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UN Names Panel to Investigate Israeli 'War Crimes'
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A three-member panel appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will investigate allegations that Israel violated humanitarian law in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The commission of inquiry will be headed by Canada’s William Schabas, an international law professor at Middlesex University in London who served on the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2002 to 2004, the UN council said in an e-mailed statement to the news website.

The other members are Amal Alamuddin, a British-Lebanese lawyer who previously worked at the International Court of Justice, and Doudou Diene of Senegal, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance from 2002 to 2008.

Several weeks ago, the UNHRC decided to launch an investigation into the IDF's operations in Gaza. The decision to launch an inquiry was made shortly after UNHRC chief Navi Pillay said that there is a "strong possibility" that Israel was violating international law through Operation Protective Edge.

The Prime Minister’s Office slammed the UNHRC’s decision, saying it is “a travesty and should be rejected by decent people everywhere".

"Rather than investigate Hamas, which is committing a double war crime by firing rockets at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians, the UNHRC calls for an investigation of Israel, which has gone to unprecedented lengths to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way, including by dropping leaflets, making phone calls and sending text messages," the statement continued.

"The UNHRC should be launching an investigation into Hamas's decision to turn hospitals into military command centers, use schools as weapons depots and place missile batteries next to playgrounds, private homes and mosques," it added, referring to numerous documented incidents in the past few days since the IDF launched the ground phase of Operation Protective Edge.

The statement went further, saying that by effectively granting terrorist groups impunity, the UNHRC was indirectly encouraging the continued use of human shields, in a perverse betrayal of its stated mission.

"By failing to condemn Hamas's systematic use of human shields and by blaming Israel for the deaths that are caused by this grotesque human shields policy, the UNHRC is sending a message to Hamas and terror organizations everywhere that using civilians as human shields is an effective strategy."

In 2009, after Operation Cast Lead, the UN appointed Judge Richard Goldstone to head a similar investigation. Goldstone, who accused Israel at the time of committing war crimes in Gaza, later retracted the core accusation of his report.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has said that the UNHRC has long ago turned into the rights council for terrorists.

"We will continue to fight terror and continue to fight the hypocrisy and anti-Semitism of bodies such as the UNHRC,” said Liberman.

“When countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and the like, who do not know the concept of human rights, point an accusing finger towards us, it is a sign that we are doing the right things," he added.

UK Threatens to Cut 12 Arms Export Licenses to Israel
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The UK on Tuesday threatened to suspend 12 arms export licenses to Israel if the fighting in Gaza starts up again, a day before the current 72-hour ceasefire with the Hamas terrorist organization ends on Wednesday at midnight.

The announcement was made by British Business Secretary Vince Cable, an MP of the Liberal Democratic party. The suspension would affect exports of components for radar systems, fighter jets and tanks, reports the UK's Huffington Post.

Speaking Tuesday, Cable said "the UK Government has not been able to clarify if the export license criteria are being met. In light of that uncertainty, we have taken the decision to suspend these existing export licenses in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities."

There has been talk of tougher British arms export measures to Israel after UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last Tuesday supported the suspension of arms exports to Israel. The call came after Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a British minister who was the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet, resigned over the British government's policy on Gaza.

The UK has reportedly exported £42 million ($70.5 million) in arms to Israel since 2010.

Cable's Business department clarified that the "vast majority" of UK exports to Israel were "not for items that could be used by Israeli forces in operations in Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas."

It is worth noting that the European Union (EU), which the UK is a member of, includes Hamas on its list of terrorist organizations. That listing specifically includes both "Hamas" and "Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem," meaning that both the military and governmental branches of Hamas are recognized as terror groups by the EU, and consequently by the UK.

Despite the fact that Operation Protective Edge is being fought to defend Israeli civilians from a terror war launched by Hamas, some in England apparently felt that Cable's threat to punish Israel didn't go far enough.

Andrew Smith of the Campaign Against Arms Trade called the threat "a very weak position" that "will be seen as a sign of political support for the Israeli government." He demanded a "full embargo on all arms sales to Israel as well as an end to all military-industrial collaboration with Israel."​

Turkish Activists Plan New Flotilla to Challenge Israeli Blockade of Gaza
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsYNet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A Turkish aid group said on Monday it would send ships again to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza, four years after Israeli commandos stormed its flotilla bound for the Palestinian territory and killed 10 people.

The incident wrecked diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel, once close Middle East allies but whose relationship has been tense since late 2008 over a previous Israeli military operation against Islamist militants dominating Gaza.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said in an e-mailed statement that members of a "coalition" of pro-Palestinian activists from 12 countries had met in Istanbul at the weekend and decided to launch a convoy "in the shadow of the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza," referring to the latest, month-long war. Fighting has abated under a 72-hour ceasefire deal.

"The Freedom Flotilla Coalition affirmed that, as most governments are complicit, the responsibility falls on civil society to challenge the Israeli blockade on Gaza," it said.

An IHH spokeswoman did not elaborate. The group will hold a news conference on Tuesday, she said.

 Nine Turks died in May 2010 in international waters after Israeli soldiers raided their vessel, the Mavi Marmara, leading a flotilla to break Israel's seven-year blockade of Gaza. A 10th Turkish activist died in May from wounds suffered in the attack. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who on Sunday was elected president, has been among the most vocal critics of Israel's conflict with the Islamist Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip.

The Dangers of Spiritual Formation
Aug 12th, 2014
CommentaryBerit Kjos
Categories: False Doctrine;Warning

The Spiritual Formation movement is widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader. It teaches people that this is how they can become more intimate with God and truly hear His voice. Even Christian leaders with longstanding reputations of teaching God’s word seem to be succumbing.1—Roger Oakland

Spiritual Formation has become a widely used term that was introduced to the evangelical church in the 1970s, primarily through a Thomas Merton disciple named Richard Foster and his longstanding, best-selling book, Celebration of Discipline. Today, there are few venues in the church that have not been influenced by the Merton/Foster model of Spiritual Formation.

While at first glance, the Spiritual Formation movement seems profitable and spiritual at best, harmless and benign at worst, that is only because it has been disguised with Christian language and out-of-context Scriptures all the while making grandiose claims that through Spiritual Formation, you can really know God.

In a nutshell, Spiritual Formation teaches that in order for someone to have an intimate relationship with God, he or she needs to practice certain “spiritual disciplines” that will help one to become more Christ-like. Sounds good so far, right?

What many people don’t really know, however, is that the driving force behind the Spiritual Formation movement is a mystical prayer technique called contemplative or centering prayer. The Spiritual Formation leaders, such as Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, and Brennan Manning, have told their followers for years that we must get rid of distractions in our minds or else we cannot hear the voice of God.

In order to reach a state of silence or stillness (where the mind is basically put into neutral), a word or phrase is repeated (or the breath is focused on) and a meditative (altered) state can then be achieved. But while contemplative advocates insist that this is not the same thing as Eastern-style meditation because their intent is different (they repeat Jesus Jesus, not om om), the results are the same as practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) and demonic realms are experienced in this silence. One meditation writer explains:

The meditation of advanced occultists is identical with the prayer of advanced mystics; it is no accident that both traditions use the same word for the highest reaches of their respective activities: contemplation [samadhi in yoga].2

That’s a little background of the Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative prayer) movement. Although the dangers of this mystical spirituality should be obvious to most Christians, it appears this is not the case, and children have not been exempt from the impact. Evangelical youth groups, children’s organizations, Sunday School curriculum, books, and so forth are introducing contemplative spirituality (i.e., Spiritual Formation) to children.

For instance, in a book titled, Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation, Greg Carlson and John Crupper (executive leaders of the Awana’s children organization at the time the book was written) praise Richard Foster’s contemplative-promoting book Streams of Living Water. Carlson and Crupper also say that the contemplative “tradition” is an important contribution to Christians:

In his excellent overview, Streams of Living Water, Richard Foster outlines six different spiritual traditions that are present within the Christian faith. They are the contemplative tradition, the holiness tradition, the charismatic tradition, the social justice tradition, the evangelical tradition, and the incarnational tradition. Each of these has played an important part in the larger history of the Christian church. . . . Each of these traditions has made significant contributions to Christian spirituality and each has weaknesses when isolated from other traditions.3

When Carlson and Crupper say “weaknesses,” they mean they don’t have a problem with contemplative as long as it is used in conjunction with other spiritual practices or “traditions.” They say that each of these models can learn from the other.4 Clearly, this gives the green light on contemplative. Carlson and Crupper add:

[W]e would see many of the techniques [from the Contemplative-Model] of teaching as valuable tools for learning . . . the ideas of repetition and routine . . . are important; and we affirm them.5

Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation identifies some of these “techniques” and “tools” as lectio divina, centering prayer, labyrinths, the Jesus Prayer, and breath prayers, all of which are part of contemplative spirituality.

Incidentally, in one section of the book, it favorably references the Catholic mystic Thomas Merton, who once said that he “intend[ed] to become as good a Buddhist”6 as he could and that he “was impregnated with Sufism.”7 Merton never hid his admiration for Eastern-style meditation or his panentheistic beliefs (that God was in all humanity). For Awana leadership to co-author a book that speaks highly of Thomas Merton shows little discernment or understanding.

Even though Carlson and Crupper are no longer in executive leadership roles with Awana, the book is still on the market today. Plus, Awana is referred to several times in the book so someone reading it would believe that Awana itself has given an OK to contemplative.

While it is troubling to see this kind of pass on contemplative spirituality by Awana leadership, calling it a “significant contribution” that has “played an important part” in the church, I believe there are many local Awana leaders who are not compromising their teachings and are staying true to God’s Word. Perhaps they will be the ones to help Awana stay on the right path.

One Christian group that has pushed contemplative spirituality onto children is NavPress. In one issue of their PrayKids! publication, an article titled, “Contemplative Prayer” states:

Contemplative prayer is a form of meditative prayer that focuses on communing with God. Although sometimes confused with its Eastern (and non-Christian) counterpart, true Christian meditation has been practiced since Bible times.

This issue of PrayKids! helps kids learn to slow down their fast-paced lives long enough to experience a meaningful relational encounter with their Heavenly Father.8

In one feature article in Pray!, “Empowering Kids to Pray,” Brad Jersak is referenced in relation to kids and prayer. Jersak’s book, Stricken by God (endorsed by emergent church figure Brian McLaren) is a compilation of essays by various authors including Eastern-style meditation proponents Richard Rohr and Marcus Borg. Borg rejects basic foundational tenets of Christian doctrine (such as the virgin birth of Christ and the atonement),9 and Rohr is a panentheistic Catholic priest who embraces interspirituality and mysticism.

Considering that NavPress, the publishing arm of the Navigators, has a publication for children specifically to teach children contemplative prayer illustrates how integrated the New Spirituality has become within Christianity.  Children in the church are being targeted. This is tragic—church is supposed to be one of the safest places for our children.

And it doesn’t get better as they get older. Unaware parents who are anticipating their children attending “good” Christian colleges when they are old enough may be very surprised and rudely awakened to find that Spiritual Formation has now entered almost every accredited Christian college, seminary, and university. My publisher, Lighthouse Trails, has been following this trend for over 12 years now and has discovered that some of the top accreditation associations for Christian schools are requiring Spiritual Formation programs to be implemented in schools now before they can be accredited!10 Students in Christian colleges are now being required to study the works of Henri Nouwen and Richard Foster and to take practicum courses in contemplative and centering prayer where they may be required to practice contemplative prayer for a passing grade.

Pray for discernment and guidance, and use the ideas on how to protect your children from spiritual deception that I have laid out in my book to make sure your child is equipped and “armored” to face what is now so prevalent in evangelical/Protestant Christianity.

Endnotes:

1. Roger Oakland, Faith Undone (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007), p. 91.
2. Richard Kirby, The Mission of Mysticism (London, UK: SPCK, 1979), p. 7.
3. Michael Anthony, Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006), p. 82, quoting Carlson and Crupper.
4. Ibid., p. 83.
5. Ibid., p. 85.
6. David Steindl-Rast, “Recollection of Thomas Merton’s Last Days in the West” (Monastic Studies, 7:10, 1969).
7. Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors, Merton and Sufism (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999), p. 69.
8. “Contemplative Prayer” (PrayKids, NavPress, issue #25).
9. Marcus Borg, The God We Never Knew (New York, NY: HarperCollins, First HarperCollins Paperback Edition, 1998), p. 25.
10. “An Epidemic of Apostasy—Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate ‘Spiritual Formation’ to Become Accredited” (Lighthouse Trails Special Report, November 2011, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=7733).

 

State Refuses to Declare Protective Edge a 'War'
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The State Attorney on Tuesday called for the Supreme Court to reject calls within the Knesset to classify Operation Protective Edge as a "war," a move being urged so as to increase state compensation for damages.

The operation has already seen 67 Israeli soldiers and citizens killed and has been the longest such operation in Gaza, but in the State Attorney's letter to the Supreme Court it is claimed that declaring it a war does not change the matter of compensation.

"Declaring a war does not in itself lead to the giving of compensation or financial assistance to residents of the state who were injured in the armed conflict," wrote the State Attorney. "Accordingly, even the lack of a declaration of war does not hold relevance (to the issue of compensation)."

"The topic of granting compensation as either direct or indirect war damage is dealt with in the law, and the declaration of war is not needed in order to decide on giving compensation," continued the letter.

The State Attorney noted that the state acted to ensure that Mas Rechush (Property Tax) would be used to compensate individuals and businesses who have their property damaged by rocket attacks during the operation.

Important for compensation or not?

Likewise, the government voted last month to provide funds for front-line businesses located near the Gaza border in response to loss of income.

However, businesses not located in the Gaza area that are experiencing financial losses due to the operation - either due to a loss of manpower after workers were called up for reserve army duty, or because revenues have been cut over fears of rocket attacks - are not included in the compensation.

A key argument behind the call for a declaration of war is that such a move would allow businesses not in the immediate environs of Gaza to be financially aided for losses incurred during the operation. The State Attorney's letter did not directly address this particular question.

In closing, the State Attorney wrote about the Second Lebanon War, stating "the decision to term the campaign in 2006 a 'war' was at the symbolic and ceremonial level, enacted under the residual authority of the government, and did not have any budgetary or legal meaning."

In addition to the question of declaring the operation a war, another request has surfaced calling on the government to declare Gaza "enemy territory." Such a move which would see Israel stripped of responsibility for damage to civilian areas and casualties.

The Security Cabinet has also been debating two proposals, one to establish a funding and assistance program for veterans of Protective Edge, and one to launch a special rebuilding project for Gaza belt communities under heavy fire.

Saudi FM Slams Israel, Pledges $500 Million to Gaza
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

On the heels of reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) promised funds to Hamas in order to procure the current 72-hour ceasefire, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal openly pledged $500 million to "rebuild" Gaza.

Speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday, al-Faisal accused Israel of trying "to wipe off Palestinian existence," and blamed the world for supporting "Israel's savagery against the people of Gaza."

Calling for Arab unity at a time when internecine bloodbaths are raging throughout the Middle East, al-Faisal urged the Arab nations to stand together on "one line" to oppose Israel.

"Divisions among Islamic nations are causing civil strife, leading Israel to repeat its crimes," said al-Faisal, recommending Arab countries "support all Egyptian efforts to stop the aggression."

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia considers the Palestinian cause its primary cause," boasted the Saudi foreign minister, announcing that his country would provide $500 million in funding to "rebuild" Gaza.

While reports of Saudi funding to promote the ceasefire noted the money was conditional on usage for civilian projects and not the rebuilding of terror tunnels, no system of checks and balances has been presented. Additionally, Hamas routinely uses civilian buildings, schools and hospitals as weapons caches, booby-traps and rocket launch sites.

Further, the Palestinian Arab Sawa news agency revealed Sunday that Hamas paid two-months of salary in full that morning to its terrorist "military wing," the Al-Qassam Brigades. It is suspected the sudden unexpected infusion of cash was likely given by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

"Peace" - or no survival

Taking a slightly more threatening tone in his rhetoric, al-Faisal continued saying "Israel must understand that the only solution for its survival is peace with the Palestinians."

"Israel isn't embarrassed to conduct terror on every level in order to achieve its goals, while ignoring laws, religious commandments and humanitarian considerations," charged the Saudi foreign minister.

It should be noted that Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in response to a rapid escalation in Hamas rocket fire on its civilian centers, and has agreed to numerous humanitarian ceasefires while taking pains to warn civilians before conducting airstrikes.

Concerning al-Faisal's comment on religious commandments, Chairman of the Bnei Akiva Yeshivas and head of Yeshivat Or Etzion, Rabbi Haim Druckman, stated last month that the operation falls under the category of milchemet mitzvah (war of commandment), given that it is a war to defend Israel from attack.

"This is a holy war by all accounts, a war of salvation and for the existence of Israel in its homeland," clarified Rabbi Druckman.

S&P Downgrades Canada's Biggest Banks to 'Negative' Rating
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsCTVNews
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Obama Welcomes Iraq Moves to Form New Government, But Decides to Directly Arm Kurds
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily Newsnews.com.au
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

NATO Warns Vladimir Putin Sending Aid Convoy to Ukraine As Pretext for Invasion of New Russia
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsThe National Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Yogev: Apply Lessons from Operation to the North
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Motti Yogev (Jewish Home) said on Tuesday that Israel should learn the lessons from the way it dealt with the terror tunnels in the south and apply them to any potential threat in the north.

Yogev, who toured the south and the north, said, “The traveling from the south to the north sharpened my sense of responsibility for learning the lessons from Operation Protective Edge and implementing them in the north.”

MK Yaalon: Protective Edge not Over But Hamas Severely Damaged
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon visited a naval base in Ashdod, where he met with the brigade’s officers and soldiers.

During his visit, Yaalon said that “Operation Protective Edge is not over yet, but without a doubt, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have been dealt severe blows… amounting to greater damage than during Operations Pillar of Defense, Cast Lead and the Second Lebanon War combined.”

MK Slomianski: I Am Patient But There are Limits
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Chairman of the Finance Committee, MK Nissan Slomianski, told Arutz Sheva about the removal of MK Shafir from the committee. Slomianski said that “I have patience but there are limits that must be upheld.”

“She spoke rudely and dishonorably and so I kicked the spoiled woman out,” the MK claimed.

MK Danon: No Trade With Terrorist Organizations
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Danny Danon spoke on Tuesday of the agreement being formulated in Cairo and said, “We do not commercialize with terrorist organizations. The understandings being formulated will allow Hamas to restore its status on the Arab streets and its military abilities, which it will turn against us when the Hamas leaders say so.”

The MK added that “If Ismail Haniyeh and his partners receive immunity as part of the agreement it will significantly impair our intimidation ability.”

Midnight Migrating Moths
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily Newscreationmoments.com
Categories: Creation - Evolution;Commentary

"Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, 'Get thee out of thy country ... unto a land that I will shew thee'" (Genesis 12:1).

It was a moonless night over England. A specially designed radar picks up something that has never been seen before.

The radar is picking up silver Y moths as they migrate south for the winter. What has never been seen before is evidence that the moths actually navigate very precisely. It doesn't seem to matter whether the stars or moon are out or whether it is a cloudy, moonless night. This, scientists say, is the first evidence of a compass in night-migrating insects.  

The special radar, which can track individual moths at altitudes of 500 to 4,000 feet, revealed how precise their navigating skills are. The moths only fly on nights when they can proceed south-southwest. If the wind is blowing in that direction, the moths need to make no course corrections. If the wind is blowing within 20 degrees of south-southwest the moths will very precisely modify their flight direction so that their overall progress is south-southwest. If the wind is more than 20 degrees off the desired direction, the moths don't fly.

Scientists believe that the moths winter somewhere in North Africa. Nocturnal moths that must migrate great distances under only select conditions require very special abilities. But just as God could lead Abram to a land he did not know, He can lead moths thousands of miles through the darkness.

Liberia Puts Third Province Under Ebola Quarantine
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsYahoo News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Monrovia (AFP) - The Liberian army has put a third province under quarantine to check the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Monday.

"Lofa county in the north has been quarantined by the army," Sirleaf said after similar measures were taken in the provinces of Boma and Grand Cape Mount.

"So from now on, no one will be allowed to go to Lofa, no one will come out of there," Sirleaf said in a message to the nation broadcast over the radio.

"We want to protect areas that have not been yet affected," according to the president.

"We have given instructions to the army and we will try our best so that food will be provided to the county constantly, especially when we know that Lofa is one of (the) biggest counties."

In an effort to contain an epidemic that has cost nearly 1,000 lives throughout west Africa, the Liberian government earlier quarantined Boma and Grand Cape Mount, the most affected northern provinces.

It cut off access with military roadblocks and restrictions on travel.

The quarantine has meant that traders have been unable to travel to buy food and farmers cannot harvest their crop, which has in turn caused shortages and sent prices soaring, raising fears people could go hungry.

Let the Headlines Speak
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Lake Mead's 14-Year Drought Drops Water Levels To Historic Lows
Once-teeming Lake Mead marinas are idle as a 14-year drought steadily drops water levels to historic lows. Officials from nearby Las Vegas are pushing conservation, but are also drilling a new pipeline to keep drawing water from the lake.  

Physicists create water tractor beam

The group, led by Professor Michael Shats discovered they can control water flow patterns with simple wave generators, enabling them to move floating objects at will. "We have figured out a way of creating waves that can force a floating object to move against the direction of the wave," said Dr Horst Punzmann, from the Research School of Physics and Engineering, who led the project. "No one could have guessed this result," he said.  

Democrats paying their minority staffers around 3/5th of White staffers’ salaries.
African-American staffers on Democratic campaigns were paid 70 cents for each dollar their white counterparts made. For Hispanic staffers in Democratic campaigns, the figure was 68 cents on the dollar.  

The One Question About Ebola That Nobody Can Seem To Answer
How in the world is it possible that more than 170 health workers have been infected by the Ebola virus? That is the one question about Ebola that nobody can seem to answer. The World Health Organization is reporting this as a fact, but no explanation is given as to why this is happening. We are just assured that Ebola “is not airborne” and that getting infected “requires close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person”.  

'Dead End' in Cairo Ceasefire Talks
Israel Hayom cited “an official diplomatic source” as saying the talks had reached “a dead end” and the gaps were too wide. His remarks came as the Egyptian-mediated talks entered their second day and a 72-hour truce held on the ground, bringing relief to millions on both sides of the Gaza border. The truce ends Wednesday at midnight.  

Spanish Priest With Ebola Dies; West Africa Death Toll Passes 1,000
Pajares died Tuesday at Carlos III Hospital, the hospital and his order said. The hospital would not confirm that he had been treated with the drug, but his order said earlier that he would be. He is one of only three Ebola patients thought to have received the experimental drug. The others are two Americans evacuated to Atlanta.  

Swarm Of 7 Earthquakes Hit Hollister Area In 2-Hour Period
A swarm of seven small earthquakes hit Central California Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Service.  

UN puts new momentum behind its radical green agenda for 'climate change'
The United Nations is putting new momentum behind the radical green effort to reduce global carbon emissions and drastically reshape the world’s economy  

Putin threatens to break Ukraine's blockade of Donetsk as rebels vow 'another Stalingrad'
As Kiev tightened the vise on the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, surrounding the eastern city and cutting off supply routes and all roads in, the Kremlin floated plans to send a "humanitarian" convoy through to help embattled pro-Russian insurgents.  

Islamic State Funds Caliphate With Mosul Dam as Terror Spreads
Islamic State militants who last week captured the Mosul Dam, Iraq’s largest, had one demand for workers: Keep it going. ...Islamic State’s rampage through northern Iraq has inspired terror as stories spread of beheadings and crucifixions. At the same time, its fighters are capturing the strategic assets needed to fund the Islamic caliphate...and strengthen its grip on the territory already captured.  

Glass doors vandalized at House of Israel
Glass doors were shattered by rocks at a cottage that showcases Israeli history and culture in San Diego, a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League said Sunday. The damage was first discovered Saturday morning at the House of Israel in Balboa Park, according to Tammy Gillies of the Anti-Defamation League. She said there was no message left behind and nothing else to indicate the reasoning behind the actions.  

Ethical to use untested Ebola drugs, says WHO
Untested drugs can be used to treat patients infected with the Ebola virus, the World Health Organization says. The WHO said it was ethical in light of the scale of the outbreak and high number of deaths - over 1,000 people have died in west Africa.. The statement was made after its medical experts met in Switzerland on Monday to discuss the issue.  

Colombia drought triggers clashes in La Guajira province
Nine people have been injured in clashes between police and residents of Colombia's northern La Guajira province demanding more government support for the impoverished region. La Guajira is currently suffering from a drought and locals say the authorities have not done enough to mitigate its effects on the population. Riot police were deployed to clear roadblocks and remove burning cars.  

Iran slams Egypt for stalling to green light aid shipment
Iran blamed Egypt for stalling to grant permission for the delivery of supplies to the Gaza Strip, Iranian state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. Iranian official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian charged Egyptian officials of refusing to approve Tehran's request to transfer, via Egypt, a shipment of what the Islamic Republic said was medical and humanitarian aid for Palestinians injured in Israeli strikes.  

Hamas official: This is second and final cease-fire with Israel
A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday that his group was locked in "difficult" talks in Egyptian-mediated efforts in Cairo to forge a lasting cease-fire in Gaza with Israel. "We are facing difficult negotiations. The first truce passed without notable achievements. This is the second and final cease-fire," Palestinian news agency Ma'an quoted Mousa Abu Marzouk as saying in light of the three-day halt in fighting that started Sunday.  

Iraq crisis: My night on the mountain of hell with dying Yazidi refugees
The lights of their towns, controlled by jihadists, twinkle beneath them in the moonlight. The people of the mountain can see their towns and villages, and the headlights of the jihadi patrols snaking through the streets they have abandoned, and know they cannot return.  

Ferguson, Missouri Has Turned Into A 'War Zone' As Riots Over Police Shooting Take Hold Of The Town
A St. Louis suburb has turned into a "war zone" amid riots over the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager. Police are reportedly firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who are gathered outside, according to local media reports.  

Nigeria confirms new Ebola case in Lagos: minister
President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday branded a Liberian-American a "madman" for bringing Ebola into Nigeria, as the country announced its 10th confirmed case of the deadly virus.  

Obama says Iraq took 'promising step' nominating new PM
US President Barack Obama has said the nomination of Haider al-Abadi as Iraq's prime minister-designate is a "promising step forward". He acknowledged that Iraq had been through "difficult days", and urged its political leaders to work together. Earlier on Monday, Iraq's president asked Mr Abadi to form a new government, snubbing the incumbent Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.  

U.S. can keep court orders, phone courts secret in NSA spy case
The U.S. government need not turn over a secret surveillance court's orders or the names of phone companies helping it collect call records, because it might reveal methods needed to protect national security, a federal judge decided on Monday.  

Russia Mounts Aid Convoy to Ukraine Despite NATO Warnings
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that, in conjunction with the Red Cross and with approval of the Ukrainian government, Russia is sending an aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, despite warnings from NATO that humanitarian help could act as a pretext for invasion.  

Eight Chinese quarantined as panic grips Ebola-hit west Africa
Eight Chinese medical workers have been placed in quarantine in Sierra Leone, as health experts grappled with ethical questions over the use of experimental drugs to combat the killer Ebola virus.

Lapid Slams 'Ridiculous' UN 'War Crimes' Committee
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) on Tuesday strongly condemned the committee appointed by the United Nations (UN) to investigate Israeli "war crimes" allegations in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.

Speaking on Channel 2, Lapid termed it "a ridiculous committee of ridiculous commissionership, that instead of investigating the murder of millions of Muslims by other Muslims, investigates the most moral army on the planet; this is a disgrace for the UN."

Israel and the US have both rejected the three-man panel appointed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which is headed by Prof. William Schabas, a Canadian law professor known for his bias against Israel.

Schabas on Monday rejected the charges of bias, despite having once suggested in a speech that he believes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should be "in the dock of an international court." 

Regarding the ongoing truce talks with Hamas in Cairo, which are being conducted during a 72-hour ceasefire that began on Sunday at midnight, Lapid indicated that things could go either way.

"It certainly could be that tomorrow at midnight the fighting will start again, and it won't be the same fighting, because we will strike much harder," warned Lapid. "This is an attempt to gain quiet for residents of the south, and all options are on the table - Operation Protective Edge isn't over."

The finance minister pledged that "until we achieve their security we won't stop."

Lapid's statements come after Netanyahu met privately with Lapid and other party chairperson coalition members Tuesday, in what one minister called "softening talks" to apparently try and convince them to accept concessions to Hamas.

Reports have indicated these concessions would include Israel paying the salaries of Hamas officials in Gaza, easing the borders of the terror enclave and sending in building materials under inspection. Hamas has clarified that even if a truce is reached, it would only be so as to prepare the next terror war on Israel.

Kremlin Confirms Sending Non - Military Convoy With Aid to East Ukraine
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) — A truck convoy with Russian humanitarian aid will depart shortly to eastern Ukraine under the aegis of the Emergencies Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"The convoy will depart directly to the region very soon," Peskov said.

The spokesman confirmed that the mission will be carried out without any involvement of the Russian military.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a phone call earlier on Monday that the Russian side, in cooperation with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, is sending a humanitarian convoy to Ukraine.

Russia initially came up with a proposal to dispatch an international humanitarian mission, with Russian humanitarian aid under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Ukraine's troubled eastern regions last Tuesday at the UN Security Council.

Since that time, the proposal has been widely discussed by political leaders of the world's leading countries. The initiative welcomed by the International Committee of the Red Cross was called into question by a number of Western countries. The United States, Canada, Britain and Germany argued that Russian humanitarian aid should only be delivered to Ukraine after Moscow secured Kiev's consent, otherwise it would be "unjustified and illegal".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday called on the West not to impede the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to eastern Ukrainian regions, which, as he earlier stated, are under threat of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The minister sharply criticized the recent statements of London, Washington and Berlin officials that eastern Ukraine does not require humanitarian assistance, despite the worsening situation in the regions, caught in armed clashes between Kiev-led forces and independence supporters.

Kiev Refuses Russian Humanitarian Convoy Passage Into Ukraine
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israel, U.S. Reject UN's Gaza Panel
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israel’s Foreign Ministry blasted on Monday the newly appointed United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) panel that will investigate allegations that Israel violated humanitarian law in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry noted that the appointment of Canadian professor William Schabas, who is known for his anti-Israel positions, means that the panel’s report has already been written.

Schabas has in the past called for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be prosecuted for war crimes.

"The results are known in advance," a Foreign Ministry official said on Monday night.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor added, "If any further proof was required, the appointment of the chairman of the committee, whose views and positions against Israel are known to all, proves beyond any doubt that Israel cannot expect justice from such a body, and that the panel’s report has already been written and all that is left is to determine who will sign it.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department joined in on the criticism on Monday, with deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf telling reporters that any investigation related to Gaza should be done in a way that is non-biased.

“We’ve always said that if there are specific incidents that need investigation, that we think they should be. We said that with UNRWA schools and we’ve said that in other cases as well,” she said.

At the same time, she added, “there’s a way to investigate things that’s not one-sided and biased, and there’s a way that we don’t support.”

Several weeks ago, the UNHRC decided to launch an investigation into the IDF's operations in Gaza. The decision to launch an inquiry was made shortly after UNHRC chief Navi Pillay said that there is a "strong possibility" that Israel was violating international law through Operation Protective Edge.

The Prime Minister’s Office slammed the UNHRC’s decision, saying it is “a travesty and should be rejected by decent people everywhere".

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has said that the UNHRC has long ago turned into the rights council for terrorists.

"We will continue to fight terror and continue to fight the hypocrisy and anti-Semitism of bodies such as the UNHRC,” said Liberman.

“When countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and the like, who do not know the concept of human rights, point an accusing finger towards us, it is a sign that we are doing the right things," he added.

ISIS Brutally Subdues Rebellion in Syria, Beheading and Crucifying Tribesmen Who Resisted Their Rule
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Vancouver Sun
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iraq: U.S. UAV Destroys is Launching Pad
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Sources within the American army said that an American Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacked and destroyed a mortar shell launching pad belonging to the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq, used to launch mortar shells at Kurdish rebels protecting citizens as they attempted to flee the region.

A senior American official said on Monday that “The United States does not intend to expand its areas of attack in Iraq, beyond the Kurdish region in the north.”

Hollande to Putin: Ukrainian Authorities to Accept Russian Aid
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

French President, Francois Hollande, met with his Russian Counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, and expressed his “Deepest concern” following a one-sided envoy of Russian aid headed for eastern Ukraine.

A message from the French President said, “The President expressed concern following recent developments in eastern Ukraine. He insists that the Russian humanitarian aid be accepted by the Ukrainian authorities.”

Hamas Military Wing Threatens Further Battles
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas’ military wing announced that based on efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire agreement in Cairo, “The warriors in Gaza are waiting with Allah’s help to renew battle or to return to preparing for the next operation.”

“There is no way around it. It is either Jihad or preparing (for Jihad),” a spokesperson for the military wing said.

Hamas Clarifies Truce Would Only be to Plan Next War
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Even as Israeli representatives are in Cairo to discuss a truce with Hamas on Tuesday, the terrorist group is taking pains to clarify it has no intentions of desisting from trying to wipe Israel off the map.

Hamas's "military wing," the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a statement presenting its position on the ongoing talks in Egypt.

"The warriors in Gaza are waiting with Allah's help to renew the fighting, or to return to planning the next campaign. There's no escape. Either jihad or planning (for the next jihad)," declared the statement.

The remarks leave no doubts that even in the case of a truce, from Hamas's perspective the lull in fighting would only be an opportunity to rearm for the next terror war on the Jewish state. This facet is particularly concerning in light of reports of Israel agreeing to finance Hamas's officials in Gaza as part of an agreement.

Slamming this proposal, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) stated Monday "this is political protection money: you pay us, then we'll shoot you later; you don't pay us, then we'll shoot you right now. ...It is impossible to fight our enemy with one hand and to fund it with the other."

Further demonstrating how Hamas appears to view the talks as a chance for financial gains and to prepare for the next round of fighting is analysis suggesting that Hamas agreed to the current 72-hour ceasefire, which began on Sunday night at 12 a.m., as a means to gain Saudi and UAE funds.

Hamas divided over ending or continuing the war

Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) delegation in Cairo for the truce talks, told Walla! on Tuesday that the talks are advancing, but "the gaps are still wide."

The PA official, who represented Fatah in the Hamas unity deal in April and led negotiations in forming the unity government, insisted that Hamas's period of controlling Gaza is over, and called for Israel to concede to Hamas demands for a sea and airport while supporting the PA in taking control of the Hamas enclave.

Another senior official from the PA delegation told Walla! that there are estimations that the current ceasefire may be extended by an additional 72-hour period. 

Revealing Hamas's position on the talks, the official commented "I'm still not sure that there's a decision by Hamas to end this war."

"There's a great disagreement now between the Hamas leadership in Qatar headed by Khaled Mashaal, and between the senior members of the organization in Gaza. Doha (Qatar's capital - ed.) is urging Mashaal all the time not to agree to Egypt as an intermediary," disclosed the official.

The Gaza branch of Hamas also seems to hold enmity towards Egypt; just this week a senior Hamas leader, Mustafa Sawaf, urged the Palestinian Arab negotiating team to reject Egypt as an intermediary and find another third-party country to help Hamas realize its demands.

Hamas Brags of Holding Israel 'at Gunpoint' in Talks
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

In a newly translated interview, Hamas spokesperson Husam Badran declared that his terror organization is holding truce talks in Cairo with Israel being held "at gunpoint" to accept the group's demands.

Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated the interview from Al Jazeera, which is sponsored by Qatar, a key provider of Hamas funds. In it, Badran relates being asked in jail in 2002 by then-deputy head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service) whether Hamas will ever negotiate with Israel.

"I said to him outright: If we ever negotiate with you, whether directly or indirectly, we will do so with our weapons in our hands. If we get what we want, so be it. If not, we will shoot you in the chest. What I said back then is how Hamas negotiates now," stated Badran.

Hamas's lavish demands in the talks include serious threats on Israel's security, such as the release of terrorists, the opening of borders, as well as the establishment of a sea port and airport in Gaza.

The Hamas spokesperson also clarified that his organization "began preparing for this confrontation the day the 2012 war ended," a reference to the last counter-terror operation in Gaza, Operation Pillar of Defense.

The statement comes as Hamas announced its position on the ongoing Cairo truce talks Tuesday, saying "the warriors in Gaza are waiting with Allah's help to renew the fighting, or to return to planning the next campaign. There's no escape. Either jihad or planning (for the next jihad)."

Together, the statements leave no doubts that Hamas intends to begin preparing for the next confrontation immediately after the current operation.

Badran revealed that during the time since Pillar of Defense, "hundreds of our men were martyred digging the tunnels during the previous lull period. ...The mujahideen of the Al-Qassam Brigades were getting ready in the tunnels."

Those who survived digging the terror tunnels did not meet a better end than their compatriots; in recent weeks Hamas has executed dozens of the diggers to make sure they would not reveal information about the locations they were digging in.

The Hamas spokesperson also bragged of how Al-Qassam Brigades engineered domestic missiles and "drones that many countries in the region lack."

In several cases the IDF shot down drones launched by Hamas during the operation. Recovered remains of the drones revealed they were armed to conduct attacks on Israeli civilian population centers.

Fatah Threatens to Kidnap Soldiers
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the “military wing” of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, has threatened to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel, including the kidnapping of IDF soldiers.

In a newly released video filmed in Gaza, members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are seen in a warehouse where weapons and dozens of rockets are stored.

One of the activists, who is wearing a mask, tells the camera that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades supports the demands of the Palestinian delegation for talks on a ceasefire with Israel, adding that Israel must accept all these demands.

He further stresses the organization’s determination to carry out "quality attacks" against Israel, including the kidnapping of soldiers in order to free all the "prisoners" who are serving time in Israeli prisons.

While Abbas has often been touted as a "peace partner," his Fatah party's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades military wing claimed a shooting attack on "a group of Zionists" near Bethlehem on Sunday. It also claimed responsibility for a failed shooting attack last Sunday in Neve Tzuf, Samaria.

Abbas's Fatah faction has called for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel, and declared "open war" on Israel late last month.

On Monday, Palestinian Media Watch released a translated statement from Fatah, in which the movement boasted of having murdered 11,000 Israelis.

Ebola Drug Supply is Exhausted After Doses Sent to Africa
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsBloomberg
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Photographer: Pius Utomi/AFP via Getty ImagesAn airport security staff searches a passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International.

The Ebola drug given to two Americans and a Spanish priest has been sent to treat infected doctors in two West African countries, and the supply of the medicine is now gone, its manufacturer said.

Countries including Nigeria and Liberia had requested the drug, called ZMapp. Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., based in San Diego, said it has complied with every request for the drug that was authorized by legal and regulatory authorities. The drug was provided at no cost, according to Mapp.

“It is our understanding that all patients offered treatment, treated, or expected to be treated were or are highly capable of providing informed consent for the use of an experimental drug not yet evaluated for safety in animals or people,” the company said yesterday in a statement.

Mapp and its partners, Defyrus Inc. and a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., are working with the U.S. government to quickly increase production, the company said.

“Additional resources are being brought to bear on scaling up,” the company said. “The emergency use of an experimental medicine is a highly unusual situation.”

Providing a small amount of an experimental drug to West Africa won’t help control the outbreak, said Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The focus needs to remain on basic public health and infection control measures, he said.

Too Little

“How can a couple of doses control an outbreak with hundreds and hundreds of people?” Fauci said by phone. “You don’t control the epidemic with two or three doses.”

Mapp, in its statement, didn’t identify which countries had received the remaining doses. The company said those who requested the drug can reveal their acquisition or use of the experimental drug.

The Ebola outbreak has killed 1,013 of the 1,848 people infected in West Africa as of Aug. 9, the World Health Organization said in a statement on its website. While other diseases are much more common and deadly, there is no cure for Ebola and it has moved quickly between countries, putting the global health community in high alert. Widespread malaria, which killed more than 600,000 people last year, is preventable and curable, according to the WHO.

‘Long Overdue’

A panel of ethicists convened by the WHO began meeting yesterday to weigh the use of experimental drugs that have shown early promise against Ebola. The panel is considering whether the drugs, which haven’t been widely tested for safety, should be used in an outbreak where 40 percent of infected people survive and, if so, who should get them from what may be a limited supply.

“This is the first effort to have a long-overdue, transparent, public discussion about how to distribute life-saving medicines in an emergency,” said Arthur Caplan, director of the division of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, in a telephone interview. “A ton of attention is going to follow this panel.”

The urgency to access the treatments has increased as health officials in the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong have isolated and tested travelers with Ebola-like symptoms, before ruling out the disease. Medical experts have said the deadly virus could travel outside of West Africa.

Spanish Priest

U.S. regulators last week said a treatment by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. could be tested in infected patients, while Mapp’s drug has already been used to treat two American aid workers Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who were infected in Liberia. The pair were flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where relatives and supporters have said they are improving, though it remains unclear if or how much the drug helped.

Spain requested the Mapp drug on Aug. 8, after the doctor treating priest Miguel Pajares, a 75-year-old missionary who worked with Ebola patients, asked authorities to help him get it, the health ministry said. The treatment arrived in Madrid the next day, the ministry said. Pajares died today at a hospital in the Spanish capital.

The medicine arrived from Geneva, where a dose existed under an agreement with the manufacturer, the WHO and Doctors Without Borders, the ministry said. Spokesmen for the WHO and Doctors Without Borders said their groups weren’t involved.

Awaiting Decision

Sierra Leone is awaiting the outcome of the WHO panel before pursuing ZMapp, and the country has approached Tekmira about getting access to its product, Sierra Leone Chief Medical Officer Brima Kargbo said in a telephone interview.

Other companies developing treatments or vaccines for the deadly disease include Fujifilm Holdings Corp., BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.

Ebola is normally treated by keeping patients hydrated, replacing lost blood and using antibiotics to fight off opportunistic infections. The hope is that a patient’s immune system will eventually fight off the virus’s aggressive attack.

Erica Ollmann Saphire, a molecular biologist who works on Ebola treatments with the Scripps Research Institute, said experimental drugs should go first to medical staff and aid workers.

“They are taking care of others at great risk to themselves,” Saphire said in an e-mail. “If the treatments help them survive, they could return to care for other patients, so the effect of the treatment would be compounded. Further, the health-care workers that survive may even become immune, and much better able to help in the future.”

Limited Supply

The limited supply of the drug could create problems, Caplan said, questioning whether a patient’s condition should matter in determining who gets treated.

“The more recently you’ve been infected, the more likely you’ll respond better than if you’re 20 days out,” he said. “How about young versus old? Do we care if you’re 10 or if you’re 80?” The WHO plans a news conference at 2 p.m. Geneva time today to discuss the meeting of the ethics panel.

Researchers say the outbreak probably began in December with a 2-year-old child in Guinea, and the disease has raced through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and recently entered Nigeria, which has recorded two Ebola-related deaths as of Aug. 9.

Equitable Care

G. Kevin Donovan, director of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University, said African doctors should be getting the same chance as Brantly and Writebol at potentially life-saving intervention.

“There is no reason why African doctors shouldn’t be considered as eligible” to be flown to Western countries for treatment, Donovan said in a telephone interview. “The sad truth is they are working in their own countries which are terribly under-funded and terribly under-staffed. The reason it worked for these two Americans is their organizations had the will and resources to pluck them out of danger.”

The inability of West African aid workers to get top-notch treatment is “a reflection of the inherent inequalities in the world and it doesn’t make it right. It makes it sadder and even more admirable for these local doctors and nurses to be placing themselves in such a position.”

Bethels Bill Johnson: Jesus Was so Empty of Divine Capacity
Aug 12th, 2014
CommentaryLighthouse Trails
Categories: Today's Headlines;False Doctrine

Bill Johnson is an effective purveyor of kenosis, the heretical teaching that Christ operated on earth solely as a man, with no “Divine capacity” whatsoever. Every miracle, every healing that Christ performed, according to Johnson, came about through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Johnson teaches, we can all perform healings and miracles, since we also have access to the Holy Spirit.

Thus Johnson’s kenosis doctrine serves to reduce the biblical Christ and elevate man. As Bob Dewaay points out:

“Jesus is no longer unique, but only a special enlightened one who could lead the way to many such enlightened ones in the future. Thus we have a New Age Christ.” [1]

Kenosis comes from a misunderstanding of Phillipians 2:7: "…but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."

This speaks of the King of kings coming down and living among us, for our salvation; it has nothing to do with totally and completely giving up his Divine capacity while on earth. (Please check out the resources about kenosis at the end of this article.)

In the above video of Bethel’s Alabaster Prayer House, Bill Johnson states that “Jesus is the most normal Christian in the Bible.” (4:18) Really? Jesus is a Christian? So…Jesus is worshiping Himself?

In 2012, Bill Johnson and his wife, Beni Johnson, were contributors to a book (co-authored by his personal assistant) with disturbing New Age/quantum spirituality implications. 

One factor, I believe, that has lured Bill Johnson away from biblical understanding is contemplative prayer, which is essentially Eastern/New Age meditation disguised with Christian terminology. It is fitting, then, that Bill Johnson makes these heretical statements during this short video about Bethel’s Alabaster House. According to the church website, “The Alabaster Prayer House and surrounding gardens are quiet and peaceful places to be in contemplative prayer and soaking.”

2:42 in video: “Jesus was so empty of Divine capacity, eternally God but He chose to live with the restrictions as a man. Why? To set a model. To set something to follow, an example of His lifestyle. If He did all His miracles as God I’m still impressed but I’m not compelled to follow. … But when I find out He set aside His Divinity to display…”*

3:58 in video: “So what does [Jesus] do? He models for us the normal Christian life.”

4:18 in video: “Jesus is the most normal Christian in the Bible.”

How did Bethel’s contemplative Alabaster Prayer House come about? Apparently Bill Johnson received a vision during a time when James Goll was teaching:

5:53 in video: “When I say the Lord gave it to me in a vision I was sitting right here. Jim Goll was teaching two years ago at a prophetic conference and as he was teaching I just saw this prayer chapel with a wall of windows facing North, South, East and West, and in the center of the room was a globe with a fountain, this continual flowing fountain.”

A few final words about Johnson’s kenosis teaching before the links about kenosis, where you can investigate for yourself. We see that Christ limited Himself here:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matthew 24:36)

But Christ’s self-imposed limits are not at all the same thing as giving up all Divine capacity. Bill Johnson needs Christ reduced, for all intents and purposes, to simply a man, for this is what fuels his bells and whistles theology–a theology that far exceeds traditional Pentecostal teaching, and now threatens to engulf it.

'Flotilla II' By End of 2014, Say Activists
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A coalition of activists said on Tuesday they would send a flotilla of ships to break “Israel's siege of Gaza” by the end of 2014, AFP reported.

"We plan to send the flotilla during 2014," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which includes activists from at least 10 countries, said in Istanbul.

The statement was made at a joint conference hosted by the Turkish group IHH, which sponsored the first flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza that was raided by Israeli commandos in 2010.

The group did not give a specific date or an estimate on how many vessels or people would participate.

The IHH, which many believe has close ties with the Turkish government, is one of the members of the coalition, which includes groups from Greece, Norway and Sweden.

"It is a reflection of the growing worldwide solidarity with the Palestinian people, from the U.S. to Malaysia, from Scandinavia to South Africa," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.

The boats would sail at the same time from different ports around the world, carrying humanitarian aid as well as Palestinian commercial products, it added.

"We will try to form this flotilla with the aim of showing that international community cannot sit and look away when attacks on civilians and crimes against humanity are committed," Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef said, according to AFP.

He added that the coalition would not seek support from any government and there would not be any military escort.

In the 2010 flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, which claimed to be providing "humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza," defied orders to turn around and dock at the Ashdod port. After it ignored repeated warnings to change course, the IDF boarded the vessel - only to be attacked by Islamist extremists on board.

The soldiers had no choice but to open fire, resulting in the deaths of nine of the IHH members on board.

After an investigation, Israeli authorities discovered the vessel to be carrying no humanitarian aid - in fact, no aid supplies at all - whatsoever. 

The 2014 flotilla will again include Mavi Marmara, but the initiative is "by no means encouraged by the Turkish government," the IHH deputy head Durmus Aydin told AFP.

Since the 2010 flotilla, the IHH has been accused of secretly funding the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. In January, the offices of the IHH were raided by the Turkish anti-terror police.

'Dead End' in Cairo Ceasefire Talks
Aug 12th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues