A brand new Mercedes Popemobile painted in "Vatican Mystic White" has been unveiled minus bullet proof glass. Custom made by Daimler, the vehicle is described as an "open-top Mercedes-Benz G-Class". The cabin is white and is accessed by steps lined in red at the rear. It was designed for the Pope so he could give is weekly Wednesday address to the public in St Peter's Square.
[WAR: "I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." (Rev 6:2)]
Harlot goes home to speak with Mama...
Pope Benedict XVI met with participants in a conference on Scripture, jointly organized by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the Baptist World Alliance. The Pope expressed his hope for the success of the ecumenical discussions. He noted that the discussion of Scripture "offers a promising context for the examination of such historically controverted issues as the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, the understanding of Baptism and the Sacraments, the place of Mary in the communion of the Church, and the nature of primacy in the Church's ministerial structure."
(Also: Full text of B16's address)
The wisdom of Eastern Christianity is a heritage that the Church values, said Benedict XVI upon receiving a delegation from the Pontifical Oriental Institute. Noting his own "particular bond" with Benedict XV, he explained how his predecessor favored the Eastern Churches, which came to "enjoy a regime more in keeping with their traditions, under the gaze of the Roman Pontiffs who have never ceased to show their concern with concrete gestures of support."
The Queen of Heaven...
With the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the Catholic Church affirms that Mary, on account of a singular privilege bestowed by God and in view of the merits of Christ's death, was preserved from contracting the stain of original sin and came into existence already completely holy.
[WAR: This very false doctrine is based on the worse false doctrine that the Messiah was "God in the flesh", "fully God and fully man", and a God-man. Because of this latter doctrine, they had to justify how "God" could come from a "sinful womb". So the most logical conclusion is that Mary had to be sin-free - because she was the mother of "God". Chop the God-man/"God in the flesh" tree down and all the other false/pagan doctrines fall with it!]
A Jesuit astronomer from the Vatican Observatory has said that scientific creationism is a form of superstition. He said that scientists should protect against the tendency of religion to slide into superstition. In turn, science needs religion "in order to have a conscience." In the case of creationism, believers have constructed a theory that is not supported by scientific facts. "Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism."
Oh no!...
Instead of turning away from the faith and embracing the relativism of society, more and more youths are actually embracing the teachings of the Church, says Catholic author David Hartline. book chronicles trends within the Church, showing that the negative slide in numbers and interest in it and its teachings is swinging in the other direction.
"When the young gravitated toward Pope John Paul II, many skeptics said this was only temporary. When Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pontiff, many said the young would leave. However, just the opposite happened, the young remained and could easily relate to Benedict XVI's comments on the 'dictatorship of relativism.'"
"While some Christian churches are in a free fall, the Catholic Church is one of the only organized churches growing. Many people attribute this to Benedict XVI's strong leadership, but it is also because of the gift of the teaching authority of the Church, which frees us from our beliefs being molded by those who dissect opinion polls
A century-old mystery surrounding the fate of the "Mad King" who built Bavaria's celebrated fairytale castles has taken a new twist after an historian claimed that he was murdered. The allegation comes from an art expert turned sleuth who claims that contemporary portraits of Ludwig II prove that far from killing himself in a fit of melancholy, he was assassinated to put an end his extravagant spending.
Germany's interior ministers have faced frustrating setbacks fighting the far-right in court. A new tactic under consideration involves hitting organizations that support the party where it really hurts - in the wallet.
Rising inflation in Germany has sparked concerns over economic growth. With consumer buying power plummeting, the European Central Bank may be forced to raise interest rates. Is Germany's economic boom ending before its benefits can trickle down?
Just when you thought the subprime crisis might be reaching its end, along comes the mezzanine crunch. This time it's small and medium-sized companies that are getting hammered, as ill-advised "mezzanine" loans lead to a spate of bankruptcies.
Italian Prime Minister Prodi narrowly won a vote of confidence in the upper house of parliament over a security package that would allow the expulsion of EU citizens deemed to be a danger to society. The package will now pass to the Chamber of Deputies, where it must also be approved to become law.
Political tensions in Belgium continue to mount as the country nears 6 months since the general election without a new government. Regional parties are seeking to use the crisis as leverage for their separatist political demands, increasing expectations that the country will be broken apart at some point. Some press commentators are openly saying that a new (Dutch-speaking) country—Flanders—is in the process of being born.
Against the backdrop of the warm welcome bestowed by President Bush upon Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy during their recent US visits, American pundits have been celebrating what they describe as a thaw in relations with the 2 European allies. It would be quite misleading to depict Merkel and Sarkozy as American-style free marketers. Sarkozy's reformist approach fits very much with his stance as an economic nationalist who has also pledged to protect "strategic" French companies from international competition.
For Sarkozy and Merkel, the current American military intervention in the Middle East is compatible with their short- and mid-term strategic and economic interests. From that perspective, Sarkozy and Merkel are not promoting a "pro-American" policy -- but one that is easily compatible with French and German interests.
Kosovo is the issue that just won't go away, no matter how much the administration wishes it would. The latest, and apparently final, round of negotiations, if they deserve to be called that, over Kosovo's final status have finished. The ethnic Albanians say they plan to declare independence from Serbia – as early as next week. The result could be dissension within the EU, unrest throughout the Balkans, civil conflict in Kosovo, a renewed flood of refugees, and possible intervention of the Serb military. Quite a mess.
Good move Pooty...
President Putin and other top Russia and Belarus officials will consider next week a proposed framework for the long-debated merger of the countries into a single state. The unexpected move, coming at a time of uncertainty over Russia's political future, raised speculation that Putin may seek to become leader of the new country created by the merger. That would permit him to step down as Russian president next May, as required by the constitution, but become chief of the enlarged state.
The man enthroned here as Greek Orthodox patriarch has been asked by church leaders to cancel the sale to Jewish groups of land comprising much of a key entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, a church official told WND yesterday. "The deal must be canceled and Theofilos knows this. We as a church will fight any smuggling of real estate to Jewish organizations."
Ownership of the land in question – 2 hotels that comprise a large section of the Jaffa Gate, the principal entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem – could be crucial in the future status of Jerusalem during upcoming Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
It is 5 years since Gujarat erupted in violence between Hindus and Muslims. But next week's elections will be dominated by the fallout from the bloody events.
Former CIA veteran Robert Baer has suggested that a withdrawal from the possibility of striking Iran could be reversed if a terror attack was to take place in America - and he fingered America's ally Saudi Arabia as the most likely perpetrator of any such attack. Baer also questioned why the US and its allies continue to protect individuals who consorted with the alleged mastermind of 9/11 before the attacks.
Israel has warned Iran to either co-operate with the West over its uranium enrichment program or face military action. "At the current rate of progress, Iran will reach the technical threshold for producing fissile material by 2009. This is a global threat and it requires a global response. It should be made clear that if Iran does not co-operate, then military confrontation is inevitable. It is either co-operation or confrontation."
Top Democratic and Republican leaders absolutely believe that Iran is planning to develop nuclear weapons. And one of their seemingly strongest arguments involves a process of deduction. Since Iran has so much oil, they argue, why develop nuclear power?
Whatever else the release of the 16-agency National Intelligence Estimate on the Iranian bomb may be, it is certainly a reasonable measure of inside-the-Beltway Bush administration decline. Whether that release represented 1) "a pre-emptive strike against the White House by intelligence agencies and military chiefs," 2) an intelligence "mini-coup" against the administration, 3) part of a longer-term set of moves meant to undermine plans for air strikes against Iran that involved a potential resignation threat from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and a "near mutiny" by the Joint Chiefs, 4) an attempt by the administration itself to "salvage negotiations with Iran" or shift its own Iran policy, or 5) none of – or some combination of – the above, one thing can be said: Such an NIE would not have been written, no less released, at almost any previous moment in the last 7 years.
(Also: LT cartoon) ;-)
(Also: WW3 cancelled) Not!
(Also: Put WW3 on hold!) Not!
The latest US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program has caused various reactions. The report is the consensus view of all 16 US spy agencies, including the CIA. Unfortunately, in Iran many people hastily responded positively, and even some government officials expressed the view that the report was favorable to Iran. What is the content of the report? The intelligence agencies' report can interestingly be divided into evaluations with "high confidence" and "moderate confidence".
The timing for the release of the NIE is noteworthy. It seems that the time to release the report was deliberately chosen to influence public opinion in the US and other countries in order to validate the policies of President Bush. His policies have in fact failed, and thus a scenario had to be devised which could turn a loser into a winner.
Apparently, another objective that the report seeks is to strengthen those who favor imposing sanctions on Iran by pretending that the US is being logical and realistic in regard to the current nature of Iran's nuclear program and is avoiding the military option. In other words, since the report emphasizes that the previous US pressure convinced Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program, continuing the pressures is necessary for international peace! In fact, the report was released to influence world public opinion and convince people that if there is going to be WW3, Iran will be the instigator, not the US!
The Pentagon has denied President Bush issued a directive for it to resume open-air testing of chemical and biological warfare agents that were halted by President Nixon in 1969. Yet, the Pentagon's stated preparations make it appear it is poised to do just that. The Pentagon's annual report apparently calls for both the developmental and operational "field testing of (CBW) full systems," not just simulations. Resumption of open-air testing would reverse a long-standing moratorium adopted after a public outcry against them following accidents in the '60s.
For nearly 2 decades I have listened to conservative talk radio because I used to think it spoke the truth, balanced the other so-called "leftist" media, and gave the common man a constructive outlet to vent. It took a while but I finally realize I have been duped and so have millions of other Americans.
Conservative talk radio is mislabeled. In reality, it is Neo-Conservative Talk Radio. It exists not because it is popular but because it is necessary to the state, multi-national corporations, bankers, and the powerful bent on using the media to maintain the status quo, squash dissent, and brainwash Americans into thinking they care about the country and the common man. Neo-con talk radio gives the common man the illusion that today's conservative hosts are libertarians. They are not. Libertarians are more like the Old Right while neo-cons are the new statists, the new globalists, and a threat to true freedom.
Neo-conservative talk radio exists to reinforce the war-mongering state, military-industrial complex, and global banking network. It seeks to reinforce the status quo, squash dissent, avoid debate, obscure issues, and cloud minds. Constant calls for more war, more nation building, and more government in the form of the military-industrial complex make neo-con talk radio anything but conservative.
American right-wing populism is an interesting phenomenon that's coming to the fore once again in its usual nativist and racist form, but also as smooth misrepresentation of "tax reform"; clever, misleading public relations messaging about fair trade; and some fairly outlandish paranoia about conspiracies to erase the borders. Various permutations of these fairly common right-wing themes abound among conservative politicians and thinkers alike. But conservative populism is an oxymoron.
Modern conservatism's most successful strategy was to merge public relations and politics into a seamless operation in which it could use modern marketing methods to convince people to vote against their own interests. In that sense, right-wing populism is just another marketing campaign for the aristocrats. Aristocracy is, by definition, un-American. The question is how many Americans will be "messaged" into believing they are doing the patriotic thing by behaving like subjects and hunting down the foreign invader on behalf of their betters.
Oil prices are back above $90, as the US government seeks to sustain pressure on Iran over its nuclear plans. Prices have also been buoyed by President Bush's announcement of a mortgage-aid plan and oil cartel OPEC's decision not to increase output.
About Sovereign Funds, Financial fools fell for frauds, and victims of fraud, and the world financial system, billions in bankruptcies, a flood of aggregates, too late to stop the damage of subprimes...
The plan announced by President Bush to freeze interest rates on some subprime mortgage loans will do nothing to stave off foreclosure for the vast majority of families facing the loss of their homes in the coming months. Worked out between Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and major Wall Street banks, mortgage lenders and servicers, and investment funds holding securities backed by subprime loans, the overarching aim of the Bush administration plan is to limit the losses suffered by financial giants from the meltdown of the US housing market and resulting credit crisis.
Under the administration plan, mortgage lenders will voluntarily freeze interest rates for a minority of subprime adjustable-rate borrowers for 5 years at the entry level—already several percentage points above the interest rates for conventional home loans. Only those subprime borrowers who have kept up with their payments and are deemed able to continue paying the "starter" rate, but unable to sustain the higher rate slated to kick in over the coming months, will be eligible for the freeze.
Subprime borrowers deemed able to pay the higher reset rate, and those considered unable to continue paying the initial, lower rate, will be excluded. This means that the vast majority of low- and middle-income homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments and hold onto their homes will receive no relief.
The mounting social crisis is the product of the increasingly parasitic and corrupt character of the capitalist system in the US and internationally. Millions of American families are being thrown into conditions approaching destitution as a result of the anarchy of the market and the mad profit frenzy on Wall Street, which have fueled an ever greater concentration of wealth at the very top of society.
The near-panic in financial circles that lies behind the Bush administration's scheme to freeze some subprime mortgage interest rates is summed up in an article by Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein published under the headline "It's Not 1929, but It's the Biggest Mess Since."
He writes: "We are only at the beginning of the financial world coming to its senses after the bursting of the biggest credit bubble the world has seen. Everyone seems to acknowledge now that there will be lots of mortgage foreclosures and that house prices will fall nationally for the first time since the Great Depression. Some lenders and hedge funds have failed, while some banks have taken painful write-offs and fired executives. There's even a growing recognition that a recession in on the horizon. But let me assure you, you ain't seen nothing yet."
"If this sounds like a financial house of cards, that's because it is. And it is about to come crashing down, with serious consequences not only for banks and investors but for the economy as a whole. That is not just my opinion. It's why banks are husbanding their cash and why the outstanding stock of bank loans and commercial paper is shrinking dramatically. It is why Treasury officials are working overtime on schemes to stem the tide of mortgage foreclosures and provide a new vehicle to buy up CDO assets. It's why state and federal budget officials are anticipating sharp decreases in tax revenue next year. And it is why the Federal Reserve is now willing to toss aside concerns about inflation, the dollar and bailing out Wall Street, and move aggressively to cut interest rates and pump additional funds directly into the banking system. This may not be 1929. But it's a good bet that it's way more serious than the junk bond crisis of 1987, the S&L crisis of 1990 or the bursting of the tech bubble in 2001."
The European Central Bank has again proved itself the sternest of the world's big central banks, defiantly resisting calls for a rate cut despite the super-strong euro and falling house prices in Ireland, Spain and France. The ECB president caught analysts off guard and rattled the European bond markets by revealing that the ECB's arch-hawks had pressed for a rise in interest rates to choke off mounting inflation. The 19-member council voted to keep rates steady at 4%, reportedly after an exchange of hot words.
The hard-line bloc was led by the 2 German council members. The latest spike in oil and food costs has pushed German inflation to 3%, the highest since the launch of the euro and fast approaching the level where it may erode popular support for the currency.
The 10th Sino-EU summit in Beijing last week revealed the tense atmosphere that exists between the world's major economic powers, amid growing international financial instability. Brussels is pressuring Beijing to revalue the yuan, as the eurozone economies struggle to cope with the falling US dollar, weakening European exports and a surging trade deficit with China. Sharp exchanges took place just before the summit between the EU trade commissioner and China's top trade official.
The "brotherhood" of global capital is based on its mutual exploitation of the international working class. However, amid deepening global financial instability and falling profit rates, each capitalist government is trying to place the interests of its corporate elite ahead of others. The inevitable result is an increasingly ferocious dogfight between competing nation-states and the collapse of any international economic coordination. This in turn will compound the global economic crisis.
In the news of "The only surviving copy of the 500-year-old map that first used the name America" going on display at the Library of Congress, it appears that Reuters is rather amazed by the map. Others also seem amazed that there is such accurate detail of regions not yet explored by Europeans in 1507 on the map. How a German monk named Martin Waldseemuller made these maps is simply a mystery according to the mainstream media.
I suppose that is better than calling the map a forgery as is often done with anything that violates the history we are taught in school. Usually it is far easier to declare something that doesn't match to be untrue rather than to do the investigation and find out what is really lacking is one's knowledge of the subject. What we are taught in school is what is considered "safe" or "acceptable" for the masses. It is not information that will encourage critical thinking, but lessons that will reinforce that the world is what one is told it is.
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