TURKEY - The Turkish advance into northern Syria marks a turning point in the Syrian conflict. Its nominal target was Islamic State, but with large powers reconsidering their alliances in the region, the Kurds stand to lose the most. One common description of chaos theory holds that the flapping of a butterfly's wings can trigger a tornado. And it could very well be that the theory is the best tool we currently have available to describe the complex situation in Syria. The butterfly wings in this case was the late July decision by the Syrian regime to recruit new tribal militia fighters in a remote northeastern province. The tornado it triggered four weeks later was threefold: the invasion of northern Syria by the Turkish army; the sudden expulsion of Islamic State from the border town of Jarabulus; and the US military suddenly finding itself on both sides of a new front in Syria - that between the Turks and the Kurds.
USA - A dramatic spiritual paradigm shift is taking place in the western world. At the end of last week, I discussed the fact that more Americans than ever before appear to be turning away from the Christian faith, and this is particularly true among our young people. And while it is undeniable that atheism and agnosticism are both growing rapidly, it is also important to point out that other faiths are on the rise in the western world at the exact same time that Christianity is shrinking. If you are a Christian, what you are about to read should concern you greatly.
USA - We all know that eating processed or fast foods is very harmful to our overall health. McDonalds Corporation, the world’s leading dealer of GMOs and Frankenfoods, has suffered a major downturn in revenue in recent years thanks to a global awakening regarding the dangers of toxic, commercially processed “food.”
USA - If you really wanted to live like a millionaire, you could start doing it right now. All you have to do is to apply for as many credit cards as possible and then begin running up credit card balances like there is no tomorrow. At this point, I know what most of you are probably thinking. You are probably thinking that such a lifestyle would not last for long and that a day of reckoning would eventually come, and you would be exactly right.
EUROPE - The European Union grinds back into action this week after its August break, still dazed by Britain's midsummer vote to quit the EU and facing much the same "polycrisis" as a year ago: a mass of refugees, a fragile economy, hostile Russians and, yes, those Brits, now more awkward than ever.
GERMANY - German Military Intelligence (MAD) is looking into nearly 300 cases of potential extremists, including Islamist infiltrators in its ranks, and is mulling tougher screening for recruits because of the situation, Die Welt reports, citing military sources. “Currently the MAD is checking a three-digit number of suspected extremists in the armed forces: 268 right-wing extremists, 64 Islamists and six left-wing extremists,” Die Welt reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed military official. According to the outlet, the MAD has tip-offs about plans to enroll so-called “short-term servicemen” into the German army (Bundeswehr) for them to get proper military training. The intelligence agency is also reported as saying that so-called “green-on-blue,” or insider, attacks, would be possible in that case. "Risks by such perpetrators for the military compounds inside and outside the country cannot be excluded in that regard.”
USA - Central bankers in charge of the vast bulk of the world's economy delved deep into the weeds of money markets and interest rates over a three-day conference here, and emerged with a common plea to their colleagues in the rest of government: please help.
ICELAND - Iceland raised the alarm after its largest volcano was hit by the biggest tremors since 1977. Two quakes larger than 4 in magnitude early Monday rocked the crater of Katla, the country’s Met Office said in a statement. That was followed by at least 10 more tremors at the volcano, which rises 1,450 meters (4,757 feet) into the air on the North Atlantic island’s southern coast. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages to property. Katla last erupted in 1955 and 1999. Neither of those were large enough to break the ice covering its 10 kilometer-wide (6 mile) caldera. Its last major eruption was back in 1918, when it spewed ash for more than five weeks. An eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 caused the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights across Europe on concern that glass-like particles formed from lava might melt in aircraft engines and clog turbines. Historically, Eyjafjallajokull has been known to erupt one to two years prior to Katla.
USA - The liberal feminist professor Camille Paglia says indulging children in transgenderism is a form of child abuse. Her view is shared by the American College of Pediatricians. Yet the Department of Health and Human Services under Obama is pushing this issue on American doctors.
JAPAN - North Korea’s latest firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) indicates that Pyongyang’s military threat is growing further. The international community must work together to speed up efforts to halt the country’s provocations.
GERMANY - Anti-Islam activists have staged an hour-long demonstration atop Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. The protesters unfurled a banner Saturday calling for "secure borders" in Germany as crowds of tourists milled around the iconic monument.
USA - FDA declared veggies ‘unapproved drugs’ after NYC allowed doctors to prescribe fresh fruit and vegetables as treatment for obesity. There are a few theories proclaiming how man became a life form. They range from a superior race of space alien beings who tinkered with DNA, to a gradual process of chemical evolution from single cells to the vast complexity of our current taste bud system. Count me as a believer.
AUSTRALIA - A series of overdue high magnitude earthquakes is expected to strike at any moment along some of Earth’s major fault lines, an expert says. UTS Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering senior lecturer Dr Behzad Fatahi said “no one in the world is safe” from the looming natural disasters of potentially apocalyptic proportions. “There are a lot of magnitude 6-plus earthquakes overdue in the Middle East, India, China, Japan and the US,” Dr Fatahi told news.com.au. “There are some fault lines that have not released their energy for a while. There are at least 5-10 that are overdue, but we don’t know when they’re going to happen. The question is not will they be activated. The question is when.”
HOLLAND - Geert Wilders, the wild-haired head of the right-wing Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), launched a new manifesto that calls for the “de-Islamization" of the Netherlands as he leads in the polls to become the next prime minister. Titled, “The Netherlands is ours again,” Wilders published the one page, 11 point screed on Thursday, highlighting the party’s hard-line positions on Islam. The document, published ahead of a general election in March, calls for the closure of all mosques and Islamic schools, a ban on the Koran, and “no more immigrants from Islamic countries.” A ban on “Islamic headscarves” in public is also proposed, as well as the prohibition of all “Islamic expressions which violate public order.” All these measures will, Wilders argues, save the country €7.2 billion (US$8 billion).
ITALY - Italy has started to send migrants back to Sudan on specially chartered flights, with 48 already deported. Sudanese and Italian authorities are working together to tackle the migrant crisis. Some 48 people in Ventimiglia have been deported as human rights organisations protest against the move. The migrants, who were hoping to cross the Italian border into France, were flown to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on a chartered EgyptAir flight. Alessandra Ballerini, a lawyer in Caritas Ventimiglia and expert in immigration law, said: "This is a mass deportation to a country where fundamental rights are violated and where their lives are in danger. With this operation, our country becomes an accomplice.”
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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