UK OfCom Says I Broke "Code" on Mark Steyn Show By My Reporting Truth https://t.co/d0Lk2r5P4U

— Dr Naomi Wolf (@naomirwolf) May 9, 2023

"In my opinion, the last bastion for truth are books, documentaries, Substack (for now) and independent podcasters. I would suggest consuming little else but those sources or we’re done for. if you cant tell, I’m really really pissed off (and frightened) tonight.

MONDAY, MAY 8, 2023 

CHRISTIANITY / BIBLE / ACTS

The second in a series: The sermons of the Apostles in the book of Acts.   Today's excerpt is Peter and John preaching after healing a lame man at the temple.  

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time for prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.  And a man lame from birth was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day so he could beg for money from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked directly at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!”  So the lame man paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!”  Then Peter took hold of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.  He jumped up, stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement at what had happened to him.

While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway called Solomon’s Portico.  When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, 

“Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? 

Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety? 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate after he had decided to release him. 

But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 

You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! 

And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong. 

The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all. 

And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too. 

But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way. 

Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus. 

This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets. 

Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. 

Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’ 

And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days. 

You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.’ 

God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities.”

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,  angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.  So they seized them and put them in jail until the next day (for it was already evening).  But many of those who had listened to the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

On the next day, their rulers, elders, and experts in the law came together in Jerusalem.  Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family.  After making Peter and John stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, replied, 

“Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man—by what means this man was healed— let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone. 

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.  And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this.  But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign has come about through them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”  And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, 

“Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide, for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” 

After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising God for what had happened. For the man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been performed, was over forty years old.

- Acts 3 & 4 New English Translation
https://netbible.org/bible/Acts+3

Commentary:

The message of this second sermon found in the book of Acts is very simple and straightforward: Jesus was sent to bring salvation to all mankind, and there is no other name that can be substituted for his.   But to receive this gift of salvation, you must repent of your sins and accept Jesus as the Messiah.   

Notice what Peter does not say: "Jesus died for your sins."  It's implied, but not stated, nor will you ever find that phrase in the book of Acts.  Rather, the emphasis is on Jesus coming to earth and being resurrected from the dead.  Jesus does have the power to forgive you your sins, but you must repent of your sins first.     

Understand that "repent" means simply stop sinning.  Sadly, in this day and age, it has come to mean feeling sorry for your sins, which is a good thing, but that's not what repentance is.  True repentance is cessation of sin.  If you believe in Jesus, but don't want to stop sinning, then you are no more a Christian than the devil himself, no matter how sorry you are.   

It's also important to realize that there was no cessation of signs and wonders after Jesus left earth and went back to heaven.   The miracles continued, thanks to the impartation of the Holy Spirit.   It's very obvious that these signs were to continue.  

For some odd reason, many people think that miracles ceased soon after the deaths of the apostles, but that's simply isn't true, nor is biblical.  Miracles may have become less frequent, but at no time have they ever ceased entirely.  I've seen several miracles myself, and know of a whole bunch of people who can testify of their own miracles.   

In looking at Church history, one can plainly see that Christians began living by their wits rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit.   The faith was soon rationalized, and that rationalization continues to the present day.  Philosophy and logic replaced the power of God in a believer's life.  It got so bad that during the most mis-named period in all of history, "The Enlightenment", belief in miracles all but disappeared, as almost all aspects of spiritual life were totally rationalized, to the point where even the miracles in reported in the Bible were scoffed at...by Christians!   

Despite what we "intellectuals" believe or think, both Jesus and the apostles regularly used signs and wonders in their ministries, and did so quite successfully.  Thanks to the miracle of the lame man regaining his strength, 5,000 people put their faith in Jesus in a single day.  And let's remember, and never, ever forget, that the signature "sign and wonder" of the entire Bible was Jesus being raised from the dead.  The most important thing that Jesus ever did was his greatest miracle.  

- Pseudo Boethius 

MONDAY, MAY 8, 2023 

PHOTOS / DOGS

Just when you think you've seen it all....

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023 

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES

This is a fascinating interview!  Both these women died and had some amazing experiences.  

Erica, a nurse, died and went to Heaven. She joins Karina, who died and also went to Heaven. These two afterlife survivors talk about their amazing experiences in Heaven. This interview was filmed during a busy documentary filming, (hence some noise in the background). But, we thought the sharing of these life changing testimonials was important to view while these two exceptional women were in the same space. You will hear at the beginning, Renee Kay, as she introduces our guests. Amazing! ***. We believe that one must accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior to get into Heaven for an Eternity. These Near Death Experiences obviously did not stay in heaven. A faith and belief in Jesus in the only way. 

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023 

CHRISTIANTIY / CATHOLICISM / TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS

Against all odds, the old-school "Traditional Latin Mass" has made a tiny, but significant comeback in the Catholic Church.   But why would Catholics be drawn to a service that they have no experience with? 

Father Dwight Lonenecker is a fascinating person.   He grew up in a hard-core traditional evangelical Christian family, and then moved on to the Anglican church.   From there, he moved to Catholicism.   He knowledge of tradition, history and Christianity is extraordinary.  

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023 

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES

This guy actually died, and came back to life.   What he saw and experienced on the "other side" is most fascinating.  

He died and was put into a body bag! Vincent Todd Tolman was found in the bathroom of a restaurant. Paramedics declared him dead and put him in a body bag and loaded him into an ambulance. He was in a coma for 3 days and during this time Vinney had a guide who taught him ten principles and took him to heaven. Vinney is the author of The Light After Death. This is his story, and this is his Passion.

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023 

PHILOSOPHY / SCIENCE / CULTURE

How our brains and how they are structured directly impacts our perception of the world.   

THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING and very interesting interview!  

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023 

MUSIC / 1980'S / MICHAEL JACKSON

There's a reason why they called him the KING OF POP.   

SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2023 

CURRENT EVENTS / SOCIETY / RUNINATION

The following is a reprint of an opinion piece that recently appeared in the Epoch Times:

The Ruination of Great American Cities

by Jeffrey A. Tucker

The Epoch Times

There was something deeply demoralizing about the recent Mayoral election in Chicago, once among America’s greatest cities. The good news is that the catastrophic reign of a deeply corrupt and crazed mayor, who piled egregiously racist policies on top of one of the worst COVID responses in the country, came to an end. The bad news is that a guy who is arguably worse took her place.

As Allysia Finley put it in the Wall Street Journal, “Brandon Johnson’s victory in last week’s Chicago mayoral race is a reminder that no matter how bad things get, they can always get worse.”

The city itself is facing bankruptcy but that economic reality is changing nothing about city policies. Crime is out of control. Poverty and despair are on the rise. And the residents who can leave are fleeing. Businesses are closing up shop and 175,000 people have left the city in the last two years, leaving the place at the mercy of people who only vote for more handouts and union controls.

The people who leave feel a sense of guilt, but the decision is entirely rational. One person’s vote makes no difference and no one has the obligation to stick around and become a sacrificial victim of pillaging politicians and dangerous criminals.

It’s all deeply tragic. The first time I went to Chicago many years ago, I was just thrilled to discover a city which seemed to combine the best of New York City but without the chaos, confusion, and muck. But sadly, those days have come to an end.

At some point in the last three years, many people just decided the situation was hopeless and left for greener pastures. Sadly, this put the city into a deep spiral of political disaster to the point that hopes for change and renewal seem to have been permanently dashed. Maybe it will come back to life at some point but maybe not in any of our lifetimes.

Incredibly, however, this same spiral of exodus plus the entrenchment of crime and corruption seems to be affecting other great cities too. People living in New York City today are grateful for an end to the utter madness and desolation of the lockdown years and the city is certainly revived today as compared to what it was in 2020 and 2021. However, by any standard, the experience of the city is massively deprecated compared with what it was only a few years ago.

For my part, I avoid the city as much as possible, simply because I cannot bear the Gotham-like feel of the place, with the inescapable stench of trash, sewage, and weed, plus the ever-present threat of crime. To be sure, there are some beautiful neighborhoods but getting there requires that you interact with the rest of the city through its main transportation portals.

And the bureaucracy of the state in general is absolutely overwhelming. If you own a business with an employee in New York State, you know this. Navigating the endless bureaucracies just to get a basic payroll in place is maddening beyond belief. One agency doesn’t talk to another and has no idea what they are doing. Compliance alone is too complicated even for online payroll platforms like Gusto. I know of companies that refuse even to hire anyone who lives there just to avoid this mess.

There are two other cities on the deathwatch list: San Francisco and Seattle. You know of the deep tragedy of San Francisco if you have visited lately. The place is an appalling mess and deeply dangerous too. Murder has nearly become normalized as something that just happens. Robert Lee, founder of CashApp and one of the most brilliant young entrepreneurs in the country, was brutally stabbed in broad daylight last week. The appalling event came to be shrugged off by major media as something that just happens, when reported at all.

I wasn’t entirely aware of the turn Seattle had taken until I visited last month, and found the same thing, with residents fleeing as fast as they could if they had the resources to do so. This trend leaves the cities in the hands of hoodlums public and private and dooms the place to go a long time without reform.

This is a reversal of the past when big cities would go through cycles of bust and boom once city fathers saw the errors of their ways. That is no longer a dynamic that seems plausible now. In other words, this time could be permanent.

The city as an institution is one of the great achievements in the history of modern civilization. They first began to emerge in the late Middle Ages with the end of feudal estates and the rise of the money-based exchange economy that allowed people to move and travel without grave danger. The city drew people out of their tribal hovels and created new centers of prosperity and the exchange of ideas. It was here and in spots all over the world that germinated the creative ideas that led to revolutions in art, literature, science, medicine, and industry.

Cities also created the basis for growing amounts of tolerance, peace, and human rights, as diverse people from all lands and languages came together to their mutual advantage. The experience led to a greater appreciation for the universality of the human experience and incentivized the entrenchment of a new ethos of togetherness. Arguably, it was the city that ended the religious wars, for example, and eventually slavery too.

The American cities were newer than those in the Old World but especially prosperous in ways that no one could even imagine. American freedoms in the second half of the 19th century led to the miracles of San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, and Hartford. But once the technology of steel and its commercial viability arrived by the turn of the 20th century, New York City overtook them all and eventually gave us wonders of the world like the Empire State Building. Meanwhile, Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, and others rose up to greatness too.

The 21st century fall of so many American cities poses dangers not just to the city but also to the host state, simply because of the direct election of senators. The original Constitution assured that cities could not dominate state politics because the Senate representation was not subject to direct election. The 17th Amendment of 1913 changed that. Now the fate of the city has a profound effect on the whole state and then the whole nation. It was not supposed to be this way but the disastrous decision to change the Constitution assured that it would be so.

There is another factor to consider. People like Anthony Fauci and the plutocrats at the World Economic Forum somehow turned against cities in the last decade, deciding that they really did nothing but promote material excess, disease, and waste. They were suddenly put on the chopping block in the name of “radical changes that may take decades to achieve: rebuilding the infrastructures of human existence, from cities to homes to workplaces.”

In other words, this destruction could all be deliberate. The powers-that-be have decided that we don’t need them anymore with remote work made possible by digital technology. Who needs physical spaces and crowds when we can all spread out as far away from each other as possible? Such people are more easily controlled by our digital masters. This might account for why there is so little talk much less panic about the destruction of these one-time treasures of American life.

Again, under the scenario, lockdown was not an aberration or an egregious but temporary policy error born of panic but rather a test of a new template of social organization.

This really does seem like a turning point. Only a few weeks ago I took the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building and observed the marvel of the city, knowing full well that what looked beautiful from that height was much more grim on the ground. It did feel in some way that I was looking at the past and not the future.

If someone has a realistic idea for how this trajectory can be turned around, I would love to hear it. For now, the situation does seem dire and with no way out.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

WEB LINK:  https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-ruination-of-great-american-cities_5183911.html