Ted’s Remarks About Stuff
April thru June, 2010


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June 30, 2010

Saudi King Abdullah has met with President Obama at the White House.  On Apr. 2, 2009, Obama bowed to this man in London.

Saudi king: Obama an "honorable man"

In their most recent meeting, they exchanged compliments with each other:

Obama: “I’ve always valued your majesty’s values and insights.
Abdullah: “You are an honorable and good man.

Yeah, whatever.  I found most of what these two leaders said to each other to be irrelevant.  What is relevant to me is that, at the end of the article, it states how a huge majority of U.S. Congressmen and Senators have urged President Obama to stand behind the USA’s longtime friend and ally, Israel.  We’ll see how Obama treats Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits next week.


June 29, 2010

On the Hebrew calendar, Tammuz 17 began at sunset last night and lasts until sunset tonight.  According to Hebrew tradition, five calamities occurred on this day:

  • The first tablets containing the 10 commandments were broken by Moses.
  • Two daily sacrifices were ceased during the time of the First Temple.
  • The Romans broke through the outer walls of the Second Temple.
  • The Torah was burned.
  • An idol was erected in the Temple.

This begins three weeks of mourning up until Tisha B'Av (Av 9), which is July 20 this year.  Traditionally, today is a Hebrew fast day, so I have been fasting since last night, even though I am not Hebrew or Jewish.  I am doing it in conjunction with the following:

  • mourning for the tragedies that have befallen the children of Jacob/Israel throughout the millennia and which will befall them again,
  • reading the book of Lamentations and considering the affliction and suffering that Israel has undergone, and will undergo again, especially during the “day of vengeance”—that is, the initial part of the Day of the Lord’s anger or wrath (Lamentations 2:22),
  • thinking about the mercy of God that has been extended to me for all of His commandments that I have broken,
  • expressing humility before God,
  • repenting of my transgressions and shortcomings,
  • praying for those who are less fortunate than I and who are undergoing various trials and tribulations, and
  • listening for God’s still, quiet voice showing me His will for me.

Every so often, I fast for 24 hours to lose a pound or two.  Today, it is to commune with God and to contemplate how important it is for us to acknowledge our sins and transgressions, ask for His forgiveness, and turn away from what we know displeases Him.


June 26, 2010

Cloud Formations between St. Louis, MO, and Birmingham, ALI flew today (not by myself—an airplane helped—although, one day, I hope to be able to do so on my own).  Between St. Louis and Birmingham, I was enjoying all the clouds out the window.  I liked watching their formations changing from minute to minute.  They remind me of God’s extremely detailed and limitless creative abilities.

I really like clouds, I think mainly because I know that Jesus will be coming on them one day (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7).  Hopefully, that will be soon.  Imagine Him walking on clouds like He walked on water (Matthew 14:25-27).  Unlike clouds, though, Jesus never changes.  He is the everlasting Word, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8), who always was and always will be.


June 23, 2010

A few days ago, someone emailed me saying she believes that the Church in the USA will be persecuted, and I agree with that.  She added that “every promise we have relied on Him to fulfill when things were going well are still valid (and more so) when times are (will be) bad.  He's always the same.  He is always sovereign and always faithful. ”  I agree with that, too.

Psalm 32:8She ended the email by suggesting that I read Psalm 32, which I did.  I do feel that it (especially the last half of the chapter) contains encouraging words, from the Lord, which will be important for all believers to think about when the worst of times come upon us, as I believe that they will, whether through bankruptcy, foreclosure, unemployment, persecution, and/or other hardships.

Then, yesterday, she emailed me again saying how she had ordered a used copy of Unger’s Bible Dictionary, which had arrived the day before.  Click on the picture to the right to see what was on the dedication page of that book, written over 33 years ago, which included Psalm 32:8.  She remarked how God confirms His Word for His servants.  Yes, He certainly does.  Adonai, alone, is faithful, true, and wonderful.


June 20, 2010

Happy Father’s Day.  I believe that those who honor their fathers will be more likely to have a long life on the earth (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16).  This is the first commandmant with a promise (Ephesians 6:1-3).  Since my dad is gone, I apply this to my heavenly Father, who has been so incredibly good, faithful and true to me that I want to honor him for all eternity.


June 15, 2010

I have received an email from someone who claims that, over a period of a few months, she observed the white parts of the eyes of five different people suddenly turning black.  Evidently she went online, searched around, and found the email exchange I had with someone else about black eyes, which I wrote about in my Apr. 22 entry.  If you want to see this new email exchange, go here (her name is not really “Jane”):

Black Eyes 2

Whether my response to her email is correct or not, I do sense that the evil spiritual realm is becoming increasingly influential and powerful in the world, and I believe that it will continue to escalate.  We can expect even stranger and more uncanny things to happen around us.

As such, it will become vitally important for us to become more consistently steadfast and resolute (rather than cold or lukewarm) toward God if we expect for Him to guide us through the treacherous waters ahead, whenever they start flooding in.


June 13, 2010

I heard a good message today with which I agree.  There is one word that encapsulates or “sums up” the entire Bible: Israel.  Israel began in Genesis.  It experienced captivity and freedom in Exodus.  Its ancient history is detailed in the books that follow.  Its future was forecasted in the ancient Old Testament books by Israeli prophets.

Yeshua/Jesus was Jewish and was born, raised, and died in Israel.  All of the New Testament writers pointed to Jesus as the Messiah (Christ) and Savior of Israel.  And the multitude of 144,000 described in Revelation will be from the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:1-8).

The majority of the world hates Israel.  It has been prophesied repeatedly in the Bible that this would happen, and the hatred only will escalate in the coming years.  Helen Thomas, a former White House correspondent, retired on June 7 after heated reaction to highly inflammatory remarks that she made about Israel:

Time to get the
hell out of Palestine

Thomas’ abhorrence of Israel reflects the attitude of billions around the world.  As the end of the age approaches, both literal and spiritual descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) everywhere will undergo extreme persecution and mistreatment.

Partially because of this, Yahweh/God will allow the world to plunge into the darkest period of tribulation and chaos ever experienced in human history.  Just as it was necessary for Yeshua/Jesus—the physical manifestation of God—to suffer greatly almost 2,000 years ago (Philippians 2:5-8), it likewise will be necessary for most of the world to undergo extreme affliction and distress before the Messiah returns to put a stop to it.

The fact that He will return needs to be the constant focus of all who believe in Him.  And when He does, He will wipe all of Israel’s enemies and foes off the face of the earth, just as they now express the desire for the same to happen to Israel.  There always will be people who resent the love and devotion that true believers have for God and Jesus.  Considerable troubles and difficulties are coming, and believers need to expect them.

As Yeshua embarks on His millennial rule and reign, He also will restore most of the devastated earth to a wonderful state of beauty and splendor.  It also will be then that Israel will receive all of the promised land. At that time, all of the pain and anguish experienced by the survivors will be a fleeting memory of the past, just as the excruciating pains of labor are all but forgotten by the jubilant mother of a newborn baby.

Until then, believers must be steadfast in their allegience to the One True God and Master, Adonai, as well as in their perseverance in helping non-believers understand the urgency in accepting Yeshua as Lord and Savior.  And on this “last stretch” of the race, it will be vitally important to put on the mighty “Armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18) as a buffer against the spiritual storms that rapidly are approaching.


June 10, 2010

Today, Barack Obama issued an executive order establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council.  I read through the entire thing, which is located at the White House website.

I guess, at best, I don’t really understand the need for this right now, at a time when the USA is struggling under an advanced recession and is in the midst of the gulf oil spill.  Both of these are dire situations, with no viable solutions in sight, that need no other distractions and require immediate action.

Why does the president need, before July 1, 2010 (and annually thereafter), reports with “a list of national priorities on health promotion and disease prevention to address lifestyle behavior modification” and “specific plans for consolidating Federal health programs and centers that exist to promote healthy behavior and reduce disease risk,” among numerous other requirements?  How much will this huge program cost?  How high will our taxes need to be hiked to pay for it?  Is this absolutely necessary right now?

Maybe we should be asking these other questions as well:  Is there a hidden agenda behind this?  Do we really need government to exercise any more control in our private lives than it already does?  I, for one, am very wary about any new program instituted, in one day, by a single executive order by the president.  It also makes me wonder how many more executive orders are on the horizon.


June 4, 2010

Usually, I prefer that people not send me videos or lengthy articles.  For one thing, there is a good chance I already have seen them or something like them.  For another thing, I have pretty narrow interests, and it takes a lot to impress me.  Plus, if it takes more than 8-10 minutes to watch or read, it is really stretching my short attention span.

Someone sent me a link to a particular video lately that I actually found interesting, though.  It shows a slow ride down Market Street in San Francisco, and the claim is that it was filmed four days before the great earthquake of 1906.

A Trip Down Market Street

If you would like to read the story about this, as well as watch the full version that is almost twice as long as the one above, it is here:

A Trip Down Market Street (Extended)

However, there is more rolling of the frames in the long version, which is distracting.  Also, the long version does not have music (“La Femme D'Argent” by Air) added to it.  I like the music.  Somehow, for me, it seems to add to the feeling that all of those people had absolutely no clue that their world would be violently rocked in only four days.


June 3, 2010

Macaroni SalacA couple weeks ago, a friend made some really good macaroni salad.  Typically, I am not a big pasta eater, since it is a carbohydrate that is pretty fattening.  However, what she made was so good that I ate quite a bit of it.

Today I was craving it for some reason, so I made a variation of it myself.  Instead of macaroni, I used veggie bow-tie pasta.

To the pasta, I added shredded chicken, celery, black olives, green onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  The bowl was a lot more full initially than it shows in the photo, but a friend and I immediately had huge helpings because it turned out so tasty.


May 28, 2010

Recently, someone emailed me with several questions, and it took me a few days to send a response.  I liked her response back to me, which I will post here:

My sincere thanks for making time to respond to my email. Since then, I have realized that most of my questions are already answered, since the Bible answers them clearly.  It only took a bit of cross-referencing with other scriptures to clarify matters.  I do believe now that by comparing different scriptures, we can all find the real answers to important questions, since the Bible is able to explain itself.

The importance is to accept all scriptures as being inspired of God (2 Timothy 3:16). That is the only way we would come to the correct understanding of things. Opinions do not matter, since the Bible also says that people (even those who believe in the Bible and call themselves Christian) would speak twisted things and mislead many and also that many would be false in their ways (Acts 20:29,30; Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 13:24-30,36-43). That along with discernment goes a long way, and God desires that we understand his sayings (Proverbs 2:3-7,10-15).

People might consider her words before asking me questions about anything, especially about trivial and very speculative matters.  Of course, I supposed that “trivial” is in the eyes of the beholder.  Anyway, I advise that people read the Bible for themselves, from cover to cover, to get a better understanding of how God works and how all the books of the Bible all fit neatly together.


May 27, 2010

Many people equate a “credit report” with a “credit score.”  The two are related, but they are not the same thing.  This article explains the difference, and it also provides other useful information:

With credit scores, it should
be equal access for all

Credit reports can be obtained, free, at http://www.annualcreditreport.com.  However, according to pending legislation, credit scores will be made available, free, only to some people.  Let’s hope that the final legislation will allow credit scores to be acquired, free, by all of us.


May 23, 2010

Today is the Christian celebration of Pentecost.  At the first Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), Jesus’ disciples were filled, supernaturally, with the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and spoke in other "tongues."  Other God-fearing Jews, who had gathered there from many other nations, heard these men declaring the wonders of God in their own languages (2:5,6,11).

The first Pentecost corresponded to the Jewish celebration of Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks.  On this day, a firstfruits of the wheat harvest was offered to God.  Most calendars usually list Shavuot a few days before Pentecost (this year, May 19 & 20), due to the way the fifty days are added from Passover week.

I believe the fifty-day calculation is made erroneously by most, as explained in my first email response below.  The second email response pertains to my thoughts about how some Christian ministries bring Jews and other Israelites, scattered throughout the world, back to Israel.

On the day of Pentecost, Jews “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5) had returned to Jerusalem (following the commandment of Deuteronomy 16:16), indicating that they already had been widely dispersed among the nations by that time.  Today the dispersion is even greater, and my second email response above relates to this.

After Pentecost, the apostles performed many wonders and miraculous signs (Acts 2:43).  They were the “firstfruits” of all who would receive some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Anyone who is filled by the Spirit of God can receive some of these gifts from God as well.  Each of us is nothing, but God can make something out of nothing with the Power of His Holy Spirit.


May 20, 2010

The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, addressed the U.S. Congress today.  He indicated that he strongly disagreed with the immigration law passed in Arizona last month.  He said, “It's a law that not only ignores reality, but also introduces racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement.

Mexico's President Slams Arizona Law,
Urges Congress to Pass Immigration Overhaul

Calderon was referring to Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070.  I found his views to be somewhat duplicitous, considering that Mexico’s Immigration Law is one of the most strict and severe of any nation in the world.

The Arizona law (in PDF form), which was amended on April 28 to ensure that there would be no racial profiling, is here for anyone who would like to read it (I have):

State of Arizona, Senate Bill 1070

In this law, there are numerous references to the federal immigration law, which SB 1070 merely is preserving and maintaining.  Laws are laws.  Either we support and uphold our laws, or we turn into a lawless nation, which will have catastrophic consequences.

Two U.S. federal officials who oppose this law are Attorney General Eric Holder (who had not even read the law as of May 13), and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (who had not read the law as of May 17).  Both of them are attorneys...inexcusable.

Napolitano does not support the Arizona law; yet when she was the governor of Arizona, she begged George Bush to send federal troups to the border to counter the massive influx of illegal aliens from Mexico.  Personally, I think she is nothing more than a political hack chosen by Barack Obama, since he knew that she would be willing to compromise any ethical standards that she might have had.

Napolitano also approved the reprehensible “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” report of Apr. 7, 2009.  If she had any scruples at all, she would resign, just as Obama’s top intelligence adviser, Dennis Blair, has done.

Incidentally, there are many who believe that the entire southwestern region of the USA is part of Aztlán and should be returned to Mexico.  Thus, they do not see “illegal aliens” in this region as being illegal at all; they feel that these are natural citizens of Aztlán.  Watch this video, made in 2007, for more:

Nation of Aztlan

Here is another disturbing video filmed at an immigration reform rally earlier this month:

Radical Immigration Reform
Rally in Atlanta, Georgia

Jesus warned that “nation will rise against nation” (Matthew 24:7) near the very end of the age.  In the Greek, “nation” is ethnos or ethnic group.  I feel that a civil war in the USA, eclipsing the one in the 1800s, is not unlikely within the next few years.


May 15, 2010

For over 11 years, I worked a few blocks from Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, CA.  I went there several times, including eating a picnic lunch on a hillside there sometimes.

However, not once did I ever walk the 4 miles around the park.  It even has a nice 36-hole golf course, but I’m not really into golfing.  Across the street from the park is a bowling alley, where I was in a league for several years in the 1980s.

A good friend of mine never had walked around it either, so we decided to do it today.  She also invited a friend of hers, who has done the walk a few times herself.  It was a fun time, and we all would like to do it together again.

         

                     
30-second slideshow

It took us 1 hour and 25 minutes to walk around the 4-mile perimeter.  I stopped a number of times to take photos, and I told them not to wait.  So I did a lot of running to catch up.  I think I got an adequate amount of cardio exercise today, which also included 35 minutes on the elliptical machine at the gym this morning.


May 14, 2010

I have had a request to make a retraction.  Rocky’s “mom” has told me that she thought her Mother’s Day card on May 9 was funny.  She said that she was just “tired” that day and didn’t adequately demonstrate her approval of her hubby’s card.  OK, whatever.

Now, I took a 15-second video that I think is amazing, and I will explain why.  I merely wanted to get a short video of Jack the cat and his favorite thing: getting patted, repeatedly, on both sides of his butt.  I think it is a very weird thing for a cat to like that, but he usually will stand in one place, for a long time, if someone will do that to him.

Well, when I set up everything to take the video, I didn’t expect for Rocky to get in on the action, nor for his “mom” to be talking on the phone at the same time.  (She’s the one who pressed the button on the camera).  If you listen, you can hear what a nice person she is wishing her friend a good evening.  That is common for her.  She is someone who thinks a great deal more about others than she does herself.

Anyway, I found it very interesting how, unrehearsed, I got Jack getting patted, Rocky getting in the way, Rocky’s “mom” finishing a phone conversation, then Jack and Rocky walking away, as if it all had been planned precisely in only 15 seconds.

I know that many, maybe most, people do not believe that Yahweh planned out every single detail of what would happen in this world before it even began.  Well, I do believe that, and I think He planned out this little video (it may take several seconds to begin after you click on it).

Jack the Cat’s Butt-Whacking

Had Rocky not been around, Jack would have stayed there to get the butt-whacking that he loves so much.  But Rocky made him nervous, and he kept trying to escape.  Every detail was planned out, perfectly, from before the foundation of the earth, in my opinion.


May 9, 2010

I spent Mother’s Day with two of my closest friends (married couple).  Besides other things, he got her the following card, purportedly from her dog (Rocky), which I thought was one of the most clever I’ve ever seen:

 

For some reason, she didn’t find it to be all that funny.  Maybe her hubby and I just have a sick sense of humor, or maybe we’re just typical guys.  We liked it.  Oh yeah, and so did Rocky, maybe because he’s a guy, too.  He clings to his “mother” like they were connected by an umbilical cord.  By the way, here’s Rocky and his tags:

 
5-second slideshow

Anyway, happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there.  I know it can be tough sometimes (especially if you are raising someone as wild as I was in my teens).  Hang in there...my mom did, although I don’t know how she managed to do so. 


May 7, 2010

Well, this was not a good week for Wall Street.  Stocks were down for four straight days, including a 431-point drop in the Dow yesterday and a 140-point drop today.  All three major indexes now are in the red for the year.

Yesterday, the stock market had a record 998-point intraday plunge.  (The biggest full-day drop was 777 points on Sep. 29, 2008.)  Investors were petrified for about an hour until over half of the drop was recouped.  I wonder what would have happened if there had been no recovery.  I have a feeling that it won’t be a whole lot longer before we find out.

No one has been able to pinpoint, with certainty, the cause of the massive sell-off yesterday.  For awhile, the unprecedented point loss was explained away by saying that a trader accidentally mistyped a sell order as “billions” instead of “millions,” thus sending a false signal through the market and setting in motion a domino-effect of other stock sales.  That theory, however, no longer is accepted by most.

The unresolved and worsening debt crisis in Europe, as well as a drop of over 4% in China’s Shanghai Composite, may have been contributing factors.  Greece is right on the verge of financial collapse, followed not far behind by Spain, Portugal, and Italy.  California is in the same boat, led by the grossly mismanaged, monstrously debt-ridden metropolis of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the USA.

I wonder what will happen first, pertaining to Los Angeles: sliding into the Pacific Ocean after a gigantic 8.5 earthquake, or plummeting into the abyss of financial failure after declaring bankruptcy.  In any case, when it falls, it will be a colossal domino in the collapse of the global economic system.  Wow, if I didn’t have an unswerving faith in the immovable, steadfast Rock of Yahweh, I don’t know if I could handle thinking about such things.


In other news, U.S. Envoy George Mitchell met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today in Ramallah.  This is a continuation of so-called “peace talks” between Israel and the Palestinians, which began on May 5.  For two days, Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian Authority: Israel must
choose — peace or settlements

The problem is that the typical, standard stipulation is being made by the P.A. before any productive talks have started:  Israel must halt all construction of settlements before direct negotiations can begin.  Netanyahu has indicated that there will be a “temporary slowdown” but not a complete stop of construction.  Before this even gets anywhere, I can see it failing, as usual.  But I’m still watching.


May 6, 2010

A day after George Mitchell of the USA met with Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Canadian diplomats, working with a group of Israelis and Palestinians, have suggested a “special regime” for Jerusalem’s Old City section.  The Old City lies within East Jerusalem.

Special regime for sharing J'lem (Jerusalem)

Purportedly, the regime would be run by Israelis and Palestinians.  However, it would be headed by an outside administrator, “envisioned as neither an Israeli nor a Palestinian, but someone with international standing.”  Some have speculated that Javier Solana could be this person.  Perhaps he should not be “counted out” yet, although I will have to see it to believe it.  Maybe he has just been a “decoy” all this time—or maybe not.


May 5, 2010

Israeli-Palestinian “peace talks” began today, after being put on hold for over a year.  George Mitchell, the Mideast envoy sent by President Obama, met with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem.  Mitchell also intends to meet with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.

After lengthy diplomacy,
Mideast peace talks begin

Interestingly, the Palestinians would not acknowledge that the “peace talks” had begun with the Mitchell-Netanyahu meeting, insisting that they had not given “formal approval” to the process.  This sounds like virtually every other series of talks about reconciliation, which never really amount to anything significant, due to faulty assumptions and petty disagreements.

Seeing is believing, especially since Hamas flatly rejects Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.  I suppose that anything is possible, though.


May 4, 2010

For some reason this afternoon, I felt like taking photos of birds at Seaport Village, which I have enjoyed about as long as it has existed: 30 years.  Some of the original stores are still there.  However, I do not go there to shop or eat; I just like the views of the bay from the coastal walkway and the pier.

         

         
30-second slideshow

Ted, Sequoia Nat'l Park, 1992Earlier in the day, I saw a friend at the gym that I hadn’t seen in awhile.  We’re the same age and palled around some in the 1990s.  He typically has gone to the gym at a different time than I do; but recently he retired and has more freedom, so today he went at a different time.

After the gym, we had lunch at a Thai place, then went to a park to catch some rays, then over to his place so he could show me some improvements he’s making.  While there, he opened a photo album and found some pics of a trip we took to Sequoia National Park, back in 1992, the year after I retired.  We had a blast driving and hiking all around the park.

I remembered that, on our trip, he was apprehensive of my eating sunflower seeds in his car, since he didn’t want any shells between the seats or on the floor.  But I was careful.  Then I think he started eating them and got addicted to them, too. 

He scanned a couple of photos, one of him and one of me.  At my website, I do not post photos of people I know, although I might if they specifically wanted me to.  I also don’t particularly like to post my own picture, because I feel that what I look like is irrelevant.  I will make an exception here, though, since I had such a fun time on that trip.  You can click on it to see a larger view.


May 3, 2010

I went to Albuquerque, NM, to attend continuing education classes for three full days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).  Their classes for optometric physicians are some of the best in the nation, which is why I like to go there rather than to the national conventions.

I learned some remarkable things about thyroid conditions, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and several other conditions that affect the eyes and vision.  One thing I found interesting is that Latisse, a product for growing the eyelashes longer, is identical to Lumigan, a medication used for the treatment of glaucoma.

Although I have been retired for nearly two decades (January 11, 2011, or 1/11/11, will be my 20th anniversary of freedom), I continue to maintain my license to practice.  However, since I no longer practice eye care, I am not a very good source of information, and prefer not to answer questions, about people’s eye conditions and diseases (see Eye Advice and Information).

One of the main sections of my website is Anatomy, Pathology and Physiology of the Human Eye.  Many questions about the eye and vision can be answered there.  For personal conditions and problems with the eyes and vision, it is best to be examined by an eye care professional in your area.


Apr. 28, 2010

Those who read my stuff regularly know that I like full moons.

     
10-second slideshow

Obviously, I used different camera settings for these shots.


Apr. 27, 2010

This appears to be a valid warning against something that one might find in one’s front yard:

Bottle Bombs

Yikes! 


Apr. 26, 2010

In an unscheduled meeting today, President Obama told Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister, that the USA is committed to the security of Israel.

Obama to Barak: I am
committed to Israel's security

Whether or not that is true has yet to be seen.  But I did find one statement by Mr. Obama to be quite interesting.  He indicated that his administration was determined to achieve regional peace, which would include “a two-state solution with a secure Jewish state of Israel living side by side in peace and security with a viable and independent Palestinian state.

The reason why I find this so noteworthy is that this goal is virtually identical to one of the stated objectives of the EU, included in the seven-year European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument for Israel: “a two-state solution ... with Israel and a democratic, viable, peaceful and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders....”  (Click here to go directly to the paragraph containing that statement.)

In a related story, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, indicated that he was willing to engage in peace talks with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu as early as May 1.  I find it difficult to believe that such talks will be productive, if they happen at all.  But anything is possible.

"I want to work with Netanyahu"

Flag of the Palestinian Authority
Flag of the Palestinian Authority
In that article, I would like to point out the Flag of the Palestinian Authority in the photo of Mr. Abbas.  Not all of the flag is visible, as there are four colors in the flag: white, red, black, and green.

Of course, the Palestinian Authority is predominantly Islamic.  Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen also are almost exclusively Islamic, and their flags contain two or more of the same four colors.

Four Horses of the ApocalypseThose colors—white, red, black, and green (pale or “chloros”)—remind me of the colors of the four horses of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:1-8).  The fourth horse is “pale” which actually is “chloros” in the Greek, meaning green.  Specifically, notice the word “sword” in the information about the fourth seal in verse 8.

Now look what is at the bottom of the Flag of Saudi Arabia: a sword.  In Part 3 of my Chronology of Revelation, in case you have not read the section Mecca, Saudi Arabia, you might want to.  Plus, if you have time, click on the Mystery Babylon link there and read the three-part commentary by Joel Richardson—very lengthy but quite informative.

I am not going to write a summary “connecting all the dots” in this entry, since I do not like to speculate.  I merely am pondering and thinking about all of these things, and I recommend that others do the same.


Apr. 25, 2010

A friend in town called me up and asked if I’d like to photograph the tulips in her yard.  She is a good friend, besides being one of my favorite people.

     
     
20-second slideshow

Although she is 90, she thinks and remembers things at least as clearly as I do.  I do not visit her as often as I should, so I figured I would print out some of the tulip photos and frame them for her.  She liked them a lot.


Apr. 24, 2010

Meteorite on a Beach in IsraelI’ve never seen a flaming meteorite before.  A meteorite is a meteor that hits the ground before it burns up completely.  Well, one fell on a beach in Israel, near Tel Aviv, burning shells around it.

Beachgoers heard a loud blast, and then the police were called.  The black-colored rock was put into the water for several minutes, yet it continued to burn.  It was determined to be a meteorite and was taken to the Israel Geological Institute.

Meteorite crashed on the
beach in Bat Yam, Israel

Wow, I think that’s pretty cool.  Well, actually, it’s really hot.  I wonder how anybody was able to pick it up.


Apr. 22, 2010

A lady has written me about a strange occurrence.  Actually, that is an understatement; maybe “eerie” and “creepy” are better descriptions.  I assume that she found my eye site and wondered if, as an eye doctor, I had seen anything like what she described (which I have not).

You can read our recent correspondence, over a few days, by clicking on the following link (I have changed the name of the person who emailed me to protect her identity):

Black Eyes 1

We all should be thinking about what we will do when we suddenly are confronted with uncanny things like this.  Notice that I said when, not if.  I feel that such times are nearer than most people think.


Apr. 17, 2010

Today is my Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday).  So I do things differently than I do on other days.  Basically I do not do much other than “kick back” and relax, although earlier I did read some in the Torah (Leviticus 22-24).

One thing I did was to open up all of the packages of peanuts I have collected from flights on Southwest Airlines, my favorite way to fly.  Then I poured them into an empty peanut jar to put in my car for a snack.

 
5-second slideshow

I like doing it that way because there are different kinds of peanuts in the same jar.  Each handful is a little different.  Don’t laugh; at least I saved a couple of dollars. 


Apr. 15, 2010

It is “tax day” in the USA.  Unlike millions of Americans, I am not stressed today, since my taxes were done weeks ago.  I can understand why so many Tea Party rallies took place today, across the nation.

Now, there is one thing I do not comprehend:  Why do so many people look forward to getting a tax refund?  Logically, what they should be doing is adjusting their withholding amount, throughout the year, so that they will receive no refund, or even pay a small amount, in the Spring.  If you receive a refund, it means that the government has been using your money, and gaining interest on it, then paying your money back to your with no interest after April 15 (assuming you receive a refund).

It is much more sensible to open up your own private “tax account” at a bank, deposit that extra money from each paycheck, and earn interest on it.  Then, in April, you will have more money, in that account, than you otherwise would have had if the government had paid you a refund.

In any case, I do expect taxes, for most people, to go up significantly next year (especially since the Bush tax cuts will have expired) and each year after that.  Furthermore, I see no other way for the federal government to pay for its highly expensive new programs, including the disastrous health care reform, voted for by the House on Mar. 21 and signed into law on Mar. 23.


In other news, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, in southern Iceland, began erupting again yesterday.  This eruption was ten to twenty times more powerful than the eruption 3½ weeks ago.  This time, the ash cloud, rising from the volcano 4½ to 5½ miles into the sky, drifted over northern Europe.  Airports from Dublin to Vienna and Paris to Oslo were shut down, today, for the first time since the 9/11/01 attack on America.  This is causing flight delays all over the world; some are calling it “global gridlock.”  I have heard that millions of people are stranded, often thousands of miles away from home, many of whom many be in a state of “normalcy bias.”

Volcanic Ash Stops Europe Flights—
Why Ash Is Dangerous

Unfortunately, these airports probably will be closed for several days—some have estimated even weeks or months.  I even have heard a couple of scientists say that if the volcanic ash continues to be pumped into the atmosphere at this rate, it could have a drastic effect (cooling) on global climate, perhaps decreasing crop production, thus resulting in widespread famines and related calamities.  This and other ongoing volcanic activity, in combination with significant earthquakes so far in 2010, in diverse places around the world, could indicate that the very stability of the earth beneath us is in question.


Apr. 14, 2010

I receive emails daily, many of them from people I do not know.  Here are email responses I have written, recently, to three of them:

Most of the email responses I write are not as lengthy as these.  I usually do not have the time.


Apr. 13, 2010

One of my good friends, Barry, likes to scuba dive.  Among the places he has done this is in Hawaii, the Philippines, Little Cayman, and Cozumel.  I decided to make a page showing some of his underwater photos, many of which I think are spectacular.  Go here if you would like to see them:

Barry’s Scuba-Diving Photos

Also, I have created some 10-question quizzes, which many have not seen at my website.  Those quizzes are here:

Ted’s General Knowledge Quizzes

In case you are bored and have some time to burn, these “distractions” will use up some time.


Apr. 8, 2010

It is amazing how many people have emailed me after reading my Apr. 5 entry, telling me how convinced they are that my two-part commentary about the European Neighbourhood Policy and Daniel 9:27 is absolutely correct.  Several have reiterated how they remain confident that the seven-year ENP is the prophesied agreement but that my dates may be “a little off.”

These and others have told me that some weird things have happened where they live, just this week, such as new emergency alert systems appearing in their towns, state parks being closed mysteriously, strange new ordinances going into effect, and other puzzling things.  Some have said that they believe prophetic events did occur in Israel as recently as this past weekend, but they happened “under the radar” or in the “cover of darkness” so that they have not yet become public knowledge.

I do not know.  All I can say is that, globally, economic and political conditions have been plummeting this week.  To scratch the surface, there are increasing worries about the critical debt crises in Greece and in California (especially Los Angeles).  Kyrgyzstan and Thailand are dealing with extreme civil unrest and anti-government revolts and protests.  Many feel that these and worse events are on the horizon for the USA, including food riots, tax revolts, squatter rebellions, and unemployment protest marches.

Although I certainly do not advocate such uprisings, I do see this nation sliding from a recession into a depression, with frustrated, irate people reacting very negatively, as a result—once they have awakened from their “normalcy bias” stupor.  If the world has not already entered the Great Tribulation, I do not see how it can be a great deal longer before we do.  That is why I continue to encourage people to use my Adversity Supplies List to acquire common items that, relatively soon, may become scarce and highly expensive.


In other news, Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed a nuclear reduction treaty today in Prague:

Obama, Medvedev Sign Treaty
to Cut Nuclear Arms

The treaty cannot go into effect, however, until the Russian Parliament and the U.S. Senate vote to ratify the treaty, the latter by a 2/3 majority of 67 votes.  With nations like Iran and North Korea striving to obtain nuclear weapons, I am not sure that a reduction in arms by the USA is such a great idea at this time.

Also, Obama will be hosting a 47-country nuclear security summit in Washington, DC, next week (April 12 & 13).  Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, canceled his scheduled trip to the summit.  Evidently, he did this because Egypt and Turkey plan to raise the issue of Israel’s (presumed) nuclear arsenal at the conference.  I wonder if Netanyahu will be punished for that decision.


Apr. 5, 2010

OK well, I observed nothing of any significance happening yesterday in Jerusalem, as I (and many others) anticipated that it might.  There appeared to be no abolition of sacrifice and offering (Daniel 9:27, 12:11)—except by the Israeli government on Mar. 21 and the Israeli supreme court on Mar. 23no setting up of the abomination that causes desolation (Matthew 24:15), and no armies surrounding Jerusalem (Luke 21:20)—at least, that we know of.  The main thing of significance that seems to have happened on Apr. 4 was a 7.2 earthquake, which shook Southern California and was felt as far away as Santa Barbara, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Therefore, I am retreating from my hypothesis about the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), at least for now.  This will be the case unless and until someone can give me very convincing evidence not to do so.  Also, I am very sorry if I caused anyone undue distress or agitation by what now appears to be a flawed, or at least an inconclusive, conjecture about prophetic Scripture.

Briefly, I have felt, for almost 3½ years, that the seven-year ENP might be the prophesied seven-year agreement of Daniel 9:27.  Assuming an equal length of 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6) for each half of the 70th Week, my proposed first half would have begun October 22, 2006, and ended April 3, 2010.  The second half would have begun April 4, the Feast of Firstfruits 2010 (beginning the Great Tribulation), and would end September 14, Yom Kippur 2013.

Now, there still are many who steadfastly believe that the ENP is the prophesied agreement of Daniel 9:27, especially since it appears to confirm and strengthen a prior agreement, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EuroMed) of 1995.  They point out that the ENP officially went into effect January 1, 2007, and it is to extend through 2013.

If you consider the period January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2013, with most years containing 365 days, and 2008 and 2012 being leap years with 366 days each, then I calculate the exact midpoint of that seven-year period to be June 30, 2010.  Interestingly, this falls on a Wednesday.  Thus, this date not only is in the middle of the “week” of seven years (2007-13), it also is the middle of the regular week of days in which it occurs.

In any case, I will neither validate nor attempt to weaken that theory, although I personally am very skeptical of it.  It may or may not be correct; time will tell.  Unless I see evidence to the contrary, though, I no longer support my own previous hypothesis, nor will I “jump onboard” the boat of another hypothesis, without very specific and compelling evidence convincing me to do so.


Apr. 4, 2010

Southern California was shaken this afternoon, at 3:40 p.m. local time, by a substantial 7.2 earthquake.  The epicenter was 38 miles south of the California/Mexico border, near Mexicali.  I do not know anybody in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties who did not feel the quake.  It definitely was a big rocker.  Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, in Anaheim, closed down all of their rides.

Several people have told me that as soon as they began feeling the shaking, they immediately thought of me and how I have been pointing, for quite some time, to April 4, 2010, as a potentially significant date.  For 2½ weeks, a couple of friends have suggested that, on March 16, the 4.4 earthquake near Los Angeles at 04:04 a.m. might have been pointing to 4/4, somehow.  Hmmm...I don’t know.  I cannot even speculate about that, but anything is possible.

I received several emails from people saying that my proposed date of April 4, 2010, as the midpoint of the 70th Week, seemed to be “right on schedule,” with such a sizeable quake shaking millions of people at once.  I will not speculate about that, either.

Today’s quake was the largest shaker felt in the region since the Landers earthquake of June 28, 1992.  That quake was a magnitude 7.3 and was the largest temblor to be felt in the contiguous 48 states for 40 years.  It was followed just over 3 hours later by the 6.5 Big Bear earthquake.  Since I was in San Diego at the time, I was rocked by both.  About 17 years ago, I wrote an account about these quakes here: birth pains.

Anyway, I have been using the following web pages to monitor aftershocks of today’s big quake, as well as other quakes around the world:

USGS: Latest Earthquakes
in the World—Past 7 Days
      Seismic Monitor

I hope this quake is not a precursor to a larger event, which is quite possible—especially since The Bible Code seems to predict a great L.A. earthquake for 2010 (Hebrew year 5770):

 

Note that the second one seems to specify a “fire” in L.A.  Since that did not happen today, I would say that today’s quake did not qualify as the “big one” predicted for 2010.

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