Monday, December 31, 2007

Many Toys Contain Dangerous Chemicals


toys, child, lead, safetyTests on 1,200 children’s items revealed that more than one-third contained lead and other potentially dangerous chemicals such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic.

The study, directed by the Environmental Health Project of the Ecology Center in Michigan, also found that jewelry products were the most likely to contain high levels of lead.

Other items, such as bedroom slippers, bath toys and card-game cases were also tainted, some with as much as five times the standard safety level of lead. One Hannah Montana card-game case, for instance, had lead levels of 3,056 parts per million.

The study was conducted to spur government officials to take action against tainted toys. Millions of toys, most of them made in China, have already been recalled in 2007.
Lead was supposedly banned for use in U.S. products marketed to children in 1978, but that doesn’t stop U.S. companies from importing lead-laced toys and selling them with fervor. Up to 80 percent of toys sold in the United States are manufactured in China.

Meanwhile, there is a loophole in the ban that still allows lead to legally exist in your child’s toys -- even those made here in the United States -- and that is plastic.

The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. This may explain the  high levels of lead found in children’s jewelry.

As children are well known for putting anything and everything into their mouths, their toys simply must be pure. Children are more susceptible to lead absorption than adults, and even low levels of lead exposure have been linked to:
  • Decreased intelligence
  • Impaired neurobehavioral development
  • Decreased stature and growth
  • Impaired hearing acuity 
Yet, lead is not the only chemical that you need to worry about  contaminating your children’s toys. Other toxins found in toys include:
  • Mercury: A known neurotoxin  that can harm your child’s developing brain.
  • Cadmium: A known carcinogenic. Long-term exposure to low levels of cadium can contribute to kidney disease, lung damage and fragile bones, and animal studies also suggest that it may lead to liver disease, high blood pressure, and nerve or brain damage.
  • Arsenic: Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer. Exposure to low levels of arsenic can cause nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels, and a sensation of "pins and needles" in hands and feet, and over the long term can cause darkening of the skin and the appearance of small "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles, and torso.
  • Phthalates: Used in soft plastic toys and baby bottles, these chemicals can mimic or block sex hormones, causing disruption of your endocrine system and early puberty in children.
How to Find Safe Toys for Your Kids

The good thing about all of the media coverage on this issue is that many parents are becoming very choosy about the toys they buy.

Here are some tips to help make sure the toys your children play with are safe.
  • Seek out toy-making companies that still maintain quality and safety in their products. Be sure to ask questions about their toys, such as what types of chemicals are used in their production.
  • Look for organic and “green” environmentally friendly toys that use beeswax-based coatings, natural vegetable dyes and organic, chemical-free fabrics and materials (such as wool, cotton and bamboo).
  • Support companies that use third-party testing of their products for lead and other heavy metals.
  • Toys that are painted should always be labeled as having “lead-free paint,” but still avoid buying painted toys made outside of the United States or Europe.
  • Get creative. Books, sports equipment, music, and even cardboard boxes that can be turned into forts make great, safe alternativesto traditional “toys.”
 
 
 

Thursday, December 27, 2007

What Recent Events in Pakiston Really Mean

By Robert R. Barney

One of the first articles I posted on the Plain Truth was entitled "Why Is The Middle East Always Going To Be In YOUR Future?" (see older stories below). If you take anything away from this web site, I hope it will be that war in the middle east will always be in our future, until the return of Jesus Christ. Mainstream media just will not report what the Bible says, but if we are wise we should understand that the Bible is the source for much of the news headlines that you will read in the entirety of your lifetime. The assassination of Bhutto today is just another example.

The question now is what does this mean? My family well remembers the rants that I was doing at the dinner table several weeks ago when President Bush condemned Pakistan for putting Bhutto in jail. I said at the dinner table that she would never live to see any election. I was right, not because I am some prophet but because I guess I still have an ounce of brain matter left-- something this administration either lost or never had. When our government condemned the Musharraf government it gave the green light to Arab terrorist to kill Bhutto in an effort to cause a civil war in Pakistan and bring Islamic rule to the ONLY MUSLIM NATION WITH THE A-BOMB!  Bush went to war to stop terrorist for gaining weapons of mass destruction, cost trillions of dollars and thousands of lives only to potentially hand the bomb over to the same terrorist in Pakistan.

When will we learn that "strong men" like Musharraf or Marcos in the Philippines or even Hussein in Iraq are sometimes the best allies we have! We gave Marcos the boot and today we have Islamic terrorist running all over the place after 35 years of peace under "strong man" Marcos. The same fate is probably the future for Pakistan. Time will tell if I am right, but if Musharraf is killed or forced to flee, Pakistan will become a terrorist Islamic ruled state with the BOMB helped immensely by our inept government. Unless we are willing to wage total war, as we did against Germany and Japan and then willing to put in millions of troops to keep the peace and place a Mac Arthur in to run that peace with a strong hand, we should never expect to "democratize" a people. It will not work. Will we ever learn from history?

World War III will happen. If it will happen in our day or not, I have no idea. I do know that the last World War will happen IN THE MIDDLE EAST and an end time World Government (called Kingdom of the North)  will clash with the King of the South (a Muslim controlled empire of Arab and surrounding nations). The seat and power of this world government will probably be Europe and not America. Russia and China will not be a part of the of the North or the South kingdoms but will play a vital role in the last war on Earth.

America needs to learn the lesson that George Washington tried to teach our young nation back at our nation's founding. We must stay clear of foreign entanglements and be self sufficient as much as possible. There will be no end to the violence in the middle east in any of our lifetime. We are at war with muslim fundlementalist and we must fight them whenever and wherever we can and stop them from trying to kill us. At the same time, we must learn from our past mistakes and fight a total righteous war against terror and seal our borders until this threat is lessened. I pray this will happen, but I fear it will not. America will someday become a former empire and will be broken up and scattered (lev 26) and be a nation no more.

 

Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide bombing that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, a party aide and a military official said.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas or XMAS - You Decide

by Bob Barney

The following links are articles to inform the reader the true origins of Christmas. You will see that every aspect of Christmas has pagan origins and that there isn't a hint of it mentioned in the Bible. In fact, in Jeremiah there is a reference denouncing anyone that would deck a tree with silver and gold. Unlike other sites, I try to bring our readers the PLAIN TRUTH and let them decide for themselves what they want to do. I also give two viewpoints as well. One, by Garner Ted Armstrong as to why it is wrong to celebrate Christmas, and another by Skylar H. Burris who feels it is OK to have Christmas, pagan symbols and all because God allows it.

The question I think the reader must face and answer is this. Should I follow it or not. If you don't believe in God, then the answer is simple. You can follow it as a secular holiday, as most Americans really do! If there is a God, however, we must determine for ourselves what God wants us to do, and obey as best we can. If you celebrate Christmas or not absolutely doesn't mean you are or are not saved by the blood of Jesus. That goes to your heart and your personal relationship to your Savior. As for me and my family, I do not follow Christmas at all. It doesn't bother me that others do, or hurt my feelings when friends or stranger wish me a Merry Christmas. In my mind I hear God's word to Moses "Learn not the way of the heathen (pagan) or worship their customs in remembrance of me" (my translation of Deu 18:9 AND Jer 10:2). I personally think it hurts God's feelings to worship him on what is probably really Lucifer's birthday, but that is my belief, it need not be yours! I just want you to make an informed decision.

THE HISTORY CHANNEL: Christmas' pagan origins

The History Channel

Christmas Tree-700 BC!

No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

Italian Scientist Links Christmas to Ancient Pagan Celebration

Vatican Tree in front of obelisk condemned in Bible

ROME — The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says.

WHY I CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

BY Skylar H. Burris

Traditionally, this is the time of year when most Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Over time, Christmas came to incorporate numerous pagan symbols. And of course, the tentacles of American consumerism have woven their way around the holiday ever since the introduction of the first commercial Christmas card in 1846. For these reasons, some Christians believe we should not observe many of the traditional Christmas customs; others think we should not celebrate Christmas at all. How can I, when made fully aware of the pagan origins of many of our treasured Christmas symbols and rituals, still continue to celebrate the holiday, to delight in all it has to offer, and even to post a Christmas issue on the website of Ancient Paths? Some Christians have e-mailed me, clearly concerned by my continued persistence in celebrating this holiday.

OPPOSING VIEW: The Birth of Jesus:The Greatest Story Never Told

by Garner Ted Armstrong

Jesus was born sometime in the late summer or early autumn of 4 B.C. The first time I ever made this statement to anyone I was viewed with a combination of doubt, incredulity, hostility and outright pity. "How in the world could Jesus have been born before Christ?" I was asked........

Man Nails Santa to 15-Foot Crucifix; Christmas Cards Read: 'Santa Died for Your MasterCard'

BREMERTON, Wash. — Art Conrad has an issue with the commercialism of Christmas, and his protest has gone way beyond just shunning the malls or turning off his television.

Funniest news stories of 2007

by Joe Kovacs www.wnd.com

In fact, it was early February when I knew this year was going to be out-of-this-world funny – all thanks to a lovesick astronaut who allegedly drove across the country with adult diapers, eventually pepper-spraying another aviator over the affection of a male astronaut.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Why Global Warming Proves that the Earth is not as old as Scientist Think

Robert R. Barney 

 

There is a raging debate among Creationist! Yes, I said CREATIONIST! Many Bible scholars, who are also Creationist scientist believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. However there are other Creationist (and I am one) that thinks that mainstream science is correct and feel that the earth is OLDER than 6,000 years. The term "older" does not imply that we agree on the earth's age however.

As for what the Bible says, IT HAS NEVER given a reference of a 6,000 year old earth. You will not find one scripture that will give you that age. The Bible hints that this present "earth age" is only 6,000 years old, but it is clear that the Bible says there was an age before the age of man on this Earth RULED BY THE DEVIL! The entire universe is a today a "still photo" of the aftermath of a great cosmic "star wars" between the Devil and his demons and Christ and his Angels that took place maybe millions of years ago. The craters on the moon is just one example of this cosmic war. There are no new craters being formed. Scientist rarely tell you that. The Plain Truth is that most of these craters were caused at the same time.

The Bible tells us about the earth's first age under the Devil:

Lucifer means "Shining Star of the Dawn," or "light-bringer." Notice what God’s word says of Lucifer and his reign in that long ago pre-Adamic time: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Jesus Christ said, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). This happened before Adam!  Read in Revelation: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:1-9).


Now notice that before this occurred, there was already a Garden of Eden! And Lucifer was there! "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire" (Ezekiel 28:13-16). Here, the Prince of Tyre is typical of Lucifer, who became Satan, the Devil. None of the descriptions of Lucifer could ever be applied to a mere human. (for more info read this article http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/pubs/biblefact.htm.

Your Bible is clear that the earth was reformed BEFORE Adam was placed in it. Where? Genesis 1:1
 
Gen 1:2  "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters".  Go to this link to see what the word "WITHOUT" means in the original tongue. (the Hebrew word is:hayah which means 1) to be, BECOME come to pass, exist, happen, fall out. http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H01961&Version=kjv  Hence the verse should read "The Earth BECAME Formless and Void".  The word for formless and void in Hebrew is: tohuw bohuw.  The only other instance in the Bible that these words are used together is in Jer 4:23  "I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light."  From the same article above the author writes" The earth was covered with water, not once, but perhaps many times! When you and I are ushered upon the scene in Genesis 1, we learn that the earth was covered with water; that "...the earth was without form, and void;[Hebrew: tohu and bohu] and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).

"The Hebrew terms mean "void, empty, vain, waste."

"But God says "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain [tohu], he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:18). There was an earlier, pre-Adamic creation which was destroyed!"

So the Bible plainly agrees with science that the earth is very old. It does not tell us how old. HOWEVER, we know that this earth age can only be about 6-10,000 years old! Why? The rise in Sea Level! You see, the sea has been rising at a constant rate for about 6-10,000 years! If the rate of sea level rise has been constant from year 4,000 BC until 1900 AD and scientist were to use that as the scale to measure the earth's age rather than radio - carbon dating, then we would have a much younger Earth!  (http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/k43.htm and http://www.creationism.org/genesis.htm ) If this earth age was any older than that WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM GOD, the earth would be one huge ocean today!

By the way, to see the fallacy of radio-carbon dating, visit this site http://www.bible.ca/tracks/dating-radiometric.htm

Below we have a series of articles that shows much of the myth of Global Warming. What I want my reader to understand is that there is an underlying reason for this hoax. It is about a ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT under the UN that takes control of yours and my rights. To make us pay a world wide tax on the carbon emissions we create in order to merge us into the ruler ship of an end time BEAST government predicted in the Bible. This end time government will sound GREEN, but it will rule RED. BLOOD RED! Your blood and mine. Just remember the most important headline of all time. It was delivered 2,000 years ago. It said: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matt 24:22. We may be living in this time, or it may be in a generation or two. I do not know, BUT IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!

Global Warming Myths and Facts

Global Warming is a much publicised subject currently concerning many people. A United Nations summit in Kyoto Japan last Decemeber addressed this so-called threat to mankind. The President of the United States has committed himself to finalizing a treaty that would impose legally binding, internationally enforceable limits on the production of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2). CLICK HERE

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Why You Should Avoid Taking Vaccines

Dr. James Howenstine, MD.
An article in the Washington Post on Jan. 26, 1988 mentioned that all cases of polio since 1979 had been caused by the polio vaccine with no known cases of polio from a wild strain since 1979. This might have created a perfect situation to discontinue the vaccine, but the vaccine is still given. Vaccines are a wonderful source of profits with no risks to the drug companies since vaccine injuries are now recompensed by the government [income tax payers]. The steady escalation in the number of vaccines administered has been followed by an identical rise in the incidence of auto-immune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, subacute lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, asthma) seen in children. While there is a genetic transmission of some of these diseases many are probably due to the injury from foreign protein particles, mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and other toxic agents injected in vaccines.
MORE INFO ON http://educate-yourself.org/vcd/howensteinwhyyoushouldavoidvaccines03feb07.shtml

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

SEX and GOD

By Robert R. Barney
 
This is a commentary on our recent Healthy Sex story. Many, including some in my family thought the story was too salacious for our news site.  That’s exactly the response I wanted. Why? Well, the plain truth is that most of us do not understand the truth behind sex. It is very unfortunate that so many people have had their minds obfuscated with false religious dogma concerning sex and what God really wants us to know about the subject. You will see that God is no prude when it comes to sex and actually has given us a guideline on how to enjoy it without any guilt!
 
 In Genesis, God creates man and woman after the GOD kind. Notice that all other created beings are created after their own kind, but man was created after God’s own kind. Note also that God says “Let US make man in OUR image”. At least two beings are talking together, and they claim to be God  (see the meaning of the word God here http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/nbi/1303.html ). What is the very first thing that God realized about man? “It is not good for the man to be alone.”  God does not want us to be alone. He wants us in a union with another human, just as God is one, he wants us to be one, with the helpmate that God gives us. Next notice the first command God gave to Adam and Eve. Gen 1:28   God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals."  Then we read a little later this: Gen. 4:1   “Now Adam slept with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant.” (NLT translation).
 
 So sex was made for us to enjoy and to recreate after our own kind! We are meant to become part of the God Family. However, this command to have sex does not give us the license to have it with just anyone. Here are just SOME of the Biblical restrictions:
Lev 15:24   If a man has sexual intercourse with her during this time, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain defiled for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be defiled. 
Lev 18:1   Then the Lord said to Moses, 
Lev 18:2   "Say this to your people, the Israelites: I, the Lord, am your God. 
Lev 18:3   So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. 
Lev 18:4   You must obey all my regulations and be careful to keep my laws, for I, the Lord, am your God. 
Lev 18:5   If you obey my laws and regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord. 
Lev 18:6   "You must never have sexual intercourse with a close relative, for I am the Lord. 
Lev 18:7   Do not violate your father by having sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your mother; you must never have intercourse with her. 
Lev 18:8   Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your father's wives, for this would violate your father. 
Lev 18:9   "Do not have sexual intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was brought up in the same family or somewhere else. 
Lev 18:10   "Do not have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would violate you. 
Lev 18:11   Do not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of any of your father's wives; she is your half sister. 
Lev 18:12   Do not have intercourse with your aunt, your father's sister, because she is your father's close relative. 
Lev 18:13   Do not have sexual intercourse with your aunt, your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative. 
Lev 18:14   And do not violate your uncle, your father's brother, by having sexual intercourse with his wife; she also is your aunt. 
Lev 18:15   Do not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife. 
Lev 18:16   Do not have intercourse with your brother's wife; this would violate your brother. 
Lev 18:17   "Do not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter or marry both a woman and her granddaughter, whether her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are close relatives, and to do this would be a horrible wickedness. 
Lev 18:18   "Donot marry a woman and her sister because they will be rivals. But if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister. 
Lev 18:19   "Do not violate a woman by having sexual intercourse with her during her period of menstrual impurity. 
Lev 18:20   "Do not defile yourself by having sexual intercourse with your neighbor's wife. 
Lev 18:21   "Do not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 
Lev 18:22   "Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin. 
Lev 18:23   "A man must never defile himself by having sexual intercourse with an animal, and a woman must never present herself to a male animal in order to have intercourse with it; this is a terrible perversion. 
Lev 18:24   "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the people I am expelling from the Promised Land have defiled themselves. 
Lev 18:25   As a result, the entire land has become defiled. That is why I am punishing the people who live there, and the land will soon vomit them out. 
Lev 18:26   You must strictly obey all of my laws and regulations, and you must not do any of these detestable things. This applies both to you who are Israelites by birth and to the foreigners living among you. 
Lev 18:27   "All these detestable activities are practiced by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the land has become defiled. 
Lev 18:28   Do not give the land a reason to vomit you out for defiling it, as it will vomit out the people who live there now. 
Lev 18:29   Whoever does any of these detestable things will be cut off from the community of Israel. 
Lev 18:30   So be careful to obey my laws, and do not practice any of these detestable activities. Do not defile yourselves by doing any of them, for I, the Lord, am your God."
 
Paul even adds: 1Cr 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind". So sex within a God inspired marriage is guiltless, but outside of these perimeters it will literally kill you!
 
 So, we can see that sex is something very special to God and it should be to us. Some of the most moving scriptures in the whole Bible is God comparing us (before we are saved) to a whore! We see the total agony we have put God through in our sinful lives, and he uses sexual imagery to demonstrate it. One actually feels the agony of what adultery means and how bad it hurts when God uses the same terminology to show to us how bad GOD hurts:
 
 Eze 23:3   They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed themselves to be fondled and caressed.  Give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: You are nothing but a Canaanite! Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite!   When you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was left uncut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and dressed in warm clothing. 
 
No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were dumped in a field and left to die, unwanted.   "But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, `Live!'  And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your hair grew, though you were still naked.  And when I passed by and saw you again, you were old enough to be married. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. 
"Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.  I gave you expensive clothing of linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine leather.  I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, and beautiful necklaces,  a ring for your nose and earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head.  And so you were made beautiful with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods-fine flour, honey, and olive oil-and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were! 
 
Your fame soon spread throughout the world on account of your beauty, because the splendor I bestowed on you perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.  "But you thought you could get along without me, so you trusted instead in your fame and beauty. You gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking!   You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you carried out your acts of prostitution. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?  You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them, which is adultery against me.  You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to cover your idols. Then you used my oil and incense to worship them. 
 
Imagine it! You set before them as a lovely sacrifice the fine flour and oil and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord. 
"Then you took your sons and daughters-the children you had borne to me-and sacrificed them to your gods. Was it not enough that you should be a prostitute?  Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?   In all your years of adultery and loathsome sin, you have not once thought of the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood. 
"Your destruction is certain, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,   you built a pagan shrine and put altars to idols in every town square.  On every street corner you defiled your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in an endless stream of prostitution.  Then you added lustful Egypt to your lovers, fanning the flames of my anger with your increasing promiscuity.  That is why I struck you with my fist and reduced your boundaries. I handed you over to your enemies, the Philistines, and even they were shocked by your lewd conduct! 
You have prostituted yourselves with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.  You added to your lovers by embracing that great merchant land of Babylonia[fn1]-but you still weren't satisfied!  "What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign Lord, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute. 
 
You build your pagan shrines on every street corner and your altars to idols in every square. You have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment for your love! 
 
Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband. 
Eze 16:33   Prostitutes charge for their services-but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come to you.  So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. No one pays you; instead, you pay them!  "Therefore, you prostitute, listen to this message from the Lord! 
 
Do you see why we must forgive other sinners?  The answer is above. When we were apart from God, we committed adultery against GOD. We were no different than a cheap whore. These are the words God uses to describe our ungodly state. These are not Robert R. Barney’s words, they are GODS!
 
 So you see the importance of the article. God wants us to be happy. Have a great sex life and HE has blessed us with great benefits for engaging in it.  A long happy, heart healthy, cancer free, sexually active life into old age. After all, we read the Abraham had Isaac when he was 100 years old and Sarah, his wife was ninety! Isaac was a blessing from God yes, but it shows that the two were still having sex ! (Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.)
 
Read you Bible! It’s not boring. It is the best seller of all time, and for a great reason: The author is the greatest writer of all time!
 
 
 
Little Known Facts:
 Did you know the Bible talks about incest!
  Gen 6:4   In those days, and even afterward, giants[fn1] lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old.  Gen 19:5   They shouted to Lot, "Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can havesex with them."  Gen 19:31   One day the older daughter said to her sister, "There isn't a man anywhere in this entire area for us to marry. And our father will soon be too old to have children. 
 
Gen 19:32   Come, let's get him drunk with wine, and then we will sleep with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father."  Gen 19:33   So that night they got him drunk, and the older daughter went in and slept with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up again. 
 
Gen 19:34   The next morning the older daughter said to her younger sister, "I slept with our father last night. Let's get him drunk with wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him. That way our family line will be preserved."  Gen 19:35   So that night they got him drunk again, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. As before, he was unaware of her lying down or getting up again.   Gen 19:36   So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.
 
 What the Bible has to say about a moral love affair.
These passages are taken from Song of Songs and it is in YOUR Bible! What do you think “raisins and apples” mean, or “private garden.”
Sgs 1:4   Take me with you. Come, let's run! Bring me into your bedroom
Sgs 2:5   Oh, feed me with your love-your `raisins' and your `apples'-for I am utterly lovesick! 
Sgs 4:5   Your breasts are like twin fawns of a gazelle, feeding among the lilies. 
Sgs 4:12   "You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own. 
Sgs 4:13   You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, with the rarest of perfumes: 
Sgs 6:12   Before I realized it, I found myself in my princely bed with my beloved one
Sgs 8:10   "I am chaste, and I am now full breasted. And my lover is content with me.


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sexual Health

Sex Your Way to Better Health: A Dozen Reasons Why You Should Have Sex Tonight

Sex – it does the body good.

Here are just a few benefits: Weight loss and weight control, Pain Management, Stress relief, Longer Life, Decreased risk of breast cancer and much more

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317189,00.html

Religion Today - Being Persecuted

Persecution of Christian Arabs Needs to be Stopped

With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, the town of Bethlehem, the historic birthplace of Jesus, is facing a continuing exodus of its Christian residents as a result of growing persecution by radical Muslims.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), led by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, strongly condemns the oppression of Christians in Bethlehem by Islamic extremists, which has risen sharply since Israel turned over control of the town to the Palestinian Authority in 1995. At the time of Israel's withdrawal, Christians made up 62% of Bethlehem's population. Today, that figure stands at approximately 15%, a historic all-time low.

The persecution of Christians by hard-line Islamists is common in Palestinian-controlled areas and indeed throughout the entire Middle East. In Gaza, where 3,000 Christians live among 1.5 million Muslims, it is particularly violent and sometimes deadly. Just recently, Rami Khader Ayyad, owner of a Christian bookstore, was murdered by extremists. Following Hamas' violent take-over of Gaza in June 2007, numerous attacks against Christians were also reported, including the ransacking of a convent.

IFCJ has decided to highlight these human rights violations and call attention to the persecution of Christians occurring in these areas. In addition, the organization is providing funds for a special holiday program to feed underprivileged Christian Arabs in Bethlehem. The assistance is being extended through the First Baptist Church of Bethlehem, headed by Pastor Naim Khoury, and will help provide food aid to hundreds of Christians, many of whom have been harassed and threatened by Muslim radicals because of their faith. Pastor Khoury has survived three separate assassination attempts in recent years, while his church has reportedly been bombed by Islamic extremists fourteen times.

"The oppression of Christian Arabs by their Muslim brethren has caused thousands to flee Palestinian-controlled areas over the past decade. The U.S. and the international community need to pressure the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to reverse this deplorable trend and ensure the safety and prosperity ofits Christian population," said Rabbi Eckstein, IFCJ President and Founder. "Through this gift, IFCJ is providing material support to the needy and saying to Bethlehem's Christians that they are not forgotten - that both Jews and Christians stand with them in their time of need."

Founded in 1983, IFCJ has a dual mission to foster better understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews and to build broad support for Israel and the Jewish people around the world. The Fellowship works to help Jews immigrate to Israel from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, India and other troubled countries; fight poverty and aid victims of war and terrorism in Israel; and extend aid to poor elderly Jews and orphans in the former Soviet Union. For general information about the IFCJ, please visit
www.ifcj.org.

For more details about this release or to request an interview with a senior IFCJ representative, please contact: Michael Stoltz, Communications Director, IFCJ, Chicago: Cel. 847-560-1275, Tel. 312-641-8688.

Religion Today

America's Biggest Donors Ignore Religious Causes
Philanthropy's Largest Gifts Go to Colleges and Universities

According to a new study released by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research (IJCR), higher education, health, and cultural arts organizations receive the lion's share of the largest gifts that individuals, foundations, and corporations contribute to American philanthropy. Higher education received nearly half of the dollars from gifts of $10 million or more. Gary A. Tobin and Aryeh K. Weinberg, the study's authors, analyzed over 8000 gifts of $1 million or more made between 2001-2003.
  
   "Mega-gifts are very concentrated in a few types of organizations. Religious organizations, human services for the needy, and umbrella campaigns like the United Way are the big losers in attracting the largest gifts. Colleges and universities are the biggest winners," according to Gary A.Tobin, president of IJCR.
  
   The IJCR's report, Mega-Gifts in American Philanthropy: Giving Patterns 2001-2003, examined over 8000 gifts to 4000 organizations, the largest sample ever collected of gifts of $1 million or more. IJCR's mega-gift research is ongoing and reports will be issued every two years.

Among the findings:

• Higher education is by far the largest recipient of mega-gifts, taking in 37% of gifts and 44% of dollars.

• For gifts of $10 million or more, higher education receives an even bigger share with 46% of gifts and 47% of dollars.

• Health and medical causes received 14% of gifts of $10 million or more, up from 11% in 1995-2000, and 19% of dollars, up from 14% in 1995-2000.

• Religion and federated appeals received the lowest proportion of gifts, 3% each, and dollars, 2% each. Of the 110 largest gifts, none went to religion or federated appeals.

• About 55% of dollars came from private foundations, 28% from individuals, 8% from corporations, and the remainder from community foundations, donor advised funds, anonymous gifts and miscellaneous sources.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Christmas

Some Christians won’t be celebrating Christmas

Christmas draws near, the Rev. John Foster of Charleston, W.Va., won’t be decorating a tree, shopping for last-minute gifts or working on a holiday sermon for his flock. After all, it’s been 50 years since Christmas was anything more than a day of the week to him.

http://www.dailylocal.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDLN%2FLife&r21.content=%2FDLN%2FLife%2FTopStoryList_Story_1268949

Romney and the Truth about Mormonism

So what is the truth about Mormonism? Are they "Christian" or something else?

The Plain Truth wants people to be informed and educated. Don't just listen to the news, or read a paper or watch a few TV news shows. The Bible calls Satan the "prince of the air" and this can surely be seen with today's news being sent through "the air" to your TV sets and radios. Most of what you hear and see is biased. There is not just a Liberal left, but there is also a Biased Right! Truth of lies somewhere else, and since there is no truth in the Devil, according to Jesus, we should try to research everything as much as possible. The Plain Truth can be found, but it is not often easy.

There's a lot of discussion about what Mormons (and Mitt Romney) believe lately. So, in order to make this easy, I will list out what Mormonism actually teaches quickly and easily. These are not sensationalized, and inaccurate statements. I am using the information below (in blue) as direct quotes from: http://www.carm.org/lds/mormon_beliefs.htm. MY COMMENTS are in RED

Following documentation from Mormon authors.  Finally, please understand that the Mormon Church uses Christian terms but has radically changed the meanings of those terms.  So, when it says that Mormons belief in the father the son and the Holy Spirit, they really saying they believe in a God from another planet, with a goddess wife, who literally as the father of Jesus, and that there is a spirit being, of the Holy Ghost, and is another God.
These are Mormon beliefs

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormons, teaches that God the father used to be a man on another planet, that he became a God by following the laws and ordinances of that God on that planet and came to this world with his wife (she becamea goddess), and that they produce a spirit offspring in heaven.  These spirit offspring, which includes Jesus, the devil, and you and me,  are all brothers and sisters born in the preexistence.  The preexistence spirits come down and inhabit babies at the time of birth and their memories of the preexistence are lost at the time.  Furthermore, faithful Mormons, who pay a full 10% tithe of their income to the Mormon church and go through a Mormon temples, have the potential of becoming gods of their own planets and are then able to start the procedure over again.

Is it Christian?

Mormon Beliefs documented
 Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers. 

  Book of Mormon
 The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, 4:461.)
 Devil, the
 The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, page 192.)
 Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven. (Mormon Doctrine, p.  163.) 
 

 God
 God used to be a man on another planet, Mormon Doctrine, p. 321.  Joseph Smith,  Times and Seasons, Vol 5, pp. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, p. 345, Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333.)


"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans..." (D&C 130:22).

 God, becoming a god
 After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 345-347, 354.) (Editor Note: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE BIBLE DOES ACTUALLY IMPLY THIS!  Paul wrote that Christ was "...the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature [Greek: Prototokos; first begotten or firstborn]: For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before [both in time, and supremacy] all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the Beginning, the First born from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:15-17).

        Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him' " (Hebrews 1:6).And what shall we finally become when we are BORN OF GOD? John said, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is!" (1 John 3:2).The name "God" comes from a Family term, Elohim, and means more than One!And when we are finally born of God, that is what we shall BECOME—members of the Divine FAMILY of God; lesser than Christ, and subject to Him; yet, members of His own Family

 "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (DC 132:20).
 
 
 God, many gods
 There are many gods, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.) (AGAIN THE BIBLE DOES SAY THIS!

2Cr 4:4 Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

 "And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light (Book of Abraham 4:3) (IF YOU READ YOUR BIBLE, IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD IS A PLURAL WORD COMMING FROM the Nebe=rew Elohim (more than one God. It is referring to The Father and Jesus) see this link: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H0430&Version=kjv


 God, mother goddess 
 
 There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443.)
 God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine p. 516.)
 
 
 God, Trinity (A NOTE: The word TRINITY is never in the Bible, although most Christians do accept the idea) Want to read a thoughtful opposing argument against the trinity? Click this link: http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/pubs/mystery.htm


 The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35.) 


 Heaven
 There are threelevels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, Mormon Doctrine, p. 348.
 Holy Ghost, the
 The Holy Ghost is a male personage, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, (Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, page 118; Journal of Discources, Vol. 5, page 179.)
 
 
 Jesus
.         "Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a              body offlesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
 "The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8: p. 115).
 "Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh ..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, pg. 150).
 
 
 Joseph Smith
 If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation.  There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670.)
 
 Pre-existence
 We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth, (Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, p. 218.)
 The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, page 129.)
 The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, page 192.)

The bottom line is that whoever runs for President should never allow his personal religion to interfere with his duties. Our forefathers were mainly Christians, yet they kept CHRIST OUT of our Constitution. Some, like Thomas Jefferson did not accept the fact that Christ was God at all. He was a DIEST, believing in only one FATHER GOD, not unlike the Mormons. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, Mitt Romney and most Mormons today really don't want you to know what they believe, and that should be cause for concern. This implies that they think they need to hide from you, what they truly believe. Does that sound right? If you hold true to your convictions, as Thomas Jefferson did, then history will judge you a basically an honest intellectual. Mitt Romney does not seem to be doing just that.

It is important to have your faith. It is more important to keep your faith and everyone elses faith out of government. Seperation of Church and State (not really in the Constitution) doesn't mean that one has to give up their religion to hold office, it means that that person must separate their own religious convictions from their public duty. Why? Our forefathers never want a state sanctioned religion, and neither should you, or you may find out that the state chooses a religion other than yours!

Smoking Good For You????

Facts on Smoking You are Not Told, or Why George Burns Lived to 100!

 

by Robert R. Barney

We are running a series of articles in our YOUR HEALTH TODAY section which I think will absolutely blow most of our readers today! Over the past 40 years, we have been overwhelmed with the evils of smoking. The message has basically been, SMOKE ONE CIGARETTE and YOU WILL DIE A DAY YOUNGER! Have you ever thought of any benefits of smoking? Honestly, could there be any benefits? Well I did my own investigation and guess what? Smoking in moderation may actually be GOOD for you! I know that smacks in the face of everything science and government has been telling us, but sometimes governments LIE! Here are just a few examples of FACTS I bet you don't know:


--  Q10 is made from Tobacco
-- Smoking Reduces both Parkinson Disease AND Alzheimers!
-- Smoking increases certain hormones and can act similar to Viagra!
-- A Reduced risk in women who smoke to Colon Cancer
-- Moderate Cigar or Non-Filtered Cigarettes may actually help you live Longer

I realize that this sounds like I have gone bonkers, but friends, every statement I have made has proven science behind it and I document it below! Drinking wine can kill you. If you drink two to thee bottles of wine a day, you will probably be at a much greater risk of developing a host of diseases related to alcoholism, yet we know that those who drink a glass a day statistically live longer than tea-tottlers. The same seems to apply to smoking. Very low doses of smoking (a Cigar or two once a week or two or three NON-FILTERED cigarettes a day) actually helps our bodies. It has been documented for years that Japanese men out smoke American men yet have lower incidences of lung cancer! ( http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/10/11/1193 )

One looks at people like George Burns who lived to be 100, smoking a cigar his entire life. Would he have lived to 150 if he didn't smoke? Well, the evidence I am presenting suggests that he lived that long BECAUSE he smoked.

If you notice,whenever I mentioned cigarette smoking, I always wrote of NON-FILTERED cigarettes. Again, big businees like the tobacco companies and our government know that the filters on these cigarettes are much more harmful than the tobacco smoke! More than 90% of the cigarettes sold worldwide have a filter. Nearly all filters consist of a rod of numerous ( > 12 000) plastic-like cellulose acetate fibres. During high speed cigarette manufacturing procedures, fragments of cellulose acetate that form the mouthpiece of a filter rod become separated from the filter at the end face. The cut surface of the filter of nearly all cigarettes has these fragments. In smoking a cigarette in the usual manner, some of these fragments are released during puffing. In addition to the cellulose acetate fragments, carbon particles are released also from some cigarette brands that have a charcoal filter. Cigarettes with filters that release cellulose acetate or carbon particles during normal smoking conditions are defective.  Philip Morris, Inc has known of this filter defect for more than 40 years.
results of investigations substantiating defective filters have been concealed from the smoker and the health community. The tobacco industry has been negligent in not performing toxicological examinations and other studies to assess the human health risks associated with regularly ingesting and inhaling non-degradable, toxin coated cellulose acetate fragments and carbon microparticles and possibly other components that are released from conventional cigarette filters during normal smoking. The rationale for harm assessment is supported by the results of consumer surveys that have shown that the ingestion or inhalation of cigarette filter fibres are a health concern to nearly all smokers. (From “Cigarettes with defective filters marketed for 40 years: what Philip Morris never told smokers” (Tobacco Control 2002;11:i51-i61):)

 

Check out a host of stories we have on this subject on http://journals.aol.com/plaintruthtoday/your-health-today

 

Notes and References


1) The miracle supplement (for skin, heart, brain rejuvenation) Coenzyme Q10 is extracted from tobacco leaf! http://www.ritecare.com/prodsheets/and-503000.html
Dr. Ricjard A. Kunin extols the benefits of Coenzyme Q10. He also says: The energy of oxidation in cells depends on CoQ in partnership with niacinamide (vitamin B3), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and minerals such as iron and copper to effect the movement of electrons and hydrogen protons in the power plant of cell, the mitochondrion. Incidentally, tobacco leaf is the champion source, containing 184 mg in a quarter pound. Note that the doctor follows with the disclaimer, "In fact, the Japanese companies make their CoQ from tobacco, however it is only released by means of bacterial fermentation not by smoking."  The fact remains that CoQ 10 is a natural miracle for the human body and it's chief source is tobacco!

2) Smoking Reduces Parkinson's Disease: Studies world-wide has notice that smokers have a significally lower incidence of getting the disease, yet this is never mentioned in any of the anti-smoking campaigns.

Neurology. 1999 Sep 22;53(5):1158. Smoking and Parkinson's disease: a dose-response relationship Gorell JM, Rybicki BA, Johnson CC, Peterson EL
Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center in Molecular and Cellular Toxicology with Human Applications, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.


Also see Smoking lowers Parkinson's disease risk from Reuters (Mar 20, 2007).

From “Temporal relationship between cigarette smoking and risk of Parkinson disease” (NEUROLOGY 2007;68:764-768):


3) The by-product of smoking (Nitric Oxide) helps in opening our arteries! Nitric oxide stimulates peripheral circulation (this is the mechanism behind Viagra effect).Low concentration carbon monoxide (as found in tobacco smoke) protects cells in harsh conditions, such as low oxygen and general cell death

 

4) Smoking actually increases GROWTH Hormones! Like testosterone and DHEA.
 source: Geriatrics & Gerontology International (Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 49-52, March 2006)Relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in aged men in , which found these results, "Serum T did not decrease with age, and was significantly higher in smokers than for non-smokers. Serum DHEA decreased with age more sharply in non-smokers than for smokers."


5) Smoking reduces IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)--at least in males for sure. In animal experiments, lowered insuline growth factor IGF-1 change extends lifespan.


6) Reduced Incidence of Colorectal Cancer--especially in women.

 Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Women (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 80, No. 16, 1329-1333, October 19, 1988) states, "Colorectal cancer incidence rates for smokers, nonsmokers living with smokers (i.e., passive smokers), and non-smokers in smoke-free households were compared in a 12-year prospective study of 25, 369 women who participated in a private census conducted in Washington County, MD, in 1963. Women who smoked had a decreased relative risk of colorectal cancer compared with the risk for nonsmokers (age-adjusted relative risk, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.52–1.10). The risk for passive smokers was similar to that for smokers. The relative risks were significantly reduced for older women; relative risks were 0.42 for smokers and 0.66 for passive smokers over age 65. The data suggest that older women who smoke have a lower risk of colorectal cancer than non-smokers. The effect may be mediated by an antiestrogenic effect of smoking."
 
 


7) People who smoke fare better than nonsmokers when exposed to occupational hazards.
From Lack of combined effects of exposure and smoking on respiratory health in aluminium potroom workersBritish Medical Journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Vol 56, 468-472, 1999):

 

8) Cigarette smoking may be an independent protective factor for developing schizophrenia. These results are consistent with animal models showing both neuroprotective effects of nicotine and differential release of prefrontal dopamine in response to nicotine.
From Cancer in schizophrenia: is the risk higher or lower? in Schizophrenia Research (Volume 73, Issue 2, Pages 333-341) at http://www.schres-journal.com/article/PIIS0920996404002130/abstract :
The incidence of cancer in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia was compared with the incidence in the general population. The results showed that the cancer standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all sites were significantly lower among men and women with schizophrenia, 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–0.93] and 0.91 (95% CI 0.85–0.97), respectively. This reduced overall risk was clearest for those born in Europe–America, both men (SIR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74–0.97) and women (SIR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77–0.94).
Appetite Suppressant -- no citations. Common sense. Most stimulants are appetite suppressants, and nicotine does seem to be a stimulant.

9) Tobacco: the definitive link in healthy aging by Daniel John Richard Date.
Reduces incidence of Alzheimer's, among other degenerative diseases.
 

"A statistically significant inverse association between smoking and Alzheimer's disease was observed at all levels of analysis, with a trend towards decreasing risk with increasing consumption" (International Journal of Epidemiology, 1991)

"The risk of Alzheimer's disease decreased with increasing daily number of cigarettes smoked before onset of disease. . . . In six families in which the disease was apparently inherited . . . the mean age of onset was 4.17 years later in smoking patients than in non-smoking patients from the same family" (British Medical Journal, June 22, 1991)

"Although more data are needed . . . [an analysis of 19 studies suggests] nicotine protects against AD" (Neuroepidemiology, 1994)

Nicotine injections significantly improved certain types of mental functioning in Alzheimer's patients (Psychopharmacology, 1992).

One theory: nicotine improves the responsiveness of Alzheimer's patients to acetylcholine, an important brain chemical.

“When chronically taken, nicotine may result in: (1) positive reinforcement [it makes you feel good], (2) negative reinforcement [it may keep you from feeling bad], (3) reduction of body weight [by reducing appetite and increasing metabolic rate], (4) enhancement of performance, and protection against: (5) Parkinson's disease, (6) Tourette's disease [tics], (7) Alzheimer's disease, (8) ulcerative colitis and (9) sleep apnea. The reliability of these effects varies greatly but justifies the search for more therapeutic applications for this interesting compound." ("Beneficial Effects of Nicotine," Jarvik, British Journal of Addiction, 1991)

See more on smoking and reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. In this compilation of 19 studies, 15 found a reduce risk in smokers, and none found an increased risk. Also noted is the fact that acute administration of nicotine improves attention and information processing in AD patients, which adds further plausibility to the hypothesis. 
Smoking is Good for You: Absence, Presence, and the Ecumenical Appeal of Indian Islamic Healing Centers
In Shop owner says smoking 'doesn't cause disease' a shop owner "tells his customers that smoking calms the nerves and soothes the mind." This is in sync with what Albert Einstein stated upon becoming a lifetime member of the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club at the age of 71, "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs."

 

 

Israel agreed to forfeit Temple Mount

Israel agreed to forfeit Temple Mount!!

www.wnd.com


Temple Mount

JERUSALEM – In spite of longstanding denials by top officials here, the Israeli government in 2000 agreed to relinquish the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – to the Palestinians during U.S.-backed negotiations, according to declassified documents made public today.

 

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59188

U.S. funded Hamas university

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – An audit has revealed the U.S. government authorized nearly $1 million in aid to a Hamas-controlled university senior terror leaders told WND is openly utilized by Hamas to recruit fighters, manufacture explosives and train on campus grounds for attacks.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59230

 

Friday, December 14, 2007

inceWhy Is The Middle East Always Going To Be In YOUR Future?

We have war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq, war is maybe coming to Iran, Israel and Syria. It has been this way since before you were even born. Why? After all, we had war in Europe in 1914 and 1940, but not today. War in Japan in the forties, but not in the past fifty years, so why has every decade seen a problem in the Mid-East? Is it Oil? Is it another reason.

In the late 1940's, the USA was the world's largest oil producer. We did not need oil from the middle east, yet war erupted between the newly formed Israel and its Arab allies. The same thing happened again in the fifties, and the sixties and we still really didn't need the Arab's oil. By 1973 we did need their oil and thus today, everyone without a view on history mistakenly assumes that war in the middle east is about oil. IT IS NOT!

This war has nothing to do with oil, or George Bush or even The United States per say; it has everything to do with religion and about God and God's role in world events. This article can be read anytime in the future and there will still be strife in the middle east. The strife ends, according to the Bible ONLY after Christ returns and not a day before. We realize that we claim to be a news site, and we are, but if there is a God, and it is the God of the Bible and if Jesus Christ is that God of the Bible, then what he has to say is news, is it not?

Voting for a Republican or a Democrat or a even Libertarian will not change a thing concerning the middle east. Getting off of oil will not change the tension between Arab nations and America or Israel. It is time that the "average Joe or Jane" understands what  is going to happen in their lifetime. The staff of The Plain Truth realize that it is hard to believe, but one can understand in broad terms what is going to happen and what is not going to happen in the future. Hopefully by reading this, you have decided to at least be informed and make intellectual choices for once. You will not get propaganda here. In fact, we will teach you how to recognize propaganda! It is easy to spot.

Good luck, be a little patient, and you will enjoy our one-of-a-kind stories and articles. You will learn things that you never knew and we encourage you to look up everything that we write to prove to yourself just what is reality, and what is not. We welcome intellectual feedback, honest opinions and we will not tolerate proganda or distasteful posts. Thanks.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Why We Need To Stay United

The video link is one of the most amazing video's I have ever seen. There is a lesson in it as well. It is strength in numbers. When united, a group of weaklings can outwit and beat stronger foes. The key is to stay united. Hitler's strategy in World War II was DIVIDE and CONQUER and that's not new. Always be aware of this tactic that will be used by your enemies. When you find yourself being divided by someone or some entity, you are setting yourself up to be conquered. Be aware of this principal. Ben Franklin remarked before he signed the Declaration of Independence, "If we don't hang together, we will hang separately" How true that is. Learn this lesson from the water buffalo.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM