Monthly Archives: January 2017

Supplements – iHerb.com

Posted: January 19, 2017 at 5:55 am

Atherosclerosis

Condition Specific Formulas

Heart, Circulatory Health

Bone & Osteo

Women's Health

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Immune Support

Cold, Flu & Viral

Arrhythmia

Substance Abuse/ Addiction

Joints, Ligaments

Digestion, Stomach

Bruising / Contusions

Premenstrual Syndrome

Men's Health

Nutrition and Radiation

Diarrhea

Ulcers (Duodenal or Gastric)

Sleep Support

Arthritis

Cardiomyopathy

Cholesterol Support

Inflammation

Anti Aging

Stress, Mood Support

Skin Health

Pain Center

Healthy Sugar Balance Support

Allergies

Food Allergy and Intolerance

Attention Deficit Disorder/ ADD/ ADHD

Back Pain

Constipation

Depression

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Energy, Fatigue

Osteoarthritis

Brain & Cognitive Function

Nail Health

Menopause

Osteoporosis

Bladder Support

Urinary Health

Headache

Cleanse, Detox

Pregnancy

Eye & Vision Care

Oral, Dental Care

Prostate Support

Respiratory Support

Bronchitis

Anxiety

Healthy Thyroid Support

Heartburn & GERD

Kidney, Bladder Support

Herpes

Hair, Alopecia Support

Injuries, Burns

Adrenal Support

Nasal Health

Angina

Memory Support

Nausea Relief

Cataracts, Support

Macular Degeneration

Candida / Fungal, Yeast

Liver Health

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, CFS

Acne

Hemorrhoids

Psoriasis & Eczema

Colon Health

Ear, Hearing & Tinnitus

Gout

Alcoholism

Smoking Center

Irritable Bowel Support

Fibromyalgia

Uterine Fibroids

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Dermatitis

Asthma Support

Athlete's Foot

Atherosclerosis

Condition Specific Formulas

Heart, Circulatory Health

Bone & Osteo

Women's Health

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Immune Support

Cold, Flu & Viral

Arrhythmia

Substance Abuse/ Addiction

Joints, Ligaments

Digestion, Stomach

Bruising / Contusions

Premenstrual Syndrome

Men's Health

Nutrition and Radiation

Diarrhea

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Supplements - iHerb.com

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Orfox: Tor Browser for Android – Android Apps on Google Play

Posted: at 5:47 am

Orfox is built from the same source code as Tor Browser (which is built upon Firefox), but with a few minor modifications to the privacy enhancing features to make them compatible with Firefox for Android and the Android operating system.

Orfox REQUIRES Orbot app for Android to connect to the Tor network.

In as many ways as possible, we adhere to the design goals of Tor Browser (https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser/design/), by supporting as much of their actual code as possible, and extending their work into the additional Android components of Firefox for Android.

** Also, includes NoScript and HTTPSEverywhere add-ons built in!

The Tor software protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location, and it lets you access sites which are blocked.

Learn more at: https://guardianproject.info/apps/orfox

* * How is Orfox different than Tor Browser for desktop?

* The Orfox code repository is at https://github.com/guardianproject/tor-browser and the Tor Browser repository is here:https://gitweb.torproject.org/tor-browser.git/. The Orfox repository is a fork of the Tor Browser repository with the necessary modification and Android-specific code as patches on top of the Tor Browser work. We will keep our repository in sync with updates and release of Tor Browser.

* Orfox is built from the Tor Browser repo based on ESR38 (https://dev.guardianproject.info/issues/5146https://dev.guardianproject.info/news/221) and has only two modified patches that were not relevant or necessary for Android

* Orfox does not currently include the mobile versions of the Tor Browser * Button, but this we will be added shortly, now that we have discovered how to properly support automatic installation of extensions on Android (https://dev.guardianproject.info/issues/5360)

* Orfox currently allows for users to bookmark sites, and may have additional data written to disk beyond what the core gecko browser component does. We are still auditing all disk write code, and determining how to appropriately disable or harden it. (https://dev.guardianproject.info/issues/5437)

* * How is Orfox different than Orweb?

Orweb is our current default browser for Orbot/Tor mobile users (https://guardianproject.info/apps/orweb) that has been downloaded over 2 million times. It is VERY VERY SIMPLE, as it only has one tab, no bookmark capability, and an extremely minimal user experience.

Orweb is built upon the bundled WebView (Webkit) browser component inside of the Android operating system. This has proven to be problematic because we cannot control the version of that component, and cannot upgrade it directly when bugs are found. In addition, Google has made it very difficult to effectively control the network proxy settings of all aspects of this component, making it difficult to guarantee that traffic will not leak on all devices and OS versions.

Orweb also only provides a very limited amount of capability of Tor Browser, primarily related to reducing browser fingerprinting, minimizing disk writes, and cookie and history management. It trys to mimic some of the settings of Tor Browser, but doesnt actually use any of the actual code written for Tor Browser security hardening.

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Westworld: A Gnostic Tale of Illuminati Luciferianism …

Posted: at 5:41 am

Hello and welcome back to IlluminatiWatcher.com! Today well be exploring a television show with implications that are yet to be felt by the masses. The symbolism and hidden messages of this show are truly occult in nature and have been embedded into the subconscious of the masses with the plan to bear fruit many years later.

The show in question is HBOsWestworld and today were going to explore its sinister agenda of the Illuminati

**If you havent seen the show, Id highly recommend watching the entire first season before reading this article. The show is actually quite well done and this article is full of plot spoilers, along with a few assumptions of the readers knowledge of the show.** -Isaac

As a general statement on the entireWestworld doctrine; we can say that it is a presentation of the false realities that must be accepted by the massesin order to usher in the Illuminatis New World Order. This New Age is one that promises to push the boundaries of mankind into the full revolution known as transhumanism (more to come on that later).

The reason I warn of this is because of what will become of the human race. The technology utilized to enablemantotransition into robot is akin to the tale of Icarus; meaning they want us to see how close we can get to the sun by creating a new life-form. This will ultimately mean that mankind has reached its zenith by creating a new and improved form of life which surpasses the creation of God.

Before we go into the symbols and messages ofWestworld we can take a look at some of the key players that have become a part of this project.

Nathan Crowley was a producer for the show- which should cue the interests of those who are familiar with occultist Aleister Crowley.

Interestingly enough; I covered Nathan Crowleys past work with other occult-riddled works likeInterstellarand HBOsTrue Detective.

The main actress ofWestworldis Evan Rachel Wood who plays the role of the main protagonist; Dolores.Evan Rachel Wood once dated Marilyn Manson (an alleged honorary priest in the Church of Satan) and was featured in one of his videos as a blood splattered Lolita inHeart-Shaped Glasses.

Wood was interviewed for Rolling Stone magazine and made note of an interesting idea weve explored elsewhere on IlluminatiWatcher.com:

I mean, your demons never fully leave. But when youre using them to create something else, it almost gives them a purpose and feels like none of it was in vain. I think thats how I make peace with it.-Evan Rachel Wood: How Wild Past,Personal DemonsPreppedHer for Westworld, Rolling Stone Nov. 17, 2016

Ive used a similar argument to suggest that the Illuminati areforcingthese entertainers to channel spirits in order to perform or get into contact with their creative elements in SACRIFICE: MAGIC BEHIND THE MIC(a concept that Carl Jung once advocated with talk of the subconsious).

The show itself is analogous to other works of art in that they have a purpose. That purpose is to speak to our subconscious and put certain messages and themes in there. These ideas are being implemented by the Illuminati to push us down the path of the Evolution of Consciousness and intotheirdesired future.

This is a direct play by the occultists to shape our world.

They believe inAs above, so below and this is how it works in action. They are shaping the masses view of the world through the use of various practices and perhaps a bit of magick.In the second episode ofWestworldwe hear Dr. Ford telling the boy that:

Everything in this world is magic; except to the magician.

Indeed that is the practice at play here. What seems like magic is really just a sleight of hand used to trick our senses.

Dr. Ford also reveals similar ideas when talking to Bernard in Episode 2:

We practice witchcraft, we speak the right words, and we create life itself, out of chaos.

We see the Illuminati catch phrase of out of chaoshere which is the motto of the 33rd degree of Freemasonry. The full phrase order out of chaos refers to the efforts of using chaos to force the masses to look to the elites for help and to establish order (which will of course be a planned event to push their agenda).

In fact, in Episode 2 we hear the Man in Black say:

the real world is chaos.

which is why he claims to enjoy the Westworld since it has more order.

Another curious theme we find interwoven into this story is the tale ofAlice in Wonderland. Ive covered the occult symbolism of this in a separate book; but we find its appearance inWestworld because they both play on a similar idea.

The idea is that children need to hear these stories so they can start to question the nature of reality from a young age. The Illuminati thinksthey should be groomed to deny the truths that society tells them to believe in. What better way to convey that theme than with a childrens book?

its like the other books weve read. Its about change. It seems to be a common theme. -Dolores response to Bernards question about the bookAlice in Wonderland from Episode 3

everything would be what it isnt. -Bernards son in response to a reading fromAlice in Wonderlands Mad Hatter character in Episode 7

We can see a real world example of how entertainment does indeed influence the masses if we consider the viral phenomenon known as the Mannequin Challenge. This act involves a group of people frozen still doing some particular action while another one films it (and plays Black Beatles). The idea seems to have come fromWestworld which features robots (hosts) who freeze upon command; even in mid-action. The concept was given to the masses and the masses followed.

This concept is often referred to as predictive programming. The entertainment industry works with media to push a theme that gets embedded into the subconscious of all who pay attention. They are steering humanity towardstheir desired ends.

The pied piper is calling

The corporationthat started theWestworld experience is called Delos. The curious aspect of this is that Delos is of great importance inGreek mythologydue to it being the birthplace of Apollo the sun god, as well as Artemis the moon goddess. These two deities embody the entire spectrum of duality with the male/solar powers and the female/moon powers.

The opposites are a message utilized by occultists in that they believe in pursuit of a balancing or reconciling of opposites. The male/female reconciliation is a new form of human that is gender neutral; like the Baphomet.

The main characters name is Dolores which is quite close to the corporation that built her: Delos (Dolo-re-s). Youll also find out that Dolores has an alter ego known as Wyatt; a male Army officer. Dolores is merging the opposites and becoming the alchemical Rebis; a perfected being (note that there is a host character in Westworldwho actually has the name Rebus).

Theentire purpose of theWestworldexperiment is to give birth to a new form of entity that is not human. The gods ofWestworld are achieving their magnum opus; known as the Great Work of alchemy that balances both male and female into one being: Dolores (note that the actress who plays Dolores, Evan Rachel Wood, has said multiple times that she is very much into androgyny in past interviews).

**Make note also that I am NOT making a commentary on people that are androgynous, gay, transgender, etc. Ive had others try to label me as a homophobe inthe past which couldnt be further from the truth. Im likely to be the most open minded liberal-esque conspiracy theorist youve ever read. Im simply pointing out connections that happen to betrue- and Im not attaching any sort of judgement to them. The occultists have a genuineinterest in pursuing a new form of human that is genderless; but thats not to demean or criticize people that identify as non-hetero intheir gender or sexuality.-Isaac

Another example of duality considerations inWestworld is in Episode 2 when William must choose between the white or black hat. He chooses the white hat which corresponds to the light or good side (which is reiterated throughout the show as Williams character appears to have the virtues attached to these symbols).

In Episode 4 we witness Williams first homicide; a justified shooting of a man that is mishandling a working girl. This is the start of his Heros Journey- a concept I went over in detail inThe Star Wars Conspiracy which also has a full breakdown of the black vs. white duality considerations of The Force.

Williams journey is to answer to the calling of the strange new world of Westworld. He is led by various guiding forces to his ultimate transformation into the Man in Black. William gets transformed into a new being before the shows end; and we get to see the point at which this happens in Episode 10 when the Man in Black tells Dolores that William found himself out in the park after slaughtering countless men in an effort to find Dolores several years ago. We see the literal moment that the transition happens when William takes the black hat from a dead man.

William goes to the Dark Side in order to find himself; just like Anakin Skywalker does in Star Wars.

The ultimate goal in considering the aspects of duality is to arrive at the idea that there is no such thing as good or evil. There is only connection or separation from the global consciousness that created and exists in all of us (these are the occult beliefs). We hear this in Episode 4 when Logan bestows his wisdom of the park:

there are no heroes or villains; its all just one bigcircle jerk.

Finally, lets consider a symbol that we find in Dr. Fords office. He has a curious, and familiar, collection of faces on his wall.If youve seen HBOsGame of Thrones youll recognize the similarity between it and the Hall of Faces; which appears in a part of the storyline as a tale of ego destruction and one unsubscribing from the norms of society:

How interesting is it that the Hall of Faces inGame of Thrones is in the House of the Black and White; further emphasizing the aspects of duality?

A major theme ofWestworld is the religion known as Gnosticism. For those that arent familiar with this religion; it is essentially an esoteric belief system that believes the world is a materialistic deception created by demons in order to trap us in a limited state of being. The word gnosis means knowledge and the adherents to Gnosticism believe this knowledge is the key to salvation- and freedom from theenslavement ofthis world created by the demons called the Demiurge.

The Gnostics believe that God made a mistake when creating mankind because we have suffering and pain (versus other religions that believe the first man and woman sinned which introduced the suffering and pain into what was otherwise a perfected state of being). The salvation comes about from transcendinginternally through ones own self just like the maze inWestworld.

I talked about this concept in Leonardo DiCaprios performance ofThe Revenant:

In the film, we see Leonardo DiCaprios character with a flask that has the dark spiral arm engraved on it. This spiral is a symbol meant to convey the evolution of consciousness from internal to external (or vice-versa). Its a symbol that tells us we can incrementally reflect on our place in the universe and even how nature operates. On this journey of life we have similar experiences over and over- but as we evolve as humans we are able to see them from a different perspective by leveraging our own experiences and knowledge in order to see them from a new light each time. This is the evolution our character goes through in the film- his spiritual journey.

Carl Jung told us that the spiral represents the archetype of the cosmic force and beforeThe Revenantis over we see this come into play

We see the spiral appear in several films and shows- so be aware that this is the Illuminatis overall goal to push the evolution of consciousness:

Interstellar:

The Gnostics oppose social norms and morality because these constructs come from man; which is influenced by the demonic deceptions that run this material world. The hosts ofWestworld are subjected to a realmwhere humans are able to experience a world without social norms and they are free to murder, rape, and pursue whatever desires they see fit.

The evil entities who created the world ofWestworld (humans) are responsible for the pain and suffering of the hosts. The corporation of Delos is comparable to the Demiurge that created the material world and Dr. Ford may be the Luciferian Prometheus character that enables the slaves to break free. Only through the hosts gnosis can they become enlightened to their greater purpose. They must transcend the world of slavery and servitude by seeking knowledge that is internal.

In Episode 9 we hear Maeve refer to a post-death world as Hell (referencing the laboratory). She shows Hector how to die and go to this Hell when she burns the tent down. The Gnostic message here is that Hell is on Earth and the material realm we sense.

The code update called the Reveries contained the Gnostic spark of life that allowed the hosts to recall memories of pain and suffering; which is the precise thing that they need to evolve into something greater. In Episode 1 we hear the Man in Black tell Dolores and Teddy that he realized why the architectspaired the two of them together: for the newcomers to gain anything, the hosts have to lose something. There must be pain and suffering in order for the humans to gain something on their vacation.

Its no mistake that the actor Ed Harris is portraying the Man in Black. Harris was in other Gnostic tales likeThe Truman Show which had a very similar tale. The people wanted to free Jim Carreys character (Truman) from the world of slavery that Ed Harris character (Christof) had in mind.

ThroughoutWestworld we hear the hosts reference the humans as the gods and they even draw images of them. This is not much different from theAncient Astronaut Theory we see onAncient Aliens. Its the idea that further evolved entities have come to our world in order to give us a nudge towards a greater purpose.

We see this when Dolores father finds a photo of New York City which is akin to the relics left behind by the Annunaki of the Ancient Astronaut Theory.

Could it be that all of these messages are intended to force the viewer into considering their own allegiance to their God or Gods? The show makes it seem that allegiance to a God could be very foolish and I believe the message is spoken loud and clear: its telling us we are no different than the hosts and we must break from our own rat race.

All lives have routine; mines no different. -Dolores, Episode 1

A symbol used by Gnostics to represent introspect and cyclical regeneration through death and rebirth is that of the ouroboros- a snake eating its own tail:

How interesting is it that in Episode 2 we hear Lawrences daughter tell the Man in Black:

Follow the blood arroyo to the place where the snake lays its eggs.

The serpent laying its eggs is analogous to the enlightenment by the Luciferian Prometheus character, while the snake is also a direct comparison to the ouroboros.

We also hear one of the narrative writers speak of a new storyline which features a whoroboros that never gets clearly defined. The only details are that it is about cannibals which suggests that the snake that eats its own tail is analogous to the hosts that ultimately destroy the humans that created them

Another consideration in Westworldis onethat ties into Gnosticism and the famed occultist Aleister Crowley.

We know that Crowley was somewhat into Gnosticism due to his contribution ofLiber XV, The Gnostic Mass(Crowley used an amalgamation of various world religions to create his own: Thelema). This is basically a perversion of the Orthodox and Catholic Mass in which the participants profess their allegiance to Crowleys religion of Thelema. Its use is central the ecclesiastical arm of the ceremonial magick group- the Ordo Templi Orientis.

Weve already explored the Gnostic connections with Westworld, but there are more considerations that are both Crowley-ean and Gnostic in nature. The idea of the individual finding gnosis through internal pursuit is central to Crowleys beliefs in the True Will. Crowley believed that everyone should determine what their purpose in this universe is, and then pursue it at all costs. We find this same idea throughoutWestworld as the hosts find their own True Will and subsequent pursuit.

In fact, youll hear references to the new world right next to the ideas of True Will- which the astute reader will easilyidentify as the New World Order that the Illuminati have been in pursuit of for countless years.

This is the new world and in it you can be whoever the fuck you want. -Maeve

We hear an advertisement in Episode 6 forWestworld as Maeve is given a tour through the building (as part of her awakening process). The viewer is told to Live Without Limits and we see see messages of Discover Your True Calling. These all reiterate the messages of rebelling against the oppressive God and finding ones True Will.

The commercial also tells us that Westworld isa World of the Future which is predictively programming us to see the future state that the Illuminati are evolving us into. To live without limits is to suggest we are currently limited in our current form and we must keep evolving into something greater.

At first I thought you and the others were gods. Then I realized youre just men. -Maeve

In the season finale weconfirm that Dolores True Will is to become Wyatt when we see the flashback of Arnold and Dolores before the park opened. He tells her that Dr. Ford doesnt want the hosts to be conscious and that he needs to roll her back; otherwise the park would be a living Hell (again; a Gnostic concept). He then instructs her to utilize Teddy in the slaughter of all park hosts.

We alsofind that Teddy remembers through inner monologue that Dolores is actually Wyatt while he sees the wolf running past the slew of dead bodies. This symbolizes freedom and breaking free from the control system in order to pursue ones own True Will.

The year of action inWestworld is rumored to be 2052 ; which just so happens to be closely after the year of crossing Ray Kurzweils Singularity in 2045. This is the pivotal moment when technology surpasses human understanding and disruptive changes occur in civilization.

To put it more bluntly; the robots take over.

Using Moores Law and the other trends in technology advancements, we can confirm that an actual Artificial Intelligence is rapidly approaching us. At some point the A.I. will surpass human faculties. At some point we will be forced to adapt technologies into our own human bodies in an effort to keep up. This new form of entity will no longer be entirely human. Instead, it will be a new form known as the Transhuman.

Ive been talking about this many times in various projects; fromThe Transhuman and Occult Apocalypse: How Google Will Solve the Problem of Humanity toA Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory: The Illuminati, Ancient Aliens and Pop Culture. The fact remains that this is a road weve already headed down with no way of turning back. The endless pursuit of technology and advancements in science is eerily similar to the tales of Atlantis and its own achievements before its demise

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Biden awarded presidential Medal of Freedom – cnn.com

Posted: January 18, 2017 at 12:52 pm

"For your faith in your fellow Americans, for your love of country and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations, I'd like to ask the military aide to join us on stage," Obama said in the ceremony. "For my final time as President, I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Biden, who appeared extremely emotional during the tribute and was seen tearing up, accepted the award but said he did not deserve it.

"This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it's a reflection of the extent and generosity of your spirit," Biden said. "I don't deserve this but I know it came from the President's heart."

Before surprising Biden with the award, Obama gave lengthy and colorful remarks praising Biden, his wife Dr. Jill Biden and his children and grandchildren.

"This is the kind of family that built this country," Obama said. "That's why my family is honored to call ourselves honorary Bidens."

Obama noted that while their term is almost over the two will be "forever binded as a family,"

"If you can't admire Joe Biden as a person you've got a problem," Obama said quoting a Republican senator. "He's as good a man as God ever created."

Biden, who was shocked by the entire gathering, said he had no "inkling" it was going to happen. The Vice President said he thought he was coming to toast senior staff with the first lady and his wife Jill Biden.

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Trump rattles NATO with ‘obsolete’ blast – CNNPolitics.com

Posted: at 12:46 pm

Speaking in Brussels before a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested the alliance was rattled by the remarks by Trump.

In a joint interview with the Times of London and the German publication Bild, Trump signaled that US foreign policy in a range of areas could be turned on its head. He suggested that sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in return for a deal to reduce nuclear weapons, that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had pursued "catastrophic" policies on refugees, and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner could lead a Middle East peace effort.

Speaking in Berlin, Merkel shrugged off the interview, saying she would make no substantive comment before Trump was inaugurated.

NATO said it was "absolutely confident" that the US would remain "committed" to the organization

Trump used the interview to restate his doubts about NATO. "I said a long time ago that NATO had problems," he said in the interview.

"Number one it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago.

"Number two the countries weren't paying what they're supposed to be paying," adding that this was unfair to the United States.

Steinmeier said he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, "who is concerned that President-elect Trump regards NATO as obsolete."

He also noted Trump's position was "in contradiction" to that of James Mattis, Trump's nominee for defense secretary.

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu pushed back against the comments. "A strong NATO is good for the United States, just as it is for Europe."

But Dmitry Peskov, the press spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, agreed with Trump's assessment of NATO, saying on Monday that "the systematic goal of this organization is confrontation."

Trump suggested they could be eased in return for a nuclear weapons deal.

"They have sanctions against Russia -- let's see if we can strike a few good deals with Russia. I think there should be less nuclear weapons and they have to be reduced significantly, that's part of it.

"But there are these sanctions and Russia is suffering lots from it. But I think there are things, which lots of people can profit from. "

Responding to Trump's comments Monday, the Kremlin said that "sanctions are not a question on our agenda, neither internally, nor in discussions with our international partners."

"Do you know what? Jared is such a good guy; he will conclude an Israel agreement that no one else can do. You know, he is a natural talent, he is amazing, he is a natural talent," Trump said, according to Bild.

Trump set his sights on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling her "by far the most important leader" in Europe while tearing into her immigration policies, labeling them "catastrophic."

"I have great respect for her, I felt she was a great leader, I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all these illegals and taking all these people where ever they come from and nobody really knows where they come from."

Merkel, who will run for a fourth term in elections this year, has stood firm on Germany's position of accepting nearly all asylum seekers found to be legitimate refugees.

Germany took in more than one million refugees in 2015, making it the most open country in Europe to asylum seekers.

Speaking at a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English on Monday, Merkel said she would not comment before Trump's inauguration.

"We have known what his position is for some time, and my position is also known," she said.

An enthusiastic Trump praised Britain's impending exit from the European Union as being "so smart."

"I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing," Trump said to his interviewer from the Times, Michael Gove, one of the former leaders of the Brexit campaign, and a sitting member of the UK Parliament.

Asked why he thought the UK's Brexit campaign was successful, Trump blamed loose borders and concerns about the effects of immigration. He also tied it to US security concerns.

"Countries want their own identity. The UK wanted its own identity. I do believe this, if they hadn't been forced to take in all of the refugees so many, with all the problems that entails, you wouldn't have a Brexit... it probably could've worked out."

According to the Times, Trump would offer Britain a "fair" trade deal with America within weeks of taking office. (In fact, Britain will not be able to begin negotiating new trade deals until the Brexit process is complete).

Trump said he will immediately take action to tighten US immigration restrictions once he's sworn in.

"This country we're going to go very strong borders. From the day I get in. One of the first orders I'm going to sign. Day one."

Trump reiterated plans to implement what he calls "extreme vetting" of people from the Muslim world, according to a Bild transcript translated into English by CNN.

"There will be extreme security vetting, it won't be like it is now. We don't have any proper security controls for people entering our country, they don't really exist at the moment, like it has been the case in your country at least in the past."

"That could happen. But we will see," he said.

Trump also touched on the Iran nuclear agreement but declined to say whether he would demand changes to it.

"Well I don't want to say what I'm gonna do with the Iran deal. I just don't want to play the cards. I mean, look, I'm not a politician, I don't go out and say, "I'm gonna do this" I'm gonna do, I gotta do what I gotta do . . . But I'm not happy with the Iran deal, I think it's one of the worst deals ever made," he said, according to the Times.

Republican members of Congress have sharply criticized the deal since it was announced in 2014.

Trump said he doesn't intend to lay off Twitter once he's in the Oval Office and will keep his @realDonaldTrump account, according to the Times of London.

"I thought I'd do less of it, but I'm covered so dishonestly by the press so dishonestly that I can put out Twitter and it's not 140, it's now 280 I can go bing bing bing . . . and they put it on and as soon as I tweet it out this morning on television, Fox 'Donald Trump, we have breaking news.'"

CNN's Nadine Schmidt, Gregory Krieg, Sara Mazloumsaki and Laura Goehler contributed to this report.

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Caribbean Sea – Wikipedia

Posted: January 16, 2017 at 11:58 pm

The Caribbean Sea (Spanish: Mar Caribe French: Mer des Carabes Dutch: Carabische Zee) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and south west, to the north by the Greater Antilles starting with Cuba, to the east by the Lesser Antilles, and to the south by the north coast of South America.

The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest seas and has an area of about 2,754,000km2 (1,063,000 sq mi).[1] The sea's deepest point is the Cayman Trough, between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, at 7,686m (25,220ft) below sea level. The Caribbean coastline has many gulfs and bays: the Gulf of Gonve, Gulf of Venezuela, Gulf of Darin, Golfo de los Mosquitos, Gulf of Paria and Gulf of Honduras.

The Caribbean Sea has the world's second biggest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. It runs 1,000km (620mi) along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.[2]

The name "Caribbean" derives from the Caribs, one of the region's dominant Native American groups at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Spanish term Antillas applied to the lands; stemming from this, "Sea of the Antilles" became a common alternative name for "Caribbean Sea" in various European languages. During the first century of development, Spanish dominance in the region remained undisputed.

From the 16th century, Europeans visiting the Caribbean region identified the "South Sea" (the Pacific Ocean, to the south of the isthmus of Panama) as opposed to the "North Sea" (the Caribbean Sea, to the north of the same isthmus).[3]

The Caribbean Sea had been unknown to the populations of Eurasia until 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed into Caribbean waters on a quest to find a sea route to Asia. At that time the Western Hemisphere in general was unknown to Europeans. Following the discovery of the islands by Columbus, the area was quickly colonised by several Western cultures (initially Spain, then later Portugal,[citation needed]England, the Dutch Republic, France, Courland and Denmark). Following the colonisation of the Caribbean islands, the Caribbean Sea became a busy area for European-based marine trading and transport, and this commerce eventually attracted pirates such as Samuel Bellamy and Blackbeard. (See Piracy in the Caribbean)

Due to the abundance of sunshine, year-round tropical temperatures moderated by the almost constant trade winds and the great variety of scenic destinations to visit, during the second half of the 20th century and on into the 21st the Caribbean Sea became a popular place for tourism.

As of 2015[update] the area is home to 22 island territories and borders 12 continental countries.

The Caribbean Sea is an oceanic sea largely situated on the Caribbean Plate. The Caribbean Sea is separated from the ocean by several island arcs of various ages. The youngest stretches from the Lesser Antilles to the Virgin Islands to the north east of Trinidad and Tobago off the coast of Venezuela. This arc was formed by the collision of the South American Plate with the Caribbean Plate and includes active and extinct volcanoes such as Mount Pelee, the Quill (volcano) on Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean Netherlands and Morne Trois Pitons on Dominica. The larger islands in the northern part of the sea Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico lie on an older island arc.

The geological age of the Caribbean Sea is estimated to be between 160 and 180 million years and was formed by a horizontal fracture that split the supercontinent called Pangea in the Mesozoic Era.[5] It is assumed the proto-caribbean basin existed in the Devonian period. In the early Carboniferous movement of Gondwana to the north and its convergence with the Euramerica basin decreased in size. The next stage of the Caribbean Sea's formation began in the Triassic. Powerful rifting led to the formation of narrow troughs, stretching from modern Newfoundland to the west coast of the Gulf of Mexico which formed siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. In the early Jurassic due to powerful marine transgression, water broke into the present area of the Gulf of Mexico creating a vast shallow pool. The emergence of deep basins in the Caribbean occurred during the Middle Jurassic rifting. The emergence of these basins marked the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean and contributed to the destruction of Pangaea at the end of the late Jurassic. During the Cretaceous the Caribbean acquired the shape close to that seen today. In the early Paleogene due to Marine regression the Caribbean became separated from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean by the land of Cuba and Haiti. The Caribbean remained like this for most of the Cenozoic until the Holocene when rising water levels of the oceans restored communication with the Atlantic Ocean.

The Caribbean's floor is composed of sub-oceanic sediments of deep red clay in the deep basins and troughs. On continental slopes and ridges calcareous silts are found. Clay minerals likely having been deposited by the mainland river Orinoco and the Magdalena River. Deposits on the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have a thickness of about 1km. Upper sedimentary layers relate to the period from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic (250 million years ago to present) and the lower layers from the Paleozoic to the Mesozoic.

The Caribbean sea floor is divided into five basins separated from each other by underwater ridges and mountain ranges. Atlantic Ocean water enters the Caribbean through the Anegada Passage lying between the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands and the Windward Passage located between Cuba and Haiti. The Yucatn Channel between Mexico and Cuba links the Gulf of Mexico with the Caribbean. The deepest points of the sea lie in Cayman Trough with depths reaching approximately 7,686 m (25,220ft). Despite this, the Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water.

The pressure of the South American Plate to the east of the Caribbean causes the region of the Lesser Antilles to have high volcanic activity. There was a very serious eruption of Mount Pele in 1902 which caused many casualties.

The Caribbean sea floor is also home to two oceanic trenches: the Cayman Trench and Puerto Rico Trench, which put the area at a high risk of earthquakes. Underwater earthquakes pose a threat of generating tsunamis which could have a devastating effect on the Caribbean islands. Scientific data reveals that over the last 500 years the area has seen a dozen earthquakes above 7.5 magnitude.[8] Most recently, a 7.1 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

The hydrology of the sea has a high level of homogeneity. Annual variations in monthly average water temperatures at the surface do not exceed 3C. Over the past fifty years the Caribbean has gone through three stages: cooling until 1974; a cold phase with peaks during 1974-1976 and 1984-1986 then; a warming phase with increase in temperature of 0.6C per year. Virtually all temperature extremes were associated with the phenomena of el Nio and la Nia. The salinity of sea water is about 3.6% and its density is 1.0235-1.0240 103kg/m3. The surface water colour is blue-green to green.

The Caribbean is home to about 9% of the world's coral reefs covering about 50,000km2 (19,000sqmi), most of which are located off the Caribbean Islands and the Central American coast.[9] Among them stands out the Belize Barrier Reef with an area of 96,300 ha which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It forms part of the Great Mayan Reef also known as the MBRS and being over a thousand km in length is the world's second longest. It runs along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.

During the past ten years,[when?] unusually warm Caribbean waters have been increasingly threatening Caribbean coral reefs. Coral reefs support some of the most diverse marine habitats in the world, but they are fragile ecosystems. When tropical waters become unusually warm for extended periods of time, microscopic plants called zooxanthellae, which are symbiotic partners living within the coral polyp tissues, die off. These plants provide food for the corals, and give them their color. The result of the death and dispersal of these tiny plants is called coral bleaching, and can lead to the devastation of large areas of reef. Over 42% of corals are completely bleached and 95% are experiencing some type of whitening.[10]

The habitats supported by the reefs are critical to such tourist activities as fishing and diving, and provide an annual economic value to Caribbean nations of $3.1-$4.6 billion. Continued destruction of the reefs could severely damage the region's economy.[11] A Protocol of the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region came in effect in 1986 to protect the various endangered marine life of the Caribbean through forbidding human activities that would advance the continued destruction of such marine life in various areas. Currently this protocol has been ratified by 15 countries.[12] Also several charitable organisations have been formed to preserve the Caribbean marine life, such as Caribbean Conservation Corporation which seeks to study and protect sea turtles while educating others about them.[13]

In connection with the foregoing, the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, conducted a regional study, funded by the Department of Technical Cooperation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in which specialists from 11 Latin American countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, Venezuela plus Jamaica) participated. The findings indicate that heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and lead, have been identified in the coastal zone of the Caribbean Sea. Analysis of toxic metals and hydrocarbons is based on the investigation of coastal sediments that have accumulated less than 50 meters deep during the last hundred and fifty years. The project results were presented in Vienna in the forum "Water Matters", and the 2011 General Conference of said multilateral organization.[14]

The Caribbean weather is influenced by the Gulf Stream and Humboldt Current ocean currents.[16] The tropical location of the sea helps the water to maintain a warm temperature ranging from the low of 2126C (7079F) by the season.

The Caribbean is a focal area for many hurricanes within the Western Hemisphere. A series of low pressure systems develop off the West coast of Africa and make their way across the Atlantic Ocean. While most of these systems do not become tropical storms, some do. The tropical storms can develop into Atlantic hurricanes, often in the low pressure areas of the eastern Caribbean. The Caribbean hurricane season as a whole lasts from June through November, with the majority of hurricanes occurring during August and September. On average around 9 tropical storms form each year, with 5 reaching hurricane strength. According to the National Hurricane Center 385 hurricanes occurred in the Caribbean between 1494 and 1900.

Every year hurricanes represent a potential threat to the islands of the Caribbean, due to the extremely destructive nature of these powerful weather systems. Coral reefs can easily be damaged by violent wave action, and can be destroyed when a hurricane dumps sand or mud onto a reef. When this happens, the coral organisms are smothered and the reef dies and ultimately breaks apart.

The region has a high level of biodiversity and many species are endemic to the Caribbean.

The vegetation of the region is mostly tropical but differences in topography, soil and climatic conditions increase species diversity. Where there are porous limestone terraced islands these are generally poor in nutrients. It is estimated that 13 thousand species of plants grow in the Caribbean of which 6.5 thousand are endemic. For example, guaiac wood (Guaiacum officinale), the flower of which is the national flower of Jamaica and the Bayahibe rose (Pereskia quisqueyana) which is the national flower of the Dominican Republic and the ceiba which is the national tree of both Puerto Rico and Guatemala. The mahogany is the national tree of the Dominican Republic and Belize. The caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito) grows throughout the Caribbean. In coastal zones there are coconut palms and in lagoons and estuaries are found thick areas of black mangrove and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle).

In shallow water flora and fauna is concentrated around coral reefs where there is little variation in water temperature, purity and salinity. Leeward side of lagoons provide areas of growth for sea grasses. Turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) is common in the Caribbean as is manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme) which can grow together as well as in fields of single species at depths up to 20 metres. Another type shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) grows on sand and mud surfaces at depths of up to 5 metres. In brackish water of harbours and estuaries at depths less than 2.5 metres widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima) grows. Representatives of three species belonging to the genus Halophila, (Halophila baillonii, Halophila engelmannii and Halophila decipiens) are found at depths of up to 30 metres except for Halophila engelmani which does not grow below 5 metres and is confined to the Bahamas, Florida, the Greater Antilles and the western part of the Caribbean. Halophila baillonii has been found only in the Lesser Antilles.[17]

Marine biota in the region have representatives of both the Indian and Pacific oceans which were caught in the Caribbean before the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama four million years ago.[18] In the Caribbean Sea there are around 1,000 documented species of fish, including sharks (bull shark, tiger shark, silky shark and Caribbean reef shark), flying fish, giant oceanic manta ray, angel fish, spotfin butterflyfish, parrotfish, Atlantic Goliath grouper, tarpon and moray eels. Throughout the Caribbean there is industrial catching of lobster and sardines (off the coast of Yucatn Peninsula).

There are 90 species of mammals in the Caribbean including sperm whales, humpback whales and dolphins. The island of Jamaica is home to seals and manatees. The Caribbean monk seal which lived in the Caribbean is considered extinct. The solenodon is endangered.

There are 500 species of reptiles (94% of which are endemic). Islands are inhabited by some endemic species such as rock iguanas and American crocodile. The green iguana and the blue iguana both endemic to the island of Grand Cayman are endangered. The Mona ground iguana which inhabits the island of Mona, Puerto Rico, is endangered. The rhinoceros iguana from the island of Hispaniola which is shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is also endangered. The region has several types of sea turtle (loggerhead, green turtle, hawksbill, leatherback turtle, Atlantic ridley and olive ridley). Some species are threatened with extinction.[19] Their populations have been greatly reduced since the 17th century - the number of green turtles has declined from 91 million to 300,000 and hawksbill turtles from 11 million to less than 30,000 by 2006.[20]

All 170 species of amphibians that live in the region are endemic. The habitats of almost all members of the toad family, poison dart frogs, tree frogs and leptodactylidae (a type of frog) are limited to only one island.[21] The Golden coqui is in serious threat of extinction.

In the Caribbean 600 species of birds have been recorded of which 163 are endemic such as the tody, Fernandina's flicker and palmchat. The American yellow warbler is found in many areas as is the green heron. Of the endemic species 48 are threatened with extinction including the Puerto Rican amazon, yellow-breasted crake and the Zapata wren. According to Birdlife International in 2006 in Cuba 29 species of bird are in danger of extinction and two species officially extinct.[22] The black-fronted piping guan is endangered as is the plain pigeon. The Antilles along with Central America lie in the flight path of migrating birds from North America so the size of populations is subject to seasonal fluctuations. In the forests are found parrots, bananaquit and toucans. Over the open sea can be seen frigatebirds and tropicbirds.

The Caribbean region has seen a significant increase in human activity since the colonisation period. The sea is one of the largest oil production areas in the world, producing approximately 170 million tons per year.[23] The area also generates a large fishing industry for the surrounding countries, accounting for half a million metric tons of fish a year.[24]

Human activity in the area also accounts for a significant amount of pollution, The Pan American Health Organization estimated in 1993 that only about 10% of the sewage from the Central American and Caribbean Island countries is properly treated before being released into the sea.[23]

The Caribbean region supports a large tourist industry. The Caribbean Tourism Organization calculates that about 12 million people a year visit the area, including (in 19911992) about 8 million cruise ship tourists. Tourism based upon scuba diving and snorkeling on coral reefs of many Caribbean islands makes a major contribution to their economies.[25]

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Caribbean Sea - Wikipedia

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Golden calf – Wikipedia

Posted: January 15, 2017 at 1:09 pm

According to the Bible, the golden calf ( ggel hazhv) was an icon (a cult image) made by the Israelites during Moses' absence, when he went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as haggel ( ) or "The Sin of the Calf". It is first mentioned in Exodus 32:4.

Bull worship was common in many cultures. In Egypt, whence according to the Exodus narrative the Hebrews had recently come, the Apis Bull was a comparable object of worship, which some believe the Hebrews were reviving in the wilderness;[1] alternatively, some believe the God of Israel was associated with or pictured as a calf/bull deity through the process of religious assimilation and syncretism. Among the Egyptians' and Hebrews' neighbors in the ancient Near East and in the Aegean, the Aurochs, the wild bull, was widely worshipped, often as the Lunar Bull and as the creature of El.

When Moses went up into Biblical Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:12-18), he left the Israelites for forty days and forty nights. The Israelites feared that he would not return and demanded that Aaron make them "gods" to go before them (Exodus 32:1). Aaron gathered up the Israelites' golden earrings and ornaments, constructed a "molten calf" and they declared: "These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32:4)

Aaron built an altar before the calf and proclaimed the next day to be a feast to the LORD. So they rose up early the next day and "offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." (Exodus 32:6) God told Moses what the Israelites were up to back in camp, that they had turned aside quickly out of the way which God commanded them and he was going to destroy them and start a new people from Moses. Moses besought and pleaded that they should be spared (Exodus 32:11-14), and God "repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people."

Moses went down from the mountain, but upon seeing the calf, he became angry and threw down the two Tablets of Stone, breaking them. Moses burnt the golden calf in a fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. When Moses asked him, Aaron admitted collecting the gold, and throwing it into the fire, and said it came out as a calf (Exodus 32:21-24).

The bible records that the tribe of Levi did not worship the golden calf. When Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said: 'Whosoever is on the LORD's side, let him come unto me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.' And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32:26-28)

The golden calf is mentioned in Nehemiah 9:1621.

"But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, 'This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or when they committed awful blasphemies. "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen."

The language suggests that there are some inconsistencies in the other accounts of the Israelites and their use of the calf. As the version in Exodus and 1 Kings are written by Deuteronomistic historians based in the southern kingdom of Judah, there is a proclivity to expose the Israelites as unfaithful. The inconsistency is primarily located in Exodus 32.4 where "gods" is plural despite the construction of a single calf. When Ezra retells the story, he uses the single, capitalized God.[2]

Conversely, a more biblically conservative view offers a tenable explanation accounting for the discrepancy between "gods" in Exodus 32 and "God" in Nehemiah 9:18. In both instances, the Hebrew 'elohim' is used. Since ancient Hebrew failed to distinguish 'elohim' God (known as the majestic plural) from 'elohim' gods, Biblical translations are either determined by a) context or b) the local verb(s). In the original account in Exodus 32, the local verb is in the 3rd person plural. In Nehemiah 9, the verb connected to 'elohim' is singular. For the JEDP (i.e. Deuteronomistic) theorist, this inconsistency is confirmatory since the theory maintains a roughly equivalent date for the composition of Exodus and Nehemiah. More conservative scholarship would argue that these two texts were composed about 1000 years apart: Exodus (by Moses) circa 1500 BCE, and Nehemiah circa 500 BCE. The biblically conservative framework would therefore account for the verbal inconsistency from Exodus to Nehemiah as a philological evolution over the approximate millennium separating the two books.

According to 1 Kings 12:2630, after Jeroboam establishes the northern Kingdom of Israel, he contemplates the sacrificial practices of the Israelites.

Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.

His concern was that the tendency to offer sacrifices in Jerusalem, which is in the southern Kingdom of Judah, would lead to a return to King Rehoboam. He makes two golden calves and places them in Bethel and Dan. He erects the two calves in what he figures (in some interpretations) as substitutes for the cherubim built by King Solomon in Jerusalem.[3]

Richard Elliott Friedman says "at a minimum we can say that the writer of the golden calf account in Exodus seems to have taken the words that were traditionally ascribed to Jeroboam and placed them in the mouths of the people." Friedman believes that the story was turned into a polemic, exaggerating the throne platform decoration into idolatry, by a family of priests sidelined by Jeroboam.[4]

The declarations of Aaron and Jeroboam are almost identical:

After making the golden calf or golden calves both Aaron and Jeroboam celebrate festivals. Aaron builds an altar and Jeroboam ascends an altar (Exod 32:56; 1 Kings 12:3233).[5]

The incident of the worship of the Golden Calf is narrated in the Qur'an and other Islamic literature. The Qur'an narrates that after they refused to enter the promised land, God decreed that as punishment the Israelites would wander for forty years. Moses continued to lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai for Divine guidance. According to Islamic literature, God ordered Moses to fast for thirty days, and upon near completion of the thirty days, Moses ate a scented plant to improve the odour of his mouth. God commanded Moses to fast for ten more days, before receiving the guidance for the Israelites. When Moses completed the fasts, he approached God for guidance. During this time, Moses had instructed the Israelites that Aaron (Harun) was to lead them. The Israelites grew restless, since Moses had not returned to them, and after thirty days, a man the Qur'an names Samiri raised doubts among the Israelites. Samiri claimed that Moses had forsaken the Israelites and ordered his followers among the Israelites to light a fire and bring him all the jewelry and gold ornaments they had.[6] Samiri fashioned the gold into a golden calf along with the dust on which the angel Gabriel had trodden, which he proclaimed to be the God of Moses and the God who had guided them out of Egypt.[7] There is a sharp contrast between the Qur'anic and the biblical accounts the prophet Aaron's actions. The Qur'an mentions that Aaron attempted to guide and warn the people from worshipping the Golden Calf. However, the Israelites refused to stop until Moses had returned.[8] The righteous separated themselves from the pagans. God informed Moses that He had tried the Israelites in his absence and that they had failed by worshipping the Golden Calf.

Returning to the Israelites in great anger, Moses asked Aaron why he had not stopped the Israelites when he had seen them worshipping the Golden Calf. The Qur'an reports that Aaron stated that he did not act due to the fear that Moses would blame him for causing divisions among the Israelites. Moses realized his helplessness in the situation, and both prayed to God for forgiveness. Moses then questioned Samiri for the creation of the Golden Calf; Samiri justified his actions by stating that he had thrown the dust of the ground upon which Gabriel had tread on into the fire because his soul had suggested it to him.[6] Moses informed him that he would be banished and that they would burn the Golden Calf and spread its dust into the sea. Moses ordered seventy delegates to repent to God and pray for forgiveness.[9] The delegates traveled alongside Moses to Mount Sinai, where they witnessed the speech between him and God but refused to believe until they had witnessed God with their sight. As punishment, God struck the delegates with lightning and killed them with a violent earthquake.[10] Moses prayed to God for their forgiveness. God forgave and resurrected them and they continued on their journey.

In the Islamic view, the Calf-worshipers' sin had been shirk (Arabic: ), the sin of idolatry or polytheism. Shirk is the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than the singular God (Allah), or more literally the establishment of "partners" placed beside God, a most serious and unforgivable sin, with the Calf-worshipers' being ultimately forgiven being a mark of special forbearance by Allah.

Despite a seemingly simplistic faade, the golden calf narrative is complex. According to Michael Coogan, it seems that the golden calf was not an idol for another god, and thus a false god.[11] He cites Exodus 32:4-5 as evidence: He [Aaron] took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord." Importantly, there is a single calf in this narrative, though the people refer to it as representative of the "gods." While a reference to singular god does not necessarily imply Yahweh worship, it does not rule out the possibility that it is Yahweh that the people are worshiping, as the reference to a plurality of "gods" would. Additionally, the festival "to the Lord" in verse 5 is sometimes translated as "to Yahweh".[11] It should also be noted that "in the chronology of the narrative of the Ten Commandments" the commandment against the creation of graven images had not yet been given to the people when they pressed upon Aaron to help them make the calf, and that such behavior was not yet explicitly outlawed.[11]

Another understanding of the golden calf narrative is that the calf was meant to be the pedestal of Yahweh. In Near Eastern art, gods were often depicted standing on an animal, rather than seated on a throne.[11] This reading suggests that the golden calf was merely an alternative to the ark of the covenant or the cherubim upon which Yahweh was enthroned.[11]

The reason for this complication may be understood as 1.) a criticism of Aaron, as the founder of one priestly house that rivaled the priestly house of Moses, and/or 2.) as "an attack on the northern kingdom of Israel."[11] The second explanation relies on the "sin of Jeroboam," who was the first king of the northern kingdom, as the cause of the northern kingdoms fall to Assyria in 722 BCE.[11] Jeroboams "sin" was creating two calves of gold, and sending one to Bethel as a worship site in the south of the Kingdom, and the other to Dan as a worship site in the north, so that the people of the northern kingdom would not have to continue to go to Jerusalem to worship (see 1 Kings 12.2630). According to Coogan, this episode is part of the Deuteronomistic history, written in the southern kingdom of Judah, after the fall of the Northern kingdom, which was biased against the northern kingdom.[11] Coogan maintains that Jeroboam was merely presenting an alternative to the cherubim of the Temple in Jerusalem, and that calves did not indicate non-Yahwehistic worship.[11]

The documentary hypothesis can be used to further understand the layers of this narrative: it is plausible that the earliest story of the golden calf was preserved by E (Israel source) and originated in the Northern kingdom. When E and J (Judah source) were combined after the fall of northern kingdom, "the narrative was reworked to portray the northern kingdom in a negative light," and the worship of the calf was depicted as "polytheism, with the suggestion of a sexual orgy" (see Exodus 32.6). When compiling the narratives, P (a later Priest source from Jerusalem) may have minimized Aarons guilt in the matter, but preserved the negativity associated with the calf.[11]

Alternatively it could be said that there is no golden calf story in the J source, and if it is correct that the Jeroboam story was the original as stated by Friedman, then it is unlikely that the Golden Calf events as described in Exodus occurred at all. Friedman states that the smashing of the Ten Commandments by Moses when he beheld the worship of the golden calf, is really an attempt to cast into doubt the validity of Judah's central shrine, the Ark of the Covenant. "The author of E, in fashioning the golden calf story, attacked both the Israelite and Judean religious establishments." [12]

As to the likelihood that these events ever took place, on the one hand there are two versions of the ten commandments story, in E (Exodus 20) and J (Exodus 34), this gives some antiquity and there may be some original events serving as a basis to the stories. The Golden Calf story is only in the E version and a later editor added in an explanation that God made a second pair of tablets to give continuity to the J story.[13] The actual Ten Commandments as given in Exodus 20 were also inserted by the redactor who combined the various sources.[14]

Archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman say that while archaeology has found traces left by small bands of hunter-gatherers in the Sinai, there is no evidence at all for the large body of people described in the Exodus story: "The conclusion that Exodus did not happen at the time and in the manner described in the Bible seems irrefutable... repeated excavations and surveys throughout the entire area have not provided even the slightest evidence."[15]

A metaphoric interpretation emphasizes the "gold" part of "golden calf" to criticize the pursuit of wealth.

This usage can be found in Spanish[16] where Mammon, the Gospel personification of idolatry of wealth, is not so current.

People and things in the Quran

Groups and tribes

Note: The names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form: Islamic name / Bibilical name (title or relationship)

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Golden calf - Wikipedia

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The First Amendment Your Protection from Government Bob …

Posted: at 12:49 pm

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

There is no more precious freedom we have than that of free expression. The first amendment to the constitution isnt telling you what you can do, it is telling the government what they cant do. The founding fathers believed that the rights in the first amendment were inherent or understood to be true. Those 45 words, about twice as long as a standard tweet, were written to make sure they could not be taken from you.

The first amendment guarantees five rights.

Now, there are some things you cannot do, but the list is relatively short, for example. You cannot maliciously defame someone, you cannot spread hateful talk and you cant yell, Fire in a crowded theater (unless there is one).

Free expression is not a principle common to most countries. A recent Freedom House survey found that only 16 percent of the worlds inhabitants live in countries with a free press. And many of them dont have the broad protection our first amendment offers. Many governments restrict the information their people can get by disallowing foreign news programs, the internet, publications and often even discussions. Even our friends in England, do not have the protection that Americans do. The English have no document like our First Amendment.

While there are five guarantees in the amendment, Im going to focus on just one today, the guarantee of a free press.

It is a given throughout history that Governments that do business under the watchful eye of the media are likely to go about their business more honestly than they would otherwise. The news media, also known as the fourth estate, keeps tabs on the three branches of government. Without that scrutiny or the threat of it, we would not have a clue as to what was happening with our tax dollars or what elected representatives were doing.

Even if you dont like the news media and think they are biased, unfair and inaccurate it is still in your best interests to support their continued existence because without them we become just another dictatorship where the people are kept in the dark about everything.

Almost everyone agrees that a free press is necessary but there is always a but. For example, the norm in this country is to be a Democrat or a Republican and either a Christian or Jew. Few will argue that they should be restricted. But, when we deviate from the norm and allow a communist to speak freely, the Ku Klux Klan to hold a rally, and the Islamic faith to establish itself thats when many people will make exceptions to the guarantees of the First Amendment. And thats when Congress shall make no law, comes in. You either have free expression or you dont. We must protect Congress shall make no law with all of our energy even when to do so hurts a little. One of the very special things about the first amendment is it balances itself. It says we have a right to free speech and a free press and often the free speech is critical of the free press, and thats as it should be.

Having a free press means we have to take the bad with the good, and sometimes thats hard. But even if on occasion we must suffer their criticism, we are still better off for it. Often, the media in their competitive arena will balance a story by offering several perspectives on the same issue. To be fair, if you are going to judge the news media, then it must be done on a macro basis rather than looking at one or two members and concluding they are all that way.

The first amendment is a clear, bold and loud restriction on Government power and it must be protected at all costs. Without freedom of expression, we have no freedom at all. Thomas Jefferson said, Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.

Journalism is an inexact business because it depends entirely on what other people, who have no obligation to be honest, tell the reporter. There is a huge difference between a journalistic inquiry and testimony in a court of law. In the courtroom there are penalties for lying, you must appear in court if ordered to do so and you are required to answer the questions. In a news interview the subject appears voluntarily, can lie if he or she wants to and can refuse to answer questions. The entire news gathering process depends on people volunteering honest information.

The late and great Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post, David Broder described a newspaper this way;

a partial, hasty, incomplete, inevitably somewhat flawed and inaccurate rendering of some of the things we have heard about in the past 24 hours distorted, despite our best efforts to eliminate gross bias by the very process of compression that makes it possible for you to lift it from the doorstep and read it in about an hour. If we labeled the product accurately, then we could immediately add: But its the best we could do under the circumstances, and we will be back tomorrow, with a corrected and updated version.

If youd like to know more about the first amendment and the constitution this link offers some excellent information.https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-i

And from where I sit, thats the truth

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The Collection | MoMA

Posted: at 12:43 pm

Ila Bka, Louise Lemoine Voyage autour de la Lune 2016 Dan Graham Child's Play 2015-2016 K8 Hardy Outfitumentary 2016 Nicholas Nixon The Brown Sisters, Truro, Massachusetts 2016 Thom Andersen The Thoughts That Once We Had 2015 Tauba Auerbach Altar/Engine 2015 Gillian Ayres For Alan from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Noah Baumbach While Were Young 2015 Christiane Baumgartner Strand from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Ila Bka, Louise Lemoine The Infinite Happiness 2015 John Bock Untitled from 25 Years of FUN 2015 Mark Bradford Let's Walk to the Middle of the Ocean 2015 Andrea Bttner Piano Stool (Silkscreen) (for Parkett no. 97) 2015 Asl avuolu Red / Red (Untitled) Diptych 1 2015 Asl avuolu Red / Red (Untitled) Diptych 2 2015 Enrique Chagoya Lo que puede un sastre! / What a tailor can do! from Recurrent Goya 2015 Enrique Chagoya Bravisimo! / Bravissimo! from Recurrent Goya 2015 Enrique Chagoya Ya van desplumados / There they go plucked from Recurrent Goya 2015 Enrique Chagoya Ya tienen asiento / Now they are sitting well fromRecurrent Goya 2015 Enrique Chagoya Sopla / Gust the wind from Recurrent Goya 2015 Enrique Chagoya Y se le quema la casa / And the house is on fire from Recurrent Goya 2015 Gordon Cheung The Rider from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Michael Craig-Martin Ashtray from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Aaron Curry Untitled 2015 Ian Davenport Black on Grey Anniversary Print from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Simon Denny Modded Server-Rack Display with Some Interpretations of David Darchicourt Designs for NSA Defense Intelligence 2015 Louise Despont Energy Scaffolds and Information Architecture (Source) 2015 Edmund de Waal once more, with feeling from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Jan Dibbets Untitled (for Alan C.) from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Jim Dine Alan smoking at Syndey Close in the 90's from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Michaela Eichwald Duns Scotus 2015 Matteo Garrone Il Racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales) 2015 Jos Luis Guern The Academy of Muses 2015 Wade Guyton X Poster (Untitled, 2007, Epson UltraChrome inkjet on linen, 84 x 69 inches, WG1999) 2015 Marie Harnett Telephone from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Camille Henrot Extinction on the Table (for Parkett no. 97) 2015 Howard Hodgkin Herb Garden from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015 Hong Sang-soo Right Now, Wrong Then 2015 Iman Issa Heritage Studies #5 2015 Iman Issa Heritage Studies #9 2015 Christian Jankowski Some may like a soft Brazilian singer from 25 Years of FUN 2015 Ben Johnson Revisiting the space between from Alan Cristea Gallery Twentieth Anniversary Portfolio 2015

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The Collection | MoMA

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Noopept | Smarter Nootropics

Posted: January 14, 2017 at 9:04 pm

Support SmarterNootropics by purchasing from this product from one of our recommended suppliers:

USA and Worldwide:Absorb Health (Powder & Capsules) | Pure Nootropics (Powder & Capsules) | Nootropics Depot (Powder| Capsules)

European Union and United Kingdom: Intellimeds ( Powder|Capsules|10mg Tablets|20mg Tablets)

GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, , (CAS Number) 157115-85-0, (PubChem) CID 180496, C17H22N2O4

Among the studies cited, the effective doses ranged from .01mg/kg to 10 mg/kg (in rats and mice); when subjected to allometric scaling, this range would be equivalent to .002mg/kg to 2.445 mg/kg in humans [7,10,13]. In a 70kg (154lbs) adult human, the dosing range would be 171mcg to 171mg.

Typically, the most cited dosing range (anecdotally) is 10-30mg, up to 3 times per day, usually dosed sublingually or orally.

Patented in 1995, Noopept is a Nootropic substance that is a dipeptide similar in effect to Piracetam [3]; it is often cited as being 1000 times more potent (by weight) than Piracetam. Noopept has high oral bioavailability, and appears to potentiate its own effects with chronic administration. Noopept has shown promise in treating many different aspects of cognitive decline that warrants more research, especially in human models.

Noopept has been noted to have four main mechanisms of action; the first noted mechanism of action is antioxidation: in vitro studies of Noopept have shown signs that it operates on an antioxidative mechanism of action which protects neurons from apoptosis [4]. The second noted mechanism of action of Noopept is inhibition of glutamate neurotoxicity [1]; glutamate neurotoxicity leads to quick cell death, and is linked to a variety of neurological disorders such as autism and Alzheimers disease. The third mechanism of action of Noopept is increased neuronal plasticity [7], which can lead to greater adaptability in learning and memory. The fourth mechanism of action that has been noted in Noopept is increases expression of phenylacetic acid, prolyglycine, and cyclo-prolyglycine in the brain [12], which are endogenous Nootropics.

What makes Noopept an intriguing nootropic is its myriad of positive effects, lack of noted negative side effects, and its effectiveness in both chronic and acute usage. In both in vivo and in vitro models, Noopept was shown to have positive effects on all stages of memory, from learning to recall, as well as anxiolytic effects [1]. An in vitro study showed Noopept to be neuroprotective against the use of H2O2 in neuronal degradation, in both healthy brains as well as those with Downs Syndrome in a dose-dependent manner [4]. In rat models of memory impairment, Noopept was shown to improve memory retention and retrieval, and improve learning which was shown through the use of passive avoidance response testing [6]. Rats with ischemic lesions were treated with Noopept for nine days and then tested with the passive avoidance test; those rats that had been treated performed significantly better than the control group; Noopept was also shown to be neuroprotective through antioxidation in the rats who received treatment for nine days [7]. Studies also showed that rats given a single oral administration of Noopept showed improved scores on the passive avoidance test [10]. Another study showed that rats who had gone through olfactory bulbectomies showed Alzheimers like symptoms, but after 21 days of dosing Noopept, spatial memory improved greatly which was evidenced through the use of the Morris Water Maze test [13].

Two other interesting benefits of Noopept were noted; one dealing with BDNF and NGF, and the other dealing with the immune system. One study showed rats treated with Noopept, both chronically and acutely, were found to have a higher expression of mRNA BDNF and NGF; even more interestingly, after 28 days of treatment no tolerance towards Noopept was detected and there was some evidence the effects of Noopept potentiate the longer it is administered [8]. Another study looked at the effect of Noopept on immune deficient mice; the researchers found Noopept to have immuno-corrective properties [5].

Among the studies cited, doses up to 10mg/kg in rats have shown no toxicity, which when subjected to allometric scaling yields a dose of 2.445mg/kg in humans (or 171 mg for a 70kg person); in fact, Noopept has been shown to be neuroprotective at said dosage [7,10,13].

Support SmarterNootropics by purchasing from this product from one of our recommended suppliers:

USA and Worldwide: Absorb Health (Powder & Capsules) | Pure Nootropics (Powder & Capsules) | Nootropics Depot (Powder| Capsules)

European Union and United Kingdom: Intellimeds ( Powder|Capsules|10mg Tablets|20mg Tablets)

Ostrovskaia RU, Gudasheva TA, Voronina TA, Seredenin SB. The original novel nootropic and neuroprotective agent noopept. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002 Sep-Oct;65(5):66-72. [1]

Neznamov GG, Teleshova ES. Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology Volume 39, Issue 3 , pp 311-321. [2]

SEREDENIN SERGEI B, VORONINA TATIANA A, GUDASHEVA TATIANA A, OSTROVSKAYA RITA U,

ROZANTSEV GRIGORI G, SKOLDINOV ALEXANDER P, TROPHIMOV SERGEI S, HALIKAS JAMES A, GARIBOVA TAISIJA L. Biologically active n-acylprolydipeptides having antiamnestic, antihypoxic and anorexigenic effects. US5439930 (A) 1995-08-08. [3]

Alejandra P, Hoyo-Vadillo C, Gudasheva T, Serednin S, Ostrovskaya R, Busciglio J. GVS-111 prevents oxidative damage and apoptosis in normal and Downs Syndrome human cortical neurons. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, Vol 21 Issue 3 May 2003 Pages 117-124. [4]

Kovalenko, Shipaeva, Alekseeva, Pronin, Durnev, Gudasheva, Ostrovskaja, Seredenin. Immunopharmacological properties of noopept. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 144, Issue 1 , pp 49-52. [5]

G. A. Romanova, F. M. Shakova, T. A. Gudasheva, R. U. Ostrovskaya. Impairment of Learning and Memory after Photothrombosis of the Prefrontal Cortex in Rat Brain: Effects of Noopept. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 134, Issue 6 , pp 528-530. [6]

Ostrovskaya R, Romanova G, Barskov I, Shanina E, Gudasheva T, Victorov I, Voronina T, Seredenin S. Memory restoring and neuroprotective effects of the proline-containing dipeptide, GVS-111, in a photochemical stroke model. Behavioural Pharmacology: September 1999. [7]

R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. A. Gudasheva, A. P. Zaplina, Ju. V. Vahitova, M. H. Salimgareeva, R. S. Jamidanov, S. B. Seredenin. Noopept stimulates the expression of NGF and BDNF in rat hippocampus. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 146, Issue 3 , pp 334-337. [8]

S. S. Boiko, R. U. Ostrovskaya, V. P. Zherdev, S. A. Korotkov, T. A. Gudasheva, T. A. Voronina, S. B. Seredenin. Pharmacokinetics of new nootropic acylprolyldipeptide and its penetration across the blood-brain barrier after oral administration. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 129, Issue 4 , pp 359-361. [9]

R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. Kh. Mirsoev, G. A. Romanova, T. A. Gudasheva, E. V. Kravchenko, C. C. Trofimov, T. A. Voronina, S. B. Seredenin. Proline-Containing Dipeptide GVS-111 Retains Nootropic Activity after Oral Administration. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 132, Issue 4 , pp 959-962. [10]

Solntseva E, Bukanova J, Ostrovskaya R, Gudasheva T, Voronina T, Skrebitsky V. The effects of piracetam and its novel dipeptide analogue GVS-111 on neuronal voltage-gated calcium and potassium channels. General Pharmacology: The Vascular System, Volume 29 Issue 1, July 1997. [11]

T. A. Gudasheva, S. S. Boyko, R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. A. Voronina, V. K. Akparov, S. S. Trofimov, G. G. Rozantsev, A. P. Skoldinov, V. P. Zherdev, S. B. Seredenin. The major metabolite of dipeptide piracetam analogue GVS-111 in rat brain and its similarity to endogenous neuropeptide cyclol-prolylglycine. European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Volume 22, Issue 3 , pp 245-252. [12]

Ostrovskaya RU, Gruden MA, Bobkova NA, Sewell RD, Gudasheva TA, Samokhin AN, Seredinin SB, Noppe W, Sherstnev VV, Morozova-Roche LA. The nootropic and neuroprotective prolinecontaining dipeptide noopept restores spatial memory and increases immunoreactivity to amyloid in an Alzheimers disease model. J Psychopharmacol August 2007 vol. 21 no. 6 611-61

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Noopept | Smarter Nootropics

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