Ron Chambers

Risk of brain-eating amoeba, flesh-eating bacteria may increase due to climate change: Experts

Julia Jacobo – May 29, 2021

The sweltering summer heat may send swimmers diving head-first into the nearest body of water, but climate change may contribute to life-threatening risks for swimmers as waterborne pathogens thrive and multiply faster in increasingly warming waters, experts said.

Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility for dangerous pathogens, such as Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba, and Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria, said Dr. Sandra Gompf, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of South Florida.

These pathogens move fast and can kill quickly.

Once diagnosed, Naegleria fowleri is very difficult to treat, said Darien Sutton, a Los Angeles emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical contributor. Once it enters the brain, it causes a form of meningitis, and once the patient is exhibiting symptoms it’s often too late to save them.

Vibrio vulnificus infections can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh surrounding an open wound dies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://abcnews.go.com

Suffer the Little Children

Joseph Hippolito – June 2, 2021

For centuries, the Catholic Church represented unmitigated opposition to abortion. But as recent events seem to indicate, Pope Francis is preparing to sacrifice that historic position — and those it protects — on the altar of his globalist agenda.

On May 7, Cardinal Luis Ladaria issued a letter from the Vatican discouraging American bishops from preventing elected officials who support abortion to receive Communion. Only the pope himself ranks higher as a theological authority than Ladaria, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Ladaria released the letter after several bishops publicly said Joe Biden, the virtual president who supports abortion, should not receive Communion. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone even wrote a forceful pastoral letter on the subject, without mentioning Biden. But other bishops, such as Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., said they would welcome Biden at Communion.

A church-going Catholic, Biden was denied Communion by a priest in Charleston, S.C. while campaigning in that state in 2019. Since replacing President Donald Trump, Biden has used legislation and executive action to give abortion providers nearly $500 billion from taxpayers.

At that pace, Biden will have provided more federal funding for abortion than any President in American history.

The Catholic catechism describes abortion a “moral evil,” quotes a pastoral document in calling it and infanticide “abominable crimes,” and demands excommunication for anyone involved in “formal cooperation.” Catholic canon law also states that Catholics “persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion,” and that Catholics who “are conscious of grave sin” must not receive Communion “without previous sacramental confession.”

If giving $500 billion to abortion providers fails to constitute “formal cooperation” with a “moral evil,” then what does?

https://www.frontpagemag.com

Man-monkey hybrid sparks fears of ‘Frankenstein’ creatures

Ryan Lovelace – June 2, 2021

Researchers conducting human-animal hybrid experiments struck fear into federal lawmakers worried that nightmare scenarios of Frankenstein creatures have become a reality.

Earlier this year, researchers announced a blending of man and monkey.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, said in April that it participated with a China-led research team in an experiment by injecting human stem cells into monkey embryos. They allowed the resulting creature to live and grow for 19 days before terminating it. The researchers responsible for the technology used in the experiment said their work aided the study of embryonic development.

Federal officials have placed a moratorium on U.S. funding of such research. Still, they are reviewing the restrictions and scientific developments as Congress debates a bill to spend nearly $200 billion of taxpayers’ money on research and development endeavors to counter China.

Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, said he is worried that such human-animal hybrid experiments will cross ethical boundaries and contravene the dignity and sanctity of human life.

“I mean, any of us could speculate on kind of the Frankenstein concept, let’s put it that way, which that was being referred to as in terms of what this leads to,” Mr. Braun said. “I don’t know. I think that I do believe that there’s a genuine interest in taking so much that we’ve learned through DNA analysis, understanding the genome of not only human beings but other animals, that there’s going to be that [temptation] contagion to go beyond maybe, just the altruistic effort of finding cures for very, very vexing ailments like ALS, like Alzheimer’s, like any of the diseases that are out there that are significant, that we’re not even to the point where we know exactly what causes it, let alone cures.”

Mr. Braun and fellow Republicans seek to outlaw chimeras involving the blending of human embryos with animal wombs and animal embryos with human wombs.

https://www.washingtontimes.com

China threat ‘increasing’ as Xi Jinping’s army ‘is preparing for war’ says Taiwan minister

Dylan Donnelly – May 27, 2021

TAIWAN’s foreign minister has warned China is “preparing for war” as the island country braces itself for future conflict.

Joseph Wu said Beijing has been trying to “cut off” Taiwan from the world with military actions and international pressure. Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has threatened to start a conflict in order to reunite the island with mainland China.

Mr Wu was asked what he believes Beijing’s intentions are in the wake of increased military drills and aggression.

The minister said: “I think Beijing has been preparing for war against Taiwan, and that is what we have been seeing. They are preparing for it.

“If you look at the number of sorties (attacks from troops), it’s around 2,900 times last year. So, the threat has been increasing.

“And when we examine in a closer way, the Chinese sometimes even cross the middle line of the Taiwan Strait.”

Speaking to PBS reporter Nick Schifrin, the minister suggested Beijing is “forcing” other countries to cut ties with Taiwan.

He told the programme he believes “they are also trying to cut off Taiwan from the international society”, suggesting Beijing wants Taiwan out of the World Health Organisation and other bodies.

Mr Wu then added: “They are forcing other countries not to have official contact with us. And, moreover, Chinese are also engaging in cognitive warfare.

“They use cyberattack, disinformation, and something similar to disrupt the democratic process here in Taiwan, to create a conflict in between the government and the society, or to create a distrust between Taiwan and our major ally, which is the United States.”

Since the start of the year, Chinese warplanes have been scrambled over Beijing in preparation for a potential conflict.

PBS reports that Chinese jets have carried out the incursions almost daily.

https://www.express.co.uk

Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo Volcano Destroys Hundreds of Homes; At Least 15 Dead

Ron Brackett – May 24, 3021

A river of lava a half-mile wide gushing from Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo engulfed hundreds of homes and set fires before coming to rest at the edge of the city of Goma.

Tens of thousands of people fled late Saturday as the volcano unleashed the lava flow that cast a scarlet glow in the night sky. It was the first time Mount Nyiragongo has erupted in nearly 20 years.

“The sky has turned red,” Carine Mbala, a resident of Goma, told AFP by telephone. “There is a smell of sulfur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the mountain.”

At least 15 people died, most in car crashes in the chaotic evacuation, the Associated Press reported. UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency, said more than 170 children were still feared missing.

When the volcano began erupting, some people boarded boats on Lake Kivu, which lies on the border between Congo and Rwanda in central Africa. About 5,000 people crossed the border into Rwanda. Another 25,000 went northwest toward the town of Sake, according to UNICEF.

Altogether, 17 villages were affected by the lava, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a statement, according to Reuters. Three health centers, a primary school and a water pipeline were destroyed, he said.

https://weather.com

A ‘Killing Field’ of Christians: 8 More Killed, Church Burned to Ground in Nigeria – 1,470 Christians in 4 Months

CBN News – May 25, 2021

Eight Christians were killed and a church was burned down on May 19 during an attack by gunmen in the Chikun area of Kaduna State of Nigeria.

International Christian Concern (ICC), a persecution watchdog, reports Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, confirmed the report in a statement to the media.

Aruwan said “bandits” also burned down several homes during the attack, which consisted of unknown gunmen shooting sporadically at civilians.

As CBN News has reported, these “bandits” or “unknown gunmen” are often radical Muslims who target Christians in their relentless attacks on villages across the West African country.

In another unrelated incident, The Premium Times newspaper reports Nigerian Navy troops stationed in the Kujama General Area killed three bandits and arrested two accomplices after repelling an attack on Wakwodna community, near Kasso village, Chikun Local Government Area.

According to the Kaduna state government, the naval troops responded to reports of an attack on the village. The gunmen fled into the surrounding jungle when confronted by the troops, abandoning several rustled cattle. The cattle were rounded up by the troopers and returned to their owners.

“Two locals who were injured in the exchange were evacuated for medical attention,” Aruwan said.

According to the rights group Intersociety Rule of Law, 1,470 Christians were murdered and over 2,200 were abducted by radical Islamists in Nigeria during the first four months of 2021.

Of the 1,470 Christians murdered, 800 of those were killed by the Muslim Fulani Herdsmen, according to the group’s report.

https://www1.cbn.com

As if black & white fungus were not enough: 1st case of deadly ‘YELLOW fungus’ reported in Covid-19 patient in India

RT – May 25, 2021

A patient who was recovering from Covid-19 has been found to have symptoms of yellow fungus, news agency ANI quoted a doctor in an Uttar Pradesh hospital as saying. The new disease is reportedly more dangerous than black fungus.

Dr. BP Tyagi, an otolaryngologist in the city of Ghaziabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh, said it was the first case of yellow fungus in a patient recovering from Covid-19. The 45-year-old man had been undergoing treatment for Covid-19 over the past few months, however, his condition deteriorated over the past few days, so he was admitted to the hospital and an examination revealed yellow fungus.

According to the doctor, yellow fungus is a potentially fatal disease caused by bad hygiene and humidity. It is more dangerous than black fungus or white fungus, as it’s difficult to diagnose because it starts inside the body, affecting the internal organs. Black fungus begins with a distinct facial disfiguration which is easy to spot. The symptoms of yellow fungus include lethargy, lack of appetite, weight loss, and in severe cases, the disease can lead to organ malfunction. He added that the patient earlier had symptoms of black fungus and white fungus, which are also complications of Covid-19.

This comes as cases of mucormycosis (commonly known as black fungus) and white fungus have been on the rise among Covid-19 patients in India. Several states declared it to be an epidemic. Fungal infections have been reported in patients who were put on prolonged oxygen support or have been prescribed steroids as part of treatment for Covid-19. Both black and white fungus affect the lungs and other vital organs and can be extremely dangerous.

https://www.rt.com

The $6 Trillion Man? Biden’s Budget Would Make U.S. Taxpayers Pay for Abortions in Far-Left Spending Plan

Steve Warren – May 27, 2021

President Joe Biden will send a clear message on Friday when he releases his proposed 2022 $6 trillion budget to Congress. His message? He wants U.S. taxpayers to fund abortions at a time when Republican-led states are ramping up restrictions on it and when the U.S. Supreme Court plans to hear a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

Several media outlets are reporting Biden’s budget would cause the highest sustained level of federal spending since World War II as the president looks to fund his ever-increasing progressive agenda investing in education, infrastructure, and fighting climate change.

Politico reports Biden is also expected to leave out the Hyde Amendment as well as any other pro-life acknowledgments in his spending proposal in a move to try to please progressives and abortion activists.

The Hyde amendment is a decades-old bipartisan policy that has been included in federal spending bills for roughly 40 years to prevent taxpayer funds from paying for abortions. Biden’s exclusion of Hyde would largely be a token confrontation due to the Democrat Party’s narrow majority in Congress, and no clear winning edge in the Senate.

As CBN News reported in 2019, in his many years as a senator, he was for it. But suddenly then-candidate Biden flip-flopped on the issue saying he wanted to get rid of the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions. This surprised many Democrats including some of the then-former vice president’s aides.

“Just as I’ve never attempted to impose my views on anyone else as to when life begins, I have never attempted to impose my view on who should pay for it if people fundamentally disagree with the position we take,” Biden said at the time. “But folks, but folks times have changed. I don’t think these guys are gonna let up.”

He shifted his position, he said, while crafting his healthcare plan, as more and more states pass laws protecting the unborn.

“I can’t justify leaving millions of women without access to the healthcare they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right,” he said.

https://www1.cbn.com

Judge Sides with Atheist Group, Strikes Down Pre-Court Prayer as Unconstitutional

Michael Foust – May 24, 2021

A Texas judge’s practice of opening his court sessions in chaplain-led prayer violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on government establishment of religion, a federal district court ruled Friday.

Judge Wayne Mack, a justice of the peace in Montgomery County, Texas, created a chaplaincy program in 2014 allowing volunteer chaplains to “assist the Court system and Law Enforcement with grieving families on tragic death scenes or death call notifications.” Chaplains also were allowed to offer an invocation for Mack’s court sessions.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which calls itself an organization of “atheists, agnostics and skeptics of any pedigree,” sued Mack in federal court, arguing that the prayers were unconstitutional. FFRF represented an attorney who is a member of the organization and who frequently argued cases in Mack’s courtroom.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt issued a 15-page decision siding with the atheist organization. Hoyt was nominated by President Reagan. Mack’s attorneys say they will appeal.

“The Court is of the view that the defendant violates the Establishment Clause when, before a captured audience of litigants and their counsel, he presents himself as theopneustically-inspired, enabling him to advance, through the Chaplaincy Program, God’s ‘larger purpose,” Hoyt wrote. “Such a magnanimous goal flies in the face of historical tradition and makes a mockery of both religion and law.”

About 90 percent of the chaplains between November 2017 and October 2020 were Protestant Christians, although the chaplains list also included representatives of Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, Hoyt said.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Solar storms are back, threatening life on Earth as we know it

The Associated Press – May 23, 2021

A few days ago, millions of tons of super-heated gas shot off from the surface of the sun and hurtled 90 million miles toward Earth.

The eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, wasn’t particularly powerful on the space-weather scale, but when it hit the Earth’s magnetic field it triggered the strongest geomagnetic storm seen for years. There wasn’t much disruption this time — few people probably even knew it happened — but it served as a reminder the sun has woken from a yearslong slumber.

While invisible and harmless to anyone on the Earth’s surface, the geomagnetic waves unleashed by solar storms can cripple power grids, jam radio communications, bathe airline crews in dangerous levels of radiation and knock critical satellites off kilter. The sun began a new 11-year cycle last year and as it reaches its peak in 2025 the specter of powerful space weather creating havoc for humans grows, threatening chaos in a world that has become ever more reliant on technology since the last big storms hit 17 years ago. A recent study suggested hardening the grid could lead to $27 billion worth of benefits to the U.S. power industry.

“It is still remarkable to me the number of people, companies, who think space weather is Hollywood fiction,” said Caitlin Durkovich, a special assistant to President Joe Biden and senior director of resilience and response in the National Security Council, during a talk at a solar-weather conference last month.

The danger isn’t hypothetical. In 2017, a solar storm caused ham radios to turn to static just as the Category 5 Hurricane Irma was ripping through the Caribbean. In 2015, solar storms knocked out global positioning systems in the U.S. Northeast, a particular concern as self-driving cars become a reality. Airline pilots are at greater risk of developing cataracts when solar storms hit. Female crew see higher rates of miscarriages.

In March 1989, a solar storm over Quebec caused a province-wide outage that lasted nine hours, according to Hydro-Quebec’s website. A 2017 paper in the journal of the American Geophysical Union predicted blackouts caused by severe space weather could strike as much as 66% of the U.S. population, with economic losses reaching a potential $41.5 billion a day.

https://www.pennlive.com