What I found especially alarming in that article was that only 5% of Italians attend mass. I wonder where they got that information from. A while back I watched a film Fr Amorth was in before he died (The Devil and Father Amorth) and in it they spoke of Italians being increasingly involved in the occult and that these practices were not uncommon at all with even mass attendees who also took part in witchcraft and other occult practices. According to the CIA's 2015 world fact book 83% of Italians identify themselves as Roman Catholics and 1/3 of that number are active members.
What really annoyed me was that NPR, in reporting on this, drew a comparison/analogy between what sounds like a threat, personally, by Schumer against two supreme court justices; and Trump's statement that certain justices should recuse themselves in any SCOTUS cases involving him and presidential powers. To my knowledge, the president didn't threaten to arrest or harm any of the justices, yet the MSM is trying to say that his statements were the same as Shumer's threats against Gorsuch and Kavanugh.
Because, in the words of William Butler Yeats, The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. (The Second Coming)
About a decade ago, Mark Mallett referred to a visionary who warned that America would see what France saw during the Revolution, where all the churches would be shut down and priests persecuted and imprisoned for saying the Mass.
New book: How an exorcist priest came face-to-face with the devil himself “His curses and threats were aimed solely at the exorcist; then he began spitting at him and preparing to attack him physically,” writes Marcello Stanzione in “The Devil is Afraid Of Me: The Life and Work of the World’s Most Famous Exorcist” (Sophia Institute Press), out now. https://nypost.com/2020/03/07/how-an-exorcist-priest-came-face-to-face-with-the-devil-himself/
Think maybe California needs to clean up their act.....first the region is hit w/ the C-virus and now more wake up calls: Cluster of 10 earthquakes rattles northern California coastal towns. Largest is 5.8 A 5.8-magnitude earthquake reported Sunday 53 miles west of Petrolia, California, was one of 10 recorded in the area in 24 hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The other nine ranged from a 2.5-magnitude quake to a 4.9, and people from hundreds of miles away reported feeling them, the survey said. Mapping showed the first nine occurred in an elliptical shape that was growing to the west. USGS data shows the most recent was a 3.3 magnitude that occurred around 7 a.m. Monday off Ferndale, about 46 miles west of Petrolia. The 5.8 quake happened around 8 p.m. Sunday and more than 2,600 people reported feeling light to strong shaking, according to a survey page set up to take reports. Petrolia is a coastal town about 270 miles northwest of Sacramento. Experts say the epicenter of the 5.8-magnitude quake was 1.3 miles beneath a part of the Pacificwhere multiple tectonic plates scrape against each other, according to a report by the Berkeley Seismology Lab. The other nine quakes ranged in depth from a half mile to nearly six miles from the surface, the USGS said. Petrolia is well known to the state’s geologists. It was 2.5 miles from the epicenter of one of the strongest quakes ever to hit California: a 7.2 on April 25, 1992, that injured 350 people, according to the Berkeley Seismology Lab. “The region around Petrolia, Cape Mendocino, and Punta Gorda, which are all just 10 miles from each other, is not only the northern terminus of the San Andreas Fault,” the lab reports. “There the interaction between the Pacific and the North American plates fundamentally changes its character.” https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article241021591.html#storylink=cpy
I don't think that the following is necessarily a sign but Max Von Sydow passed away yesterday. I am not extremely familiar with this actor but I know that he was in a lot of movies including the Exorcist which I have never seen but I do like his portrayal of Jesus Christ in "The Greatest Story Ever Told". May he rest in peace.
https://greece.greekreporter.com/20...r-to-prevent-migrants-storming-greek-borders/ Bulgaria Floods Evros River to Prevent Migrants Storming Greek Borders By Tasos Kokkinidis - Mar 10, 2020 At the request of Greece, Bulgaria opened an Evros River dam located on its territory on Monday in order to cause intentional flooding and make it more difficult for migrants amassed at the Greek-Turkish border to cross the river, according to a Greek TV report. The opening of the Ivaylovgrad Dam accordingly resulted in rising levels of the Evros River, Star TV reported. As the standoff between thousands of migrants and refugees on the Turkish side of the Evros and Greek security forces continues, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis met his German counterpart Angela Merkel in Berlin and stressed that Greece and Europe cannot be blackmailed. He pointed out that if the Turkish President wants a review of the EU-Turkey agreement on migration “which he has, himself, effectively demolished,” then he must take the following actions: Remove the desperate people from Evros and stop spreading disinformation and propaganda. The Greek PM suggested that Erdogan should also examine other possible improvements, such as joint patrols to control the flow of migrants at the Turkish border. He also pointed out that the repatriation of those who illegally enter Greece should be possible from mainland Greece, as well as the islands. ”Greece has always recognized and continues to recognize that Turkey has played a crucial role in the management of the refugee issue — but this can’t be done using threats and blackmail,” he added.
I've just read, on ZeroHedge, a report that the United States has pulled out all of its nuclear weapons from Turkey. At a time when Turkey and Russia are becoming increasingly hostile to one another, this is an interesting development. It doesn't, on the surface at least, appear a vote of confidence in Turkey on the part of its NATO allies. Turkey might be about to reconsider its 'refugee' policy, at the very least.
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/03/...yt-washpo-wall-st-journal-bar-work-hong-kong/ Beijing to oust US reporters from NYT, WashPo, Wall St Journal from China and bar them from journalism in Hong Kong 18 March 2020 01:06 Tom Grundy 3 min read China is to strip US journalists from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post of their credentials. The foreign ministry said on Thursday that the outlets – along with Voice of America and TIME Magazine – must submit documents detailing “staff members, financial status, operation status and property they owned in China.” Press cards which expire by the end of this year must then be returned within 10 days. In a further unprecedented move, the ministry also said that the US staff from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post would not be allowed to work as journalists in Hong Kong or Macau. pic.twitter.com/ZAjKSQG3D1 — Kristine Coratti Kelly (@kriscoratti) March 17, 2020 It is unclear how the restriction would be implemented and if it would apply to those with permanent residency in the Special Administrative Regions. Article 27 of the Basic Law guarantees the freedom of the press in Hong Kong, whilst Article 33 states residents have freedom of choice of occupation. Tit-for-tat action The action comes after Washington cut by almost half the number of Chinese citizens allowed to work for Beijing’s state-run media in the US following the ousting of three Wall Street Journal reporters from China. In its statement, the ministry said that China’s measures were “in response to the unreasonable oppression the Chinese media organizations experience in the US. They are legitimate and justified self-defense in every sense.” “What the US has done is exclusively targeting Chinese media organizations, and hence driven by a Cold War mentality and ideological bias. It has seriously tarnished the reputation and image of Chinese media organizations, seriously affected their normal operation in the US, and seriously disrupted people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. It has therefore exposed the hypocrisy of the self-styled advocate of press freedom,” the statement said. Beijing is ostensibly responding to limits on the number of Chinese citizens who could work in the US for 5 Chinese state-run news organizations, but a big factor was undoubtedly reporting on China's disastrous censoring of the Wuhan doctors who tried to warn of the coronavirus. — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) March 17, 2020 Head of NGO Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth said the move could also be related to the recent coronavirus outbreak: “Beijing is ostensibly responding to limits on the number of Chinese citizens who could work in the US for 5 Chinese state-run news organizations, but a big factor was undoubtedly reporting on China’s disastrous censoring of the Wuhan doctors who tried to warn of the coronavirus,” he said on Twitter. It was the first thing I noticed. Two systems, anyone? https://t.co/xLfQSMWTLv — Victor Mallet (@VJMallet) March 17, 2020 PEN America’s CEO Suzanne Nossel said the dispute between Beijing and Washington was misguided. “At a time when facts and information are a matter of life and death for billions of people worldwide, the cycle of tit-for-tat retaliation… is stunningly misguided and a grave risk to public safety.” Additional reporting: Rachel Wong.
RESET: Russian Parliament Declares National Do-Over, Allows Putin to Rule Until 2036 It looks like the Kremlin finally found a working Reset button. On Monday, the Russian Federation Constitutional Court approved a package of amendments passed by the nation's parliament (or Duma) last week, officially resetting President Vladimir Putin's previous two terms and effectively neutralizing the country's two-term limit. NYT's Moscow bureau chief, Andrew Higgins, described the decision as "a dense 52-page ruling clogged with legalese" that removes the last, "albeit very flimsy potential obstacles to Mr. Putin effectively becoming president for life." It's kind of like a mulligan in golf, except that instead of a simple do-over for a bad shot, it's a fig leaf for nearly doubling Putin's two-decade-long authoritarian power-grab. AFP reminds readers that "Putin first proposed the reforms in January, in a shock to Russia's political establishment that was quickly followed by the resignation of his longtime prime minister Dmitry Medvedev." This isn't the first time Putin has skirted the country's constitution to maintain his grip on power. Putin first took power in 1999 as "acting president," then officially took on the role in 2000. To avoid being term-limited out of power in 2008, Putin became Prime Minister and Medvedev became president, but the power of the office of the president effectively transferred to the PM 's office with Putin. Putin became president again in 2012, but is -- or I should say "was" -- set to be term-limited out in 2024. ✔@BillbrowderPutin has taken advantage of the adage “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. While we are all focussed on the Corona virus pandemic, he’s quietly changed the constitution to make himself president for life. In any other time, the world would be up in arms https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/russias-political-and-constitutional-drama/ … But last week the Duma unanimously approved Putin's constitutional amendment that somehow makes Putin's current two terms null and void. The Constitutional Court approved the measure, and the people will vote Da on it overwhelmingly in a totes free & fair election next month. I feel very confident about predicting the outcome, if not the actual "free & fair" part. What that means is, Putin will be eligible for re-re-reelection as the incumbent for an office he never held. I'm assured this makes more sense in the original Russian. With his current-yet-nonexistent term set to expire in four years, two more six-year terms would keep Putin in office until 2036, or a bit longer than Joseph Stalin ruled over the Soviet Union. ✔@Kasparov63The story is whatever Putin says it is, as usual. Either there has been a miracle and Russians are nearly immune and the healthcare system is suddenly fantastic, or they're lying about things. https://twitter.com/JoeyV_1/status/1239617415375437825 … JoeyV_1@JoeyV_1 I haven't heard much about #COVID19 impacting Russia. What's the story there? @Kasparov63 @SamHarrisOrg @anneapplebaum Meanwhile, Russia's epic mismanagement and cartoonish propaganda efforts continue unabated -- I wonder why. https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/res...onal-do-over-allows-putin-to-rule-until-2036/
Communism rules the day once more. Only thinG left is for the pope to make a visit to Moscow. I look for this to happen about this time next year (2021).
https://www.ksl.com/article/4673161...7-magnitude-shake-hits-utah-airport-evacuated Earthquake updates: 5.7-magnitude shake hits Utah; Salt Lake Temple's Angel Moroni damaged
Plague Of Locusts Set To Descend Upon Middle East In Time For Passover A plague of locusts the likes of which have been unseen for over 30 years is about to hit Africa and the Middle East. Adding to the perfect biblical storm, the current coronavirus pandemic is affecting travel of international experts and in-country gatherings for training to combat the locust threat, said Rome-based Senior Locust Forecasting Officer Keith Cressman on Monday. Cressman works at Locust Watch, a division of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, which gives emergency assistance to countries facing desert locust invasions and constantly monitors the status of potential infestations. According to the organization’s most recent forecast report, there are new “extremely alarming” swarms forming in Horn of Africa. Cressman, who has worked with the organization for over three decades, told The Times of Israel on Monday that the previous time the region has been in such danger was during the plague of 1987-1989. The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) “is the most destructive migratory pest in the world,” according to the Locust Watch website. As depicted in the Book of Exodus, when the highly mobile swarms of Desert Locust form, “they are ravenous eaters who consume their own weight per day, targeting food crops and forage.” While one locust may not seem a major fresser (eater, Yiddish), the swarms can grow to millions of individuals, “with the capacity to consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.” The current widespread breeding in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia represents “an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods at the beginning of the upcoming cropping season,” writes the Locust Watchwebsite. Locust Watch works in collaboration with affected countries to assess field data, information and reports in real time, said Cressman. The information, he said, “is combined with analysis of remote sensing (satellite) imagery, weather data and forecasts, and historical data in our geographic information system and database that go back to the 1930s.” Institutional memory, as well as Cressman’s experience, points to a very difficult year on the horizon: “Starting in early 2020, the global Desert Locust situation deteriorated, as favorable climatic conditions allowed widespread breeding of the pest in East Africa, Southwest Asia, and the area around the Red Sea,” writes the website. It appears that the hardest hit countries will include Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan, and Sudan, the last of which will likely be affected later this summer, said Cressman. “It is always very difficult to find and treat all infestations, and this is the nature and challenge of managing Desert Locust,” he said in an email to The Times of Israel. The inability to travel due to coronavirus restrictions may prevent proper, timely treatment. Not all regions of the Middle East will be affected, however. Despite the proximity to the Jewish holiday of Passover, according to the useful forecast maps on the site — and confirmed by Cressman — it appears that the swarms will not hit Israel or the country’s crops. https://www.timesofisrael.com/plagu...escend-upon-middle-east-in-time-for-passover/
Before Its Too Late..... please lets try to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet for our families and the whole world . Jesus I Trust In You. "As soon as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice"
Markets continue to tumble. The price of oil has really plummeted as well. I never thought I would see it back in the 20's. I know we have older fixed income members here. I myself am on a fixed income. Please don't panic over this. If you do you are locking in losses. I won't make a habit of posting this stuff because I know it scares people to see so much volatility. I know this sounds completely absurd but I don't think that this will last and I believe that the recovery will be just as absurd but in the opposite direction once things shake out.
