Filipino guillotine: The crusade against drugs and the backlash

by Yen Makabenta

I TITLE this piece “Filipino guillotine” to sound a warning that if we, Filipinos, do not wise up to what is happening in our country—state-sanctioned killings, crazy politics, corrupt generals—we could wind up without our democracy, our leaders, and even our republic.

I am haunted by the lesson of Italy, which went through an agonizing crusade to wipe out the mafia, organized crime and corruption and wound up with a monstrous national breakdown. Continue reading

United Methodist church elects first openly gay bishop despite marriage ban

The western district of the United Methodist church (UMC) elected an openly gay bishop on Friday, despit3629e its ban on same-sex relationships. The Rev Karen Oliveto was elected late in the evening at a meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, of the church’s western jurisdiction.

In remarks published on the UMC website, Oliveto said: “Today we took a step closer to embody beloved community and while we may be moving there, we are not there yet. We are moving on to perfection.” Continue reading

Venezuela army deployed to control food production and distribution

Venezuela’s military has taken control of five ports in an effort to guarantee supplies of food and medicine.

In a decree, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the army to monitor food processing plants, and co-ordinate the production and distribution of items.

Venezuela is going through a deep economic crisis despite having the world’s largest oil reserves.

Basic products are increasingly hard to find and many say they struggle to feed their families. Continue reading

Pokémon Go: Into the real world, with real crime

The game is getting its players off the couch, which already wasn’t safe from the bad guys

Pokémon Go sneaked up on me. One minute, I knew nothing about it, and the next, just about everyone was talking about it.

The twist with Pokémon Go is that players can catch Pokémon in real life, out on the streets and away from their couches. I love the idea that a smartphone game not only can be played anywhere, but actually requires its players to get outside. But because security is always on my mind, I quickly wondered what crimes Pokémon Go would enable. The answer wasn’t long in coming.

Criminals are quick to exploit new opportunities, and they have been targeting video gamers for a long time. Many games encourage in-app purchases, and they often allow players to trade tokens with other players. That creates an incentive for criminals to get their hands on people’s tokens, which they can then sell for financial gain. One major online gaming company hired me to strengthen its user authentication mechanisms, since criminals had been using social engineering to get help desk employees to reset passwords, thus granting them access to players’ in-app assets.  Continue reading…

300 denominations meet for ecumenical gathering in Munich

Some 1,700 Christians from around 300 denominations have met in Munich for a ‘Together in Europe’ gathering of the Ecumenical Congress promoting unity between Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals.

In a meeting supported by Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, leaders of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, several Orthodox Churches, Protestant denominations and free evangelical denominations including some Baptists and Pentecostals debated for three days about how to walk towards “encounter, reconciliation and hope in a better future.”   Continue reading

A Muslim Looking Forward to the Third Temple?

“The following is a press release from Turkish religious figure Adnan Oktar (pictured, center), who recently hosted a number of Israeli Jewish officials during Ramadan and very interestingly expressed his anticipation for the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. …Mr. Adnan Oktar explained that the days when the Prophet Solomon’s Masjid and Palace (Solomon’s Temple) will be rebuilt in an atmosphere of global peace and tranquility are at hand. Rabbi Ben Abrahamson, who is a historian and consultant to the Sanhedrin regarding issues related to Islam, emphasized that the rebuilding of the Temple is a very good development for all mankind.” –Source
First and foremost, contrary to popular belief, there is not a single Bible verse declaring the need for a third temple or even a prophecy stating a third temple is to be built. However, this won’t stop Satan or his Jesuit pawns from suggesting this is a prophecy and or a need as they have been doing so for centuries. Even some in the Seventh day Adventist (SDA) church over the years have been used by Rome to spread the thought that a third temple was needed. That way, by the time all the Sunday keepers, Muslims and other nonChristian faiths join hands on this, the SDA people will have been readied as well.

Take the strange theology of SDA Archeologist Ron Wyatt for example wherein he taught the literal blood of Jesus Christ somehow fell upon the ark of the covenant that was secretly placed under His cross on Calvary 2000 years ago, even though the Word says that blood was to be presented in the Heavenly temple instead. Not only is there not a single Bible verse to back this claim in either the Old or New Testament that Christ’s blood needed to be sprinkled on the earthly copy of the ark of the covenant first found in Heaven that is not made by the hands of men, it sets the stage for Jews, Christians and even Muslims to see the need for a third temple in the future.  Continue reading…

Christians in India fined for worshiping Jesus in public

Authorities in a village in Jharkhand, India told Christians to stop worshiping Jesus publicly or they would be fined and face other consequences.

Area Christian leaders were forced to sign an agreement that they would worship Jesus only inside their homes, and that if they are caught worshiping publicly, they would pay a fine of 10,000 rupees.

“We were forced to sign the bond, we have no other choice as we have nowhere else to stay except in the village,” Pastor Sanjay Kumar Ravi told Morning Star NewsContinue reading

US imported terrorism to Middle East, new Philippines president says

578180e5c3618805118b458cPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte has accused the US of importing terror to the Middle East through its interventions, pointing to Iraq, Libya and Syria as examples.

Speaking at an event being held in honor of the holy Islamic day of Eid’l Fit’r in Davao City on Friday, the leader challenged the narrative that the Middle East is the root of terrorism. “It is not that the Middle East is exporting terrorism to America; America imported terrorism (to the Middle East),” he said. Continue reading