Church of the Breathtaking Profanity

Article SOURCE Pope washes, kisses feet of refugees Updated: 6:24 pm, Friday, 25 March 2016 Pope Francis has washed and kissed the feet of refugees, including three Muslim men, and condemned arms makers as partly responsible for the attacks that killed at least 31 people in Brussels. He made his comments at a traditional pre-Easter ritual where he washes and kisses the feet of 12 people, 11 of whom were refugees this year, to commemorate Jesus' gesture of humility towards his apostles on the night before he died. 'All of us together, Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Copts, Evangelicals, but brothers, children of the same God, who want to live in peace, integrated,' he said in unscripted comments at a shelter north of Rome that houses refugees seeking political asylum. 'Three days ago, there was a gesture of war, of destruction, in a city of Europe by people who don't want to live in peace,' he said. 'Behind that gesture there were arms manufacturers, arms traffickers, who want blood, not peace, who want war, not brotherhood,' he said. Before Francis became pope, the ceremony was held in St. Peter's or another Rome basilica and only included Catholic men, usually priests. But after his election in 2013, he continued the tradition he started as archbishop of Buenos Aires, allowing women and non-Catholics to participate. Reuters http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/europe/2016/03/25/pope-condemns-arms-traffickers.html Discrepancy: It's not 2016, it's:   5776 It's not 'Jesus', it's:  rabbi Yahushua It's not 'St Peter's':  Shim'on bar Yona's https://consortiumnews.com/2013/03/16/pope-francis-the-cia-and-death-squads/ Pope Francis, CIA and ‘Death Squads’ March 16, 2013 Exclusive: In the 1970s, Father Jorge Bergoglio faced a moment of truth: Would he stand up to Argentina’s military neo-Nazis “disappearing” thousands including priests, or keep his mouth shut and his career on track? Like many other Church leaders, Pope Francis took the safe route, Robert Parry reports. By Robert Parry The election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis brings back into focus the troubling role of the Catholic hierarchy in blessing much of the brutal repression that swept Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s, killing and torturing tens of thousands of people including priests and nuns accused of sympathizing with leftists. The Vatican’s fiercely defensive reaction to the reemergence of these questions as they relate to the new Pope also is reminiscent of the pattern of deceptive denials that became another hallmark of that era when propaganda was viewed as an integral part of the “anticommunist” struggles, which were often supported financially and militarily by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Pope John Paul II reprimanding Father Ernesto Cardenal at Managua Airport for Cardenal’s support of “liberation theology” and his work with the Sandinista government. It appears that Bergoglio, who was head of the Jesuit order in Buenos Aires during Argentina’s grim “dirty war,” mostly tended to his bureaucratic rise within the Church as Argentine security forces “disappeared” some 30,000 people for torture and murder from 1976 to 1983, including 150 Catholic priests suspected of believing in “liberation theology.” Much as Pope Pius XII didn’t directly challenge the Nazis during the Holocaust, Father Bergoglio avoided any direct confrontation with the neo-Nazis who were terrorizing Argentina. Pope Francis’s defenders today, like apologists for Pope Pius, claim he did intervene quietly to save some individuals. But no one asserts that Bergoglio stood up publicly against the “anticommunist” terror, as some other Church leaders did in Latin America, most notably El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero who then became a victim of right-wing assassins in 1980. Indeed, the predominant role of the Church hierarchy from the Vatican to the bishops in the individual countries was to give political cover to the slaughter and to offer little protection to the priests and nuns who advocated “liberation theology,” i.e. the belief that Jesus did not just favor charity to the poor but wanted a just society that shared wealth and power with the poor. In Latin America with its calcified class structure of a few oligarchs at one end and many peasants at the other, that meant reforms, such as land redistribution, literacy programs, health clinics, union rights, etc. But those changes were fiercely opposed by the local oligarchs and the multinational corporations that profited from the cheap labor and inequitable land distribution. So, any reformers of any stripe were readily labeled “communists” and were made the targets of vicious security forces, often trained and indoctrinated by “anticommunist” military officers at the U.S.-run School of the Americas. The primary role of the Catholic hierarchy was to urge the people to stay calm and support the traditional system. It is noteworthy that the orchestrated praise for Pope Francis in the U.S. news media has been to hail Bergoglio’s supposedly “humble” personality and his “commitment to the poor.” However, Bergoglio’s approach fits with the Church’s attitude for centuries, to give “charity” to the poor while doing little to change their cruel circumstances as Church grandees hobnob with the rich and powerful. Another Pope Favorite Pope John Paul II, another favorite of the U.S. news media, shared this classic outlook. He emphasized conservative social issues, telling the faithful to forgo contraceptives, treating women as second-class Catholics and condemning homosexuality. He promoted charity for the poor and sometimes criticized excesses of capitalism, but he disdained leftist governments that sought serious economic reforms. Elected in 1978, as right-wing “death squads” were gaining momentum across Latin America, John Paul II offered little protection to left-leaning priests and nuns who were targeted. He rebuffed Archbishop Romero’s plea to condemn El Salvador’s right-wing regime and its human rights violations. He stood by as priests were butchered and nuns were raped and killed. Instead of leading the charge for real economic and political change in Latin America, John Paul II denounced “liberation theology.” During a 1983 trip to Nicaragua then ruled by the leftist Sandinistas the Pope condemned what he called the “popular Church” and would not let Ernesto Cardenal, a priest and a minister in the Sandinista government, kiss the papal ring. He also elevated clerics like Bergoglio who didn’t protest right-wing repression. John Paul II appears to have gone even further, allowing the Catholic Church in Nicaragua to be used by the CIA and Ronald Reagan’s administration to finance and organize internal disruptions while the violent Nicaraguan Contras terrorized northern Nicaraguan towns with raids notorious for rape, torture and extrajudicial executions. The Contras were originally organized by an Argentine intelligence unit that emerged from the country’s domestic “dirty war” and was taking its “anticommunist” crusade of terror across borders. After Reagan took office in 1981, he authorized the CIA to join with Argentine intelligence in expanding the Contras and their counterrevolutionary war. A key part of Reagan’s Contra strategy was to persuade the American people and Congress that the Sandinistas represented a repressive communist dictatorship that persecuted the Catholic Church, aimed to create a “totalitarian dungeon,” and thus deserved violent overthrow. A special office inside the National Security Council, headed by longtime CIA disinformation specialist Walter Raymond Jr., pushed these propaganda “themes” domestically. Raymond’s campaign exploited examples of tensions between the Catholic hierarchy and the Sandinista government as well as with La Prensa, the leading opposition newspaper. To make the propaganda work with Americans, it was important to conceal the fact that elements of the Catholic hierarchy and La Prensa were being financed by the CIA and were coordinating with the Reagan administration’s destabilization strategies. [See Robert Parry’s Lost History.] Evidence of Payments In 1988, I discovered evidence of this reality while working as a correspondent for Newsweek magazine. At the time, the Iran-Contra scandal had undermined the case for spending more U.S. money to arm the Contras. But the Reagan administration continued to beat the propaganda drums by highlighting the supposed persecution of Nicaragua’s internal opposition. To fend off U.S. hostility, which also included a harsh economic embargo, the Sandinistas announced increased political freedoms. But that represented only a new opportunity for Washington to orchestrate more political disruptions, which would either destabilize the government further or force a crackdown that could then be cited in seeking more Contra aid. Putting the Sandinistas in this “inside-outside” vise had always been part of the CIA strategy, but with a crumbling economy and more U.S. money pouring into the opposition groups, the gambit was beginning to work. Yet, it was crucial to the plan that the CIA’s covert relationship with Nicaragua’s internal opposition remain secret, not so much from the Sandinistas, who had detailed intelligence about this thoroughly penetrated operation, but from the American people. The U.S. public would get outraged at Sandinista reprisals against these “independent” groups only if the CIA’s hand were kept hidden. A rich opportunity for the Reagan administration presented itself in summer 1988 when a new spasm of Contra ambushes killed 17 Nicaraguans and the anti-Sandinista internal opposition staged a violent demonstration in the town of Nandaime, a protest that Sandinista police dispersed with tear gas. Reacting to the renewed violence, the Sandinistas closed down La Prensa and the Catholic Church’s radio station both prime vehicles for anti-Sandinista propaganda. The Nicaraguan government also expelled U.S. Ambassador Richard Melton and seven other U.S. Embassy personnel for allegedly coordinating the disorders. Major U.S. news outlets, which had accepted their role treating the Sandinistas as “designated enemies” of the United States, roared in outrage, and the U.S. Congress condemned the moves by a margin of 94-4 in the Senate and 385-18 in the House. Melton then testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee first in secret and then in public, struggling to hide the open secret in Washington that Nicaragua’s internal opposition, like the Contras, was getting covert help from the U.S. government. When asked by a senator in public session about covert American funding to the opposition, Melton dissembled awkwardly: “As to other activities that might be conducted, that’s they were discussed that would be discussed yesterday in the closed hearing.” When pressed by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum on whether the embassy provided “encouragement financial or otherwise of dissident elements,” Melton responded stiffly: “The ambassador in any post is the principal representative of the U.S. government. And in that capacity, fulfills those functions.” He then declined to discuss “activities of an intelligence nature” in open session. On the Payroll In other words, yes, the U.S. government was covertly organizing and funding the activities of the supposedly “independent” internal opposition in Nicaragua. And, according to more than a dozen sources that I interviewed inside the Contra movement or close to U.S. intelligence, the Reagan administration had funneled CIA money to virtually every segment of the internal opposition, from the Catholic Church to La Prensa to business and labor groups to political parties. “We’ve always had the internal opposition on the CIA payroll,” one U.S. government official said. The CIA’s budget line for Nicaraguan political action separate from Contra military operations was about $10 million a year, my sources said. I learned that the CIA had been using the Church and Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo to funnel money into Nicaragua. Obando was a plodding but somewhat complex character. In the 1970s, he had criticized the repression of the Somoza dictatorship and expressed some sympathy for the young Sandinista revolutionaries who were trying to bring social and economic changes to Nicaragua. However, after the murder of El Salvador’s Archbishop Romero in 1980 and Pope John Paul II’s repudiation of “liberation theology,” Obando shifted clumsily into the anti-Sandinista camp, attacking the “people’s church” and accusing the Sandinistas of “godless communism.” On May 25, 1985, he was rewarded when the Pope named him Cardinal for Central America. Then, despite mounting evidence of Contra atrocities, Obando traveled to the United States in January 1986 and threw his support behind a renewal of military aid to the Contras. All this made a lot more sense after factoring in that Obando had essentially been put onto the CIA’s payroll. The CIA funding for Nicaragua’s Catholic Church was originally unearthed in 1985 by the congressional intelligence oversight committees, which then insisted that the money be cut off to avoid compromising Obando further. But the funding was simply transferred to another secret operation headed by White House aide Oliver North. In fall 1985, North earmarked $100,000 of his privately raised money to go to Obando for his anti-Sandinista activities, I learned from my sources. I was also told that the CIA’s support for Obando and the Catholic hierarchy went through a maze of cut-outs in Europe, apparently to give Obando deniability. But one well-placed Nicaraguan exile said he had spoken with Obando about the money and the Cardinal had expressed fear that his past receipt of CIA funding would come out. What to Do? Discovering this CIA funding of Nicaragua’s Catholic Church presented professional problems for me at Newsweek, where my senior editors were already making clear that they sympathized with the Reagan administration’s muscular foreign policy and felt that the Iran-Contra scandal had gone too far in undermining U.S. interests. But what was the right thing for an American journalist to do with this information? Here was a case in which the U.S. government was misleading the American public by pretending that the Sandinistas were cracking down on the Catholic Church and the internal opposition without any justification. Plus, this U.S. propaganda was being used to make the case in Congress for an expanded war in which thousands of Nicaraguans were dying. However, if Newsweek ran the story, it would put CIA assets, including Cardinal Obando, in a dicey situation, possibly even life-threatening. So, when I presented the information to my bureau chief, Evan Thomas, I made no recommendation on whether we should publish or not. I just laid out the facts as I had ascertained them. To my surprise, Thomas was eager to go forward. Newsweek contacted its Central America correspondent Joseph Contreras, who outlined our questions to Obando’s aides and prepared a list of questions to present to the Cardinal personally. However, when Contreras went to Obando’s home in a posh suburb of Managua, the Cardinal literally evaded the issue. As Contreras later recounted in a cable back to Newsweek in the United States, he was approaching the front gate when it suddenly swung open and the Cardinal, sitting in the front seat of his burgundy Toyota Land Cruiser, blew past. As Contreras made eye contact and waved the letter, Obando’s driver gunned the engine. Contreras jumped into his car and hastily followed. Contreras guessed correctly that Obando had turned left at one intersection and headed north toward Managua. Contreras caught up to the Cardinal’s vehicle at the first stop-light. The driver apparently spotted the reporter and, when the light changed, sped away, veering from lane to lane. The Land Cruiser again disappeared from view, but at the next intersection, Contreras turned right and spotted the car pulled over, with its occupants presumably hoping that Contreras had turned left. Quickly, the Cardinal’s vehicle pulled onto the road and now sped back toward Obando’s house. Contreras gave up the chase, fearing that any further pursuit might appear to be harassment. Several days later, having regained his composure, the Cardinal finally met with Contreras and denied receiving any CIA money. But Contreras told me that Obando’s denial was unconvincing. Newsweek drafted a version of the story, making it appear as if we weren’t sure of the facts about Obando and the money. When I saw a “readback” of the article, I went into Thomas’s office and said that if Newsweek didn’t trust my reporting, we shouldn’t run the story at all. He said that wasn’t the case; it was just that the senior editors felt more comfortable with a vaguely worded story. Hot Water We ended up in hot water with the Reagan administration and right-wing media attack groups anyway. Accuracy in Media lambasted me, in particular, for going with such a sensitive story without being sure of the facts (which, of course, I was). Thomas was summoned to the State Department where Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams heaped more criticism on me though not denying the facts of our story. Newsweek also agreed, in the face of right-wing pressure, to subject me and the article to an internal investigation, which quietly reconfirmed the facts of the story. Despite this corroboration, the incident damaged my relations with senior Newsweek editors, particularly executive editor Maynard Parker who saw himself as part of the New York/Washington foreign policy establishment and was deeply hostile to the Iran-Contra scandal, which I had helped expose. As for Obando, the Sandinistas did nothing to punish him for his collaboration with the CIA and he gradually evolved more into a figure of reconciliation than confrontation. However, the hyper-secretive Vatican has refused to open its archives for any serious research into its relationship with the CIA and other Western intelligence services. Whenever allegations do arise about the Catholic Church’s hierarchy winking and nodding at the kinds of human rights atrocities that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s, the Vatican PR department lashes out with sternly worded denials. That practice is playing out again in the days after the election of Pope Francis I. Rather than a serious and reflective assessment of the actions (and inactions) of Cardinal Bergoglio, Cardinal Obando, Pope John Paul II and other Church leaders during those dark days of torture and murder, the Vatican simply denounces all allegations as “slander,” “calumny” and politically motivated lies. [For a limited time, you can purchase Robert Parry’s trilogy on the Bush family for only $34. For details, click here.] Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his new book, America’s Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com). https://consortiumnews.com/2013/03/16/pope-francis-the-cia-and-death-squads/ ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT What a repulsive, grovelling, corrupt, fraud of a religion erected on fraud upon fraud, and an organisation that would do anything to subvert truth and to subvert the interests of European man. What kind of messed up religion is this? Oh, he's emulating historic foot fetishism rituals?     No, he's acting out a theatrical propaganda politico-religious drama, intent on leading followers over a cliff while furthering the interests of the Americans and American-aligned elites, who also do not care that Europe is being destroyed. The universalist 'brotherhood' propaganda is aiming to appeal to a wide customer base, on the one hand, and acting to exploit gullible masses, on the other. This guy's a shameless, theatrical manipulator of politics, heading up a sham, theatrical, redundant and wholly unrepresentative, illegitimate organisation that has a long history of corruption and CIA collaboration. The shameless propagandist head of a religion that was forced upon European man fails to condemn the perpetrators of the violence that killed 31 individuals  in Europe.   Instead, he performs as apologist for the killers, while he kisses the feet of the invaders of Europe.   Can you imagine a Chief Rabbi spiritual leader failing to condemn the murder of Israelites, while kissing the feet of the invaders of Israel? What I see is the betrayal of the people that were murdered, as well as betrayal of all Europeans, by a fraudulent organisation that continues to lead the European flock over a cliff.  Europeans must look to their ancestors and to history that precedes the ascendancy of this church of false doctrine and of breathtaking profanity. -------/\/\/ Thoughts on religion:     man was not created in the image of god         god was created in the image of a tribal man         there are many tribes and many gods: as a collective unifying tribal tradition & path Christianity is an expression of:  universal, borderless, masochistic, submissive, and false 'brotherhood'         the 'Christian' church is a painted, hollow vessel         It cannot lead European man -------/\/\/ 'saint' Peter -- was actually:  Shim'on bar Yona [Hebrew] -- aka:  Shemayon Keppa [Syriac / Aramaic ] -- aka:  Petros [Greek] -- aka:  Petrus [Latin] -- aka:  Simon Peter or Simeon or Simon  ['New Testament'] -- one of 12 apostles of the Galilean Jewish rabbi & tekton (carpenter, builder), Yahushua -- note:  there is no 'J' sound in Hebrew -- it is not Joshua; it is Yoshua or Yahushua -- Greek transliteration:  ihsoun or 'Iesous', becoming:  'Jesus' -- Yahushua (aka later as 'Jesus'), founder of a renewal movement within Judaism & apocalyptic preacher -- considered the 'messiah' by the followers of this renewed Judaism -- Yahushua was baptised by 'John the Baptist', the preacher of penance for sins & alms to the poor -- baptised in region of River Jordan, around Perea -- 'John' is identified with Elijah, the prophet -- prophet is intermediary between divine and man - ie speaking to man, god's will -- on baptism, the 'holy spirit' descends on Yahushua as a dove -- Yahushua hears a voice from heaven -- declaring him to be 'god's son' -- prophet Elijah is arrested -- it is then that Yahushua takes up the preaching relay baton -- crucified & according to converts to this renewed ideology, was resurrected following death Eliyahu Elijah (ie Heb.  'Eliyahu') -- Hebrew:  Eliyahu (meaning 'My god is Yahu') -- aka:     -- Elias [Greek]     -- Elyae [Syriac]     -- Illya, Illyas [Arabic] -- Eliyahu described as a prophet  & wonder work of northern kingdom of Israel -- Kingdom of Israel once united under:  King Solomon -- divided into:     -- northern Kingdom of Israel     -- southern Kingdom of Judah -- southern Kingdom of Juda     -- retained the historic seat of government     -- was the focus of the Israelite religion     -- was the site of the Temple in Jerusalem        -- problems arose when King of Israel -- Omri     -- continued policies dating from Jeroboam     -- that were contrary to the laws of Moses     -- laws intending to redirect religious focus away from Jerusalem     -- laws encouraging building of local temple altars for sacrifice     -- laws appointing priests from outside the family of the Levites     -- laws encouraging temples dedicated to the Canaanite god, Baal     -- Omri secures domestic security via marriage alliance     -- son, Ahab m. princess Jezebel (Priestess of Baal)     -- & daughter of king of Sidon (in Phoenicia) - in the Levant, Lebanon     -- result  security & economic prosperity for Israel     -- but brought conflict with Israelite prophet strict interpreters of Mosaic law     -- under Ahab, tensions grew     -- Ahab built temple for Baal & his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, priestess of Baal     -- brought large entourage of priests & prophets of Baal & Asherah into Israel     -- it is in this context that Eliyahu is introduced as "the Tishbrite"     -- Eliyahu wore a hairy coat with a leather belt     -- tishbrite interpreted as 'stranger' - thus stranger in Gilead     -- likely denotes birthplace in Tishbe, upper Galilee (Book of Tobit)     -- identified by some as in:  el-Ishtib, 22 miles south of Sea of Galilee     -- among mountains of Gilead    -- in reign of Ahab (9th Century BC) -- biblical book:  Book of Kings -- Eliyahu defended worship of Yahweh over Canaanite god Baal -- god performed many micracles through Eliyahu -- miracles incl. raising the dead & brining fire from the sky -- taken up to heaven by a whirlwind -- Eliyahu's return prophesied 'before coming of great & terrible day of the lord' -- Eliyahu is harbinger of the anticipated arrival of the 'messiah' -- Eliyahu references in:  Talmud, Mishnah and the new religions, incl. christianity -- in Judaism, Eliyahu's name is invoked at Havdalah ritual -- Havdalah ritual marks end of shabbat -- Eliyahu is invoked in other Jewish customs:  passover seder & brit milah (circumcision) -- many references, incl:     -- Haggadah     -- rabbinic literature     -- incl. Babylonian Talmud -- Eliyahu is a figure in misc. christian folk traditions -- Eliyahu is often identified with pagan thunder gods or sky gods -- in other traditions, Eliyahu seen as righteous preacher against worship of Baal -- Baal -- Canaanite god of fire, thunder, lightning & dew -- Eliyahu, challenges not only Baal (on behalf of own god, Yahweh) -- Eliyahu also challenges Jezebel, her priests, Ahab & people of Israel -- ie.  the northern kingdom of what was once a united Judaea -- after confrontation with Ahab (the king of northern kingdom, Israel) -- god tells Eliyahu to flee to brook (Chorath) east of Jordan -- Eliyahu will be fed by the ravens -- brook dries up -- god sends Eliyahu to widow living in Zarephatho, Phoenicia -- poor, insuffient food -- Eliyahu tells her god will not allow flour or oil to run out -- feeds Eliyahu last of food & promise miraculously fulfilled -- lesson:  something like the righteous receive -- receive god's favour while the god's unfaithful in the promised land are denied -- widow's son dies -- Eliyahu prays for restoration of dead son -- god heard voice of Eliyahu & ressurects widow's son -- first instance of raising of the dead recorded in Hebrew scripture -- son was only hope for widow in ancient society -- widow proclaims:  "the world of the lord from your mouth is the truth" -- affirm the god of the Israelites -- which they themselves failed to do (ie strayed from traditional path) -- after over 3 years of draught & famine -- god sends Eliyahu back to Ahab (northern kingdom of Israel) -- to announce the end of the drought -- meets Obidiah on the way -- Obidiah head of Ahab household -- Obidiah hid 100 prophets of God of Israel (probably Levite priests?) -- when Ahab & Jezebel were killing them -- Eliyahu sends obidiah back to Ahab to announce Eliyahu return to Israel -- Ahab refers to Eliyahu as the 'troubler of Israel' -- Eliyahu tells Ahab that he's projecting -- Ahab has troubled Israel by permitting worship of false gods -- Eliyahu berates the Israelites and Ahab for submitting to worship of Baal 1.  If the lord is god, follow him. 2.  If Baal [is god], then follow him. -- met with silence -- Eliyahu proposes a direct test of powers of Baal & Yahweh     -- Israelites     -- 450 prophets of Baal     -- 4000 prophets of Asherah -- are summoned to Mount Carmel -- two altars built (one for Baal & one for Yahweh) -- wood laid on altars -- two oxen slaughtered & cut into pieces -- pieces laid on altars -- Eliyahu invites priests of Baal to pray for fire to light sacrifice -- pray from morning to night without lighting fire -- Eliyahu ridicules their impotent prayers -- priests of Baal respond by cutting themselves & adding their blood to sacrifice -- mutilation of body strictly forbidden by Mosaic law -- Phoenician priests continue praying to Baal - no success -- Eliyahu orders drenching of altar of Yahweh with 4 large jars poured 3 times -- asks god to accept this sacrifice & fire falls from sky -- fire consumes water, sacrifice & stones of altar itself -- Eliyahu orders the death of the prophets of Baal -- Eliyahu prays in earnest for rain to fall on land of Israel -- rains begin; end of famine -- Jezebel enraged re Eliyahu killing of priests -- threatens to kill Eliyahu -- Eliyahu prophesied re Jezebel's death -- Eliyahu flees to Beersheba, in Judah -- pryas for death in wilderness under Retamine shrub -- falls asleep under tree -- angel of god touches him and tells him to wake up and eat -- awakens to bread & jar of water -- eats, drinks & goes to sleep -- repeat with angel - told he has a long journey -- Eliyahu travels 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb where Moses received Ten Commandments -- Eliyahu is only person to have returned to Horeb (in bible) -- Moses and his people had left centuries before -- seeks shelter in cave in Horeb Cave of Eliyahu - Mount Carmel Moses tried to defend the Israelites when they sinned -- with a golden calf - Eliyahu, instead, complains -- in shelter in cave in Horeb, Eliyahu complains bitterly -- Eliyahu says he is the only remaining adhert -- told by tod to stand outside cave before the lord -- wind passes; but god is not in the wind -- fire passes Mount Horeb; but god is not in the fire -- still small voice comes to Eliyahu -- asks why Eliyahu is there -- Eliyahu did not understand the importance of what he had witnessed -- this was devine revelation -- god sends Eliyahu out again:  to Damascus to anoint:     -- Hazael as king of Syria     -- Jehu as king of Israel     -- Elisha as his replacement (prophet) -- Eliyahu encounters Ahab -- Ahab has vineyard acquired by murder -- sights set on vineyard of Naboth of Zezreel -- Naboth won't sell land:  god has told him not to -- Ahab sullenly accepts -- Jezebel plots acquisition by other means -- Jezebel arranges feast via local intermediaries -- at feast Naboth falsely accused of cursing god & Ahab -- plot results in Naboth's stoning to death -- Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession of vineyard -- god tells Eliyahu to confront Ahab with question + prophesy: Q:  Have you killed & also taken possession? Prophesy:  "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick up your own blood." [Kings 21:19] -- Ahab is confronted by Eliyahu -- Ahab, in turn, accuses Eliyahu of making enemy of god for own actions -- Eliyahu goes beyond prophesy given by god -- tells Ahab the kingdom of Israel (the people) shall reject his authority -- Eliyahu tells Ahab that Jezebel will be eaten by dogs within Jezreel -- Eliyahu tells Ahab that his family will be consumed by dogs as well -- if they die in the city of Jezreel -- Eliyahu tells Ahab that they will be consumed by birds if they die in the kingdom of Israel -- Ahab repents that god relents in punishing him -- but god will punish Jezebel & their son Ahaziah Ahaziah receives message via interception of message from priests of Baalzebub in Ekron -- by description:   hairy coat with a leather belt -- Ahaziah knows this is message from Eliyahu the Tishbite -- Ahaziah sends 3 groups of soldiers to arrest Eliyahu -- two groups destroyed by fire brought down from heaven by Eliyahu's calls -- 3rd group leader asks for mercy -- Eliyahu accompanies 3rd group to Ahazia & gives his prophesy in person [comment:  story continues, but my brain has seized ... cannot take any more] Eliyahu -- Jewish legends re Eliyahu many in aggadah aggadah -- non-legalistic classical rabbinic literature of Judaism -- recorded in Talmud & Midrash -- incorporates folklore, historical stories, moral lessons, practical advice in various spheres -- business to medicine -- aggadah = part of oral law (Judaism) -- oral law is the interpretation of the written law (commandments) -- aggadah is medium for transmission of fundamental teachings re verses in Tanakh -- some kind of 'hidden' /abstract symbolic truths dimension in aggadah -- where literal interpretation contradicts rationality -- rabbis play both sides:  rationality & symbolic explanations / interpretations -- Ramchal (rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato) had a two-tier literal-allegorical mode of transmission -- he says oral law = two components:     -- legal (discussing mitzvot & halakha)     -- the secret (symbolic) - deeper meanings / teachings     -- aggadah (with the kabbalah) falls under the 'secret' / symbolic oral law component     *transmission based on consistent rules & principles        OMG!  IT'S THE WORLD'S FIRST ENCRYPTION        -- those equipped with 'keys' could unlock meaning     -- of that which to others appears non-rational or fantastic        -- that which is not a commandment (is not halachic)     -- aggadah is any comment occurring in Talmud that is not commandment / halacic (law)     -- see Maimonides preface Tractate Sanhedrin (Perek Chelek) for 3 methods     -- re interpretation of aggadah         1.  literal         2.  literal intent assumption         3.  profound truths intent - teachings on 2 levesls:             -- overt             -- hidden                        *assertions intended as parables             -- rest is lost on me                    Maimonides approach held widely among mystical streams of Judaism         -- none of the fantastic stories are absent of profound meaning                 Aggadah is today recorded in:                       -- the Midrash - 2 distinct collections                  - comprised of aggadic & halakhic                  1. Aggadic Midrashim (explanatory, sermonic, from biblical text)                  2. Halakhic Mdrashim (laws from text)              -- the Talmud                      Torah              -- commentaries              -- Targumim          text interpreted in light of Aggardic statements                   In Talmud, aggadic & halakhic material interwoven          -- legal material is 90%          -- Talmudic aggadah convey deeper teachings          -- aggadic material in Babylonian Talmud presented separately ...                   1515 - Saloniki Greece - first publishes:          -- compilation of aggadic material in Babylonian Talmud              (plus commentary)          -- by Jacob ibn Habib (finished by son Rabbi Levi ibn Habib)          -- could be studied with same degree of seriousness as Talmud                 -- Jerusalem Talmud pre-dates the Babylonian Talmud                   Sefer Ha-Aggadah - published 1908 - 1911, Odessa, Russia          -- 'sefer' means book & sofer is scribe & safrut is literature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah http://www.eliyah.com/nameson.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tishbite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggadah

The Kitchen

The Kitchen Chicken & Veg Korma (Improvised) Click to Enlarge ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT No fun today.   Kitchen hell. Headache.  Probably result of bad hours again.  Was tired but then I forgot and went to sleep at some insane hour.  Waiting for headache tablets to kick in. Tired, unmotivated (it would be the insane hours).  Was told I was lazy.  Well, maybe I am.  I don't know.  I just didn't feel like cooking.  And it's not like making do would have harmed me.  I'm more in need of boot camp than fattening curry. But ... I was asked to cook and I felt guilty not wanting to, so I launched into the "Do something with the chicken" suggestion. Chicken Korma wasn't a smart pick, as prep is a bit involved.  But I pushed past my reluctance and got things started ... only to find a single chicken fillet in the refrigerator. WTF?  What am I supposed to do with that? "Who the #$@! buys a single chicken fillet? What's wrong with you?," was my pissed off response. "Who the #$@! doesn't look in the frige?," was what I got back. Well, ... I do have a consistent record of not really looking in the refrigerator. With a big job toasting nuts, caramelising onions, pulling out food processor & grinding etc, I wasn't going to do all this work for a single chicken fillet. But I'd started already, so I had to improvise. The above contains fried potato slices & carrot slices, as well as broccoli.  Otherwise it is a normal korma ... almost. One disaster after another.  Usually, I'm quick and can monitor something cooking on the stove-top, while I prep the next stage.  But I must have been too slow this time.  Burnt the potato and carrot slices -- badly.  Tipped out what was not stuck to bottom of pot.  Filled the pot, containing charred remains, with cold water. Disaster struck:  proceeded to tip a large pot of water all over myself, the kitchen cupboards and the kitchen floor. One false move wearing killer-slippery plastic (sorta) 'Crocs', and it could have been ugly. Seasoning the pan I had to swap to, I forget the pan was mega-hot ... and I put my fingers on the base, intending to steady the pan that I was moving.  Ouch! Reflexes must be really quick, because the burn isn't bad.  It's sore, but it's passing and there's no finger tip damage (I think). Next f*ck-up was putting in cumin powered instead of coriander. Just as I don't look in the refrigerator, apparently I don't always read jar labels. Was ready to throw in the towel ... or throw the pan across the room, more like it.  But I persevered, hoping my mistakes would go unnoticed.  Taste test indicates I just might get away with it.  :) Made the mistake of cooking down the liquid without tasting first, thinking dish ought to be done.  Yes, it ought to be ... but it wasn't because the potato slices were still hard (despite pre-frying that involved burning what was on the base!).  Remedy:  more water and more cooking time.  But that means broccoli that has just about fallen apart.  Can't be helped.  Dislike hard bits of potato more than I dislike mushy broccoli. Cooking longer didn't help:  now there's hard potato & mushy broccoli.  It's granite slices.  But it will have to do. If I ever throw potato in anything like this again, it will probably be microwaved in advance.  Thought about it, but opted for the pre-fry, thinking it would make a difference.  Nope.  Not effective.  Not in this case.  Messed it up. Taste was OK, but it's not something I'd do again.  It only turned out like this because it was too late to make a special trip to the supermarket for more chicken (likely closed early for holidays). Think my initial pissed-off chicken fillet outburst was justified:   while the food is edible, it's meh. It's not what I intended.   Having mushy broccoli and other bits that don't belong messes up the anticipated 'uniform korma' experience:  the nice texture isn't there, nor is the intensity and the visual appeal. Cooking without being in the frame of mind to cook is a sh*tty experience.  But it has its up side:  the food is average and uninviting.  I'm also in such a bad mood that I'm unlikely to overindulge. *Hybrid Korma was acceptable, but the hard potato didn't go unnoticed.  LOL *Frozen meals set aside. *Depression marks on fingers from burns I don't feel after that initial sting -- how weird.

Former MI6 Boss Backs Brexit - Ease of Deportation & Border Control

Article SOURCE Former MI6 Boss Backs Brexit - Ease of Deportation & Border Control Daily Mail Quitting EU would make Britain SAFER, says former MI6 chief: Sir Richard Dearlove suggests Brexit would make it easier to deport terrorists and control our borders By James Slack and Tamara Cohen for the Daily Mail Published: 10:53 EST, 24 March 2016 | Updated: 12:38 EST, 24 March 2016     Former head of MI6 demolished the security case for staying in the EU     Sir Richard Dearlove said Brexit would make it easier to deport terrorists     Added British intelligence services 'give much more' than they get in return     Washington was a more important counter-terror ally than the EU, he said By James Slack and Tamara Cohen for the Daily Mail Published: 10:53 EST, 24 March 2016 | Updated: 12:38 EST, 24 March 2016 The former head of MI6 yesterday demolished the security case for staying in the EU – saying Britain could be safer out. Sir Richard Dearlove said Brexit would make it easier to deport terrorists and control our borders. He added that Europe could not turn its back on Britain if it left the EU because our intelligence services 'give much more' than they get in return. In any event, Washington was a more important counter-terror ally, he said. The former spy chief also dismissed suggestions that Brexit would harm our relationship with the US and likened the EU's various intelligence bodies to the 'leakiest ships of state' and colanders riddled with holes. David Cameron and other senior ministers have relied heavily on claims that Britain is more secure inside the Brussels club because of measures like the European arrest warrant. But, in a devastating intervention, Sir Richard said: 'Few would notice its passing.' His assessment was backed by a government minister and London Mayor Boris Johnson – who warned EU judges were making it harder to throw out fanatics. Sir Richard, who was chief of the Secret Intelligence Service from 1999 to 2004, wrote in the current affairs magazine Prospect: 'Whether one is an enthusiastic European or not, the truth about Brexit from a national security perspective is that the cost to Britain would be low. 'Brexit would bring two potentially important security gains: the ability to dump the European Convention on Human Rights – remember the difficulty of extraditing the extremist Abu Hamza of the Finsbury Park Mosque – and, more importantly, greater control over immigration from the European Union.' He adds: 'Britain is Europe's leader in intelligence and security matters and gives much more than it gets in return. 'It is difficult to imagine any of the other EU members ending the relationships they already enjoy with the UK.' He says liaison between allies is partly driven by 'moral considerations' – so that if Germany learns of a terrorist plot against London, it would not withhold the intelligence from MI5 simply because the UK is not in the EU. Sir Richard concludes: 'Would Brexit damage our defence and intelligence relationship with the United States, which outweighs anything European by many factors of 10? I conclude confidently that no, it would not. 'There would be disapproval of Brexit in Washington, and some disappointment too, but the practical consideration of living in a dangerous world and depending on true friends would win out. In short, Europe would be the potential losers in national security. But if Brexit happened, the UK would almost certainly show the magnanimity not to make its European partners pay the cost.' Theresa May yesterday said EU membership – and access to its intelligence – was 'of benefit' in thwarting terror plots. The Home Secretary told MPs: 'I think there are a number of mechanisms that we are part of within the EU that do enhance our security.' But Boris Johnson and farming minister George Eustice both warned that EU membership was harming national security. The London Mayor told MPs: 'I've seen various people quoted as saying that remaining in the EU is essential for security. 'I think it's important to put a countervailing point which is that there are some ways now that the European Court of Justice is militating against our ability to control our borders in the way we want to and indeed to maintain proper surveillance. 'If you look at the case of Abu Hamza's niece, who tried to smuggle SIM cards to him in prison, we couldn't deport her not because of the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights but because of the European Court in Luxembourg, which is now able to adjudicate on the entire corpus of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.' Mr Eustice said the Schengen zone of passport-free travel on the continent meant terrorists could move more freely within the EU.' Yesterday Belgium's ambassador to the UK, Guy Trouveroy, also conceded that free movement increased the risk of terrorist attacks. He said: 'There is no hiding... It is an issue.' But No.10 pointed to comments by David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terror laws, and former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, who both insisted Britain would be safer inside the EU. Mr Anderson told the BBC that the UK, which is not in the Schengen zone, is 'much easier to defend' because of our sea border despite the huge cost and inconvenience to travellers. Last night former Home Secretary Lord Howard called the EU a 'failing project' that is 'failing to keep its people safe'. The former Tory leader said Schengen was akin to 'hanging a sign welcoming terrorists to Europe'. Attempts by some Out campaigners to link the EU's free movement rules to the atrocity were criticised by Mr Cameron, who said it was 'not appropriate' to score political points. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3506991/UK-safer-Europe-says-former-MI6-chief-Sir-Richard-Dearlove-suggests-Brexit-make-easier-deport-terrorists.html -------/\/\/ ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT It's the perfect time to push the issue that Dave Cameron's trying to dismiss: "Mr Cameron ... said it was 'not appropriate' to score political points." Even though the ex-MI6 guy, Richard Dearlove, is associated with what they call the 'sexed up' intelligence report ahead of the Iraq invasion 2003, what he says re Brexit makes perfect sense. That David Cameron is a slimy weasel. Sir Malcom Rifkind doesn't sound much better: "Two years later, Rifkind advocated British military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, with or without a mandate from the United Nations." [source] Rifkind was also involved in lobbying for the destruction of Libya, by 'neutralisation' of Gaddafi's conventional forces. So Europe probably has him to thank for the tidal wave of non-Europeans pouring into Europe, together with the terrorists among them. Why is he so bent on remaining in the EU, when Dearlove has made it plain that Brexit's the go and the security gains outweigh the non-existent costs? Rifkind was appointed Chairman of Armor Group (US-owned), one of the largest security groups in Iraq -- here. So this is the British-American revolving door? There's something unseemly about such an appointment, as it gives the impression that former politician war-hawks get rewarded by the sector that they previously enriched by lobbying for war while in office. Perhaps Rifkind has an American bias, now that he works for an American firm? Americans are described as likely to be 'disappointed' should Britain exit the EU, so the EU thing must serve them and their interests. Bet the Americans are behind the invasion of Europe -- as in, they're most likely funding and arranging the mass movement, whether directly, through third parties, or in partnership. Read somewhere that the US and Britain want a weakened German EU partner.  But that doesn't explain the destruction of Sweden. Maybe they just want a weak European native population?

Anonymous v. Islamic Cyber Army

Article SOURCE Anonymous v. Islamic Cyber Army Daily Mail - Extract(s) Anonymous v. Islamic Cyber Army http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3506345/Anonymous-issues-threat-ISIS-Belgium-terror-attacks.html#comments ...  ISIS's online unit, the Islamic Cyber Army, hit back, branding the group 'idiots' and declaring: 'What they gonna hack…all they can do is hacking twitter accounts, emails, etc.' ISIS militants use a number of encrypted messaging services, email providers, and GPS blockers to communicate under the radar. The list of apps used by the jihadists was revealed last year after a 34-page ISIS fighter handbook was obtained by independent military research group Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), and published on Scribd by Yahoo. Combating Terrorism Centre academic institution at:  US Military Academy (USMA) West Point, New York speciality:  counter-terrorism, domestic security etc est. 2003  - subordinate to:  Dept. of Social Sciences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combating_Terrorism_Center United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA) aka West Point Army The Academy The Point 4-year co-educational federal military service academy -- campus a NATIONAL LANDMARK -- Norman style buildings, grey & black granite -- tourist destination -- 1778 - West Point, NY - first occupied by:   Continental Army -- Polish engineer / military figure constructs garrison defences 1778-1780 -- Continental Army  created by Second Continental Congress -- on outbreak of 'American Revolutionary War' -- est. by x13 colonies -- later, USA -- resolution passed to coordinate military of 13 colonies -- versus rule of Great Britain -- Continental Army backed up by local militias -- under control of colonies or independent -- Gen. George Washington commander-in-chief throughout rebellion -- disbanded in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris West Point's Cadet Honour Code:  'A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Army ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT I thought this was interesting, as I don't know anything about what I like to call the 'Cyber Caliphate' (lol ... I never get sick of giggling at that term, since seeing it somewhere).   I guess (from the above name) they don't call themselves that, so I'm not sure where that CC term came from.  For some reason, 'Cyber Caliphate' doesn't sound at all scary.  It's sort of funny, unreal and completely detached from real life.   The entire thing is surreal.  There's guys out there that must have high-tech know-how (which is a hell of a lot more advanced than I'll ever be), but it's like they're stuck in history and in their traditions from hundreds of years ago, which is really incongruous. I'm finding myself not liking the current times much (the liberal left, Marxist, preachy, utopian crap, the controlled media propaganda,  the indoctrinated cut-out politicians that are paying lip service to the same lunacy with a straight face, and the dedication of key state institutions to models & indoctrinators of more of same, is very disturbing, once you are aware. Imagine what it would be like for someone from an entirely alien culture that is hundreds of years out of alignment, trying to adjust to the funny farm. Not that this is an issue for the the committed religious fundamentalists like these guys must be:  assimilation isn't even on their radar.   Their issue is political, but sort of amped up and even more dangerous because it's also backed by and maybe even driven to a degree by what are their religious convictions.  I think. I don't know.  I'm just imagining. Anyway, I sort of find the war between Anonymous and the Islamic Cyber Army funny. Some of the comments in the Daily Mail article are hysterical ... or I'm easily amused.

"U.N.'s top men in bribe case ..." - Francis Loreno - John Ashe - Ng Lap Seng

Macau billionaire, Ng Lap Seng Bill & Hillary Clinton  MAFIA NEWS Francis Loreno, 48, described as US citizen but in other reports described as US 'resident'. Presumed dual citizenship. Former foreign diplomat from the Dominican Republic, tried in relation to United Nations bribe case at the Manhattan federal court, agrees to cooperate with the US government against co-accused, including former UN General Assembly president (John Ashe 2013-14), and Chinese billionaire:   Ng Lap Seng. The string of charges include:  conspiracy, bribery and money laundering +. John Ashe, former UN General Assembly president and former UN ambassador (Antigua & Barbuda - same location, island Caribbean), allegedly received over $1 million in bribe money. Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng and John Ashe are on bail, having pleaded 'not guilty'.   Francis Loreno has, however, determined it was in his interests to plead guilty on the weight of the US government's evidence. KEY: US District Judge Vernon Broderick ruled that Francis Loreno may not use shield of diplomatic immunity in relation to the charges. That Lorenzo is a US citizen is cited in article as partially material to the court's decision. SUMMARY of material from source (orig. Assoc. Press): http://www.newson6.com/story/31485512/us-citizen-who-served-as-diplomat-pleads-guilty-in-un-case Ruling: Lorenzo nonetheless: -- may claim immunity from prosecution re:  official acts performed in relation to diplomatic position -- is not subject to extradition from USA (as he is a US citizen) * non-U.S. citizen would be extradited, if accused of criminal acts * it appears that Lorenzo is a dual citizen Source:  Salon Friday, Feb 5, 2016 01:46 PM AEDT Judge: US citizen serving as foreign diplomat can face trial Larry Neumeister, Associated Press http://www.salon.com/2016/02/05/judge_us_citizen_serving_as_foreign_diplomat_can_face_trial/ -------/\/\/ U.N.'s top men in bribe case met at Macau event prior to arrest, it emerges, as Ban Ki-moon expresses 'shock' at corruption allegations Conference in five-star hotel partly organised by NGO that billionaire tycoon allegedly used to funnel funds to ex-General Assembly president PUBLISHED : Thursday, 08 October, 2015, 2:30am UPDATED : Thursday, 08 October, 2015, 9:39am Three of the men at the centre of an alleged bribes-for-influence racket at the highest levels of the United Nations involving a billionaire Macau property tycoon attended a major conference in the city just weeks prior to their arrest by US federal agents. The conference - in a five-star hotel on the city's casino-dominated Cotai Strip at the end of August - was staged in part by a non-governmental organisation US prosecutors allege Macau tycoon Ng Lap-seng and others used to funnel corrupt funds to former United Nations General Assembly president John Ashe. More than 200 delegates from 50 countries - including diplomats and politicians - attended the conference. Among them were real estate tycoon Ng - who has long-standing high-level connections to Beijing and Washington - Ashe and Francis Lorenzo, a UN deputy ambassador from the Dominican Republic, who has also been charged in connection with the case. The conference was also sent a message of support from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who yesterday expressed "shock" at the corruption allegations. A 37-page US indictment made public yesterday also outlines multiple bribery charges against American-Chinese Shiwei Yan and Heidi Hong Piao. Prosecutors allege that in exchange for corrupt payments, Ashe made a written request to Ban claiming there was a need to build a UN Conference Centre in Macau. It was never built. The former UN General Assembly president, who holds Antiguan citizenship and is a US resident, was an ambassador when he wrote the letter, a position he held until November 2014. Last night a Macau government spokesman said: "In view of the ongoing legal proceedings, the MSAR Government has no comment on the issue. The government has no details regarding the construction project mentioned in news coverage." News reports from the conference quoted Lorenzo - who is also president of Ng's Sun Kian IP Group Foundation - as saying the event offered an "historic opportunity". Last night a web link to a full list of participants at the conference was not working. Phone calls to the United Nations went unanswered. Both individually and through the foundation, Ng has worked with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, an official arm of the UN that focuses on partnerships among developing countries. Ng, who is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was arrested on September 19 in New York along with associate Jeff Yin for smuggling more than US$4.5 million in cash into the US over a two-year period. The six are accused of using a fake non-government organisation to carry out the bribery scheme. Lorenzo, the NGO's honorary president, was paid a US$20,000 salary. This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: U.N. bribe case accused were at Macau forum http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1865091/ban-ki-moon-shock-allegations-evidence-show-uns-top-men-bribe -------/\/\/ Macau ('Bay Gate') aka Macao  /  Macao Special Admin. Region People's Republic of China 64 km from Hong Kong previously known as: Haojing ('Oyster Mirror') or Jinghai ('Mirror Sea') [comment:  jing is 'mirror' - that's my first Chinese word, I think]     Macau perhaps derived from 'A-Ma Temple' - Taoist     -- erected 1448 - to goddess Mazu (seafarers & fishermen)     -- Mazu Chinese patron goddess     -- began in Song dynasty     -- Mazu widely worshipped:  China, Taiwan & other East/Southeast Asia     -- Mazu born 960 - family name:  Lin     -- born silent     -- given name 'Silent Girl'     -- martial arts skills / conquers two demons in love with her     -- Mazu would marry one who defeated her     -- defeated them both; platonic     -- red is Mazu's colour     -- d. 987     -- young lady in red dress who would roam over the seas forever     -- Mazu (媽祖) - 'Mother-Ancestor'     -- 1,500 Mazu temples - 26 countries in world     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazu_%28goddess%29   Macau history can be traced back to 221 BCE previously:  Portuguese Macau from mid 1500s to 1999 1557 - Macau rented to Portugal as trading port Portuguese admin city under Chinese sovereignty & authority to 1887 Macau became a colony 1887 Macau has own legal system, security, monetary, customs, immigration but is under Chinese military defence Macau one of world's richest cities economy heavily dependent on gambling and tourism + manufacturing Portugal controlled western trade with India, Japan, and China -- trade limited by Chinese to Macau Chinese indifferent to the Portuguese 1600s - 5,000 slaves lived Macau Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau est. 1576 Dutch kept attacking - early 1600s / faithful slaves of Portuguese drove Dutch out Portugal hold expanded after First Opium War 1839-1842 more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau Francis Lorenzo founder Model UN program -- Dominican Republic high school and university programs * Model United Nations ('MUN')    -- UN indoctrination program:       diplomacy, international relations, United Nations       teaching, researching, public speaking, debate ... etc       high school / college students       -- began as:  League of Nations indoctrination       -- League of Nations 1920-1946       -- result of 'Paris Peace Conference' post WWI       -- collective security, disarmament, arbitration       -- pretext:  diplomatic philosophy        -- blame Immanuel Kant 'community of nations' notions       --  & blame BLATANT US-Anglo agenda: Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, political 'scientist' pusher with:  with Lord Dickinson & Lord Bryce Dickinson:  Willoughby Hyett Dickinson, vote for women pusher Bryce:  James Bryce, academic, jurist, historian, b. Belfast     believer of:  'Teutonic freedom' - binding Germany, UK & US together     foreign affairs under Gladstone / later Pres. Board of Trade (Rosebery)     Ambassador to USA 1907 to 1913     efficient strengthening Anglo-US relationship     personal friend of US president Theodore Roosevelt & others     book:  The American Commonwealth (ref: travels Alexis de Tocqueville)     *key popularising view USA history as distinctly Anglo-Saxon     WWI - under PM Asquith, commissioned to produce report:     Bryce produces 'Bryce Report' re allged German atrocities Belgium pub. 1915     report damning of German behaviour against civilians     [note:  from the concentration camp killers of Boer women & children?]    Bryce propaganda account confirmed as 'true' by:  Vernon Lyman Kellog, Dir. American Commission for Relief in Belgium     - told NYT German military enslaved 100s of 1000s workers     HOWEVER, MUCH OF BRYCE REPORT WAS WAR PROPAGANDA   lies.     *Bryce strongly condemned Armenian Genocide Ottoman Emp. 1915     *also claimed half pop. of Assyrians in Ottoman similar cruelties     -- served at International Court at The Hague     -- supported establishment of League of Nations     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bryce,_1st_Viscount_Bryce       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_United_Nations Francis Lorenzo -- United Nations Ambassador for the Dominican Republic -- Dominican Republic in support roles with the United Nations -- then appointed Ambassador -- member of Advisory Board of:     --  BidGive International Inc.     --  former member of Advisory Board of Rolfe Enterprises Inc.    med one oak inc (MOAK:Grey Market) HQ The Woodlands, Texas, USA http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=29859928&privcapId=10175920 Rolfe Enterprises Inc. Dallas, Texas, USA f. 1996 - 2 employees -- 2004 - Rolfe Enterprises, Inc. acquired by BidGive Group http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=8296212 bidgive group llc Communications / Media Internet Based Services BidGive Group LLC retails goods and services -- charitable contributions / portion of the price BidGive product or service to the charity of choice http://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/323110Z:US-bidgive-group-llc Address:  Dallas, Texas Officers: JAMES P WALKER Registered Agent JAMES P WALKER Manager MICHAEL JACOBSON Manager http://www.texasregistry.org/bidgive-group-llc BidGive International Common Shares Begin Trading Under Symbol "BDGV," Developer and Administrator of Unique Funding Press Release | Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:08pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS189136+19-Mar-2008+MW20080319 from above press release (2008): Michael Jacobson, BidGive Chairman of the Board Jim Walker, Jr., BidGive President and CEO -- developer and administrator of -- sustainable funding programs -- for not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) & other entities -- creating and managing tailored programs -- designed to establish consistent revenue streams for NFP orgs -- projects involve several high profile accounts -- relationships include: --  United Nations related agencies --  Office Depot(R) (NYSE: ODP) --  Visa/MasterCard merchant services --  Montessori Schools community --  China's fabled Shaolin Monks --  Lyreco -- World of Hope -- Public-Private Alliance Foundation, a United Nations related entity -- DotComFilm Festival -- & ors ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT Suddenly, the UN is more interesting than I thought. How cool is the League of Nations backdrop? OMG ... the UN and all those supranational bodies are some kind of US-Anglo conspiracy!!!!! That's what I'm backing right now. The Chinese seem more interesting than I thought. My concept of things is really tiny ... as in it's a limited sort of black and white little boxy view of things.  And then I discover tiny bits of information (like the temple at Macau) that sort of remind me how tiny or limited the overall impression of things is. It's hard to imagine how big everything is out there ... historians must have amazing 'stretched' brains that can put all the pieces together into some large, cohesive whole, I would think. I would guess that it is just history repeating itself. The Portuguese fighting over Macau, the domination of the local population, the monopolisation of trade, the get-rich schemes of the rich and so on, must just be earlier versions of what is happening today. The scale of things is hard to imagine.  It is hard to imaging the vastness of the wealth of individuals, families, corporations etc. Eg. Bechtel -- impossible for me to picture just how big Bechtel must be, after all those years as a huge contractor across the world. Corporations and wealthy individuals/families have become the modern-day kings. And ... I've forgotten what the point of this was. UN ... the allegations are interesting.  But as Americans are involved, I'm inclined to think maybe it's some kind of set-up?  Wish I could just keep looking, but I think I need to crash.  :(

The Kitchen - Carbonara

The Kitchen Pasta Carbonara Click to Enlarge ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT Improvised Carbonara. Would have been better I've I'd gone easier on the eggs (used x6). It was well received, but I found it too runny for my liking. Threw mine back in the pot to set the egg more. Ate most of it, but the initial runny 'egginess' put me off ... as did getting interrupted posting something while juggling my plate. Had a bit of frustrated tanty ... and it's kind of made me uptight and queasy. Not sure why I'm so uptight.  Super on edge.  Horrible feeling.

UK - Philip Hammond - Interferes With Independence of British Judicial System

UK - Philip Hammond Interferes With  Independence of British Judicial System British State Bullies British Justice -------/\/\/ PHILIP HAMMOND -- British Conservative, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs -- is INTERFERING WITH THE INDEPENDENT DECISIONS OF THE BRITISH JUDICIARY (article below), attempting to politicise and PRESSURE British justice. Has he no shame? Apparently not ... Whenever justice decides against British government agenda, the result is PREDICTABLE ...  Like a well trained pooch, Hammond barks on command. Here he is barking for his masters before the controlled British media, at politically persecuted Australian journalist, Julian Assange. Note, also, the backdrop of a spot of  British bother over Afghanistan. And let's not forget illegal war on Iraq. Psssssssssssst ... notice how the reaction is entirely welcoming when the agenda suits. Oh, dear. No wonder this naughty doggie is yapping ... Bad doggie! Hammond Background / Summary info source - bbc http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28310255 Philip Hammond -- big prize in govt. reshuffle -- gained 'great office of state': foreign secretary ISRAEL: *Expect Hammond to continue support of Israel.  [Comment:  as if anyone would expect otherwise, BBC.] AFGHANISTAN: Huge controversial UK sacrifice in Afghanistan. Hammond, ex Defence Sec., familiar with front line, as frequent lying visitor etc. IRAN: Rebuilding of UK bilateral relationship with Iran on agenda. [comment:  same for USA, but ... CIA & MI6 brought down an elected Iran PM in 1953 so I would be very cautions of this 'rebuilding' business more likely:  they want to get close enough to effectively undermine Iran from within *there's a policy of getting close to Iran & Cuba for a reason:  they're targets for exploitation or destruction for sure.] SYRIA: Slap head William Hague humiliated by MP refusal to back UK military action against Bashar al-Assad over the .. ehem ... false flag 'chemical weapons' LOL ... BBC reports Hague was 'scarred' by: -- the sensible decision of fellow MPs (which was ignored) -- "Western failure to prevent" "civil war" Yeah.  Sure. BBC's a joke that falsified film footage BBC knows the West is responsible for what it refers to as 'civil war' terrorism fomented & supported by the West in Syria EUROPE: Hammond reportedly 'Eurosceptic' How does Hammond inspire Commons rebellion against Brussels while not alienating other EU states & entrenching refusal to give ground over key UK change negotiations, BBC asks ... ...  leading the sheeple to believe that this is a genuine matter of choice. William Hague also described as 'Eurosceptic'.   Hague was a devoted US lackey. Watch what Hammond says for key breaking points (or propagandised ones) re in or out of EU, we're told. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28310255 COMMENT:   I don't believe this for one minute.  As if they're being straight. The European Union is probably a US-Anglo bankers and economists project. -------/\/\/ Other: Hammond on: French port of Calais: "millions" of "marauding" migrants No mention of British, US, Israeli, Saudi, United Arab Emirates & Gulf friends' part in conflicts across both the Middle East and Africa -- nor mention of who is collectively responsible for failing to secure European borders. And there's the French and the Italians in the thick of it, as well as the European Union, NATO and the corrupt United Nations clowns. Oh, and the dutiful US-Anglo empire colonial war teams. And last, but not least, I'm sure that International Monetary Fund and World Bank would deserve some credit somewhere (probably somewhere in Africa) ... and most definitely for support and encouragement of the migration tsunami at its height in Europe, in IMF's case. It's not the 'international community' -- it's a SUPRANATIONAL MAFIA. -------/\/\/ RT News https://www.rt.com/uk/336904-saudi-billionaire-diplomatic-hammond/ British FM berates judge for stripping Saudi billionaire of diplomatic immunity Published time: 23 Mar, 2016 15:17 Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has criticized a High Court judge for stripping a Saudi billionaire of his diplomatic immunity so that he can face divorce proceedings. Hammond bluntly said the ruling “should not be upheld or endorsed” and warned it could have repercussions for British diplomats posted abroad. The High Court dismissed as “spurious” claims from Saudi businessman Sheikh Walid Juffali that he has diplomatic immunity due to his work with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Juffali is being sued for a share of his £4 billion (US$5.65 billion) fortune by his ex-wife, the former Pirelli calendar model Christina Estrada. The couple divorced in 2014 following 13 years of marriage. Juffali began divorce proceedings in 2012 after he married Lebanese supermodel Loujain Adada in Saudi Arabia, where men can legally have up to four wives. Juffali’s name first appeared on the London Diplomatic List as a permanent representative to the IMO for the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in September 2014, according to the Telegraph. A November 2015 investigation by the newspaper found there was no public record of Juffali attending any meetings of the IMO and stated he possesses no known qualifications in maritime law. [ ... ] Hammond is quoted in the Guardian as criticizing the original legal decision to strip Juffali of his diplomatic immunity. The cabinet minister said the judge “erred in concluding that it was necessary (or permissible) for the court to ‘look behind’ the Foreign and Commonwealth Office certificate, which confirmed that [Juffali] had been appointed to the post of permanent representative of St. Lucia to the IMO and to consider whether (he) had taken up the post or exercised any functions in connection with it.” He argued that only an executive acting through the FCO using the royal prerogative can decide who is a diplomat. Last month, the High Court ruled the former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, was protected by diplomatic immunity from a lawsuit which claims agents acting on his behalf falsely imprisoned and tortured a British citizen. Following that ruling, junior FCO minister James Duddridge said that “it is ultimately for the court to decide whether a foreign diplomat in the UK enjoys immunity in any particular case.” https://www.rt.com/uk/336904-saudi-billionaire-diplomatic-hammond/ -------/\/\/ Decision Neutral Citation Number: [2016] EWCA Civ 176 Case No: B6/2016/0548 IN THE COURT OF APPE AL (CIVIL DIVISION) ON APPEAL FROM THE HIGH COURT FAMILY DIVISION MR JUSTICE HAYDEN FD14F00410 https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/approved_judgment_rhd_estrada_v_juffali.pdf ---------------------- ----------------------