-sex marriage and go to confession, you may not receive Holy Communion."  Such a statement seems entirely loving and reasonable to me and the least the bishops could do to protect the integrity of the Eucharist.
     Dream on, I guess...
     If you wonder what I'm babbling about, please read this article:Andrew Cuomo's Brave New 'Roe' from the National Catholic Register.
     One bishop finally did speak out against the proposed new legislation: Gov. Cuomo's Promotion of Abortion Excludes God.

Book Recommendation: Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation

     Do you know anyone, as I do, who just doesn't get what the big deal is about GMOs?  This book by F. William Engdahl is foundational reading for them and you, if you haven't already read it.  The book's description from Amazon is accurate, but only scratches the surface:
This skillfully researched book focuses on how a small socio-political American elite seeks to establish its control over the very basis of human survival, the provision of our daily bread. Control the food and you control the people. This is no ordinary book about the perils of GMO. Engdahl takes the reader inside the corridors of power, into the backrooms of the science labs, behind closed doors in the corporate boardrooms. The author reveals a World of profit-driven political intrigue, government corruption and coercion, where genetic manipulation and the patenting of life forms are used to gain worldwide control over food production. The book is an eye-opener, a must-read for all those committed to the causes of social justice and World peace.
   
     Of particular interest to Christians, the book's "Afterword" quotes Pope Benedict XVI from his April 14, 2006, Good Friday address, in which he makes a clear and bold declaration condemning genetic engineering scientists as being "anti-Genesis."  He warns against attempts to "modify the very grammar of life as planned and willed by God" and those who "play at being God."  Incredibly, his comments were buried by the international media.

See more here. 

10 Americans Found with more than 200 Synthetic Chemicals in their Blood

     Why is it news?  The 10 Americans were newborns. Babies are coming into this world pre-polluted with toxic chemicals. The list included flame retardants, lead, stain removers, and pesticides the federal government had banned three decades ago.  And you don't have to live near a Superfund site to see these results.
     More than 80,000 chemicals are in use today, and most have not been independently tested for safety, regulatory officials say.
     Yet we come in contact with many every day - most notably, the bisphenol A in can linings and hard plastics, the flame retardants in couches, the nonstick coatings on cookware, the phthalates in personal care products, and the nonylphenols in detergents, shampoos, and paints.
     Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a national advocacy group, testified to these facts before a Senate subcommittee.
     Read the article here; also read more here.

Effective Treatment for the Flu

     Flu vaccines here in the U.S. often contain a toxic cocktail (CDC additives page) of aluminum, MSG, or even mercury and can therefore impair your immune system, making it more likely that you'll get influenza.  Most people suffering with the flu right now are people who were already "vaccinated" against the flu.
      Fortunately, you can find many homeopathic and naturopathic alternatives to the flu shot for prevention and to ease symptoms if you do contract the flu.   Both prevention and treatment alternatives include:  Vitamin D and Vitamin C supplements, Elderberry extract, and Echinacea.  Look here , here, and here for more detailed information.
      For prevention, remember to get plenty of sleep, wash your hands frequently, and sneeze/cough into your arm and not your hands.  Also, you should be eating a mostly vegetarian diet, high in whole grains, buying as much of your food organically grown as you can, and limiting alcohol.  Stay healthy!

Toxicity confirmed for GMO and Roundup - Seralini press conference

     CRIIGEN welcomes the confirmation of the research of Prof. Seralini's group on the long-term toxicity of Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world, and of a genetically modified (GM) maize which absorbs it without being killed. Both are products of Monsanto Company. 

     This study has become one of the most frequently accessed in the world since it was published in September 2012 (Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50 (2012), 4221-4231). The journal, one of the best toxicological journals, did not retract the study, despite relentless pressure to do so. Now it has published Seralini's group’s detailed answers to critics (Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2013, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512008149). 

      The group has new experimental data on Roundup, which will soon be released.

      Negative criticisms came from around 40 scientists or groups, including agencies responsible for GMO or pesticide authorizations. Most were subsequently revealed to have conflicts of interest, either directly with Monsanto Company, or with other commercial interests, or with bodies that had previously authorized the commercialization of these or similar products.[1]

      Most of the critics are not specialists in the areas of pesticide toxicology or GMO risk assessment and do not publish papers on these topics. CRIIGEN and the research team have received statements of support and positive comments from more than 300 scientists from 33 countries across five continents. In our opinion these scientists are more representative of the scientific community at large.
Read the entire article here.

Sweet Mama Dog Interacting with a Beautiful Child

Maybe you've already seen it, but just in case...

Socialist Politician Says Spanish Bishop Should Be ‘Muzzled’

     His crime?  Daring to critique the philosophy that holds the differences between men and women to be a social construct rather than a biological reality.  The bishop argues that men and women are both different and complementary.  A National Catholic Register article quotes a socialist government official in Andalusia, Spain, Miguel Angel Vazquez, a member of the Socialist Party and spokesman for the Andalusian provincial government, who says that Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba should be silenced for leveling attacks against “real and effective equality between men and women.”
     "Calling the bishop’s defense of marriage and the family 'backwards,' Vazquez said that he would 'rather burn in hell (if it exists) than renounce equality.'"
     Yet Bishop Fernandez stubbornly maintains that, "The future of humanity is in the family, in the family that fulfills God's plan."

Read more here of what the bishop said to provoke socialist ire.

Cardinal Turkson: GM Crops New Form of Slavery

     A Catholic News Service story from Jan. 5, 2011, quotes the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, as saying that genetically modified seeds smack of "the usual game of economic dependence," which in turn, "stands out like a new form of slavery."  Somehow the mainstream media never promoted the article.  In fact, I'm very disappointed that the California Conference of Catholic bishops did not seem to be aware of the Cardinal's statements, as they declined to take a position on Proposition 37 during the last election.
     The cardinal's comments and observations are poignant and well-informed, as the article relates:

There would be no need for such crops if African growers had access to fertile land that was "not destroyed, devastated or poisoned by the stockpiling of toxic waste" and if growers were able to benefit from the fruits of their labors by being allowed to set aside enough seeds for planting the next year and not be forced to continually buy genetically modified seeds from abroad, he said.

Cardinal Turkson shares several more excellent observations in the CNS story.  Please read more here.
 

Biotech's 10 Biggest PR Disasters of 2012

     GM Watch is an independent organization that seeks to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the biotech industry and its supporters.  This site is often under cyber attack and legal threats from multinational corporations.  Fortunately, 2012 was the year the lights came up on the biotech industry! Its claims, its tactics and its products all came under scrutiny and some of its biggest PR fairy tales bit the dust. Here are some prime examples:
1. Fleeing Europe-- "the GM and chemicals giant BASF was pulling its GM division out of Europe because it was facing opposition "from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians."
2. Meltdown in India--turns out even the hand-picked farmers in Monsanto's "Model Village" demanded a ban on Bt cotton.  "The shocked Indian MPs issued a unanimous report saying GM crops were not the right way forward for India," and their Supreme Court recommended a 10 year moratorium on GM crops.
3. Opposition Grows in the U.S.--Proposition 37 lost "but it took all kinds of lies, dirty tricks and a cool $45 million to kill off the initiative, and still 48.6 percent of voters supported it. Worse still for the industry, the controversy it stirred up helped spread GMO awareness nationwide."

Read more here (link works now 1/8/13)

Study Shows College Students More Narcissistic Than Ever

     And their sense of entitlement is skyrocketing.  Something called "The American Freshman Survey" found unprecedented levels of self-infatuation, as well as elevated self-confidence totally unrelated to any actual accomplishments.  The article quotes psychologist Jean Twenge as saying: "What's really become prevalent over the last two decades is the idea that being highly self-confident - loving yourself, believing in yourself - is the key to success," Twenge said. "Now the interesting thing about that belief is it's widely held, it's very deeply held, and it's also untrue."

     Another psychologist states: 'Coming from a good family might lead to both high self-esteem and personal success.' Baumeister said. 'Self-control is much more powerful and well-supported as a cause of personal success. Despite my years invested in research on self-esteem, I reluctantly advise people to forget about it.' 

Read the article here.

Les Misérables - Craft Featurette: Sound Mixing / Editing

Quick Review: "Les Miserables" = The Most Powerful Movie I've Ever Seen!!!

     Jan and I went to see it tonight finally, and we were totally transported!  It's riveting from the start, and everyone is perfectly cast.  I couldn't remember where I was for a few moments after it ended, and people actually applauded at the end, including me. If Hugh Jackman does not win the best actor Oscar, there truly is no justice in the world or at least not in the entertainment industry. Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and everyone else was amazing, too.
     You have to see it on the big screen. If you do not cry in this movie, especially at the last two scenes, I would wonder about the hardness of your "heart."  Excellent!!!

Ancient Byzantian-Russian Liturgy Russian Orthodox

Stumbled upon this video and wanted to share. Peace.

Why Your Doctor is More Dangerous Than Guns

     Some perspective:  medical errors--physician mistakes, "adverse reactions" to FDA-approved drugs, hospital-induced illnesses, unnecessary or botched surgeries, etc.-- cause 800,000 deaths per year.
     Put it this way: the number of deaths caused by the American medical system is the equivalent of six 747 jumbo jets falling out of the sky every day. On average, an American is 62 times more likely to be killed by a doctor than by a firearm.  That's right: we have a 6,200% greater chance of being killed by the medical system than by a maniac with a gun.
 (source)