Seven Wonders

 

MSN.COM

Reconstructed: what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World would look like now

Richest World Leaders

 

MSN.COM

The richest world leaders, and how they made their fortunes

I Bow My Head and Ask

 

Confidential Report

Confidential Report by Bill Wilson

A confidential Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine adverse event report to the FDA dated April 3, 2021 possibly sheds light on why the FDA wants 75 years to release vaccine data, and why Pfizer filed in federal court to work with FDA to ensure “proper redactions are made.” The report, “5.3.6 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021,” indicates as of February 28, 2021 there were 42,086 reports of 158,893 adverse events caused by the Pfizer COVID vaccine—all withheld from the public. The report’s data indicates far greater long-term risks than was ever made public.

Pfizer reported, “Pfizer’s safety database contains cases of AEs (Adverse Events) reported spontaneously to Pfizer, cases reported by the health authorities, cases published in the medical literature, cases from Pfizer-sponsored marketing programs, non-interventional studies, and cases of serious AEs reported from clinical studies regardless of causality assessment.” 

Reported side effects on pregnant women, heart conditions, blood clots, anaphylactic shock, and lack of efficacy were withheld from the public as the government propagandized that the vaccine was “safe and effective.” In fact, the Appendix of the report listed 9 pages--472 lines and 2072 words--of “Adverse Events of Special Interest.”

Some of the results: “Pregnancy outcomes for the 270 pregnancies were reported as spontaneous abortion (23), outcome pending (5), premature birth with neonatal death, spontaneous abortion with intrauterine death (2 each), spontaneous abortion with neonatal death, and normal outcome (1 each).” These represented 11.8% of the pregnancy outcomes in the database. 

Pfizer concluded: “There were no safety signals that emerged from the review of these cases of use in pregnancy and while breast feeding.” All along, CDC maintains on its website “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.” 

Other results included:  Anaphylaxis in 54% of the relevant cases retrieved, four causing death, and Pfizer concluded that the data “did not reveal any significant new safety information.”

Lack of efficacy was found in 3.9% of the cases, but in the footnotes, Pfizer states that an additional 623 lack of efficacy cases were removed from the database analysis, the majority of them because they “developed SARS-CO-V-2 during the early days from the first dose.” In other words, the vaccine didn’t work, so they fudged the data. Some 3.3% of the total database developed cardiovascular adverse reactions, and “136 (9.69%) were fatal.” Again, Pfizer concluded: “This cumulative case review does not raise new safety issues.” 

No wonder FDA wants 75 years to release this data. The side effects of these vaccines can be devastating. Safe and effective, as the CDC adamantly claims, is not true. 

As Christ said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” These deceptions can be life-threatening.

Isaiah 40:25, 26

 To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. - Isaiah 40: 25-26

Steps to Greatness

 

Four steps to true greatness

How do we “walk by the Spirit”? The same way we walk with anyone else.

1. Decide that we want to walk with him. I urge you to make this choice right now.

2. Begin to walk with him. You can do so at this moment. Stop reading this article and turn to God in prayer. Ask the Spirit to take control of your mind and life (Ephesians 5:18). Pray through your day, submitting it to his authority. Trust that he is answering your prayer and will lead if you follow and bless as you trust.

3. Stay close to him, listening to him and speaking with him. Oswald Chambers offers some simple but profound advice: “Get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak, Lord,’ and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press, say, ‘Speak, Lord’; make time to listen.” He assures us, “As we listen, our ear gets acute, and, like Jesus, we shall hear God all the time.”

4. Refuse all temptations to stray from him no matter who else might turn from Him.

True Greatness

 

Tom Brady’s retirement and God’s call to true greatness

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, left, and quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)

With his victory yesterday at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal has now won more Grand Slam titles than any man in tennis history. By any measure, he is one of the “Greatest Of All Time” and thus by acronym a “GOAT.” Of course, when sports fans speak of GOATs these days, they’re most likely referring to Tom Brady. By virtue of his seven Super Bowl rings, he is widely considered the GOAT of his sport. As a result, the internet was abuzz over the weekend with reports that Brady is going to retire, counterclaims that he has not made up his mind, and assertions that he is “expected” to retire but has not made his decision known, perhaps for financial reasons. While scores of recent headlines have been devoted to Brady and his future, my wife and I have been especially following a story that deserves more attention than it has received. New York City police officer Jason Rivera was gunned down with his partner last week when they responded to a family dispute. Rivera, age twenty-two, was memorialized in St. Patrick’s Cathedral last Friday. As ABC News reports, police filled the pews and “a sea of blue uniforms stretched for blocks as snow drifted outside the city’s iconic church.” Mayor Eric Adams, a retired NYPD captain, told the assembled crowds, “He did it for the right reasons—he wanted to make a difference.” What makes someone great? Greatness in our culture is typically measured by personal achievement and public acclaim. An athlete who wins Grand Slams or Super Bowls is “great.” CEOs and politicians are measured by the “Three P’s”: performance, popularity, and possessions. For pastors, the standards are similarly alliterated: buildings, budgets, and baptisms. Sacrificial service is seldom considered. I know pastors who are serving in smaller congregations and towns but whose ministries are remarkably effective. Police officers risk their lives for us every day, but we seem not to recognize their service unless one of them makes the sacrifice all are willing to make. In our confused and broken culture, it is as if we must decide between public excellence and personal service. This is a choice Jesus did not need to make. “No man ever spoke like this man” Our Lord achieved astounding popularity during his public ministry. The gospels report that “great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (Matthew 4:25). They were “astonished at his teaching” (Matthew 7:28) and said of his ministry, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel” (Matthew 9:33). When the authorities sent soldiers to arrest him, they reported, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46). His private character was as exemplary as his public ministry (cf. Hebrews 4:15). Near the end of his life, Napoleon Bonaparte stated, “There is between Christianity and other religions the distance of infinity.” He then explained: “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon sheer force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love, and at this hour millions of men will die for him.” Now Jesus is ready to inspire and empower us to achieve the kind of public excellence and personal character that empowers our witness and transforms our culture. But there is a simple yet transforming decision we must make first. A binary choice that changes everything Galatians 5 exhorts us: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (v. 16–17). This is a binary choice. As fallen human beings, if we are not submitted to the Spirit, we are by default submitted to the “flesh.” If we are not empowered by the Spirit, we are empowered by the “flesh.” How can we tell the difference? “The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (vv. 19–21). Do you see any of these in your life? Does the world see any of these in your life? By contrast, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (vv. 22–23). Do you see any of these in your life? Does the world see any of these in your life?

The Cross, the Rainbow

 

The Cross and the Rainbow are continual reminders of GOD'S faithfulness to us in time and of HIS provision for us through eternity.  Place your life at the foot of the cross and be bathed in HIS glorious light for Eternity.

I AM

 

Prayer

 

No Evil

 

Psalm 62:5

 

I Thessalonians, Chapter Three

 I Thessalonians, Chapter Three

Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;

2And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:

3That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

4For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

5For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

6But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:

7Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

8For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

9For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;

10Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

11Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

13To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Quote from President Ronald Reagan

 “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” Ronald Reagan

 

Putin’s Attack on Religious Freedom

It has been nearly eight years since Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and occupied Crimea. These unjust actions under the pretense of “defending Russian-speaking people,” have in reality been disastrous for the people living in these regions.

This unfortunate reality is evident in Russia’s repression of religious freedom in the occupied regions of eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Today, Russia ranks among the worst violators of religious freedom and human rights. There is no sign that its persecution of religious minorities and foreign missionaries is coming to an end. And what is perhaps most troubling is that this repression is not limited to its own borders.

It is no secret that the Putin regime is threatened by religious freedom. Faith in and worship of a transcendent power whose name is not Vladimir Putin weakens the regime’s control and undermines its absolute authority.

Russia’s persecution of people of faith is especially vivid in the Crimean Peninsula. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, “Religious activists, human rights groups, and media reports said Russian authorities in occupied Crimea continued to persecute and intimidate minority religious congregations, including Muslim Crimean Tatars, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and orthodox Church of Ukraine members and clergy.”

Russian security forces routinely raid places of worship, homes, and workplaces. For example, on May 26, 2020, four homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were raided by armed Russian agents and masked riot police. During the raid, Artem Shabliy was arrested for discussing the Bible and accused of “draw[ing] others into the activities of an extremist organization.”

Using force, excessive laws, criminal charges, and planted evidence, the regime detains those who practice their faith and dare to remind Russia that Crimea is part of Ukraine.  The U.S. Department of State reported that in 2020, 109 people were unlawfully incarcerated or imprisoned in Crimea as a result of religious or political persecution.

Despite Crimea officially remaining subject to Ukraine’s laws and constitution, Russian occupation authorities enforce Russian Federation laws. Russia has dishonestly declared the traditional Crimean Tatar Council, the Mejlis, an “extremist organization.” Additionally, a 2017 ruling issued by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in Crimea.

The International Religious Freedom Report cited then-U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs Philip T. Reeker, who said, the Russian regime’s “brutal campaign of repression” leaves “these communities in a constant state of fear.”

It is clear that Russia has leveraged the threat of persecution to advance its authority. Similarly, in testimony to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on September 16, 2020, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst described the close relationship between the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate.

Ambassador Herbst explained how the regime uses these ties to augment its legitimacy. According to his written statement, “The Kremlin has effectively used the Moscow Patriarchate not only to project Russian influence as a key player in “Russian World” outreach, but also to help manage specific political problems.”

The Russian Orthodox Church was considered the canonical church in Ukraine before the establishment of the unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine in December 2018. When Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, known as the “first among equals” in the Orthodox realm, recognized the unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine in January 2019, it delivered a substantial blow to the Kremlin.

As a result, Ambassador Herbst testified, “For geopolitical reasons, the Kremlin has launched a multifaceted effort to severely constrict, if not eliminate, Christian activity not associated with the Moscow Patriarchate in both regions [Crimea and eastern Ukraine].”

The situation in Ukraine for its citizens and religious believers remains dire. Amidst these various acts of Russian aggression, America’s support for Ukraine remains absolute. Ukrainian citizens must be afforded the fundamental right to worship freely and in accordance with their conscience.

Severe Winter Storm

 A severe winter storm overwhelmed New England with heavy snow and hurricane-force wind gusts, but light fluffy snow and a weekend that kept people off the roads meant that damage didn’t appear extensive for a storm of such magnitude.

There were scenes of cross-country skiing through Time Square in New York City and canoeing through Nantucket town in Massachusetts.

Why

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There also were blizzard-like conditions seen across the region. The worst of the storm centered along the coastlines of Long Island, Maine and Massachusetts, where more than 100,000 people were without power Saturday. But the winter weather was expected to begin letting up by evening. “The storm will end from southwest to northeast, dissipating over Long Island first,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. “By tomorrow, it’s completely done.”

Throughout the day, snow fell at a rate of 1 to 3 inches an hour along much of the East Coast, according to the National Weather Service, with accumulations of 21 inches seen near the Jersey shore and 24 inches near Boston. A gust of 82 miles an hour was registered on Cape Cod.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urged residents to continue to stay off roads on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. “We expect it will take until at least mid-morning tomorrow for roads to be in a better condition,” he said. “There still is pretty limited visibility out there.” Massachusetts was the only state to report significant power outages Saturday.

High winds are expected to continue through the night, which affect response time for power outages, Mr. Baker said. It’s expected that most downed lines won’t be fixed until Sunday.

On Nantucket Island off Cape Cod, the historic downtown had heavy flooding, with water flowing through the main streets around homes and shops. Some high-school students were seen paddling a canoe through the frigid water around town.

The storm’s atmospheric pressure dropped so much that the storm qualifies as a “bomb cyclone,” a more-intense storm category that can bring hurricane-strength winds.

The snow dropped by the storm is generally light and fluffy, meaning that it blows easily in high wind and reduces visibility, creating problems for motorists. On Cape Cod, the temperature is a little warmer, so the snow is heavier there, Mr. Chenard said.

Video: Play and work as snowstorm hits New England (Associated Press)

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Play and work as snowstorm hits New England

Lighter snow could mean fewer power outages for a storm of this magnitude. “Lighter snow means less impact on trees; less impact on trees means less impact on utilities,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who called the storm a “wicked New England” one.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a briefing Saturday in New York City that the impact of the nor’easter lingered longer than some meteorologists had forecast. Communities on Long Island were expected to have the state’s heaviest impact, with up to 1-and-1/2 feet of snow and high winds, while parts of New York City could expect around a foot of snow, she said.

In Provincetown, Mass., on the Cape, Bob Merckel, a teacher, woke up at around 7 a.m. Saturday to discover the power was already out, which meant no heat in his condominium where he lives with his partner, Larry Black. “It’s blowing very hard,” Mr. Merckel said of the snow. “And it’s not pretty at all.”

“We have lots of books,” said Mr. Merckel, on the phone, who was also sharing photos on Twitter. “We’ll take lots of naps, and we have plenty of wine for tonight. The windows are iced over. I’m pretty sure by the end of day it will be like living in an igloo.”

Shaun Cristler, a United Parcel Service Inc. pilot returning from a work trip Friday evening, had planned to take the ferry from Cape Cod to his home on Nantucket. Instead, he checked into a hotel that now has no heat and only limited electricity, after boat service was suspended. “He’s just pretty much stuck,” said his wife, Lucie Cristler, who spent Saturday snowed in and away from Mr. Cristler at their midisland Nantucket home.

Reached by phone late Saturday morning, Mr. Cristler had just returned to his room at the Best Western after a successful beer and snack run. His heatless room, he said, wasn’t really so cold. “We’re not burning the furniture yet,” he said. “Other than not having my wife and family here, you know, it’s not bad.”

New York City deployed more than 1,800 snowplows Saturday, the New York City Department of Sanitation said. Nearly 9% of the department’s employees were out sick, down from 22% at the peak of the Omicron surge a few weeks ago. Roughly 2,100 sanitation workers worked Friday night’s 12-hour shift.

Delivery workers rode bikes over icy city roads. Gustavo Ajche, who delivers food for on-demand apps like DoorDash and Seamless, left his home in Bensonhurst, in Brooklyn, at 6:00 a.m., towing his electric bike on the subway and into downtown Manhattan. He worked for nearly six hours while roughly a half-foot of snow fell. At one point he was doused head to toe by a discharging snowblower. The first thing he did when he got home? “Put my face into a blanket,” Mr. Ajche said.

In Central Park, Ezra Escamilla pushed his two sons on an inflatable sled shaped like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. “It’s awesome, and the fact that it’s a weekend is amazing,” Mr. Escamilla said.

People across the region stayed home, shoveled and cooked. Jaspaul Singh, in Monroe, N.J., shoveled out his home driveway with his two girls Saturday. He was rewarded with puri-aloo, a traditional Indian dish of potato curry, eaten with fried bread. “It was the perfect comfort food after a hard, cold day’s work,” Mr. Singh said.

There were no Saturday flights at Logan Airport in Boston. On Saturday, 2,848 flights were canceled and 897 Sunday flights were canceled at the three major New York City area airports, Logan and Chicago O’Hare and Midway, according to FlightAware.

Amtrak on Saturday suspended travel on many key routes along the eastern seaboard, including all Acela line trains and Northeast regional travel between Boston and New York.

In Boston, the National Weather Service said travel would be near impossible Saturday.

Temperatures in the Northeast are expected to be low after the nor’easter’s snowfall abates, and wind chills are expected to drop to between 0 degrees and negative-10 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Thick sheets of ice are likely to remain across the region’s highways and roads well into next week, with temperatures unlikely to rise above freezing until Wednesday or Thursday.