Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Scandal Puts Spotlight on Rich Singapore Churches
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsAFP
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Singapore (AFP) - A multimillion-dollar scandal involving a Christian pastor, his singer wife and a glamorous financial executive has gripped Singapore, with allegations of fraud and tantalising glimpses into the expensive process of making a pop star.

Kong Hee, 47, the pastor and founder of the 20,000-strong City Harvest Church, is on trial alongside five other church officials for an alleged scheme to siphon off Sg$24 million ($19 million) to finance the singing career of his wife Sun Ho.

The accused allegedly misappropriated another Sg$26 million to cover up the original diversion.

Ho, 41, an established Mandarin pop singer who co-founded the evangelical megachurch with her husband in 1989, moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to launch an English-language singing career before the scandal scuttled her showbiz ambitions.

She does not face any charges herself, appearing stoically with her husband for his court appearances as her music videos continue to draw hits on video-sharing site YouTube.

The video for her song "China Wine" -- in which she dances in a nightclub alongside the rapper Wyclef Jean -- has attracted more than one million views so far.

In another video, the reggae-tinged "Mr Bill", she plays a skimpily-clad Asian wife who calls herself a geisha and sings about killing her African-American husband, played by the male supermodel Tyson Beckford.

Ho also posed for numerous pictures at exclusive events with American celebrities as part of her image-building campaign.

Evidence reportedly produced in court showed that the church had earmarked more than US$10 million as its marketing budget -- "in line with Shakira's marketing budget and less than the budget for Beyonce" -- to boost her Hollywood foray.

The Straits Times said the documents also showed more than US$1.6 million was spent on production fees for Wyclef Jean.

City Harvest, which has 20,000 followers in Singapore and 49 affiliates in eight Asian territories, acquired a stake in one of the city-state's biggest convention centres in 2010 for Sg$310 million and holds its weekly services there.

Obama Ready to Terminate 16 U.S. States
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsTownhall.com
Categories: Warning;Contemporary Issues

It's never happened before in the history of the United States.

But America now stares down the barrel of financial catastrophe on October 17, which is less than three weeks away.

"If we have insufficient cash on hand, it would be impossible for the United States of America to meet all of its obligations," said Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, on Wednesday.

There simply isn't enough cash on hand to pay the country's bills. And without Congress' approval to raise the debt ceiling, the Treasury will write its first-ever bad check.

Americans, however, remain totally in the dark to the reality of what's coming.

As history very clearly warns, when central banks artificially manipulate the economy and the financial markets, "it comes home to haunt them, eventually" says famed investor, Jim Rogers.

"And this will come home to haunt us, too," he adds.

In fact, a controversial, just-released investigation details exactly what history says is certain to happen.

According to the investigation, the inevitable chain of events is highly predictable.

So predictable, in fact, that Americans who take appropriate action will not only survive the coming storm, they'll even prosper.

Sixteen (16) U.S. States Ready for Termination...

Is your state is on the termination list?

In event of a default, it would only take 60 minutes for the country to begin to unravel. That is, according to a four-month investigation released by a team of the world's top financial and political experts.

How serious is this threat? Enough that the federal government already has a disaster plan in place.

The sequence of events would likely go as follows...

Within seconds of news that the United States missed a payment, almost simultaneously, the stock market and the U.S. dollar would plummet in value.

A super-spike in interest rates would follow in short order.

A gallon of milk would suddenly cost upwards of $100.

A loaf of bread, $44.

A gallon of gasoline, upwards of $1,000.

In a panic to protect their inventories, business owners would shutter their doors, triggering widespread looting and chaos.

Then, within an hour later, the federal government would issue emergency notification that its disaster map is in effect.

"The United States of America would look dramatically different," says renowned global analyst, Karim Rahemtulla, adding that "not every state will survive."

The states most likely to disappear are 1) those without a strong manufacturing base, and 2) those with an addiction to federal funding. That is, according to Rahemtulla, the investigation's lead analyst.

Social Security Payments Won't Get Mailed...

It's a classic lose-lose scenario facing Congress, which helps explain why Jim Rogers thinks a disaster scenario is unavoidable.

If Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling, well... then America defaults on its obligations.

That means defaulting on IRS refunds, Social Security and veterans benefits, Medicare reimbursements for doctors and hospitals, bond interest owed investors, payments to contractors and paychecks for federal workers and military personnel.

However, if Congress raises the debt ceiling, the United States is almost assured of another debt downgrade. Such a reality alone could crash the market, and trigger the sequence of events described above.

The smart money is already leaving the country in anticipation of the October 17 deadline, as nearly $100 billion fled from U.S. bond funds over the summer. And bond money is notoriously the smart money of all.

Where's all the cash going?

"It's piling into very specific global markets," says Karim Rahemtulla, author of the bestselling book, Where in the World Should I Invest?

"Certain insiders will get rich off of this event. It happens in every crisis dating as far back to the Depression. You just need to know where to put your money," Rahemtulla adds.

Either way, the message to Americans is clear. Whether you live in a red state or blue state...

Whether you're a conservative or liberal...

Whether you support President Obama or not...

Something is about to happen on October 17, 2013, and it isn't going to be good.

National Cathedral Leader: ‘Homophobia’ a Sin; Same - Sex Marriages will be Performed
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily Newscnsnews.com
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Very Rev. Gary Hall, chief ecclesiastical leader and executive officer of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., said in a sermon on Sunday that “homophobia” and “heterosexism” are sins.

“In its wisdom, the church came to its senses and labeled both racism and sexism as sinful,” Hall said. “And now we find ourselves at the last barrier—call that barrier homophobia, call it heterosexism.

“We must now have the courage to take the final step and call homophobia and heterosexism what they are,” Hall said. “They are sin.

“Homophobia is a sin,” Hall said. “Heterosexism is a sin.

“Shaming people for whom they love is a sin,” Hall said. “Shaming people because their gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into your sense of what it should be is a sin.”

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Michele Bachmann: Obama 'Funding' Terrorists Is Proof That We're Living In The End Times
Obama waived a ban on arming terrorists in order to allow weapons to go to the Syrian opposition,” Bachmann said. “Your listeners, U.S. taxpayers, are now paying to give arms to terrorists including al Qaeda.”  

Neptune's Moon Naiad Spotted By Hubble Telescope For First Time In Decades
A tiny, mysterious moon orbiting Neptune has been spotted for the first time in more than 20 years. By analyzing photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., have caught sight of Naiad, the innermost of Neptune's moons. The 62-mile-wide (100 kilometers) moon has remained unseen since the cameras on NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered it in 1989.  

Oklahoma Pipeline Explosion Sparks Large Fire, Prompting Evacuations
According to News9, firefighters from Oklahoma and Kansas were called to the scene near the town of Rosston. Residents within two miles of the blast were ordered to evacuate. Highway 284 was shut down as a precaution. Engineers were also called in to cut off the natural gas flow to the pipeline, which is owned by Northern Natural Gas of Omaha, and brings gas from Texas to the Upper Midwest.  

Did You Know We Can Still Spot Voyager 1?
NASA’s Voyager 1, which last week made headlines after scientists announced it had officially left our solar system, is now more than 11 billion miles from Earth. It has traveled farther than any other object humanity has ever produced. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still spot it in the sky from Earth. Using a network of 10 radio telescopes called the Very Long Baseline Array, astronomers found and photographed the glow coming from Voyager’s main transmitter. The signal is beaming from the satellite at 22 watts, “which is comparable to a typical police car radio or — in visible light — a refrigerator light bulb,” says the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) team that tracked down the little probe that could.  

Massive laser inching closer to mastering fusion power
scientists at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore Labs in California use an ultrapowerful laser system, which melds 192 laser beams into a single incredible burst of energy that heats and compress a capsule of hydrogen fuel to the point at which fusion take place. The result of a late September test: the amount of energy released through the fusion reaction was greater than the amount of energy used...  

MI5 chief accuses UK Muslims of posing terror threat
The director general of Britain’s domestic spying apparatus MI5 has accused the country’s Muslim community of posing threat to what he describes as ‘the British public’.  

Hezbollah members leave Syria’
Israeli website Debkafile said in a report on Monday that 1,500 Hezbollah forces left Syria last month and 3,500 others are about to return to Lebanon. The report also said the return of Lebanon’s resistance movement’s forces shows that the government of President Bashar al-Assad’s power to fight militants has improved.  

Corporation for Public Broadcasting got $445 million on first day of government slimdown; calls funding 'indispensible'
Funding for clinical cancer trials and other life-saving research under the National Institutes of Health was cut off in response to the government slimdown, but it looks like the cookie monster will still be knee-deep in chocolate chips (or is it carrots now?) ...“It’s more than irresponsible, it is reprehensible. It’s an ‘in-your-face’ move by the administration...  

Wayne LaPierre: The United Nation’s treacherous assault on our freedom
The tyrants and dictators at the United Nations will stop at nothing to register, ban and, eventually, confiscate firearms owned by law-abiding Americans like you and me. The U.N. has been working for nearly 15 years to force its gun banning Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on the United States. Now, thanks to President Barack Obama, they are closer than ever.  

‘Gestapo tactics’: Yellowstone park rangers held tour group captive
A Yellowstone tour guide accused the National Park Service of using “Gestapo tactics” while shutting down the park, after armed rangers locked a group of terrified senior citizens inside their hotel for many hours to prevent them from visiting nearby attractions. The Lawrence, Massachusetts Eagle-Tribune reports that the rangers also prevented the group from taking pictures of wildlife and from stopping at a rest facility during their departure, forcing seniors to wait well over two hours before using the restroom.  

Salmonella outbreak in chicken shows resistance to antibiotics
A salmonella outbreak in Foster Farms chicken contains several antibiotic-resistant strains that may explain an unusually high rate of hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that some salmonella strains found in the outbreak were resistant to one or more drugs -- and that 42% of those sickened have been hospitalized.  

Libyan PM Ali Zeidan calls for foreign help on militancy
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has called on Western powers to help stop the spread of militancy in his country. In an interview with BBC Newsnight he said Libya was being used as a base to export weapons throughout the region. "The movement of these weapons endangers neighbouring countries too, so there must be international co-operation to stop it," Mr Zeidan said.  

CME IMPACT, GEOMAGNETIC STORM
An interplanetary shock wave, possibly the leading edge of a CME, hit Earth's magnetic field on October 8th at approximately 2015 UT (1:15 pm PDT). The impact sparked a G1-class geomagnetic storm (in progress) and bright auroras around the Arctic Circle.  

M-CLASS SOLAR FLARE
Solar activity is picking up. New sunspot AR1865 erupted this morning (Oct. 9th at 01:48 UT), producing the strongest solar flare in nearly two months. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the M2.8-class eruption.  

Venezuela's President Maduro seeks to govern by decree
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked parliament to give him special powers to fight corruption and what he called economic sabotage. The country is currently facing shortages of food and essential goods, power cuts and soaring inflation. The measure, used on four occasions by his predecessor Hugo Chavez, would allow Mr Maduro to govern by decree for a set period of time.  

Shutdown: Cancer Treatments Defunded, Big Bird Receives $445 Million
It seems impossible to make sense of a president who would threaten to veto a compromise funding bill to cover cancer treatments for children sick with cancer, while public television and radio stations receive almost a half-billion dollars in funding.  

We Are All Tea Partiers Now: Americans Say No to Debt Ceiling Increase
A new Fox News poll shows that a majority of American voters--58 percent--would vote "no" on raising the debt ceiling. Only 37 percent of American voters would vote to raise the debt ceiling.  

Coastal storm to impact the mid-Atlantic (Wind, Beach Erosion, High Tides, Heavy Rain, Raw)
A couple of things really strike me as significant about this system. One, this storm will be “embedded” underneath an upper ridge, and with little flow around the ridge, precipitation will likely be slow to move out.  

Egypt's Mohammed Morsi to stand trial in November
Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi is to go on trial on 4 November on charges of inciting murder and violence, state media report. The charges relate to the deaths of at least seven people during clashes between opposition protesters and Muslim Brotherhood supporters outside a presidential palace in Cairo last year.  

9-year-old boy who boarded plane without ticket reportedly stole car weeks ago
A 9-year-old Minneapolis boy who flew to Las Vegas last week without a ticket had reportedly been investigated by child protection workers after he stole a car and sneaked into a water park without paying. Relatives of the unidentified boy who boarded a Delta flight en route to Las Vegas on Thursday have been the subject of four child-protection assessments since December, according to an email from a Hennepin County official obtained by the Star Tribune.  

Colorado gun-rights advocates plan another recall effort
Gun-rights advocates in Colorado have started gathering signatures in support of another recall effort against a Democratic state senator following two successful recalls of lawmakers over votes in support of gun control laws. Recall organizers received certification Friday from the Colorado Secretary of State’s office to gather signatures in the effort to recall Sen. Evie Hudak, a Democrat from Westminster, Colo., who backed the controversial gun measures, the Denver Post reported.  

Yellen is Obama choice to succeed Bernanke at Fed
Capping a lengthy and politically charged search, President Barack Obama will nominate Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve's vice chair, to be chairman of the nation's powerful central bank, succeeding Ben Bernanke at a pivotal time for the economy and the Fed's monetary policies.  

New $100 bill costs 60% more to produce
The revamped $100 bill costs 12.5 cents to produce — a 60% increase over the 7.8 cents it cost to print the older version of the bill. The government has printed 3.5 billion of the new $100 bills, which it began delivering to financial institutions Tuesday. How soon customers will see the new bills depends on their distance from a regional Fed office, demand, and a few other factors.  

Jesus Portrait Pulled – Aclu Lawsuit Forces School District to Pay $95g Fine
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsFox News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

An Ohio school district has agreed to keep a portrait of Jesus Christ off school property and pay a $95,000 fine in the face of legal pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Jackson City School District, located in Jackson, reached a deal on Friday after the ACLU, along with the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, sued the district in February, citing “unconstitutional” actions and charging that students and visitors to the school “will continue to suffer permanent, severe and irreparable harm and injury,” according to the lawsuit.

The picture had been hanging in Jackson’s high school since 1947 as part of a “Hall of Honor” display meant to highlight famous historical figures.

Editors Note....If you think the secular world does not hate Christ, think again.

Israel’s Final Warning on Iran
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily Newsgatestoneinstitute.org
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

With no military threat, Iran has no incentive to stop its nuclear progress. Iran might well conclude that the sanctions could disappear in the course of endless rounds of diplomacy. No one in Israel seeks war, but a central tenet of its own defense doctrine is that Israel cannot depend on any external power to deal with existential security threats.

The coming weeks probably represent the last opportunity for Iran and the international community to reach an enforceable deal that will dismantle Tehran’s nuclear weapons program, before Israel concludes that time has run out, that Iran has gotten too close to creating its first atomic bombs, and that the time for a military strike has arrived.

Despite Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s well-planned and deceptive charm offensive at the United Nations last week, so far not a single uranium-enriching centrifuge has stopped spinning in the underground nuclear facilities in Natanz and Qom. The heavy water plutonium facility at Arak is moving forward, and Iran has already amassed enough low-enriched uranium for the production of seven to nine atomic bombs.

The speech given by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the United Nations last week, in which he warned that Israel would act alone against Iran if it needed to, is an authentic warning, and serves a dual purpose.

First, the speech reintroduces a credible military threat and aims it squarely at the Islamic Republic.

This notice is important as deterrence against Iran has waned significantly since August, when President Barack Obama hesitantly climbed down from his commitment to carry out a military strike on Iran’s ally, the Syrian regime, over its use of chemical weapons to massacre civilians.

A diminished threat of military force leaves diplomatic efforts with Iran almost no chance of success: it leaves Iran with virtually no incentive to stop its nuclear progress, despite the painful economic sanctions it faces.

With no military threat, Iran might well conclude that the sanctions could disappear in the course of endless rounds of diplomacy, in which skilled Iranian negotiators would succeed in getting some of the sanctions lifted while giving up very little in return.

IMF Fears ‘Asset Spirals’ in Emerging Markets on Fed Tapering
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsTelegraph.co.uk
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

The International Monetary Fund has called on Western central banks to move with extreme care as they wind down emergency stimulus, warning that a botched exits risk setting off an asset crash in emerging markets and worldwide contagion.

Harvest Crusade’s Invite to ‘Crossover’ Band Who Dressed Like Women Questioned
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily Newschristiannews.net
Categories: Contemporary Issues

PHILADELPHIA – Questions are being raised over the decision by Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade to invite a band whose members dressed as women for Halloween to perform at their city-wide evangelistic event this past weekend.

NEEDTOBREATHE is a multiple Dove Award-winning band from South Carolina, and is comprised of brothers Bear and Bo Rinehart, who grew up in the church as preacher’s kids. While initially overtly Christian, the group now considers themselves a crossover band, meaning that they sing for both the Church and the secular world, keeping their lyrics non-religious for the most part.

Signed to Atlantic and Sparrow Records, NEEDTOBREATHE released their first album, Daylight, in 2006, to critical acclaim. Their song “Signature of Divine (Yahweh),” from their second album, The Heat, was nominated for “Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year” in 2008, and the following year, they took home the award for ”Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year” for “Washed by the Water,” a song about baptism.

The camera then swung over NEEDTOBREATHE, who were donned in dresses and skirts, wigs and makeup. Lead singer Bear Rinehart, who dressed as Dolly Parton, also utilized fake breasts and tied his shirt off at his midriff. Some viewers expressed concern upon viewing the gig, while others characterized the video as being “hilarious.” “What a great way to draw more people to Christian music,” one viewer wrote. “Though this particular song of theirs is not spiritual, it will have plenty of people searching for more of NEEDTOBREATHE’s music.” “Disappointed,” another stated, posting a frown. “I thought they sang for our Lord. This is totally against Christianity.” The group is currently in the middle of its “Stomping Ground Tour,” performing at festivals, clubs and bars.

This year, NEEDTOBREATHE was also invited to perform at Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade in Philadelphia, which was held this past weekend at the Wells Fargo Center stadium. Over 27,000 people packed the event, who were reported to have welcomed NEEDTOBREATHE and other guests with enthusiasm.

However, an evangelist that has conducted outreach in Philadelphia for over the past decade expressed concern that NEEDTOBREATHE, not having expressed regret for their actions, was invited to the event. Michael Marcavage of Repent America reached out to Harvest Ministries in Riverside, California to urge Greg Laurie to rethink the invitation. “They told me that it is a way of attracting people to the crusade,” he stated. “They said that they did watch the video and that Greg Laurie was aware, but that they had agreements and were moving forward.”

Erdan: Hezbollah Has 200,000 New Rockets, and the Same Goal
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily NewsINN - Maayana Miskin
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

srael’s enemies are taking a new approach to warfare, and Israel must be ready, Minister of Home Front Defense Gilad Erdan said Tuesday, speaking at a conference at Bar Ilan University.

“Our enemies have abandoned the idea of conquering territory in the land of Israel. What remains is their desire to defeat Israel by threatening the homefront,” he explained.

The preparations Israel’s enemies have made clearly show that their aim in a future battle would be to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, he said.

Hezbollah in particular has focused on stockpiling missiles and increasing their accuracy, Erdan said. The group now has over 200,000 rockets, he warned, “Every tenth house in Lebanon has either a rocket launcher, or ammunition in storage."

A future battle would likely be similar to the Second Lebanon War, but on a larger scale, he said, “Three weeks in which thousands of rockets are fired at the Israeli homefront, at the entire country.”

Hezbollah would use its most accurate rockets carefully, he said. “They’ll try to aim those where it would do the most harm to daily life,” he said.

This new style of battle – a war of terror targeting the civilian population – has radically changed the importance of the Home Front, Erdan said. The homefront was once important in times of war due to its ability to produce goods that were needed on the battlefront, he said.

“Today, the importance of the homefront has increased dramatically, and is almost equal to that of the IDF on the battlefront,” he declared. “It’s a completely different way of thinking.”

Israel’s enemies plan to defeat Israel by breaking its citizens’ spirit, he said. Israel’s job is not to let them do that.

“My job, and that of my ministry, is to bring the Home Front to a level of preparedness… to create an apparatus that ensures that whatever happens, we will continue to function,” he said. Daily life must continue, and will continue, even if Israel comes under attack, he stated.

Erdan noted that while he sees Hezbollah’s massive rocket arsenal as a “realistic scenario,” he does not believe that Israel’s enemies will use chemical weapons.

Atheists Welcomed By Scouts
Oct 9th, 2013
Daily Newsexpress.uk
Categories: Contemporary Issues

A new version of the Scout Promise with no mention of God or faith is to be introduced for boys and girls who say they are not religious, after the Scouting Association bowed to pressure from secular groups.

The existing promise includes the pledge to “do my duty to God”.

In the atheist version this becomes a promise to “do my best to uphold our Scout values.”