Monday, March 29, 2010
Seven arrested in FBI raids linked to Christian militia group
Seven arrested in FBI raids linked to Christian militia group
Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
At least seven people, including some from Michigan, have been arrested in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as part of an investigation into an Adrian-based Christian militia group, a person familiar with the matter said.
The suspects are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Monday.
On Sunday, a source close to the investigation in Washington, D.C. confirmed that FBI agents were conducting activities in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties over the weekend in connection to Hutaree, a Christian militia group. Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold told The Detroit News the federal warrants in the case are under court seal and declined further comment.
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Sources have said the FBI was in the second day of raids around the southeastern Michigan city of Adrian that are connected to a militia group, known as the Hutaree, an Adrian-based group whose members describe themselves as Christian soldiers preparing for the arrival and battle with the anti-Christ.
WXYZ-TV reports that helicopters were spotted in the sky for much of Saturday night, and agents set up checkpoints throughout the area. Witnesses told the station that it was like a small army had descended on the area. The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are also involved in the raids.
Mike Lackomar, of Michiganmilitia.com, said both The Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia and the Michiganmilitia.com were not a part of the raid.
Lackomar said he heard from other militia members that the FBI targeted the Hutaree after its members made threats of violence against Islamic organizations.
"Last night and into today the FBI conducted a raid against homes belonging to the Hutaree. They are a religious cult. They are not part of our militia community," he said.
Lackomar said he was told there were five arrests Saturday and another five early Sunday. The FBI declined to comment.
One of the Hutaree members called a Michigan militia leader for assistance Saturday after federal agents had already began their raid, Lackomar said, but the militia member -- who is of Islamic decent and had heard about the threats -- declined to offer help. That Michigan militia leader is now working with federal officials to provide information on the Hutaree member for the investigation, Lackomar said Sunday.
"They are more of survivalist group and in an emergency they withdraw and stand their ground. They are actively training to be alongside Jesus," he said.
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Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
At least seven people, including some from Michigan, have been arrested in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as part of an investigation into an Adrian-based Christian militia group, a person familiar with the matter said.
The suspects are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Monday.
On Sunday, a source close to the investigation in Washington, D.C. confirmed that FBI agents were conducting activities in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties over the weekend in connection to Hutaree, a Christian militia group. Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold told The Detroit News the federal warrants in the case are under court seal and declined further comment.
Advertisement
Sources have said the FBI was in the second day of raids around the southeastern Michigan city of Adrian that are connected to a militia group, known as the Hutaree, an Adrian-based group whose members describe themselves as Christian soldiers preparing for the arrival and battle with the anti-Christ.
WXYZ-TV reports that helicopters were spotted in the sky for much of Saturday night, and agents set up checkpoints throughout the area. Witnesses told the station that it was like a small army had descended on the area. The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are also involved in the raids.
Mike Lackomar, of Michiganmilitia.com, said both The Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia and the Michiganmilitia.com were not a part of the raid.
Lackomar said he heard from other militia members that the FBI targeted the Hutaree after its members made threats of violence against Islamic organizations.
"Last night and into today the FBI conducted a raid against homes belonging to the Hutaree. They are a religious cult. They are not part of our militia community," he said.
Lackomar said he was told there were five arrests Saturday and another five early Sunday. The FBI declined to comment.
One of the Hutaree members called a Michigan militia leader for assistance Saturday after federal agents had already began their raid, Lackomar said, but the militia member -- who is of Islamic decent and had heard about the threats -- declined to offer help. That Michigan militia leader is now working with federal officials to provide information on the Hutaree member for the investigation, Lackomar said Sunday.
"They are more of survivalist group and in an emergency they withdraw and stand their ground. They are actively training to be alongside Jesus," he said.
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Modern-day voice offering 'heaven's bailout' at the White House
Modern-day voice offering 'heaven's bailout'
Activist carries biblical message to White House gates
Posted: March 28, 2010
12:05 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A lone woman evangelist has been positioning herself in front of the White House gates almost daily for more than two years to deliver the message to the United States that heaven is offering a "bailout" far greater than dollars.
The voice belongs to Theresa Salcedo Cao, whose work has kept her in Washington – "I have a standard location literally right in front of the White House" – encouraging people to follow the Bible to see God's miracles on earth and its companion warning of punishment for those who disobey.
The message applies not only to individuals but to nations, she believes.
"Most Americans really are asleep concerning what's taking place," she said. "People are willing to hand over their God-given rights and the Constitution to the prevailing wicked forces."
Her agenda is simple: It's about what she believes was the greatest nation on earth – the United States of America – and how it was set up based on a recognition of God. And how that recognition now is being withdrawn.
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Activist carries biblical message to White House gates
Posted: March 28, 2010
12:05 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A lone woman evangelist has been positioning herself in front of the White House gates almost daily for more than two years to deliver the message to the United States that heaven is offering a "bailout" far greater than dollars.
The voice belongs to Theresa Salcedo Cao, whose work has kept her in Washington – "I have a standard location literally right in front of the White House" – encouraging people to follow the Bible to see God's miracles on earth and its companion warning of punishment for those who disobey.
The message applies not only to individuals but to nations, she believes.
"Most Americans really are asleep concerning what's taking place," she said. "People are willing to hand over their God-given rights and the Constitution to the prevailing wicked forces."
Her agenda is simple: It's about what she believes was the greatest nation on earth – the United States of America – and how it was set up based on a recognition of God. And how that recognition now is being withdrawn.
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John Piper's Upcoming Leave
Many of you love him as I do. Please pray for Dr. John Piper & his family & church.
John Piper's Upcoming Leave
Download:
By John Piper March 28, 2010
As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.
I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.
But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I’m sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.
Noël and I are rock solid in our commitment to each other, and there is no whiff of unfaithfulness on either side. But, as I told the elders, “rock solid” is not always an emotionally satisfying metaphor, especially to a woman. A rock is not the best image of a woman’s tender companion. In other words, the precious garden of my home needs tending. I want to say to Noël that she is precious to me in a way that, at this point in our 41-year pilgrimage, can be said best by stepping back for a season from virtually all public commitments.
No marriage is an island. For us this is true in two senses. One is that Noël and I are known inside-out by a few friends at Bethlehem—most closely by our long-time colleagues and friends David and Karin Livingston, and then by a cluster of trusted women with Noël and men with me. We are accountable, known, counseled, and prayed for. I am deeply thankful for a gracious culture of transparency and trust among the leadership at Bethlehem.
The other way that our marriage is not an island is that its strengths and defects have consequences for others. No one in the orbit of our family and friends remains unaffected by our flaws. My prayer is that this leave will prove to be healing from the inside of my soul, through Noël’s heart, and out to our children and their families, and beyond to anyone who may have been hurt by my failures.
The difference between this leave and the sabbatical I took four years ago is that I wrote a book on that sabbatical (What Jesus Demands from the World). In 30 years, I have never let go of the passion for public productivity. In this leave, I intend to let go of all of it. No book-writing. No sermon preparation or preaching. No blogging. No Twitter. No articles. No reports. No papers. And no speaking engagements. There is one stateside exception—the weekend devoted to the Desiring God National Conference combined with the inaugural convocation of Bethlehem College and Seminary in October. Noël thought I should keep three international commitments. Our reasoning is that if she could go along, and if we plan it right, these could be very special times of refreshment together.
The elders have appointed a group to stay in touch and keep me accountable for this leave. They are David Mathis, Jon Bloom, Tom Steller, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Tim Held, Tony Campagna, and Kurt Elting-Ballard. Five of these have walked with Noël and me over the last two months, helping us discern the wisdom, scope, and nature of this leave. They brought the final recommendation to the elders on March 22.
I asked the elders not to pay me for this leave. I don’t feel it is owed to me. I know I am causing more work for others, and I apologize to the staff for that. Not only that, others could use similar time away. Most working men and women do not have the freedom to step back like this. The elders did not agree with my request. Noël and I are profoundly grateful for this kind of affection. We will seek the Lord for how much of your financial support to give back to the church, to perhaps bear some of the load.
Personally, I view these months as a kind of relaunch of what I hope will be the most humble, happy, fruitful five years of our 35 years at Bethlehem and 46 years of marriage. Would you pray with me to that end? And would you stand by your church with all your might? May God make these eight months the best Bethlehem has ever known. It would be just like God to do the greatest things when I am not there. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
I love you and promise to pray for you every day.
Pastor John
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
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John Piper's Upcoming Leave
Download:
By John Piper March 28, 2010
As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.
I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.
But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I’m sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.
Noël and I are rock solid in our commitment to each other, and there is no whiff of unfaithfulness on either side. But, as I told the elders, “rock solid” is not always an emotionally satisfying metaphor, especially to a woman. A rock is not the best image of a woman’s tender companion. In other words, the precious garden of my home needs tending. I want to say to Noël that she is precious to me in a way that, at this point in our 41-year pilgrimage, can be said best by stepping back for a season from virtually all public commitments.
No marriage is an island. For us this is true in two senses. One is that Noël and I are known inside-out by a few friends at Bethlehem—most closely by our long-time colleagues and friends David and Karin Livingston, and then by a cluster of trusted women with Noël and men with me. We are accountable, known, counseled, and prayed for. I am deeply thankful for a gracious culture of transparency and trust among the leadership at Bethlehem.
The other way that our marriage is not an island is that its strengths and defects have consequences for others. No one in the orbit of our family and friends remains unaffected by our flaws. My prayer is that this leave will prove to be healing from the inside of my soul, through Noël’s heart, and out to our children and their families, and beyond to anyone who may have been hurt by my failures.
The difference between this leave and the sabbatical I took four years ago is that I wrote a book on that sabbatical (What Jesus Demands from the World). In 30 years, I have never let go of the passion for public productivity. In this leave, I intend to let go of all of it. No book-writing. No sermon preparation or preaching. No blogging. No Twitter. No articles. No reports. No papers. And no speaking engagements. There is one stateside exception—the weekend devoted to the Desiring God National Conference combined with the inaugural convocation of Bethlehem College and Seminary in October. Noël thought I should keep three international commitments. Our reasoning is that if she could go along, and if we plan it right, these could be very special times of refreshment together.
The elders have appointed a group to stay in touch and keep me accountable for this leave. They are David Mathis, Jon Bloom, Tom Steller, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Tim Held, Tony Campagna, and Kurt Elting-Ballard. Five of these have walked with Noël and me over the last two months, helping us discern the wisdom, scope, and nature of this leave. They brought the final recommendation to the elders on March 22.
I asked the elders not to pay me for this leave. I don’t feel it is owed to me. I know I am causing more work for others, and I apologize to the staff for that. Not only that, others could use similar time away. Most working men and women do not have the freedom to step back like this. The elders did not agree with my request. Noël and I are profoundly grateful for this kind of affection. We will seek the Lord for how much of your financial support to give back to the church, to perhaps bear some of the load.
Personally, I view these months as a kind of relaunch of what I hope will be the most humble, happy, fruitful five years of our 35 years at Bethlehem and 46 years of marriage. Would you pray with me to that end? And would you stand by your church with all your might? May God make these eight months the best Bethlehem has ever known. It would be just like God to do the greatest things when I am not there. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
I love you and promise to pray for you every day.
Pastor John
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
2,000-year-old fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls to go on display
2,000-year-old fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls to go on display
By Evelyn Barge Staff Writer
Posted: 03/27/2010 09:32:42 PM PDT
After keeping fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls mostly under wraps for seven months, officials at Azusa Pacific University on Friday invited groups of scholars and local religious leaders to look at the ancient texts.
The 2,000-year-old fragments, tiny pieces of the earliest known text of the Hebrew scriptures, will be part of a public exhibition this spring, along with other rare biblical artifacts.
"It's extremely important that Azusa has these," said James H. Charlesworth, director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. "Now, for the first time, scholars will know about them ... and will be able to engage in research on them."
Unearthed between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the ancient settlement of Qumran in Israel, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest version of biblical manuscripts ever discovered.
Azusa Pacific's fragments are believed to have originated from Cave Four in Qumran, said Robert Duke, assistant professor of biblical studies.
Before Azusa Pacific acquired them in August 2009, the text on the privately held fragments had never been published or studied by researchers.
Officials are not revealing how much the university paid to acquire the scroll pieces. One fragment was obtained from a Christian nonprofit based in Phoenix. The others were purchased from Lee Biondi, a rare-manuscripts dealer in Venice.
Two of the fragments contain passages from Deuteronomy,
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one fragment is identified as from Leviticus, and another as the book of Daniel. The fifth fragment, previously thought to be from Exodus, is unidentified.
A fragment of Deuteronomy 27, photographs of which were released to researchers by Azusa Pacific, is already generating scholarly debate about the location where an altar was to be built in ancient Israel.
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By Evelyn Barge Staff Writer
Posted: 03/27/2010 09:32:42 PM PDT
After keeping fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls mostly under wraps for seven months, officials at Azusa Pacific University on Friday invited groups of scholars and local religious leaders to look at the ancient texts.
The 2,000-year-old fragments, tiny pieces of the earliest known text of the Hebrew scriptures, will be part of a public exhibition this spring, along with other rare biblical artifacts.
"It's extremely important that Azusa has these," said James H. Charlesworth, director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. "Now, for the first time, scholars will know about them ... and will be able to engage in research on them."
Unearthed between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the ancient settlement of Qumran in Israel, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest version of biblical manuscripts ever discovered.
Azusa Pacific's fragments are believed to have originated from Cave Four in Qumran, said Robert Duke, assistant professor of biblical studies.
Before Azusa Pacific acquired them in August 2009, the text on the privately held fragments had never been published or studied by researchers.
Officials are not revealing how much the university paid to acquire the scroll pieces. One fragment was obtained from a Christian nonprofit based in Phoenix. The others were purchased from Lee Biondi, a rare-manuscripts dealer in Venice.
Two of the fragments contain passages from Deuteronomy,
Advertisement
one fragment is identified as from Leviticus, and another as the book of Daniel. The fifth fragment, previously thought to be from Exodus, is unidentified.
A fragment of Deuteronomy 27, photographs of which were released to researchers by Azusa Pacific, is already generating scholarly debate about the location where an altar was to be built in ancient Israel.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
God, Sex, and 'Christianity Lite'
God, Sex, and 'Christianity Lite'
By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.|Christian Post Guest Columnist
A news report from Washington, D.C. tells the story of vestigial Christianity unhinged from biblical authority. Religion News Service [RNS] reports that many pastors in the nation’s capital are struggling with just how they can go about the wedding of same-sex couples now that gay marriage is legal in the District of Columbia.
“As gay rights spread through civil society, an increasing number of clergy are…caught by conflicting loyalties, forced to choose between church law and civil law in pastoring to their gay and lesbian congregants,” the news service reports.
Amy Butler, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, is one minister who plans to move ahead with same-sex weddings. Of her colleagues caught between church policy and the same intention, she says: “My heart breaks for them because they do not know what to do.”
Pastor Jeffrey Krehbiel of the Church of the Pilgrims, a Presbyterian Church (USA) church that has already performed “services of holy union” for same-sex couples, sees uncertainty ahead. “You are taking a risk if you publicly perform gay marriages because you don’t know the consequences.”
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.|Christian Post Guest Columnist
A news report from Washington, D.C. tells the story of vestigial Christianity unhinged from biblical authority. Religion News Service [RNS] reports that many pastors in the nation’s capital are struggling with just how they can go about the wedding of same-sex couples now that gay marriage is legal in the District of Columbia.
“As gay rights spread through civil society, an increasing number of clergy are…caught by conflicting loyalties, forced to choose between church law and civil law in pastoring to their gay and lesbian congregants,” the news service reports.
Amy Butler, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, is one minister who plans to move ahead with same-sex weddings. Of her colleagues caught between church policy and the same intention, she says: “My heart breaks for them because they do not know what to do.”
Pastor Jeffrey Krehbiel of the Church of the Pilgrims, a Presbyterian Church (USA) church that has already performed “services of holy union” for same-sex couples, sees uncertainty ahead. “You are taking a risk if you publicly perform gay marriages because you don’t know the consequences.”
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Biblical plagues really happened say scientists
Biblical plagues really happened say scientists
The Biblical plagues that devastated Ancient Egypt in the Old Testament were the result of global warming and a volcanic eruption, scientists have claimed.
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Published: 11:00AM GMT 27 Mar 2010
Researchers believe they have found evidence of real natural disasters on which the ten plagues of Egypt, which led to Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, were based.
But rather than explaining them as the wrathful act of a vengeful God, the scientists claim the plagues can be attributed to a chain of natural phenomena triggered by changes in the climate and environmental disasters that happened hundreds of miles away.
They have compiled compelling evidence that offers new explanations for the Biblical plagues, which will be outlined in a new series to be broadcast on the National Geographical Channel on Easter Sunday.
Archaeologists now widely believe the plagues occurred at an ancient city of Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta, which was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the Second, who ruled between 1279BC and 1213BC.
The city appears to have been abandoned around 3,000 years ago and scientists claim the plagues could offer an explanation.
Climatologists studying the ancient climate at the time have discovered a dramatic shift in the climate in the area occurred towards the end of Rameses the Second's reign.
By studying stalagmites in Egyptian caves they have been able to rebuild a record of the weather patterns using traces of radioactive elements contained within the rock.
They found that Rameses reign coincided with a warm, wet climate, but then the climate switched to a dry period.
Professor Augusto Magini, a paleoclimatologist at Heidelberg University's institute for environmental physics, said: "Pharaoh Rameses II reigned during a very favourable climatic period.
"There was plenty of rain and his country flourished. However, this wet period only lasted a few decades. After Rameses' reign, the climate curve goes sharply downwards.
"There is a dry period which would certainly have had serious consequences."
The scientists believe this switch in the climate was the trigger for the first of the plagues.
The rising temperatures could have caused the river Nile to dry up, turning the fast flowing river that was Egypt's lifeline into a slow moving and muddy watercourse.
These conditions would have been perfect for the arrival of the first plague, which in the Bible is described as the Nile turning to blood.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
We KNOW the TRUTH! :)
The Biblical plagues that devastated Ancient Egypt in the Old Testament were the result of global warming and a volcanic eruption, scientists have claimed.
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Published: 11:00AM GMT 27 Mar 2010
Researchers believe they have found evidence of real natural disasters on which the ten plagues of Egypt, which led to Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, were based.
But rather than explaining them as the wrathful act of a vengeful God, the scientists claim the plagues can be attributed to a chain of natural phenomena triggered by changes in the climate and environmental disasters that happened hundreds of miles away.
They have compiled compelling evidence that offers new explanations for the Biblical plagues, which will be outlined in a new series to be broadcast on the National Geographical Channel on Easter Sunday.
Archaeologists now widely believe the plagues occurred at an ancient city of Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta, which was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the Second, who ruled between 1279BC and 1213BC.
The city appears to have been abandoned around 3,000 years ago and scientists claim the plagues could offer an explanation.
Climatologists studying the ancient climate at the time have discovered a dramatic shift in the climate in the area occurred towards the end of Rameses the Second's reign.
By studying stalagmites in Egyptian caves they have been able to rebuild a record of the weather patterns using traces of radioactive elements contained within the rock.
They found that Rameses reign coincided with a warm, wet climate, but then the climate switched to a dry period.
Professor Augusto Magini, a paleoclimatologist at Heidelberg University's institute for environmental physics, said: "Pharaoh Rameses II reigned during a very favourable climatic period.
"There was plenty of rain and his country flourished. However, this wet period only lasted a few decades. After Rameses' reign, the climate curve goes sharply downwards.
"There is a dry period which would certainly have had serious consequences."
The scientists believe this switch in the climate was the trigger for the first of the plagues.
The rising temperatures could have caused the river Nile to dry up, turning the fast flowing river that was Egypt's lifeline into a slow moving and muddy watercourse.
These conditions would have been perfect for the arrival of the first plague, which in the Bible is described as the Nile turning to blood.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
We KNOW the TRUTH! :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Texas Town in Uproar Over Gay Jesus Play
Texas Town Cross Over Play's 'Gay' Christ
By Joseph Abrams
- FOXNews.com
Residents of Stephenville, Texas, say they're furious that a local university will allow the performance of a play in which a gay Jesus shares a kiss with Judas and marries two apostles in a same-sex ceremony.A college student's production of a play in which Jesus is portrayed as the "King of Queers" has outraged residents in a Texas town that fancies itself the Cowboy Capital of the World.
Just in time for Easter, Tarleton State University is playing host to a student performance of Terrence McNally's 1998 play, "Corpus Christi," which depicts a gay Jesus performing a same-sex wedding for two of his apostles.
And though Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in the traditional biblical narrative, his character (called Joshua) in the play shows Judas the full extent of his love, kissing the son of perdition at Pontius Pilate High School's senior prom.
It's all too much for some residents of Stephenville, Texas, who say there's far too much passion in this Passion play. They are pressuring the university to call off the Saturday performance, which has already been moved ahead eight hours to an 8 a.m. start time to help head off protests.
"It infuriates me that somebody would be given a platform to be able to demean and degrade the Son of God," said David Harris, pastor of the town's Hillcrest Church of Christ. "I'm angry about it and every Christian should be."
Harris, who hosts a radio show, said phones were ringing off the hook in objection to the play's performance.
A school spokeswoman said it changed the performance time and boosted security to guarantee a "safe and secure environment" for the students, and it has now closed public access to the theater, which seats only 90 people. Only students and invited family members will be allowed to attend the show, which is an abbreviated version of McNally's play.
The production is a class project for student-director John Jordan Otte, who said in a written statement that he chose the play to "bring people together" and help gain acceptance for gay Christians, who he said often feel alienated from their churches.
"It is being said often that this play is a direct attack on Christians — their faith and their deity. It simply is not true," wrote Otte, 26, who said he is a devout Christian.
"I am not attacking anyone in choosing this play. I want people to see and understand another side to faith. I want us all to know that unconditional love means just that -- unconditional -- and I believe tolerance is a key message in this play. None of us, not one of us, should ever feel alone or separated from God or whomever we believe in."
The play presents a modern-day version of Jesus' life and death in 1960s Corpus Christi, Texas, with a few controversial updates. The apostles are all gay, Joseph is an alcoholic wife-beater, and Mary gives birth alongside a chorus of moaning men.
"At the end of the play [Jesus] is crucified with the moniker above his head as 'King of the Queers,'" said Harris, the pastor. "And they call this art."
But student Timothy Parker noted that the message of the play — tolerance — should be heeded on campus. "This is something being put on as a learning experience for the students," he told WFAA News.
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Total abomination...but easily believable now-a-days. Remember it will get worse before the end comes...
2 Timothy 3
Godlessness in the Last Days
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
By Joseph Abrams
- FOXNews.com
Residents of Stephenville, Texas, say they're furious that a local university will allow the performance of a play in which a gay Jesus shares a kiss with Judas and marries two apostles in a same-sex ceremony.A college student's production of a play in which Jesus is portrayed as the "King of Queers" has outraged residents in a Texas town that fancies itself the Cowboy Capital of the World.
Just in time for Easter, Tarleton State University is playing host to a student performance of Terrence McNally's 1998 play, "Corpus Christi," which depicts a gay Jesus performing a same-sex wedding for two of his apostles.
And though Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in the traditional biblical narrative, his character (called Joshua) in the play shows Judas the full extent of his love, kissing the son of perdition at Pontius Pilate High School's senior prom.
It's all too much for some residents of Stephenville, Texas, who say there's far too much passion in this Passion play. They are pressuring the university to call off the Saturday performance, which has already been moved ahead eight hours to an 8 a.m. start time to help head off protests.
"It infuriates me that somebody would be given a platform to be able to demean and degrade the Son of God," said David Harris, pastor of the town's Hillcrest Church of Christ. "I'm angry about it and every Christian should be."
Harris, who hosts a radio show, said phones were ringing off the hook in objection to the play's performance.
A school spokeswoman said it changed the performance time and boosted security to guarantee a "safe and secure environment" for the students, and it has now closed public access to the theater, which seats only 90 people. Only students and invited family members will be allowed to attend the show, which is an abbreviated version of McNally's play.
The production is a class project for student-director John Jordan Otte, who said in a written statement that he chose the play to "bring people together" and help gain acceptance for gay Christians, who he said often feel alienated from their churches.
"It is being said often that this play is a direct attack on Christians — their faith and their deity. It simply is not true," wrote Otte, 26, who said he is a devout Christian.
"I am not attacking anyone in choosing this play. I want people to see and understand another side to faith. I want us all to know that unconditional love means just that -- unconditional -- and I believe tolerance is a key message in this play. None of us, not one of us, should ever feel alone or separated from God or whomever we believe in."
The play presents a modern-day version of Jesus' life and death in 1960s Corpus Christi, Texas, with a few controversial updates. The apostles are all gay, Joseph is an alcoholic wife-beater, and Mary gives birth alongside a chorus of moaning men.
"At the end of the play [Jesus] is crucified with the moniker above his head as 'King of the Queers,'" said Harris, the pastor. "And they call this art."
But student Timothy Parker noted that the message of the play — tolerance — should be heeded on campus. "This is something being put on as a learning experience for the students," he told WFAA News.
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Total abomination...but easily believable now-a-days. Remember it will get worse before the end comes...
2 Timothy 3
Godlessness in the Last Days
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Abortion drug kills, but Planned Parenthood uses it more
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 16, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A national survey of Planned Parenthood abortion centers finds a higher number are giving women the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has killed at least 13 women worldwide and injured more than 1,100 in the U.S. alone. The increase comes as one woman received attention for live blogging her abortion.
Yesterday, the American Life League released its annual survey of Planned Parenthood locations.
The pro-life group tells LifeNews.com that the number of locations dispensing the dangeorus abortion drug has risen 130 percent since its last national survey, even though the overall number of Planned Parenthood centers is on the decline.
Rita Diller, national director of ALL’s Stop Planned Parenthood project, commented on the results.
“While we are thrilled to see the number of Planned Parenthood affiliates and facilities declining, we are extremely dismayed to see Planned Parenthood continuing to build its abortion business by increasing the number of facilities administering deadly abortion pills,” she told LifeNews.com.
The drug has killed eight women alone in the United States because Planned Parenthood previously told women using it to use the drug vaginally instead of orally. That causes the introduction of bacteria that resulted in lethal infections causing their deaths.
Although Planned Parenthood eventually changed its protocol to follow the FDA suggestion to take the drug orally, it still dispenses improper doses of the drug that could still place women at risk.
Diller explained that the abortion drug makes it easier for Planned Parenthood to increase its business at a lower cost.
“The abortion pill regimen, appearing under names such as mifepristone (RU-486) and methotrexate, is being pushed by Planned Parenthood in order to increase its abortion business,” Diller said.
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LifeNews.com Editor
March 16, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A national survey of Planned Parenthood abortion centers finds a higher number are giving women the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has killed at least 13 women worldwide and injured more than 1,100 in the U.S. alone. The increase comes as one woman received attention for live blogging her abortion.
Yesterday, the American Life League released its annual survey of Planned Parenthood locations.
The pro-life group tells LifeNews.com that the number of locations dispensing the dangeorus abortion drug has risen 130 percent since its last national survey, even though the overall number of Planned Parenthood centers is on the decline.
Rita Diller, national director of ALL’s Stop Planned Parenthood project, commented on the results.
“While we are thrilled to see the number of Planned Parenthood affiliates and facilities declining, we are extremely dismayed to see Planned Parenthood continuing to build its abortion business by increasing the number of facilities administering deadly abortion pills,” she told LifeNews.com.
The drug has killed eight women alone in the United States because Planned Parenthood previously told women using it to use the drug vaginally instead of orally. That causes the introduction of bacteria that resulted in lethal infections causing their deaths.
Although Planned Parenthood eventually changed its protocol to follow the FDA suggestion to take the drug orally, it still dispenses improper doses of the drug that could still place women at risk.
Diller explained that the abortion drug makes it easier for Planned Parenthood to increase its business at a lower cost.
“The abortion pill regimen, appearing under names such as mifepristone (RU-486) and methotrexate, is being pushed by Planned Parenthood in order to increase its abortion business,” Diller said.
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Health-care 'trickery' called overthrow of Constitution
'This makes Watergate look like Romper Room'
Posted: March 17, 2010
8:55 pm Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
America's system of government based on the U.S. Constitution is being overthrown through illegal legislative "trickery" Congress is using to pass controversial health-care reform.
That's the conclusion of some on the political right who are calling for the impeachment of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi along with the defeat of the health legislation.
"This is the overthrow of the U.S. constitutional system, orchestrated from the White House through the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid," said radio host Rush Limbaugh today. "This is beyond rational explanation and description. This makes Watergate look like Romper Room."
At issue is the possibility that reforms pushed by President Obama and other Democrats will be approved without ever actually having a direct vote, but could be "deemed" to have been passed, then signed into law by Obama. The process is called the "Slaughter Strategy," named for Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Rules Committee.
Wake up, America! Your country is about to disappear. Read Mark Levin's No. 1 best-seller "Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto"
Discussing the need for this procedure, Pelosi said: "I like it, because people don't have to vote on the Senate bill."
Indeed, Democrats could actually vote for the rule, yet still claim they're against the Senate bill.
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., agrees with Limbaugh that the "deem and pass" method is ludicrous and worthy of impeachment.
"The other thing is treason media," Bachmann told radio host Sean Hannity. "Where is the mainstream media in all of this not telling this story? This is a compelling story, that the speaker of the House would even consider having us pass a bill that no one votes on? That should laugh her out of the House and there should be people that are calling for impeachment off of something like this. That's how bad this is. I mean, trust me. Dennis Hastert could have never gotten away with this. President Bush never could have gotten away with it."
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said, "In our lifetime, this is the most undemocratic, un-American step that we'll have ever seen our Congress take. It's appalling. It takes my breath away that they would think that this is OK to do. But again, we can't feign surprise. Remember this is what Barack Obama had promised in the campaign. He said as a candidate that he was just days away from beginning the transformation of America."
In a commentary posted at Carolina Journal, John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, said he's simply not going to comply with the legislation if it's not properly voted on:
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not planning to recognize such a result as legally binding. I'm not going to pretend to obey any dictates from federal health-care bureaucrats that have never been authorized by a constitutional vote of both houses of Congress. I will not submit to any extra-constitutional order to dismantle the consumer-driven health plan I have set up for my employees.
I will not comply. If the government tries to make me comply, I'll sue. And I'll win.
This is not (yet) a banana republic where constitutions are seen as inconvenient impediments to the rule of the despot. This is not (yet) a European-style welfare state where some powerful parliament can exercise legislative, executive, and judicial power all in one stroke.
Limbaugh expounded on the "deem and pass" procedure the House is considering, saying, "The word 'deemed' means what? It means pretend!"
"Maybe we can just deem our tax returns to have been filed. But we don't actually file 'em. We just deem our taxes to have been paid. We just deem it! I mean, if they can deem to have passed laws, we can certainly say that we are 'deemed' to have complied with them."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Posted: March 17, 2010
8:55 pm Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
America's system of government based on the U.S. Constitution is being overthrown through illegal legislative "trickery" Congress is using to pass controversial health-care reform.
That's the conclusion of some on the political right who are calling for the impeachment of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi along with the defeat of the health legislation.
"This is the overthrow of the U.S. constitutional system, orchestrated from the White House through the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid," said radio host Rush Limbaugh today. "This is beyond rational explanation and description. This makes Watergate look like Romper Room."
At issue is the possibility that reforms pushed by President Obama and other Democrats will be approved without ever actually having a direct vote, but could be "deemed" to have been passed, then signed into law by Obama. The process is called the "Slaughter Strategy," named for Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Rules Committee.
Wake up, America! Your country is about to disappear. Read Mark Levin's No. 1 best-seller "Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto"
Discussing the need for this procedure, Pelosi said: "I like it, because people don't have to vote on the Senate bill."
Indeed, Democrats could actually vote for the rule, yet still claim they're against the Senate bill.
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., agrees with Limbaugh that the "deem and pass" method is ludicrous and worthy of impeachment.
"The other thing is treason media," Bachmann told radio host Sean Hannity. "Where is the mainstream media in all of this not telling this story? This is a compelling story, that the speaker of the House would even consider having us pass a bill that no one votes on? That should laugh her out of the House and there should be people that are calling for impeachment off of something like this. That's how bad this is. I mean, trust me. Dennis Hastert could have never gotten away with this. President Bush never could have gotten away with it."
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said, "In our lifetime, this is the most undemocratic, un-American step that we'll have ever seen our Congress take. It's appalling. It takes my breath away that they would think that this is OK to do. But again, we can't feign surprise. Remember this is what Barack Obama had promised in the campaign. He said as a candidate that he was just days away from beginning the transformation of America."
In a commentary posted at Carolina Journal, John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, said he's simply not going to comply with the legislation if it's not properly voted on:
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not planning to recognize such a result as legally binding. I'm not going to pretend to obey any dictates from federal health-care bureaucrats that have never been authorized by a constitutional vote of both houses of Congress. I will not submit to any extra-constitutional order to dismantle the consumer-driven health plan I have set up for my employees.
I will not comply. If the government tries to make me comply, I'll sue. And I'll win.
This is not (yet) a banana republic where constitutions are seen as inconvenient impediments to the rule of the despot. This is not (yet) a European-style welfare state where some powerful parliament can exercise legislative, executive, and judicial power all in one stroke.
Limbaugh expounded on the "deem and pass" procedure the House is considering, saying, "The word 'deemed' means what? It means pretend!"
"Maybe we can just deem our tax returns to have been filed. But we don't actually file 'em. We just deem our taxes to have been paid. We just deem it! I mean, if they can deem to have passed laws, we can certainly say that we are 'deemed' to have complied with them."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Muslim group calls textbooks discriminatory
(Reuters) - Muslim activists launched a campaign on Wednesday against a series of educational books that they say promote anti-Islamic sentiment among U.S. school children.
U.S.
"The World of Islam," a 10-book series, encourages young readers to believe Muslims are terrorists and seek to undermine U.S. society, said the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization.
One book contains the passage: "For the first time, Muslims began immigrating to the U.S. in order to transform American society, sometimes through the use of terrorism."
Moein Khawaja, civil rights director for CAIR in Pennsylvania, said the group has gotten dozens of complaints about the books from Muslim parents around the country.
He said he was not aware of any discrimination against Muslim children due to the books, which are intended for middle- and high-school students.
The books were published in late 2009 by Mason Crest Publishers of Broomall, Pennsylvania, which worked with the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute to ensure their accuracy. It was unclear if the books are in use in any schools.
Khawaja said at a news conference that the books are "rife with incorrect information and fear-mongering" and called the FPRI a "pro-war think tank that has vigorously advocated for the Iraq war in the past and continues to defend that position."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
U.S.
"The World of Islam," a 10-book series, encourages young readers to believe Muslims are terrorists and seek to undermine U.S. society, said the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization.
One book contains the passage: "For the first time, Muslims began immigrating to the U.S. in order to transform American society, sometimes through the use of terrorism."
Moein Khawaja, civil rights director for CAIR in Pennsylvania, said the group has gotten dozens of complaints about the books from Muslim parents around the country.
He said he was not aware of any discrimination against Muslim children due to the books, which are intended for middle- and high-school students.
The books were published in late 2009 by Mason Crest Publishers of Broomall, Pennsylvania, which worked with the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute to ensure their accuracy. It was unclear if the books are in use in any schools.
Khawaja said at a news conference that the books are "rife with incorrect information and fear-mongering" and called the FPRI a "pro-war think tank that has vigorously advocated for the Iraq war in the past and continues to defend that position."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Hamas advises Obama: Get your act together
Posted: March 16, 2010
10:20 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
JERUSALEM – The chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has some political advice for President Obama: Get your house in order before mediating talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
"He is unable to do anything in the region (Middle East) before he restores his dignity and the trust of his own people," Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas chief in Gaza, told WND in an interview yesterday.
Zahar noticed Obama's slipping domestic poll numbers and also claimed the people of the Middle East have lost confidence in the man who once inspired hope in the likes of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Zahar also advised Obama to "restore his balance concerning the nature of this conflict between the Israeli government and the administration. Obama's problem is not in his attitude but in his ability to actually get anything done in the region."
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Doesn't the fact that terrorists are trying to help our President regain our trust a bit alarming to us?
10:20 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
JERUSALEM – The chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has some political advice for President Obama: Get your house in order before mediating talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
"He is unable to do anything in the region (Middle East) before he restores his dignity and the trust of his own people," Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas chief in Gaza, told WND in an interview yesterday.
Zahar noticed Obama's slipping domestic poll numbers and also claimed the people of the Middle East have lost confidence in the man who once inspired hope in the likes of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Zahar also advised Obama to "restore his balance concerning the nature of this conflict between the Israeli government and the administration. Obama's problem is not in his attitude but in his ability to actually get anything done in the region."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Doesn't the fact that terrorists are trying to help our President regain our trust a bit alarming to us?
Girl Scouts taught how to be 'hot'
Posted: March 16, 2010
9:04 pm Eastern
By Kathleen Farah
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A new campaign by the Girl Scouts, with the help of Planned Parenthood, is offering girls ages 10 to 14 the inside details on how to be "hot."
This week, the World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides held a no-adults-welcome panel at the United Nations in which Planned Parenthood distributed a brochure entitled "Healthy, Happy and Hot."
The distribution happened at the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which featured events for the "Girl Scouts and Girl Guides." In the United States, the organization is called Girls Scouts of the USA and promotes the traditional promise of "On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law."
The organization, however, effectively has eliminated "God" from the equation by providing that, "The word 'God' can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is acceptable to replace the word 'God' with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate."
Understand Planned Parenthood's agenda. Get "Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"
The brochure targets young people and contains graphic details on sex. It also encourages casual sex in many forms.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
9:04 pm Eastern
By Kathleen Farah
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A new campaign by the Girl Scouts, with the help of Planned Parenthood, is offering girls ages 10 to 14 the inside details on how to be "hot."
This week, the World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides held a no-adults-welcome panel at the United Nations in which Planned Parenthood distributed a brochure entitled "Healthy, Happy and Hot."
The distribution happened at the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which featured events for the "Girl Scouts and Girl Guides." In the United States, the organization is called Girls Scouts of the USA and promotes the traditional promise of "On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law."
The organization, however, effectively has eliminated "God" from the equation by providing that, "The word 'God' can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is acceptable to replace the word 'God' with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate."
Understand Planned Parenthood's agenda. Get "Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"
The brochure targets young people and contains graphic details on sex. It also encourages casual sex in many forms.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
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