እንጦጦ ማርያም፡ ሌላ የተባረከች መንፈሳዊ ዕለት

በጠዋት ተነስቶ በዝናብና በብርድ ለ አንድ ሰዓት ያህል የእንጦጦን ተራራ ከ ቍስቋም ማርያም እስክ ቅድስት ማርያም በመውጣት ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር አንድ እንዲሆን እምነቱ የጠራውን ሕዝብ ማየት በጣም ያስደስታል፣ ያስገርማል፡ የተቀረውንም ዓለም በእውነት በጣም ያስቀናል። ከቅዳሴ በኋላ ቁሉቁለቱን ሲወርድ የነበረው የምዕመናን ብዛት አፌን አስከፍቶኝ ነበር፤ የዓመቷ ማርያም ስትሆን ምን ያህል ሰው እንደሚሄድ መገመት አያዳግትም። የክርስቶስ ጠላቶች ወዮላችሁ፡ መርዛችሁ አይሠራም! መንፈሰ–ጠንካራና በፍርድ ጊዜ መስካሪ ትውልድ ድምጹን ዝቅ አድርጎ በመምጣት ላይ ነው!

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በ ቅ/ገብርኤል ስም ባካችሁ ተውን!

 

ደመ-መስዋዕትን የለመዱት የሉሲፈር / ሳጥናኤል ኃይሎች ሕዝባችንን ሊያናክሱት ቀናቀና በማለት ላይ ናቸው። የእስኮትላንድን መገንጠል እንደ ትልቅ ውድቀት አድርጋ የወሰደችውና እያነሰች የመጣችው ‘ታላቋ ብሪታኒያ‘ ‘ታዛቢ‘ በሌለበት የተጭበረበረ ሬፈረንድም ግዛቶቿን ለማስከበር በቅታለች። ዱሮም 10-ሺህ ኪሎሜትር ያህል በመጓዝ ለማይረቡት የማልቪናስ/ፎክላንድስ ደሴቶች ስትል ከአርጀንቲና ጋር ጦርነት ከፍታ የነበረችው እንግሊዝ ጎረቤቷ የሆነችውን ስኮትላንድን ትለቅቃለች ተብሎ የማይታሰብ ነበር።

ከሬፈረንደሙ በኋላ፡ እንግሊዛውያኑ ተረጋግተዋል፤ የልብልብ ብሏቸዋል፤ ግን ከዚህ ቀደም ሲከተሉት የነበረውን ድብቅና ግልጽ የትንኮላ መንገድ በአፍሪቃ፡ በተለይም በኢትዮጵያ ላይ ለመዘርጋት ሲቁነጠነጡ ይታያሉ። እነርሱ ሊያጠፉን የጥላቻ መርዛቸውን ሲረጩብን እኛ ግን “ማንቸስተር!” “አርሰናል!” እያልን ተወዳዳሪ በሌለው ፍቅረ–ባዕድ ወገናችንን እናደነዝዛለን፣ ከተሞቻችንን እናውካለን። የእግርኳስ ጠላት መሆኔ አይደለም፤ ግን የእንግሊዝ እግር ኳስ አፍቃሪም ይህን ያህል መስዋዕት ለፕሬምየር ሊግ ስለማይከፍል የኛ እንደዚህ መሆን በይበለጥ ስለሚያሳዝነኝ ነው። “ጠላትህን ውደድ!” የሚለውን ምክር ያላግባብ ነው የምንጠቀመው።

‘7‘ ቁጥር ባለፉት የአገራችን የታሪክ ሂደቶች ውስጥ ከፍተኛ ሚና ተጫውታለች፤ 1967፥ 1970፥ 1977፥ 1987፥ 1997 ብዙ ነገሮች የታዩባቸው ዓመታት ነበሩ። 2007 ዓመተምህረትስ ምን ይዞልን ይመጣ ይሆን? ይህ ዓመት ምርጫ የሚካሄድበት ዓመት ነው። ታዲያ ይህን አጋጣሚ በመጠቀም ‘በእንግሊዝ ቡልዶጎች‘ የሚመራው የሉሲፈራውያኑ ኃይል አገራችንን ከመንከስ ወደኋላ አይልም። ሰሞኑን እንደምንታዘበው ኢትዮጵያውያኑን እንዲሁም ዓለምአቀፋዊውን ማሕበረስብ ከሁኔታዎች ጋር ለማለማመድ (conditioning) ይህ ኃይል በመሞከር ላይ ነው።

ለምሳሌ፦

• በትውልድ አገሩ ላይ ሤራ ለመጠንሰስ ሲንቀሳቀስ የነበረውና ከየመን ወደ ኢትዮጵያ የተጠረፈው ግለሰብ፡ የእንግሊዝ ዜግነትን የያዘ ነው። አሁን ይህ ግለሰብ በኢትዮጵያ “ያላግባብ ታስሯል” የሚል የፕሮፓጋንዳ ዘመቻ በመንዛት፡ እንግሊዛውያን ኢትዮጵያን በቁራኛ እንዲመለከቱ ይደረጋል። ምናልባት እራሳቸው ሆን ብለው ልከውት ይሆን? (አፄ ቴዎድሮስን እንደተተናኮሉት)። እዚህ ይመልከቱ።
• የመካከለኛውን ባሕር እያቋረጡ በጣሊያን አድርገው ወደ ፈረንሳይዋ ካሌ በመግባት፡ “ወደ እንግሊዝ መጓዝ ይፈልጋሉ” የሚባሉትንና በብዙህ ሺህ የሚቆጠሩትን የኤርትራ/የኢትዮጵያ/ የሱዳን ዜጎችን “ከረሃብ አምልጠው የመጡ ወራሪዎች ናቸው” እያሉ በሕዝባቸው ዘንድ የማስፈራሪያና ጥላቻ ቅስቀሳ ያካሂዳሉ። አብዛኛው ስደተኛ ከአረብ አገር ነው የሚመጣው፡ ሰለነሱ ግን ብዙም አይተነፍሱም። የእንግሊዛዊውን አንባቢ የጥላቻ ሀተታ እናንብብ። እዚህ ፡ እዚህ ፡ እዚህ ይመልከቱ።
• “የኦሮሞ ብሔረሰብ በኢትዮጵያ ተበድሏል” በሚል ዲያብሎሳዊ ወቀሳ የአገራችንን ሕዝብ እርስበርስ ሊያባሉት አስበዋል። ልክ በቀደም ‘በሩዋንዳ ጀነሳይድ ተጠያቂዎቹ ቱሲዎች (ኢትዮጵያውያን ናቸው) ናቸው‘ በማለት ሌላ እልቂት መፈለጋቸውን እንደጠቆሙት። እዚህ ፡ እዚህ ይመልከቱ።
• “ኢትዮጵያ ከ30 ዓመት በፊት ከተከሰተው ረሃብ በኋላ” በሚል ርዕስ ደግሞ ኢትዮጵያ የሚለው ስም ሁልጊዜ ከረሃብ ጋር የተያያዘ ይሆን ዘንድ እንደገና ለማስታወስ ይቃጣሉ። አንዳንዶቻችን ይህ ጽሑፍ የአኹኒቷን ኢትዮጵያ መለወጥና መሻሻል ካለፈው ጋር እያወዳደረ የሚያቀርብ ጽሑፍ መስሎ ይነበበን ይሆናል። አንታለል! ይህ ጽሑፍ በቅድሚያ ለእንግሊዛውያኑ ነው የቀረበው፤ እንግሊዛውያኑ ደግሞ በዝርዝር የቀረበውን ጽሑፍ ሙሉ በሙሉ ለማንበብ ሰነፎች ናቸው፤ ርዕሱን ካዩት በቂያቸው ነው፤ በተለይ ‘ኢትዮጵያ = ረሃብ‘ የሚሉት ቃላት። እዚህ፡ እዚህ ይመልከቱ።

አብዛኛው የሚነዙት ፕሮፓጋንዳ ቅጥፈት የተሞላበት እንደሆነ ግን እራሳቸው ይመሰክራሉ፤ እዚህ ይመልከቱ።

ያዘኑትን የምታረጋጋ፣ ጻድቃንን የምትጐበኛቸውና ደስታን የምታበሥረው ቅዱስ ገብር ኤል ሆይ ይህ የ 2007 ዓመት የሰላም፣ የፍቅርና የጤና ዓመት እንዲሆንልን የደስታውን ወይን አጠጣን።

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Humanist Agenda – When Man Became Godless

All cultures and civilizations throughout history have one thing in common: they all have belief systems called “religion.” All peoples regardless of time, location, or race understood the mysterious act of Creation as a consequence of divine inspiration or intervention; either by a Supreme Being or by a pantheon of lesser powers acting co-operatively. No culture or civilization regardless of time, location or race has believed man to be alone or unsupervised in the Cosmos: that was until the present day. Beginning with the Renaissance humanists, west European intellectuals have slowly but inexorably stripped away every authority possessed by organized religion in its claim to be the proper government of society. The attack by science upon the tenets of Christianity, based upon the revealed Word of God and the Church’s claim to be the voice or vehicle of God on earth, was devastating. Very powerful dark spiritual forces energized the intellects of the Enlightenment to initiate a devastating attack on the ancient belief in a divine being that was God. That is, an age-old belief in a Prime Mover and Creator, that had existed eternally and of necessity, who is the Cause of Himself and whose Essence is to exist: who is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, and who is the First Cause of everything. 

The burgeoning rational capacity, then taking hold of the human psyche, was directed to destroy the Christian conception of God the Unmoved Mover who takes a personal interest in His Creation, who had become a person, in flesh and blood, in the figure of Jesus Christ. Moreover, that in the person of Jesus Christ, God bridged the otherwise impassable barrier between the phenomenal and transcendental world of our belief. The humanists did this by proceeding to “prove” that God, in fact, did not exist and therefore, by inference, religion was superstitious nonsense. That is, the Renaissance savants sought to describe religious feeling as ghostly residues arising from our primitive past. The humanists achieved this fateful pyrrhic victory by using a rational and logical system of analysis called The Theory of Scientific Method.

This method of analysis was a powerful tool used to great effect by rationalists who employed it diligently in their efforts to extract the secrets of the phenomenal world from Nature. The Scientific Method was used to such effect by the intellectual elite that its results provided wonderful theories of apparent usefulness as well as novel labour saving inventions. Science’s success became a very persuasive argument for a materialistic explanation of reality in direct opposition to the Divine Creation Principle held by all world religions. Yet a great change was required in the human constitution to allow the nurturing of the rational faculty in the psyche of man that would produce the intellectual marvels necessary to transform Nature.

In the tumultuous era commonly called the Renaissance, theologians and men of reason tried valiantly to reconcile the estrangement of Church and Science and produce a new synthesis in the manner of Aquinas. These attempts at reconciliation were heartfelt and at times desperate. However, something profound was happening at this time that irrevocably changed the way in which man viewed the world; and, by necessity, how he saw himself in relation to Nature who was beginning to yield her secrets and was becoming less and less mysterious. Nature was prostrated and subjected to exhaustive mathematical treatment through the activity of measurement by science experimentalis, first promulgated by Roger Bacon (1220-92), whereby laws of nature are determined. That is, knowledge of Nature apprehended by scientific experimentation and quantifiable by figure, laws and formulae. Such scientific laws were conceived as number as function-related, and expressed in the dynamic principle of cause-and-effect. These nature-laws were achieved not from divine revelation but by careful observation and experiment. In short: a world full of causes and effects was posited and understood by reasoned observation and experiment.

The medieval monks and book-men began to intellectually penetrate the secrets of Nature not out of idle interest but with an ultimate aim to extract useful knowledge with practical application. And to serve this great desire for practical solutions and therefore command over Nature, the purpose and function of “theory” was redefined. The Schoolmen understood that any theory they developed was judged not as putative attempts to explain Nature per se but by its utility as a working tool. Thus every theory was from the outset a working hypothesis, and thus it did not have to be “correct” it was only required to be practical. It aims, not at embracing or unveiling the secrets of the world, but at making them serviceable to definite ends. Moreover, “theory” was also understood to be a disposable commodity with only temporary utility. If it provided some truths that were durable or appeared absolutely true then that was fine, these could be incorporated in the new theory but belief in ‘the theory’ never developed into a creed.

Bacon’s scientia experimentalis was an expression of a peculiar mind that perceived Nature as prey to be hunted remorselessly and apprehended by the intellectual hunter using his weapons of rational thought, theory and experiment. The great medieval theorists, using the stratagem of intellectual beasts of prey, “experimentum enim solum certificat” as Albertus Magnus put it, which was nothing less than the interrogation of nature under torture with rack, lever, and screw. The medieval theorists of Europe not only concerned themselves with the task of wresting the enigmatic secrets from Nature, but they also cherished a dream whereby the invention and wit of the researcher would eventually wrest the creative mantle from Nature. Enslaving and harnessing Nature’s very own forces, so as to multiply man’s own strength, would achieve this vaunting ambition. This gargantuan task was conceptualised in the search for “perpetual motion.”

The great philosopher of history, Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) understood the character of scientific experimentation and its shallow treatment of Nature. Thus, with regard to the urge to conquer the motion problem he tells us that:

“… for its success would mean the final victory over ”God or Nature” (Deus sive Natura ), a small world of one’s own creation moving like the great world, in virtue of its own forces and obeying the hand of man alone. To build a world oneself, to be oneself God – that is the [Western] inventor’s dream, and from it has sprung all our designing and re-designing of machine to approximate as nearly as possible to the unattainable limit of perpetual motion.“

This Will, possessed by the Western savants, to apprehend Nature by measurement and thus control her is what Spengler called the “passion of the third dimension.”

Past civilisations had attempted some degree of control over the forces of nature but their attempts were concerned with small victories over local problems. Western medieval culture and its burgeoning science concerned itself with the grand victory over the big problems with global possibilities. The rapacity shown by Western scientists in their desire to utterly command Nature, and to regard her (in her entirety, complete with her secret of force) as booty to be hauled away as spoil, is the root cause of the antagonism towards science. Such a mind-set would have shocked the pious natural scientists of antiquity and it is also the reason why the new nature investigators were called heretics by more enlightened contemporaries. The religious pagan saw the scientists’ lust for power and their attempts at humbling the great goddess Nature as nothing less than devilish.

Throughout Renaissance Europe men were formulating a codified system of rational investigation by which they could interrogate Nature and extract her secrets. A new breed of book-men, the intellectual, promulgated this rational methodology, and foremost amongst these was Francis Bacon who dismissed the collective works of the ancients, such as Plato, Aristotle and Homer, as so much “contentious learning.” Bacon taught that fluffy clouds of metaphysical speculation obscure any substantive truths contained in the works of these ancient authors. He thus advocated a revolutionary rational method based upon objective knowledge and experiment thereby avoiding the deficiencies in the Aristotelian Theory of Procedure and from which substantive knowledge of the world can be gained.

Bacon was the leading propagandist of a rational methodology called Objectivism or more popularly the Theory of Scientific Method. The adoption of this powerful rational method by the radical intellects of Europe was the major destabilizing blow aimed at the established Christian Worldview. Another crushing blow to the established order came when the scientific proofs were produced that indicated that the Earth was not the centre of the Universe, as demanded by the Aquinas Synthesis, but merely a very small and apparently insignificant planet orbiting a relatively obscure star. Although the Church responded savagely to this theory the work of rationalists such as Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe and Kepler eventually dissolved the Medieval Christian Worldview as a coherent and comprehensible whole. Geocentricism, which was central to both Aristotelian doctrine and Scripture, was ridiculed by the heretical heliocentric theory. 

The promotion of the heliocentric theory created a severe intellectual dilemma. Not only was it a staggering blow to theological dogma and that it also rejected the common-sense view that the heavens seemed to revolve around the Earth, more importantly, it also confounded the spiritual-sense that each individual was the centre of his universe. And the simple statement made by Melancthon in 1549 that “the eyes are witness that the heavens revolve in the space of twenty-four hours” no longer appeared to hold true. Henceforth, the great divide thus created between the intellect and spirit created a void in the soul of European Man. The dichotomy between religion based on unquestioning faith and the natural philosophy of the Baroque geniuses offered an opportunity for the free thinking radicals, with their skeptical Humanist Agenda, to finally break away from the intellectually stultifying influence of the Church. Rationalists exploited this opportunity and eagerly replaced, one by one, Church doctrines and dogmas with their own freethinking, practical reproducible proofs.

God suffered attack in the Renaissance, the Baroque and early Victorian periods from three sorts of critic:

• Those who hated the Theistic proofs and argued that there were no good reasons for believing God exist.
• Exponents of the problem of Evil who argued that there were no good reasons for believing that God does not exist.
• Positivists who claimed it equally meaningless to assert or to deny the existence of God.

The rationalists and humanists that were part of this conspiracy to immolate God from rational discourse and civil society and replace him with human constructs did not yet have the temerity to declare Him dead. This was for a later time: when Darwinism had arrived, when foolish and wicked men worked to remove God from the field of human endeavor and public concern. And when a man, the son of a Protestant minister and the grandson of two, who with eloquent anti-Christian polemics, a man who was eventually driven insane by his inner demons, declared: “God is dead.” Of course God is not dead, but foolish people wriggling out of their obligation to their Creator would do and believe anything that absolved them from this sacred duty. Wicked evil people who knew better used such formulations to attack the God they hated. And the powerful secret cabal of evil men who control the temporal affairs of this world give support and succor to this pernicious philosophy. For, this secret cabal of men are the human agents of Evil that are part of the Great Conspiracy against God, which is orchestrated by the Dark Gods who are Ahriman and Lucifer and who are the truly Overlords of Chaos.

Read the full text here

• The New World Order

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Atheist Group to Distribute Pamphlets in Schools of Cartoon Bible Sexually Assaulting Woman

“But that is how society begins to fall apart. But these creatures would be the first to holler for help when they are in need and who comes to their rescue but those who believe. Remember the blacks would still be in slavery if it were not for believers. It wasn’t the atheists who were .the first abolitionists, It wasn’t the atheists ho hid the Jews from the Nazis. It wasn’t the atheists who went over to help the Ebola victims. They contribute nothing to this world. They are empty people who only believe in themselves. Which is fine as long as they leave believers alone.”

An atheist group is planning to distribute a pamphlet in several Florida public high schools that depicts an illustration of a cartoon Bible sexually assaulting a young woman.

According to a report by Brittany Hughes at CNSNews.com, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) plans to hand out a pamphlet entitled “An X-Rated Book: Sex and Obscenity in the Bible,” with a front cover that is illustrated with an animated Bible with arms, legs, salacious facial expression, and salivating mouth, with its hand aggressively extended up the dress of a screaming woman, who is attempting to run away from it.

On its website, FFRF states that its free speech lawsuit filed last year against the Orange County School District was dismissed by Judge Kendall Sharp of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, since the school district had agreed to allow FFRF to distribute all the literature it had initially prohibited. FFRF says it filed a free speech suit after the school district allowed an evangelical Christian group to distribute Bibles.

“This is a victory. The court has acknowledged that the school district is allowing all the materials that were initially prohibited,” said Dan Barker, FFRF co-president. “We disagree with how the court and the school district chose to handle this clear-cut discrimination, so we’re planning to appeal on some issues, but overall, it’s a win.”

In its motion to dismiss the case, the U.S. District Court did agree, however, with a previous Florida court ruling relating to materials outside groups may distribute in public schools.

“Indeed, Defendant may lawfully prohibit outside groups from distributing materials that are not appropriate for distribution in a school setting with the aim of controlling student conduct in the schools,” said the court. “This includes dissemination of content that is sexually explicit, indecent, lewd, or offensive in [sic] such would ‘undermine the school’s basic educational mission.’”

The memo, dated April 22, 2013, and referencing “passive distribution of atheist materials,” provided the following list of “approved materials” that FFRF and Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), FFRF’s local chapter, may “passively distribute” on May 2, 2013, in schools:

1. The Age of Reason
2. What They Said About Religion
3. Ten Common Myths About Atheists
4. What is Wrong with the Ten Commandments?
5. What is an Atheist?
6. Nontheistic Students in Your School
7. Humanist of the Year Award

The memo also stated, “NO OTHER MATERIALS MAY BE DISTRIBUTED.”

High school principals are instructed in the memo, “You must have a member of your staff ensure that only the materials identified above are on the tables to be passively distributed.”

Continue reading the Comments

• Real anti-Christian bigotry, fake company
• Trojan Horse rules ‘stop us being Christian school’
• Churches targeted in new wave of attacks
• Godless millennials could end the political power of the religious right (Notice the anti-christian-agenda of “the Guardian”)

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የአዲስ አበባ አብያተ ክርስቲያናት — አቡነ አረጋዊ

ሀገራችን በጣም ኃብታም ናት!

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Oklahoma City: Secret Service Arrests Ten Commandments Statue Smasher

“ሙሴ” የሚለውን ቆንጆ ፊልም አይቼ ስጨርስ ይህን አሳዛኝ ዜና አነበብኩ፤ አጋጣሚው በጣም ገረመኝ!

የፍዬሉን “ባፎሜት” ኃውልት እዚያው ኦክላሆማ ከተማ፡ ለአሠርቱ ቃላት ከተሠራው ከዚህ ኃውልት ጎን ለማቆም የወሰኑት ሰይጣን አምላኪዎች በአሜሪካና በአውሮፓ በዘመናችን በጣም እየበዙ በመምጣት ላይ መሆናቸው እጅግ የሚያሳዝን ጉዳይ ነው። ምን እየሠሩ እንደሆነ አያውቁም ምን እንደሚመጣም የተገነዘቡት አይመስሉም! የሚያመልኩት ሰይጣንን መሆኑን ማሳወቃቸው ግን ምናልባት እንዳንታለል ሊረዳን ይችል ይሆናል።

The assailant told authorities that Satan made him do it

Secret Service have arrested a man who allegedly slammed his car Thursday night into a controversial Ten Commandments monument near the state capital building in Oklahoma City. The statue is now smashed to pieces.

Officials said the suspect, whose name has not been released, ran his car into the monument at about 9:00 p.m. Thursday night, reportedly saying that Satan made him do it. Oklahoma City’s KOCO news station reported that the suspect also threatened to kill President Barack Obama and said he urinated on the monument before knocking it over.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has sued to have the monument removed, condemned the desecration of the statue. No evidence suggests there is a connection between this incident and a Satanic group wishing to install a monument to Satan alongside the Ten Commandments.

The vehicle involved in the incident was left at the scene and has been impounded.

Source

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When Do They Stop Hating Africans?

Rewriting History: The Rwandan Genocide Story That the BBC Didn’t Tell

“Propaganda is what the left wing BBC do best these days.”

On Saturday 200 UK-based Rwandans, including many genocide survivors, protested outside the BBC offices in response to the documentary ‘Rwanda’s Untold Story’, which aired earlier in October. The demonstration followed a letter of complaint sent to the BBC’s director general, written by the survivors’ organisation Ibuka.

They point out that despite the BBC’s commitment to upholding truth and objectivity, the programme contained factual inaccuracies and seemed intent on reopening wounds in Rwanda. They expressed disbelief and disappointment that:

‘[A] few people who have their differences with the current government or the country were given a platform to politicise the Genocide and deny the planned and systematic killing of over one million people.’

My organisation, the Aegis Trust, manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda for the government of Rwanda. From here, documentation about the genocide is preserved, and peace and reconciliation programmes are run. For 12 years I have shied away from commenting publicly on growing genocide revision, concerned I might be interpreted as an apologist for the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the country’s ruling party.

Now that this tide of denial has swollen into the mainstream media, I break my silence. I don’t argue with the BBC’s investigative role, nor do I defend the government of Rwanda against any allegations. However, the beloved and trusted BBC owe licence-fee payers an explanation as to how they could produce such specious content on the history of the genocide.

The BBC also presented the notion that Paul Kagame’s RPF did not stop the genocide, implying instead that the massacres against Tutsis were somehow all over by the time the RPF liberated the country. No other explanation is offered by the BBC as to how the genocide ended – perhaps because there is only one answer: the genocide ended when the RPF defeated the Hutu Power government, which was intent on exterminating every last Tutsi.

The programme also appears to blame Kagame for the death of Rwanda’s former president, whose plane was shot down on the eve of the genocide. While there remains no decisive evidence of who was responsible for the assassination, the BBC producers relied on the thinly sourced 2006 Bruguière report that blamed Kagame, without mentioning the more robust Trévidic report in 2012 that implicated Hutu extremists. Viewers are owed an explanation as to why they were given such a biased, partial view of the evidence.

The programme also puts the number of murdered Tutsi at 200,000, though most other estimates put the Tutsi death toll at four times that. One would expect the BBC to secure strong evidence before allowing such a divisive, inflammatory and offensive claim to be made. Again, however, the programme relied on academics who have been deeply criticised by other scholars for flawed calculations and extrapolations from unreliable data.

It is hard to lecture countries like Rwanda to raise media standards when the BBC airs documentaries with such shocking lack of balance. This week, as part of a group of scholars, journalists and lawyers, I added my voice to the protest in this open letter.

Source

Rwanda Hits Back at America’s Ebola Paranoia

“Good for Rwanda! Protecting its people! Maybe we could learn from them and protect our own!”

Rwanda will be begin screening all Americans entering the country for Ebola, regardless if they’re exhibiting symptoms or not, government officials in the East African nation announced Tuesday. Coincidence? The new measure comes just days after two Rwandan students were denied enrollment at a New Jersey school over Ebola fears, even though Rwanda has had zero cases of Ebola. The United States, on the other hand, has had three confirmed cases. Rwanda is also more than 2,500 miles from the closest Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The US Embassy in Rwanda explains the situation:

On October 19, the Rwandan Ministry of Health introduced new Ebola Virus Disease screening requirements. Visitors who have been in the United States or Spain during the last 22 days are now required to report their medical condition—regardless of whether they are experiencing symptoms of Ebola—by telephone by dialing 114 between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. for the duration of their visit to Rwanda (if less than 21 days), or for the first 21 days of their visit to Rwanda. Rwandan authorities continue to deny entry to visitors who traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, or Sierra Leone within the past 22 days.

Although there’s no way to tell if the screenings are indeed motivated by retaliation for the ignorant panic displayed by the New Jersey school, this sure is an interesting turn of events.

Source

Ebola Scares Prevent Oklahoma Students From Attending School

“This is a perfect teachable moment. Perhaps the school can dedicate an hour in the schoolday and show kids that the Ebola zone is closer to the U.S”

Three students who just returned from a mission trip to East Africa caused Ebola scares at one Oklahoma high school.

Reports circulated on social media about the students returning to school and that raised fears of classmates coming into contact with people who might have been exposed to the virus; but there is currently no cause for alarm.

Inola School Superintendent, Dr. Kent Holbrook, said 18 students didn’t show up for class Monday because of the rumors

He said to ease fears school nurses are monitoring the three students who just returned from Ethiopia, but stresses they have never come into contact with anyone or anything associated with the deadly virus.

“You have to respond with facts rather than just the fear and I think that’s what’s happening,” Holbrook said.

Rumors started circulating through social media when parents in the Inola School District learned three students would be returning from a mission trip to Ethiopia last week.

Holbrook said rumors the students were exposed to the Ebola virus are just false.

“Our students were not exposed to Ebola. There was no person that was sick on the trip. There was no person sick Ethiopia while they were there. There was no person on the plane,” Holbrook said.

Ethiopia isn’t anywhere near the countries in Western Africa where people have contracted the deadly virus.

Holbrook said the three students were screened by officials when they re-entered the United States and were cleared to come to school.

“They just said, ‘where’ve you been?’ They told them, ‘Africa.’ ‘What part?’ They say said, ‘Ethiopia’ and said, ‘you’re clear, there’s never been a case out of there,'” said Holbrook.

T.J. Helling is the youth pastor who helped organize the mission trip for the students.

“Amazing students, amazing students willing to give up their time and energy, their money, their fall break to go and serve others,” he said.

Helling’s heart is broken over the students being singled out because they went to Africa.

Source

• Oklahoma – Ethiopia connection

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Migrant Domestic Workers in UAE Treated Like ‘Animals’

“Think of working in the Middle East as working in the ‘Middle Ages.’ That will give you a good idea of how you’ll be treated. The oil rich Arab states are a breeding ground of the most decadent, narcissistic, misogynistic, abusive and brutal miserable excuses for human beings alive today.”

‘The UAE should reform its kafala system so domestic workers can change employers without their consent and without losing valid immigration status,’ says Human Rights Watch

Sexual violence, isolation and forced confinement, unpaid wages, long working hours with limited food, and regular beating are just some of the conditions migrant domestic workers in oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) endure in the hands of their employers.

This “seemingly entrenched pattern” of abuses was detailed in a 79-page report by New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Thursday, October 23, urging the UAE government to enact reforms to put an end to it.

“Many said their employers had treated them like animals or as if they were dirty and physical contact with them would be contaminating,” the report said.

Quezon City resident Marelie Brua returned home to the Philippines after suffering maltreatment and a meager 800-dirham ($217 or P9,712) monthly pay under the employ of an Arab family.

A mere animal “bought” at a price is how domestic workers to the UAE are regarded, Brua shared in an HRW clip.

“He [the sponsor] slapped me and banged my head on the wall, then spit on me. He beat me with a cable on my back and put a knife to my face.” – Indonesian domestic worker

A total of 99 UAE-based helpers from November to December 2013 who came all the way from the Philippines, Indonesia, Uganda, and other labor-sending countries were interviewed by HRW staff and reported even worse experiences of exploitation.

One of those interviewed, 22-year-old Indonesian Arti L.* shared: “He [the sponsor] slapped me and banged my head on the wall, then spit on me. He beat me with a cable on my back and put a knife to my face.”

Of the 99, at least 22 complained of physical violence and 6 of sexual assault/harassment.

Arti L.*, the 22-year-old Indonesian beaten and slapped by her boss, was also raped. “I ran away with blood on my panties. I was bleeding badly,” she told HRW.

Most of them reported having to work long hours with low wages, and have experienced psychological and verbal abuse.

The women shared how they were verbally abused by their employers.

Farah S.* from Indonesia said not once was she addressed by her name, while Sadiyah A.* from the Philippines said she was always called an idiot in public.

Filipina Holly C*, 26, quoted her former employer as saying: “If you do anything wrong I will kill you and cut you up into pieces and put you into the desert and no one will know.”

The HRW brought the matter to the UAE authorities, but said it received no response.

Kafala system

At the heart of the report is a controversial system that unduly limits migrant workers’ rights and cripples their ability to redress their grievances.

Under the kafala sponsorship system, a migrant worker’s visa status is dependent on his or her employer. The threat of deportation looms and is dependent on his or her boss.

The system of having employer-sponsors as a prerequisite for migrant workers to stay in UAE and acquire a work permit enables employers to exploit them and gain “inordinate control” over them, the HRW report explained.

“The relationship between domestic worker and employer is mistakenly perceived as status-based, with a superior master commanding an inferior servant, rather than a contractual arrangement between parties with mutual rights and obligations,” it read.

Azfar Khan, a senior migration specialist for the International Labor Organization (ILO), said the system has been regarded as “slave-like.”

It is common practice among the employers of those interviewed by HRW to confiscate passports of their helpers. This prevents workers from running away from an abusive employer.

“The UAE should reform its kafala system so domestic workers can change employers without their consent and without losing valid immigration status,” the HRW urged.

Source

• Nightmare in Saudi Arabia: The Plight of Foreign Migrant Workers
• Ethiopia Has to Break Diplomatic Ties with Saudi Arabia

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What Surgery and Police Have in Common: Both Kill a Disproportionate Number of Black Men

We seldom think of medicine and law enforcement as professions with parallels. While many exist — both are predominantly white, male and fiercely loyal to their own — the most remarkable attribute they share is a unique brand of public trust that provides them license to cause harm: one with weapons, the other with scalpels.

Surprisingly, by certain counts, the damage is similar.

The FBI estimates that approximately 96 black men die each year in police homicides, deemed justifiable by circumstance. Black men undergoing heart bypass suffer approximately 95 fatalities statistically, after taking account of other factors affecting surgical survival.

In spite of the numbers, the public focuses laser-like on the former and pays minimal attention to the latter.

It’s too bad. Police and surgeons can help each other develop new tools to scrutinize these deaths and hold people accountable. Good data can help.

In the case of bypass surgeries, health researchers have amassed and analyzed mountains of data to understand what leads to fatalities. In a complex process, known as risk adjustment, they consider a vast array of patient-specific factors, such as insurance coverage, presence of other diseases, smoking status, weight, age and income, along with aspects of the surgery itself, such as number of complications, to determine what predicts death.

Identifying and investigating these factors have led to risk-reducing interventions, such that bypass fatalities have fallen substantially, but highly disparately. Over the last decade, the rate for white males declined by 33 percent, while that for black males remained stubbornly steady and fell by only 3 percent, a tenfold difference.

Researchers also use risk-adjustment when comparing mortality rates between groups to account for systematic differences between them. Advanced analyses find that the risk-adjusted mortality rate from bypass surgery for black men is 11 percent higher than that for white men of similar health status.

It’s possible, of course, that these current measures don’t adequately account for key differences in physiology or for the subtle, cumulative effects of differences in access to care. Refinements to the process, however, have yet to eliminate the persistent disparity. It is time to rethink our efforts.

A starting point is examining two key factors omitted from analyses to date: the characteristics of surgeons themselves, such as where and when they trained, and the specific settings in which they operate. Both warrant investigation, as data show that the impact of race on the risk of death is not constant across operating rooms.

Reluctance to delve into this area reflects understandable concerns about malpractice. However, it also reflects a social deference to this group, whose members, like the police, mostly police themselves. Both these factors must be overcome. Identifying whether physician and hospital features play a role in generating the racially disparate bypass outcomes is a step on the road to eliminating them.

Continue reading…

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OBAMA’S EBOLA CZAR THINKS THERE’S TOO MANY PEOPLE IN AFRICA

“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” ―[Psalm 94:16]

Klain’s role in overseeing the United States’ response to a virus that has killed thousands of Africans and threatens to infect up to 10,000 a week by December 1st is somewhat disconcerting given his views on overpopulation.

In a recent interview, Klain said the top leadership issue challenging the world today was “how to deal with the continuing growing population in the world” including “burgeoning populations in Africa and Asia.”

Critics have attacked Obama’s decision to appoint Klain as a political smokescreen, pointing out that the former Chief of Staff to Al Gore has no medical experience or expertise.

Although Klain is by no means championing Ebola as a means of reducing world population, other prominent individuals have done precisely that – most notably award-winning Texas scientist Dr. Erik Pianka, the UT professor who in 2006 advocated the use of weaponized airborne Ebola as a means of wiping out nine tenths of the earth’s population to save the planet from humanity’s wrath.

The Obama administration’s link to authoritarian ideas about population control was firmly established back in 2009 when it was revealed that White House science czar John P. Holdren had co-authored a 1977 book in which he advocated the formation of a “planetary regime” that would use a “global police force” to enforce totalitarian measures of population control, including forced abortions, mass sterilization programs conducted via the food and water supply, as well as mandatory bodily implants that would prevent couples from having children.

Many on the left continue to embrace hysteria about overpopulation, but the figures just don’t back up the hype.

The UN Population Division’s own figures show that by 2020, population is set to stabilize and then drop dramatically after 2050. In reality, underpopulation is going to be the real long term issue.

As the Economist reported, “Fertility is falling and families are shrinking in places— such as Brazil, Indonesia, and even parts of India—that people think of as teeming with children. As our briefing shows, the fertility rate of half the world is now 2.1 or less—the magic number that is consistent with a stable population and is usually called “the replacement rate of fertility”. Sometime between 2020 and 2050 the world’s fertility rate will fall below the global replacement rate.”

Source

Kenyan Bishops Fear Tetanus Vaccine Campaign is Aimed to Sterilize Women

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops is demanding answers about a national tetanus vaccine campaign that they say is suspiciously like campaigns run in other countries where a birth control agent was covertly mixed in.

Run by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, the Kenya campaign exclusively targets Kenyan women of childbearing age (14-49), and excludes boys and men and younger girls who are also at risk from tetanus infection.

The bishops’ statement notes that in the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Mexico, the tetanus vaccine was “laced with Beta human chorionic gonadotropin (b-HCG) sub unit … to vaccinate women against future pregnancy.”

When injected as a vaccine to a non-pregnant woman, this Beta HCG sub unit combined with tetanus toxoid develops antibodies against tetanus and HCG so that if a woman’s egg becomes fertilized, her own natural HCG will be destroyed rendering her permanently infertile, the bishops explain. In this situation tetanus vaccination has been used as a birth control method.

“The ongoing tetanus vaccination campaign bears the hallmarks of the programmes that were carried out in Philippines, Mexico and Nicaragua. We are not certain that the vaccines being administered in Kenya are free of this hormone,” the bishops state.

• The bishops are seeking answers to the following questions:
• Is there a tetanus crisis on women of child bearing age in Kenya? If this is so, why has it not been declared?
• Why does the campaign target women of 14 – 49 years?
• Why has the campaign left out young girls, boys and men even if they are all prone to tetanus?
• In the midst of so many life threatening diseases in Kenya, why has tetanus been prioritized?

Continue reading…

• Kenya’s bishops concerned about vaccination campaign
• Vaccines: Infertility, Sterilisation & Abortion

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